1st time buyer - 35 hp comparisons

[varmint]

I only have 1.3 acres, but I am surrounded by much more wooded land, and can harvest firewood at will from fallen trees. I first ever tractor was a Kubota B8400 gear drive tractor with turf tires, bought used with 600 hours, in very good shape, because I needed to clear snow. I used it for that, and installing fence posts with an auger. For loader work, I discovered that gear drive was not what I wanted. My next tractor was another used Kubota, a Grand L 3130 with 1200 hours and R-4's, which was a great tractor, but too big and heavy for driving over our property. It had size and weight, just not the power to do things quickly. It also came with calcium chloride loaded rear tires, and I was afraid that was a time bomb for the steel wheels. The Goldilocks tractor is a Kubota L3400 with 550 hours and turf tires. The previous owner had used it for mowing pastures, and he'd added extendable rear links, rear remote hydraulics, and just before selling it to get a larger, cabbed Kubota, he installed a new Kubota loader with SSQA. It has a 60" bucket, and for a lot of things, I miss the 72" bucket (and lift ability, of the L3130).

Being a tinkerer, I have added LED lighting, (as I did also with the first two tractors), a tooth bar, and Kubota rear wheel extenders for more stability on hills. I bought ladder chains for the front and rear tires, but have only used them one winter.* With just a weight box, I have no traction problems in mud or normal snow. I had a 78" snow plow I bought when I got the L3130, so with the rear remote, I was set to plow. Of course, with global warming, snow plowing is a thing of the past, mostly. I wish I had a cab when plowing, but when gathering logs or drilling a fence post hole, a cab would be a problem. All three tractors were dead reliable, with zero things that required any service beyond fluid changes, and minor adjustments. The L3400 still has the battery that was in it when I bought it in 2015! A battery maintainer is plugged in when it sits for weeks or months.

My semi-relevant advice: get a used, 50-60 hp cabbed tractor. The cab because mowing in Louisiana in anything other than the "winter" will be hot and miserable, IMHO. If size and weight isn't an issue with driving over grassy lawns, then bigger is almost always better.
I will add that the two used tractors both sold for what I had in them, or more. They were stored in a barn, and not abused. It's a great way to "invest" your money, if you buy clean used machines for a fair price. Just like cars and trucks, buying new is fine, but the value quickly drops to a more stable, intrinsic value. In other words, what it's basically worth as a useful machine.

* a lot of this stuff I got simply because I ran into a guy who had owned a Kubota dealership, sold it, and still had a lot of goodies stored in a shed. Chains, tooth bar, rear track extenders and some other useful accessories were 25 cents on the dollar. I had fun poking around to see what he had that I could use.

 

[Shady oak]

I bought a JD955 some years ago. Non DEF, simple mechanics, idiot proof, Yanmar 33 HP engine. Loader, hydrostatic, 540 PTO. Does everything you seem to need. For about 1/3 of a new one!

 

[Tractor2011]

I bought a Kubota L3940 back in 2011 and it has been fantastic. Before deciding on a size (horsepower) of a tractor I'd recommend first determining which PTO accessories you need for your property size, as that will determine the PTO horse power you're going to need. As you may already know, PTO horse power is normally less than the engine's rated horse power.

 

[kmesr9]

I have a 1983? Kubota B2150 HST I bought used. Has over 4K hrs and still runs, starts and drives great! I’m a fan of the older tractors, JD, KB, YM, no experience with any of the others so I’m partial to those. I also recommend getting hydro. For the $ the Kubota is the Best Buy IMHO and if I were to do it again that’s where I would go, used KB.

 

[KenZ]

I have a Kioti RX 7320 and it has been a great tractor. About 400 hours now. Not close to a dealer and so far that has not been a problem. I was going to get the next size smaller tractor, but they had this one on the lot and gave me the same price as the smaller tractor would have been since they didn't have to special order one and could move their inventory. I originally narrowed it down to Kioti, Yanmar, and TYM (Rural King). I got a price on a Kubota just for grins and it was much higher in cost. I really liked the Yanmar except the hydraulics were a little too exposed for me as I drive over a lot of brush and in the woods and thought they would hang up on something and get torn off. Dealer was only 5 miles away, but I decided that was a deal breaker because I know myself well enough to know what would happen. I liked the TYM, but no dealers or Rural Kings nearby. The Kioti also does not use DEF. Good strong engine and good hydraulic flow and lift capacity. I have the cab with heat and a/c and its great! Great turning radius. Cost in mid 2020 was 38K with a loader. They usually have some kind of deals going on. Have had some other tractors and would say you should get something in the 45hp and up. Of course if you need to transport, the size and weight may make a difference. There are needs for a smaller footprint at time to get into my garden and such, but overall the extra hp makes a big difference. Engine hp and Pto hp do make a difference, so be sure to look at that when doing comparisons. I have some equipment that an extra 5hp wlll make a difference in whether the tractor can run the equipment or not. The only thing I'm not so keen on is the filters for the radiator. They don't keep enough stuff out and the radiator needs to be blown out and kept clean or the tractor will run hot with larger equipment.

 

[VTTOm]

To talk about the land, I’m located in Louisiana and the ground we have is pretty much all flat everywhere.

For the 100 acre wooded area, I’d say between all the trails and shooting lanes, there might be 10 acres of ground to brush hog. The rest is woods. Sorry for the confusion!

Regarding the used market, it’s hard to beat the financing deals of 0 - 2% interest rates when going rates are 6%+. I’d think it would make more financial sense to finance at the lower rate and use cash for investing/paying down higher interest rate debt.

I should mention too that I only have a ram 1500 so I can’t get too much tractor without upgrading a lot of other things too!

Thanks everyone for the input

I can only report personal experience, not brand or horsepower comparisons. I bought a Kubota L3400 in 2007 to maintain 70 acres and a homestead. The terrain is hilly (160' elevation difference between low and high spots). I've got about 10 acres of fields I brush hog once a year; 2+ miles of woods roads I maintain; a 1/4 mile driveway with 120' of elevation that I grade with a 5' box blade and snowplow with an 8' back blade (we get a fair amount of snow in VT). I borrow a tiller attachment now and again to break sod and create gardens. I've moved a lot of dirt and rocks, pulled hundreds of invasive honeysuckle, hauled logs out of the woods, and lots of other uses. I've got over 500 hours on the tractor and haven't yet found it to lack power for any of the jobs I've used it for, though a heavier machine with a FEL that can handle more than 1,100 lbs would have made some jobs faster and easier (I have loaded rear tires and use v-chains in the winter). If you're pulling stumps or big rocks or digging lots of compacted dirt, a heavier tractor would be wise. As for durability and repairs. I've had no problems and do some routine maintenance myself and have had the dealer out to do a comprehensive service twice. Best of luck to you.

 

[TheOldHokie]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

I have a 3 year old L3901 and its been great. Plenty of HP but for 100 acres I would want something about 1000 pounds heavier and with a stronger loader.

Dan

 

[Eodjeep2000]

The 35 horse modern tractors seem to be kind of the worst of modern tractors. You have all of the emissions equipment headache but not much actual power.

In this case I would rather have my Kioti CK2610 and just turn it back up without the emissions headache or I would get a tractor with a little more HP.

FWIW l, my CK2610 has been a solid tractor and I live in an area that is hard on tractors and tractor drivers. (Pacific NW, hilly terrain, construction, light logging and light mowing...) I had a Japanese made compact Mahindra that was also sold under Bobcats name before this tractor and it was far less capable.

 

[Wesleyoats]

I own Kioti CK3510, have 40 acres, only need to mow about 10 a few times in summer. A lot of snow moving with blade and thrower. She's pretty stout and comfortable, I would recommend. Kubota dealer I found was not very responsive to questions while the Kioti (and Yanmar) dealer has been great. Have had JD but they've become a mishmash of non USA parts. Kioti is assembled in North Carolina.

 

[KBA CPA]

I bought a Kubota L3940 back in 2011 and it has been fantastic. Before deciding on a size (horsepower) of a tractor I'd recommend first determining which PTO accessories you need for your property size, as that will determine the PTO horse power you're going to need. As you may already know, PTO horse power is normally less than the engine's rated horse power.

Implements I plan to use are: box blade, land plane, tiller, disc plow, and maybe a log splitter (might just get a separate machine for this rather than a PTO one).