Advice on 25 hp tractor purchase

[ljjhouser]

25 hp, You must be meaning a sub compact. As for brand, I have owned neither Branson or Kioti. But in all the reading of posts on this forum, I do not ever remember a post that a Kioti owner was unhappy with their tractor. To the contrary, many posts have lead me to believe Kioti has gone a long way to pull ahead of several other brands in confidence in the last few years. I have a Kubota tractor. But based on what I have read here, I think Kioti deserves the second look. At one point, I liked the Rural King. But not dealers in our area (only East). Then I was told they were the same co as TYM - several dealers here. But TYM will not service Rural King. Sometimes I believe any tractor is no better than the dealer you must depend upon when you have trouble. Also, if you want implements such as a box blade or brush hog, have it included in the deal. Will help you save money. Best Wishes.
OH, I forgot, Welcome to TBN. You can find great service and repair information - and any opinion you want. Welcome.

 

[Mattmotors]

I have a 2007 Massey 2310TLB. I love it. It is solid. I have dug out a bunch of stumps with it. How ever, If I looked at the same Massey today , I would walk away from it. It looks like it was built by MTD. It is like how cheap can they make it.

 

[mtretick]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a 25 hp compact. I have done extensive comparisons and have settled on Kioti or Branson. I chose these 2 for the amount of tractor I would get for my $. Each tractor is the heaviest in its class and has the best lifting capacities. I have heard the "buy the dealer, not the tractor" phrase already and am comfortable with both dealerships, which are within an hour of me and both service in house. I want to go Hydro for this purchase. This tractor will be used for FEL work (small tree clearing), minor driveway grading and brush hogging. I was quoted the below prices:

Kioti:
CK2610 Hydro
$18,300 tractor + FEL
Fluid and delivery included

Branson:
2515h
$19,900 tractor + FEL
nothing else included

I have been on the Branson and it's ok, nothing special. I have yet to sit on a Kioti. Neither dealer has these tractors in stock, so I would likely have to wait either way. My question for those which have experience with either of these models......which would you spend your money on?

I wanted the 25hp Kioti and ended up with a 35hp Yanmar and a 10 year warranty. I still like the Kioti/Bobcat but Yanmar was available, and the warranty can’t be beat.

 

[Mart5130]

I bought a Kioti CK3510 hst and couldn’t be happier. I’d recommend something larger than 25 hp if you want to do tree work. And get a grapple

 

[blacktruck]

Been watching this to see if there was a consensus of opinion

I was pretty sure that would not be a likely occurrence so I will throw my $0.02 in.
The quality of all the manufacturers of subcompact and compact tractors seems to be high across the board. As with anything mechanical, sometimes things will break in the most inaccessible places or at the most inconvenient time. It will happen to every color tractor or piece of equipment. Get the brand/color you like the best. It seems like you have a reasonable expectation of what you want to do with it. Yes as many mentioned, you can get a bigger tractor to do it quicker/easier or whatever word you want to use. I have a subcompact tractor that I care for about 10 acres with. It does a little of everything. Bigger would be faster and more expensive and not as functional as a frequently used piece of equipment. I can easily haul my tractor to my kids houses or my rental property without issue. I can use it in my yard and in the fields out back. All that and there are no DPF, DEF systems to worry about. I am planning for my next tractor to be the last one I purchase as my retirement gift to myself. I will have time to work without many deadlines and as a rule, seat time on the tractor is a welcome activity to me after years of office work.
Buy the tractor you like the best for whatever reason you may have.
I don't expect that I gave any clarity to the original question but that was not my real intention. I gave my reasoning for what I have done and will do regarding getting a tractor.
Happy tractoring on whatever you get.

 

[HEC]

Let me clarify, I will be using to clear underbrush, thicket and small trees. What is too big for the tractor, I’ll take with a saw and then work on working the stump out with the tractor. I will be getting a ratchet rake to assist with these task.

I realize going with a hydro I lose some hp in certain situations. For the member who put out there that I would be limited to a 5’ light duty brush hog, if that’s true that is concerning to me. I want a medium-heavy duty hog for small brush around my place and the occasional for-hire job. If I need more tractor, will a 30 hp allow this? Will it handle a 6’ Hog?

My dealer talked me into a light duty ( land pride ) 5 ft. brush hog for my 25hp 2650 kubota and I could cut grass with it fine but I always thought it was to much for the tractor as far as weight went. I sold it as I was that much disappointed with it on that tractor . I wouldn't have wanted to use it to cut small brush or real heavy hay let alone small trees . A 6ft. on a 30 hp tractor is to big in my mind as far as power goes and maybe weight too . I have a med. duty 6ft. on a 57hp tractor and that works great .

 

[acrozier]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a 25 hp compact. I have done extensive comparisons and have settled on Kioti or Branson. I chose these 2 for the amount of tractor I would get for my $. Each tractor is the heaviest in its class and has the best lifting capacities. I have heard the "buy the dealer, not the tractor" phrase already and am comfortable with both dealerships, which are within an hour of me and both service in house. I want to go Hydro for this purchase. This tractor will be used for FEL work (small tree clearing), minor driveway grading and brush hogging. I was quoted the below prices:

Kioti:
CK2610 Hydro
$18,300 tractor + FEL
Fluid and delivery included

Branson:
2515h
$19,900 tractor + FEL
nothing else included

I have been on the Branson and it's ok, nothing special. I have yet to sit on a Kioti. Neither dealer has these tractors in stock, so I would likely have to wait either way. My question for those which have experience with either of these models......which would you spend your money on?

My local dealer sells both Branson and Kioti. I think they are both good tractors I have a 40hp Branson (4020R) w/ FEL. So far, I have been happy with the tractor. They seem to be well buildt and I haven't had any major issues. I did have a hydraulic hose crack after the horrendous february freeze we had here in Texas this year. Dealer had the hose in my hand in about a week. The tractor is easy to service and comfortable. Unfortunately, mine stays out in the harsh Texas sun year round, so the paint has faded. That being said, you will likely be happy with either one. Prior to my Branson, I had a Mahindra. If you have one of those dealers close by, I would suggest looking at those as well. I swapped from Mahindra to Branson simply because the Mahindra had become VERY popular and weren't as much of a deal as they had been. The Branson was a better deal for a comparable tractor.

 

[jeff9366]

I have a medium duty 6ft. on a 57hp tractor that works great.


Doug62:
Need a bushhog for a 36HP ( 27-PTO ) tractor for timber farm use to keep the grass down.

What provides quality and value?


With 27 PTO horsepower you can adequately power a 5' wide Rotary Cutter.

My Kubota L3560/HST+ has 28 PTO horsepower. I do a lot of trail maintenance in a 172 acre residential development, which approximates timber farm use in Florida and probably coastal South Carolina.

Implement weight is always a good place to start. A five foot wide medium duty Rotary Cutter, nominally rated for 2" cut, weighs around 600 pounds and usually has a Category 3 drive line.

A five foot wide heavy duty "right-of-way" Rotary Cutter, nominally rated for 3" cut, weighs around 1,000 pounds and has a Category 4 drive line.

I have owned both. The medium duty model could not take trail maintenance. Required $600+ shop work each year. Sold it.

I recommend a heavy duty Rotary Cutter as your cheapest option in the long run. I have had no maintenance issues with the heavy duty model in three years operation. I use a chainsaw for 3" stuff, but I mow 2" hard woods all the time.

I have owned Land Pride. Woods and Bush Hog (brand) are also good. Look for Category 4 drive line in a heavy duty mower. Expect to pay $3,500 pre-tax for a 5' heavy duty Rotary Cutter with chain guards front and rear. (2019)

Many Rotary Cutter components are produced in Asia and exported to more than one USA assembler. So, do not get too crazed on "brand".

You will absolutely want optional chain guards front and rear.

 

[paulfun9]

Can you imagine any Ford or Toyota dealer saying "If i don't have the part in stock, I will just take off a similar new vehicle". Just because its a Tractor, does clear the Branson dealer from his irresponsible statement.

Actually if they can’t source the part to fix my already purchased and paid for car, truck, boat, plane, tractor or motorcycle. YES I want them to take it off thier inventory and make me hole.
I have actually had dealerships take parts right off other cars on thier lots years ago to get me running in short order, my time is money and you gave me a warrantee saying you would fix it. I honestly don’t care where you have to find the parts just find them and get me running.

 

[Tony H]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a 25 hp compact. I have done extensive comparisons and have settled on Kioti or Branson. I chose these 2 for the amount of tractor I would get for my $. Each tractor is the heaviest in its class and has the best lifting capacities. I have heard the "buy the dealer, not the tractor" phrase already and am comfortable with both dealerships, which are within an hour of me and both service in house. I want to go Hydro for this purchase. This tractor will be used for FEL work (small tree clearing), minor driveway grading and brush hogging. I was quoted the below prices:

Kioti:
CK2610 Hydro
$18,300 tractor + FEL
Fluid and delivery included

Branson:
2515h
$19,900 tractor + FEL
nothing else included

I have been on the Branson and it's ok, nothing special. I have yet to sit on a Kioti. Neither dealer has these tractors in stock, so I would likely have to wait either way. My question for those which have experience with either of these models......which would you spend your money on?

Here's my 2 cents... What I find frustrating on these 'smaller' tractors is the FEL controls not being smooth. They just don't lift and tilt at the same time, smoothly. They just seem jerky as compared to the larger machined and even the larger AG tractors have jerky controls as compared to Construction based FELs. Wait until you have the opportunity to play with both.
Not sure where younger but my buddy is selling a Mahindra. 100hrs. He's moving away. For the same money you would get a backhoe, your rake and rear blade