Cabela's vs Branson

[coolnick73]

Hello All,

I have been in the market for a Cabbed CUT for awhile and was leaning toward a Branson 4520c, however, With Cabela's getting out of the tractor business, I could get a LM55 for the same money.

Pros of Branson:
2 rear hydraulic remotes
shuttle shift (in my opinion)
more simple engine (mechanical fuel injection, no DPF regen cycle)
more likely that I would be able to work on engine
A bit heavier
Naturally aspirated
Company will be around (probably)


Cons of Branson:
10 less HP
Less commonly know brand
Loader seems lighter
Resale of shuttle shift
No draft control


Pros of Cabela's
55 hp vs 45
Loader seems heavier built
HST (better for resale)
Draft control (what ever that is)

Cons of Cabela's
Computerized engine controls
Turbocharged
Orphan brand (worse for resale?)
Single rear hydraulic remote

Those are some of the pro's and con's in my mind. My closest dealer is one for Branson and TYM so that's not an issue.

What are some of your guy's opinions?

Nick

 

[Jim Timber]

TYM is far more established than Branson. I would say the Branson has a higher likelihood of becoming an orphan than the Cabela's.

The only branson dealer I know of here sells forklifts. Think they're gonna stick with them long term if sales aren't brisk enough? I don't.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Last I heard, Branson was looking for someone to sell out to, and couldn't find any takers... You know what that means!

I'd buy the Cabelas as TYM's going to be around, no matter what Cabelas is doing...

SR

 

[arrow]

I would not consider a turbo as a con. I have seen turbo engined machinery with over 13,000 hrs. Engines and computers have been mixed for decades so try not to let that bother you.One would think they have it about right by now.
I know it takes the backyard mechanic out of the picture many times as the tractor gets more complicated but that is the advantage of "resale" value before it becomes troublesome and no one knows if that will ever happen.. The Bransons are solid, heavy tractors but their main con is a big one: How much longer will they be around. This speaks to the tractor itself, parts and dealerships. Support after a purchase is a key factor for me.

 

[brianb88]

I can only comment on the Branson as I own and operate the Branson 5220R w/fel. It is a turbo. I've had mine for about a year and it has been nothing but dependable and impressive. I would put it up against any brand tractor of comparable size.

I certainly am not in the know about the future of Branson tractors but I will be shocked if their demise is imminent. The dealer I bought mine from in very rural ne ms has opened another store about 65 miles away in Tupelo MS and is in the process of building a new dealership less than 10 miles from his current one. Aside from used or trade in tractors the only brand tractor he sells new is Branson.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[bobmisi]

When comparing the two tractors I would listen to people who actually own or owned one. There are so many know it alls out there, who want to trash anything that they don't own, as they only buy the best ,and know so much more than everyone else. I have heard so many rumors about the demise of Branson for the last twelve years. I bought mine 10 years ago and it has 700 hours on it. So far the only problem was a broken clutch return spring on the pedal which took all of a minute to replace and the dealer gave it to me. How many of the owners of the elite brand tractor owners can say that? I would buy another Branson tomorrow if I needed another tractor. I was brought up on a farm and have been running tractors for about 55 years , mostly Deeres and Farmalls. Branson is one well built tractor, with a Cummins derived diesel and attachments by Ansung. They can't be too bad if John Deere has them build some of their tractors in the same plant. I looked at TYM when I bought mine, as the dealer sold both. They were not recommended by the dealer, and he stopped selling them soon after. At the time they had lots of plastic parts. My Branson dealer is still selling Branson and parts are readily available. For the price, you can't go wrong.

 

[Jim Timber]

The issue with Kukje in the US isn't if they're a good tractor, it's if it's a supported product or not. They've been marketing here for 13 years and have collapsed one brand already (Montana). TYM and Kukje are both South Korean companies, so the product lines aren't entirely different from the import/quality/value perspective, but one has done a better job of gaining market presence than the other in roughly the exact same length of time in our market. Branson, for whatever reason doesn't look to be taking flight. TYM isn't doing a bang up job either, but they've managed to attract vendors like Cabela's to partner with, and I don't think Cabela's would've chosen a product line they felt would cause them adverse exposure putting their name on it. Say what you will about them entering the tractor biz, but they've got a history of picking some pretty good lines to attach their brand to.

Dollar for dollar, I got my Deere for less money than the next size down in a Branson. That point about value just doesn't hold water.

 

[bobmisi]

The issue with Kukje in the US isn't if they're a good tractor, it's if it's a supported product or not. They've been marketing here for 13 years and have collapsed one brand already (Montana). TYM and Kukje are both South Korean companies, so the product lines aren't entirely different from the import/quality/value perspective, but one has done a better job of gaining market presence than the other in roughly the exact same length of time in our market. Branson, for whatever reason doesn't look to be taking flight. TYM isn't doing a bang up job either, but they've managed to attract vendors like Cabela's to partner with, and I don't think Cabela's would've chosen a product line they felt would cause them adverse exposure putting their name on it. Say what you will about them entering the tractor biz, but they've got a history of picking some pretty good lines to attach their brand to.

Dollar for dollar, I got my Deere for less money than the next size down in a Branson. That point about value just doesn't hold water.

Again, another non-owner with no first hand knowledge of the product, who wants to bash Branson, because he owns a Deere. Everything else you said about Branson is speculative and biased. Your Deere was probably built in the Kujke factory in Korea.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Does the link look like I'm spreading mis-information??

Korea??s Dongkuk Steel Mill puts Kukje Machinery up for sale - Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea

SR

 

[bobmisi]

Doesn't mean they're not going to be around anymore. It's up for sale. How many owners has Chrysler had etc ?

 

[Jim Timber]

Again, another non-owner with no first hand knowledge of the product, who wants to bash Branson, because he owns a Deere. Everything else you said about Branson is speculative and biased. Your Deere was probably built in the Kujke factory in Korea.

Deere has products for the Asian market made by them. ASIAN MARKET. Can you go to ASIA to get PARTS when they're no longer sold HERE?

I'm not bashing them at all. I don't think they compete well here, and the market has spoken in my favor for the past decade plus. I don't own one, you're right. Mine was 3K cheaper, and a size up from the largest Branson offered here. No contest who got my money.

 

[bobmisi]

Where do you think Deere tractors under 50 horsepower are made, in the USA ?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Doesn't mean they're not going to be around anymore. It's up for sale. How many owners has Chrysler had etc ?

All I know is, I got my info from someone in the Korean tractor business market and he said they (Branson) couldn't get a buyer, so everything was possible and it didn't look real good...

Time will tell, I hope it works out for them...

SR

 

[Handloader109]

Your looking at a much larger tractor than my 25hp Cabelas /Tym and I haven't put many hours on it yet. But in my opinion, it is a good tractor and the warranty should be covered by Tym and Woods..... If I was in the market for a tractor right now, I'd be in the cabela's store again. Keep pushing, do they have a piece of equipment there that you need? Bushhog finish mower? They will be adding to the deal to get them sold..... It has been two weeks and none have moved off my local store that I can tell. Keep going in and dickering.

 

[Jim Timber]

Where do you think Deere tractors under 50 horsepower are made, in the USA ?

None of them sold in the US are made by Kukje. Zero. Why is that?

 

[TSO]

Kukje had nothing to do with Montana, Montana was a brand that LS (then LG) was selling here in the US. LS (LG) also had sold here as FarmTrac.

To the OP, if you're looking at both of these as Cab units, actually get inside them. I personally like the build quality of the Branson (Kukje) machine, but the cab is atrocious, poor quality materials, bad design, really cramped. I also personally found the TYM (Cabela's in this case) cab to be of lesser quality and less refined than most of the competition, but it was at least very roomy, especially compared to that Branson.

I think that either of those brands will have about the same resale properties, so instead I'd focus on how each machine "feels" to you.

Regarding HST vs shuttle, it all depends on your intended uses.

In that price range, I would also suggest you check out similar offerings from LS and Kioti.

 

[Jim Timber]

Kukje had nothing to do with Montana, Montana was a brand that LS (then LG) was selling here in the US. LS (LG) also had sold here as FarmTrac.

Not according to this: Montana Tractors - Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki - Wikia

"Montana supplier LG tractor division changed its name to LS Tractors, and tractors were also sourced for Montana from Universal in Romania, TYM and Kukje in South Korea and Sonalika in India."

 

[Coyote machine]

Look at cab Kioti tractors, from South Korea. Manufactured by Daedong, parent company.
Sure you can get deals on sell out tractor companies, Cabela's comes to mind, obviously, in this thread, BUT what are you saving in the long run? Is it all about savings and lowest possible price, or is it about getting a tractor that will suit your actual needs and hold it's value over time?

 

[sirrobinhood]

I just looked at a cabelas lm55. I got a quote of 23,800. I also got a quote of 22700 for a DK5510. I went with the Kioti. Not only because I had one that ran great, but there are more dealers around to take care of the problems. The cabelas/tym has a yanmar in it. Which is a good motor.

 

[Texasmark]

Hello All,

I have been in the market for a Cabbed CUT for awhile and was leaning toward a Branson 4520c, however, With Cabela's getting out of the tractor business, I could get a LM55 for the same money.

Pros of Branson:
2 rear hydraulic remotes
shuttle shift (in my opinion)
more simple engine (mechanical fuel injection, no DPF regen cycle)
more likely that I would be able to work on engine
A bit heavier
Naturally aspirated
Company will be around (probably)


Cons of Branson:
10 less HP
Less commonly know brand
Loader seems lighter
Resale of shuttle shift
No draft control


Pros of Cabela's
55 hp vs 45
Loader seems heavier built
HST (better for resale)
Draft control (what ever that is)

Cons of Cabela's
Computerized engine controls
Turbocharged
Orphan brand (worse for resale?)
Single rear hydraulic remote

Those are some of the pro's and con's in my mind. My closest dealer is one for Branson and TYM so that's not an issue.

What are some of your guy's opinions?

Nick

The 45 and the 55 hp tractors are different "use" classes of tractors. Don't judge a brand unless you are comparing apples to apples.