I am not sure the year the Japanese introduced their tractors to this nation, but I started my search serious in the spring of '78. I was looking in the 30 Hp range with 4x4. I am sure other foreign brands had similar ones also, but my attention was now focused mostly on the Kubotas only, doing my detailed research with their brochures on available models.
My Ford 9N was no longer performing.
I settled on a new '78 Kubota L295DT, and added a generic 9 ft. backhoe for construction of our new home that same year. Kubota wasn't building BH's then, and neither were the other small imports here that I looked at that year.
After 35 yrs now with thousands of hours on the L295DT, not a single failure of any componets on this Kubota tractor. The backhoe, I was told was built by ARPS then, and now needs a complete rebuild of cylinders and bushings. The tractor with its loader is still in good shape.
Over the years here developing our ranch, I have added a Ford 1500 in '84 for mowing before the New Holland merger, and a 790 John Deere in 2000. Also we added a Ford 1720 4x4 for ranch work later All of these tractors were purchased new for comparison in my evaluations. I like all of them, but I think the Kubotas for my purpose, have an edge on reliability? Kubotas are built "in house," and makes all their components for their tractors, this reduces nearly all of any future problems, but still not 100%? In '92 we purchased a new Kubota L-35TLB that was so popular here, we were on a short waiting list. A couple of years later they sent us an notice for a new stronger front axle equalizer; instead of hauling the tractor 200 miles round trip; the beefed up front axle equalizer fitting was sent to us at our request, that was never an issue with us.
This maybe a environment issure for reliabililty of the tractors. Varmints here in Calif. have created the problems with the our "JD" by eating the insulation off the glow plug wiring, and the Ford/New Holland suffered an expensive replacement of the hi-tech circuit board in the instrument panel with rodents. These tractors are placed under-cover, but not in a enclosed building.
