Comparison John Deere versus Kubota

[montelatici]

I don't think there is a tractor out there that can compare to Kubota quality-wise. I bought my first one in 1984 (B-5200 4WD) and kept it for 23 years. Used every spring/summer for mowing 4 acres of field plus lawns, and winter snow removal as well as plowing with a full size plow, disk harrowing when we had a garden as well as landscaping, including pulling stumps, levelling land with a box scraper etc.

I hate to admit it but, being busy with work in the city and other hobbies, it was never, and I mean never serviced nor oil changed nor hydraulic fluid changed for at least 18 years after the 50 hour service. Then, at about 18 years it started to lose power and I removed the fuel filter and it was so gunked up it was making the tractor lose power. On that occasion I changed the fuel filter, changed hydro fluid and oil,did some cosmetic repairs and it was back in tip top shape.

The interesting thing is that the cooling system especially the radiator did not fail in all that time.

You can prefer other tractor brands for anything except quality, there is no tractor that comes close to Kubota quality.

I now have two BXs and they exhibit the same qualities as my old B5200 quality wise. The only problem is that now Kubotas are priced in line with their level of quality whereas in the early 80s they were the relatively new little guys on the block and were real bargains.

 

[TCR78]

We have a JD 2350 now and before that, a slightly smaller ford and didn't have a real problem with either. I didn't care for the blue so we had a similar choice to make, green or orange. The kubota dealership (CT/RI line) didn't have a friendly feel at all. The sales rep followed suit. He barely looked up from what he was doing, almost like I was bothering him. I did have my 18mo old son with me, but I don't feel that should have made a difference. I was still interested in a 40k+ machine. I got a brochure and price guide, then left. He didn't even take my name. The local JD dealer was much more friendly and seemed to want to sell me a tractor, so we let him. Plus sevice and parts are better. We wanted a jack of all trades for loader work, road/beach maintenance, mowing, etc on 50+ acres so we went with a 5083E NSL 563 which has the 12/12 reverser. Had a cub cadet lawn mower w/hst. On a mower it's fine, but for a bigger machine I prefer gears. Good luck which ever way you go.

 

[gwjd]

Hello glad to see you are considering the best,

Think of it this way its April you mowing have to be done and with rain storms on the way you have a 1-2 day window. You go out turn the key turn on pto and hit a rock that has never been there before causing x damage to mower deck (assume brand specific mmm) now through no fault of the company you are down.
The question is do you want to wait for Kubota parts in my experience it takes 4-5 days on small side for them to get parts, and there are fewer dealers around, JD however usually has a faster turnaround than that

Also JD seams to build things to take a bit more abuse such as axleç—´ transmissions and other components there company started in 1870 making plows they were the best due to superior metal

in addition to this i believe that kabota filters cost more and need to be changed more often.

also kabotas foot pedals are ok for an hour or so but after an 8 hour shift you will be hurting

 

[Complete]

Not having gone through and read this whole thing but one main hangup with me is


Kubota's oil pump is no where near big enough. Their hydraulics are SO SLOW

 

[Gizmo2]

I don't think there is a tractor out there that can compare to Kubota quality-wise. I bought my first one in 1984 (B-5200 4WD) and kept it for 23 years. Used every spring/summer for mowing 4 acres of field plus lawns, and winter snow removal as well as plowing with a full size plow, disk harrowing when we had a garden as well as landscaping, including pulling stumps, levelling land with a box scraper etc.

I hate to admit it but, being busy with work in the city and other hobbies, it was never, and I mean never serviced nor oil changed nor hydraulic fluid changed for at least 18 years after the 50 hour service. Then, at about 18 years it started to lose power and I removed the fuel filter and it was so gunked up it was making the tractor lose power. On that occasion I changed the fuel filter, changed hydro fluid and oil,did some cosmetic repairs and it was back in tip top shape.

The interesting thing is that the cooling system especially the radiator did not fail in all that time.

You can prefer other tractor brands for anything except quality, there is no tractor that comes close to Kubota quality.

I now have two BXs and they exhibit the same qualities as my old B5200 quality wise. The only problem is that now Kubotas are priced in line with their level of quality whereas in the early 80s they were the relatively new little guys on the block and were real bargains.

How many hours did the B5200 have on it when you got rid of it?

 

[TheGoose]

When I bought my Kubota I looked at both Deere and Kubota. I was looking for a 30ish HP tractor with a front end loader. I looked at the Deere 3x20 series, the 3032/3038e, and the Kubota L series. I also checked out New Holland. I stayed away from the non major brands. I also looked at the Mahindra.

For me, the JD Dealers acted like they did not want my business at all. Very arrogant. Sure, they talked to me while I was looking but their prices were way out of line. Plus, they wanted to charge for "prep" and for delivery too. Not that I could not get my machine, but for a 20K purchase I felt they were way out of line.

The New Holland people did not have any tractor in stock that would suit my needs and didn't make any effort to locate one. They were out of the running early.

Although we have a Mahindra dealer here in town I opted not to buy from them. They did not have the model I was looking for (3316 hst), and their prices were no better than either Kubota or Deere. They made no effort to locate the machine and never called me back. Their loss.

Kubota salesman was friendly and their prices were good, much better than the deere. I finally found a deere dealer that would deal on prices but it was just out of my budget. I looked at the 3038 machine and concluded that it was just not the tractor for me. Reason? No temp gauge, no fuel gauge, too much plastic, and I didn't want turbo. Also no cruise, and no drawbar. Both these cost extra. Mostly they are selling you the deere name. How much more would it cost to properly equip these machines?

The Kubota L3400 was the right machine for me. 35 HP at the engine, split brakes, all gauges, cruise built in, drawbar included. None of these are on the 303xe series from Deere. Yes, the 3x20 machine from JD was better but way more money.

Look around. Compare dealers, features, prices, etc. Test drive a machine until you find one you like.

Good luck.

 

[jdbnh]

Actually, Deere loaders are quick attach (about 3-5 minutes) and the buckets come off quicker then that.

jdbnh, I take it you're a NH salesman?

some of Deere's loaders are quick attach but not all of them like on the 3000E series they are pin on. All of NH loaders are quick attach loaders and universal skid steer bucket and implement attach. So many brands and options are available for the loader.

 

[RoyJackson]

some of Deere's loaders are quick attach but not all of them like on the 3000E series they are pin on. All of NH loaders are quick attach loaders and universal skid steer bucket and implement attach. So many brands and options are available for the loader.

No...that is not correct. The 305 loader is not removable without a parking kit. That loader is one option for those who may buy a tractor/loader (in other words, by a tractor specifically for the loader capability).
The other loaders for the 3032E and 3038E are quick attach models.

You know, you NH dealers got to stop downing other brands and start selling something people want to buy.

 

[crbr]

I can say I have owned a lot of them except for Kioti. I prefer the John Deere. When it came down to price they were not that much different. Service and quality have always been excellent. I never had any trouble out of my John Deere tractors that I have owned. I can not say the same thing about Kubota, New Holland, or Massey. They are all building good tractors now with excellent quality including Kioti. What you need to really look at is how the dealer treats you. How long are parts going to be available and how quick can you get them? (The Kubota I had I waited 6 months on a part for it.) Look at the service department and talk to the service guys. Look at the warranty lengths and what do they cover? Also one of the main points for me is look at how the attachments Hook up? I do not feel that any brands hook up as easy as the John Deere, they are truely quick attach, no wrenches needed. Look at suttle shift or hydro trannys, they are so much nicer than the gear drives. Try out different brands and go with the one that you find most comfortable. Good luck.

Good post, regardless of the brand.

 

[Lt CHEG]

No...that is not correct. The 305 loader is not removable without a parking kit. That loader is one option for those who may buy a tractor/loader (in other words, by a tractor specifically for the loader capability).
The other loaders for the 3032E and 3038E are quick attach models.

You know, you NH dealers got to stop downing other brands and start selling something people want to buy.

This may be a recent change then. When I was tractor shopping (September 2009 through November 2009) I looked at a lot of tractors including John Deere. When I looked at the JD's the JD dealer specifically told me that the 3032E and 3038E models did not have quick detachable loaders. I specifically remember the dealer just outside of Plattsburgh, NY saying that one of the downsides of the 3032E and 3038E models was that the loaders were not removable but that was not a big deal because very few people actually remove their front end loaders. This was when I was still looking at open station models and the dealer recommended a 3032E or 3038E over any of the 3X20 series or for that matter the 2X20 series for my needs because they were such a good value. I don't think that jdbnh was trying to crap on John Deere. As I've said before every color tractor is good enough that one doesn't have to crap on another brand just to prop up their preferred color.