Buying Assistance

[PACMMAX]

Hi Everyone,
I'm another newbie and I'm getting close to purchasing. I have browsed the TBN website and am grateful to have found lots of helpful information.
I have been looking at JD 3520 (both open and cab) and Kubota B26. My primary needs are for FEL, back hoe and other 3PT implement work (grading and occasional brush mower). I am after something rugged and would like to have something with FEL lifting capacity of at least 1000 pounds. I still have a bunch of questions but probably the toughest ones are:

1. I will be working in fairly rough terrain and I'm thinking there will be times I need to claw/bucket my way out of a jam using the FEL and BH. I like the ease of access to the BH controls on the B26. Does anyone have experience with the JD equipped with the 375 BH? Can you reasonably get at the controls without having to leave the tractor operating station? I am I correct in assuming all bets are off with the Cab? Also, ground clearance/angle of departure is factor. Any thoughts on which is better in this regard?

2. I love the idea of the cab but a canopy like the B26 is satisfactory. Most important is the weather protection but the up top lights are important to me too. Does JD offer something comparable to the B26 canopy? Does it cover the BH operating station?

3. I realize the B26 is more of a purpose built machine and therefore has less flexibility than the JD 3x30 series. Does the JD 3520 offer equivalent, better or worse performance if FEL and back hoe work are the only uses? Heavy duty and rugged is important to me.

4. I will be doing a fair bit of stone wall work and would like a backhoe with a thumb. B26 comes equipped for a hydraulic, the JD has manual as an option. How important is the hydraulic actuated one? Does anyone know how much it costs or if it is possible to add one to the JD 375 hoe?

5. I drove a JD 3720 with the Auto HST. I really liked the throttle/engine speed tied to the drive pedal. Seemed it would be really nice for FEL work. Of course it is not available with Cab... Does anyone know what the LoadMatch and MotionMatch on the E-Hydro transmission features do? Do they offer the same throttle control as the Auto HST? Does Kuboda have such a feature?

6. Are there other model/brands better suited to my needs?


Sorry for the long winded first post and to ask so many questions before I have anything to offer but I really appreciate any help or information you can offer. As usual it seems compromises have to be made and I just want to be sure I don't make the wrong ones.

Paul

 

[dodge man]

I have no experience with either one, but looking at the specs and weights, I think the Kubota is a much heavier duty machine. The JD looks more like a regular compact tractor, similar to some of Kubotas other B machines, where the B26 is listed as a TLB and is a heavier commericial/industrial type machine.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Check out the Kioti LK30 TLB.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I drove a JD 3720 with the Auto HST. I really liked the throttle/engine speed tied to the drive pedal. Seemed it would be really nice for FEL work. Of course it is not available with Cab... Does anyone know what the LoadMatch and MotionMatch on the E-Hydro transmission features do? Do they offer the same throttle control as the Auto HST? Does Kuboda have such a feature?

I think your the first person who I've heard thats actually seen one of these Auto-HST's in the wild. I'm curious as to what actually shipped, from our conversations online before it seemed that the design is probably okay for loader work, but not much else. Kubota did have this feature first, its called Auto-Throttle and is available on every L40-HST+ tractor. You can switch it on and off as you like. Its not somthing you'd want for mowing, but can be nice for loader work.

 

[IslandTractor]

The Kubota B26 is an excellent machine but pricy for the lift/BH capacity. It has great resale value though so that does make up for some of the upfront costs if you are not planning to keep it. I used to own a Kioti CK20 TLB and found the lift/BH capacities to be pretty similar for about $10,000 less. The 3PT is also much easier to use on a CUT. For the same price as a B26, I got a 40hp Kioti DK40se with Woods BH90x that has way more capacity in both loader and BH. I would think the B26 is the way to go if you are running a construction company but for single owner use you might consider putting together a CUT based TLB based on a 20-30hp CUT as it would save some bucks and add flexibility.

 

[PACMMAX]

MessickFE,
Since I'm somewhat new to these tractors, I don't know the exact configuration of the JD Auto-HST I drove. It was open station, 300CX loader w/heavy duty bucket, MMPTO and industrial (R4) tires. It sounded like it was part of an inventory consolidation from another dealer. The salesman didn't seem too keen on it but a friend of mine recently bought a Kubota L3240 which had that option and I really like it. I don't plan to do any mowing and for the FEL work, particularly since the JD 3520 has an engine with a turbo, it seemed to make a lot of sense. I checked with another JD dealer and they did not have much knowledge either. Everyone seems to be high on the common HST but it seems to me it is because that concept has made operation so much simpler (helping sell more tractors) and the forward/reverse shift lever goes counter to that. Seems odd to me because you still have the option of setting the throttle to where ever you want (best of both worlds?).

LAWalls,
I have not yet looked at Kioti (local dealer seems to have vanished) but they are on my list as well as NH. Any opinions on the HH TL 2200 series with Woods BH?

There does not seem to be much discussionon the Kubota B26 which seems to me to be a nice stout package. Are they not all that popular because of price?

 

[IslandTractor]

There does not seem to be much discussionon the Kubota B26 which seems to me to be a nice stout package. Are they not all that popular because of price?

I think they are popular, especially with small construction companies. Other than the disadvantage of price, they are a tough capable package in an easily trailerable and manuverable size. On the downside, you don't need to spend too much more (or even less) to get greater lift and BH capacity so they are somewhat of a niche machine.

 

[PACMMAX]

Thanks IslandTractor,
Can you elaborate on the ease of use of the 3PT? It seems the BH on the B26 comes off really easily but you do need to re-attach the lifting arms. Is there anything about the controls to worry about? The other thing is the thumb for the BH. I'd really like to have the hydraulic thumb because I have lost of field stone wall work. The B26 (8 ft BH) comes equipped with it. Seems you need to move up to the 9' Woods to get the hydraulic thumb option which in both Kubota and NH puts me up a frame size and is a bit on the big size for my application (woods and hilly). Based on your suggestion, I will take a closer look at the Kioti offering.

Thanks again!

 

[PACMMAX]

On the downside, you don't need to spend too much more (or even less) to get greater lift and BH capacity so they are somewhat of a niche machine.

IslandTractor,
For both JD and Kubota (JD 3520 and Kubota B3030) once equipped with comparable FEL, BH and other options std on the B26, the prices were pretty close. I think the problem is they get you ojn the optional stuff. Also, to add a hydraulic thumb when not available as an option, all the dealers say big $$$$. As I mentioned however, I have not looked closely beyond JD, Kubota and NH just yet.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thanks IslandTractor,
Can you elaborate on the ease of use of the 3PT? It seems the BH on the B26 comes off really easily but you do need to re-attach the lifting arms. Is there anything about the controls to worry about? The other thing is the thumb for the BH. I'd really like to have the hydraulic thumb because I have lost of field stone wall work. The B26 (8 ft BH) comes equipped with it. Seems you need to move up to the 9' Woods to get the hydraulic thumb option which in both Kubota and NH puts me up a frame size and is a bit on the big size for my application (woods and hilly). Based on your suggestion, I will take a closer look at the Kioti offering.

Thanks again!

I've not used a 3PT on the B26 so my comment is based on TBN "experience" and should be taken with a grain of salt. The B26 is not however designed with 3PT use as a priority and you will rarely see anyone using a mower etc on a B26 as they are really primarily a TLB with pros/cons compared to a CUT TLB. I haven't checked but I don't imagine the B26 3PT has adjustable or telescoping arms which are standard with some similar priced CUT TLB packages.

I think you are correct about the Woods BH90x being the smallest Woods with a factory hydraulic thumb. It might not be such a problem to retrofit a BH80x however so you might want to check with a dealer. Are you sure the B26 comes with hydraulic thumb standard or is that an option? It is about a $2000 option on the Woods BH90x.

Regarding frame size, I think for hilly a bigger frame (wider stance) would likely be better but you'd have to think about the woods part of the equation too. I use my DK40se TLB in woods and on hills and don't notice substantial differences compared to my smaller CK20 TLB although height of branches is certainly an issue with my canopy.