You make some great points regarding the 3pt links.
I test drove a Branson 3725H last thursday, even though I plan to buy a 4225H. I tested a Deere 4052R on Monday. 4052R is same frame, just more HP, but the R adds more features than the M level. I thought both tractors drove nicely, though I did like that on the Deere, at least on the R series, you can adjust the sensitivity of how fast the tractor stops when coming to a stop or changing directions. I also like how the Deere sits taller than the Branson, but not sure if that translates to anything on the ground. There are a few other features on the R series that Branson doesn't have, but not really deciding factors for me. ALL TRACTORS TESTED HAVE BEEN HYDROSTATIC.
Some options make a big difference and others not much. Frankly your search is sounding a bit confusing. Does it seem that way to you? Might be time to sit back and re-evaluate what you want to do with it.
And BTW, you should be test driving the specific model that you are considering. Tractors vary a lot in the way that they "feel", and a lot of the differences are in things that don't show up on spec sheets. Things like vibration isolation, engine/transmission sound, overall stability, easy visibility for the FEL bucket & rear implements.....even simple things are important. Consider the how it sits. And particularly consider how comfortable and natural it is to swing on/off the tractor. Believe me, you do get on & off a lot.
Last time we were looking at tractors I was astonished to see that on half the ones we tried, the hood and loader arms obscured my view of what the bucket was doing. Sometimes it was even hard to judge the angle - you'll really appreciate it if it is easy and instinctive to tell when the front cutting edge of the bucket is flat or slightly angled.
Are you planning to buy a hydrostatic? If so, test driving becomes even more inportant. I like hydrostatics, but the more gears and ranges that you get with your hydrostatic transmission makes a big difference in how it works. In my opinion, 2 speeds are to few in a tractor hydrostatic. 3 speeds are better, and having 3 plus high/low in each speed is luxury. HST not only varies in speed of attack, but also in how the auto-throttle works.
Telescopic 3pt lower arms should be standard on all tractors, but if not, you do get pretty good at hooking things up anyway. I'd say that telescopic 3 pt arms are a factor....but not a major factor compared to things like seating position and visibility.
I believe that JD still offers the SSQA (skid steer quick attach) option to connect the bucket to the FEL instead of being tied to JD's own proprietory quick attach setup. You want SSQA. Everybody else in the whole world uses the SSQA attachment method and it opens up a huge amount of options. At the time we looked, JD would mount the bucket with SSQA instead of the JD system for only a tiny difference in price. JD's refusal to adopt the world standard is puzzling and makes one wonder what other kind of mistakes they are making through pure bull-headedness.
My belief is that the small difference you have noticed in how much the loaders can lift means nothing. It is way offset by how you use the bucket. For example, visibility to the bucket and how intuitively the controls allow you level the bucket and make delicate movements with the bucket as you inch forward means much, much more because that controls how the load is distributed within the bucket - and distribution of the load in the bucket really changes the lift it can do. Even the shape of the bucket counts.
Branson may give you more for the money, but there is an undeniable "JD club" that you join when you go green. And at least for me there's a certain pride that I only get with JD. It just about broke my heart when I began to realize that last time we bought that our new tractor wasn't going to be a JD. We had spent many weekends at JD dealers, and tried out a lot of their tractors. Nice machines, but we astonished ourselves by going with a Kubota instead of JD. Price had nothing to do with it. We've bought enough machinery in our life to know that when buying a tool to use, we are better off shopping for the features that we want rather than the price. First find the best tool for the job; then figure out if it is worth the price. If so, that's the way we go.
good luck, rScotty
