Buying Advice Kubota compared to John Deere

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Seven years ago I bought my first tractor. In my community we have Green, Blue and Orange dealers with fair size lots and been around for years. Research indicated these three were the main brands to consider. Picked a 22Hp diesel, FEL, 4wd and MMM model of each.
Green (JD) was $3000 more than Kubota and Blue (NH) was $2500 more than Kubota so I bought a BX2200 FEL MMM Kubota from Barlows and have bought 11 more Kubotas from them since then.
I bought first because of price and continued to buy Kubotas because of quakity of product, price and dealer.

 

[ham]

I can't get over this silliness of Kubota being cheaper....its not. i had a great Kubota that I wanted to trade in, but the new Kubota had the same seat I had 8 years ago, still has a poor hood/get at things ratio, and was quite a bit more than the JD which actually was a size bigger....a lot of baloney on these kind of threads. Face it either you don't like the dealer or you just prefer a color

 

[KennyG]

ham raises a good point. I don't think there is a clear price advantage. I looked at John Deere, Kubota and New Holland. I ended up with the JD 2320 partly because it had a more solid quality feel to me than the others but also because, for what I wanted, the John Deere was the cheapest.

In compact tractors, the number of different models and options are more varied than one might expect and the right tractor could be cheaper from any of the major makers.

There is a brand loyalty issue also. Growing up I never thought I'd own a John Deere, but since Allis Chalmers and International Harvester aren't selling CUTs, I'm happy going green.

 

[JJZ 109]

I can't get over this silliness of Kubota being cheaper....its not. i had a great Kubota that I wanted to trade in, but the new Kubota had the same seat I had 8 years ago, still has a poor hood/get at things ratio, and was quite a bit more than the JD which actually was a size bigger....a lot of baloney on these kind of threads. Face it either you don't like the dealer or you just prefer a color

Right. Everyone here is lying about their experiences. It isn't right to just make a blanket statement like that dismissing everyone else's posts and opinions because your experience wasn't exactly the same.
Maybe your post is the real "baloney" here.
As I stated earlier, Deere's smallest factory cab model was much more expensive than Kubota's. For a tractor with 2 more HP. That was a fact at the time, not baloney.

 

[AMR]

When I bought my B3030 I looked really hard at a JD33xx (I forget the numbers now). For the money the JD machine is notably bigger. In the end though I chose the B3030 just because it felt much more nimble and is much lighter, which is important because I mow my grass with it 2 days a week all summer along with brush hog, till, pull stumps with the BH, move mounds of whatever with the loader, etc. I have only owned small JD stuff and think it to be fine. In my mind it's chocolate vs vanilla, but I have to say that the JD green hat is certainly a legend at summertime fairs.

In regards to pricing, I never really know what something costs until it is in the driveway so comparing stickers for me sometimes doesn't mean that much. It always feels like I pay more than the next guy for everything anyway so I am learning to get over my buyers remorse and just enjoy it. I just bought a brand new 25' Parker 2520XL, I can tell you that puts a pit in your belly when the dealer accepts your first offer.

 

[TripleR]

08 kubota 4240
07 jd 4520
I wear earplugs in the kubota in the jd I dont need them.
The jd has more hp, I like the kubota loader better.
The cx400 loader on the jd is self leveling, but the kubota seems built better.

Thanks for the information, I guess I am just hard of hearing.

 

[The Dougster]

A few years ago when I decided that I needed a tractor, I went online and began researching.. not prices, but complaints... absolutely every tractor had numerous complaints, most quite minor with a few being major and recurring. Even Kubota had complaints... a recurring complaint... It got a little boring reading the same complaint over and over again..... No tool box!
That's when I made my decision to buy a Kubota.. when I mentioned this to the salesman, he threw in a toolbox. lol
After 3+ years, I have no complaints. lol

 

[DAY]

choosing a tractor brand is mostly a personal preferance.price for some is the main choice.because they want the most for the money spent.some match the tractor to the job they want todo with it.

Buying a first tractor is a bit like pickin' a first wife. Looks probably got you into the dealership, but if you are planning to keep the tractor for a number of years, cookin' counts, and do you get along with the in-laws? (That's the Service Department, because, like it or not, you WILL be spending time there. . .):laughing:

And, like courtin' that gal, spend some time, several visits to the dealership(s). Walk around back, where the junk and the trade-ins are. Is there a good assortment of used equipment that you might want? Disc, bush hog, post hole auger? Or is it all shiny new pieces with shiny new prices? Are there farmers in the store, picking up parts, talkin' crops over the free coffee? Wander back into service- if they yell at you, you just learned something about that dealership- and ask a couple of dumb questions, see if the mechanics give you the time of day.
Like marriage, you aren't just gettin' a wife, you're gettin' a family!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I can't get over this silliness of Kubota being cheaper....its not. i had a great Kubota that I wanted to trade in, but the new Kubota had the same seat I had 8 years ago, still has a poor hood/get at things ratio, and was quite a bit more than the JD which actually was a size bigger....a lot of baloney on these kind of threads. Face it either you don't like the dealer or you just prefer a color

I'll have to say this is the dumbest, I mean silliest post I've seen on this forum. The point of least amount spent to purchase is very measurable, it's not speculation or theory or color preference. Each company does comparisons of their model vs the other companies comparable model. When those models are priced at each dealer at walk out the door price then the numbers and only the numbers reflect what each one cost. Course every company points out a feature they have that the other competitor model doesn't to cloud the price issue, they all do so that one feature of more cup holders or 40lbs more lift at 7' on the 3ph or what ever has to be assigned a dollar value. Guess the bottom line for me was Barlows sells for profit margins way below the other color dealers in Somerset, Ky. May have been a different story in Bowling Green, Ky but in Somerset, Ky Kubota was $3000 less than JD and $2500 les than NH. Those are real numbers and I don't lie, have no reason to.
Didn't know any of the dealers and started out preferring the Green and Yellow colors since they do so much advertising but they were way out of the ballpark when the price was given.

 

[farmernate24]

I just bought a large kubota and am awaiting delivery. We have several large jd cab tractors and I was trading a mf. The kubota, spec wise was bigger than the 5095m jd I priced, and smaller than the 6430 premium jd's that I am running now. Kubota was $3000 less than 5095m and at least $25000 less than a 6430 with similar equipment. Thought I would try the kubota.

 

[crazyal]

Do JDs have their own style quick attach for the front bucket? I remember reading about that but never got to the point where I was serious enough to look into it. For me that would be a detractor.

At the end of the day I think either tractor would give years of service. Each brand runs the risk of being a lemon and each brand has it's share of poor design choices.

 

[rScotty]

When I was a kid I played on the Johnny Poppper at Grandpa's farm. My uncle had green tractors. My other uncle may have had JD but we did not visit them as much. I like the color green more than orange. How is that for a silly reason to buy a tractor? I did borrow a new MF from a friend and I like it. I supposed JD, Kubota or MF would have worked just fine but my JD Yanmar has served me well the past 13 years.

I just always figured that when I finally bought a new tractor that it would be green. Or maybe a MF. When we were looking we stopped by the Kubota dealer just on a whim one day and to my surprise found that for our use the Kubota offered more of what we were looking for. More control over the speeds and more heavily built of steel instead of as much plastic - although I still prefer the JD foot pedal on the hydrostat and at the end of the day that's more important than I would have thought. The JD shifted nicer and that's also a biggie, but the Kub had a smoother autoleveler - though it turns out that is not something we use much. The cab space on the Kubota was larger and easier to get on/off, but the seat not as nice. I'm a fan of open center hydraulics on the Kub instead of the JD closed center, but the gauge panel on the Kub is not as user friendly...and on and on it went. We went for the Kubota. After a few years it has worked just fine and I'm sure the JD or MF would have too. . Price was close enough between all of them that it wasn't really as much of a factor as I thought it would be.
Yes, I still wish it was painted something other than electric orange, but I'm trying to like the color. It gets easier the longer it works so well.
rScotty

 

[Richard Nickison]

I have owned Massey Furguson and Kubota tractors, there is no comparison to quality, reliability and toughness, Kubota has them all beat as far as I'm concerned. I now own my third Kubota tractor, a Kubota dump suv, a kubota lawn tractor and a kubota KX91 excavator. I guess I'm partial to Kubota.

 

[Johnbro]

I bought my first Kubota about 1990 or 91 maybe. I had a 9N but it didn't work on my hills so I wanted 4WD. Didn't know much about Kubota except all the commercial guys seemed to have them around here. So I bought a used one, sight unseen, from an equipment dealer 500 miles away. Never regretted it. When it was time to trade up, I never considered a different brand.

Why? partly because the Kubota is built like a brick outhouse. Partly because one day I was looking at a JD backhoe and was amazed there were no bushings at pivot points. Partly because both the JD dealers here are kinda jerky, and the nearest one has folded camp and moved on. and partly because basically everything on a Kubota is Kubota, not a bunch of parts assembled from other OEMs.

 

[bp fick]

Yes, I still wish it was painted something other than electric orange, but I'm trying to like the color. It gets easier the longer it works so well.
rScotty

Just think of it as Allis Chalmers Orange, if you're old enough to remember them.

 

[montelatici]

A lot of baloney from the JD people. Let me set you straight. Kubota builds a higher quality tractor that costs less than a John Deere tractor that no one knows who builds from one year to another. Full stop. I am really getting tired of the BS.

 

[JJZ 109]

A lot of baloney from the JD people. Let me set you straight. Kubota builds a higher quality tractor that costs less than a John Deere tractor that no one knows who builds from one year to another. Full stop. I am really getting tired of the BS.

Again, I think they're both quality tractors. But to just flat out state that one is always and without question more expensive than the other really is BS.
But apparently John Thomas and I were the only ones to throw the BS flag on ham's post.

 

[bp fick]

Again, I think they're both quality tractors. But to just flat out state that one is always and without question more expensive than the other really is BS.
But apparently John Thomas and I were the only ones to throw the BS flag on ham's post.

When we were first hunting for our (semi) retirement home, I stopped by the local dealer (at the time) who sells both green and orange. A bit unusual, I guess. I had no particular bias toward or against either. Likely would have been happy with either. The Deere was more money, at that dealer. That's all I can say. Not saying some guys, some places, get their Deere tractors at matching or better prices.

Two years later, I ended up with my first Kubota, from a different dealer, closer to where we now live. Not likely to ever guy another tractor, but if I was in the market, I'd still be pretty color blind, I'd like to think.

Bought my second Kubota because of dealer, dealer, dealer.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Problem is you just cant find as many shirts and hats for Kubota as you can for John Deere?..

AndyG

Tell me about it...

 

[montelatici]

If one is sold on JD, they should do some research to find out which model of the manufacturer is closest to the JD model they want and buy it direct. There would be a substantial savings, and the quality, longevity etc. would be equal.