Kubota subcompacts are no longer the obvious king of the subcompact hill.

[MessickFarmEqu]

Best response in this thread.

 

[TripleR]

View attachment 550714

Now that's funny. The first two or so incarnations were kind of interesting until they weren't and it's really stale by now. I find it interesting how quickly some new owners become experts on machinery, corporate strategy and market trends after buying one tractor.

 

[ThirdMan]

I found TBN when I realized that I needed a bigger piece of equipment that just a lawn tractor. My wife and I are building a small horse ranch and I had never mowed more than 1/2 of an acre with a walk behind. Now I had 2+ acres to mow with 4 or so in the future. We were installing fencing, moving felled trees, landscaping, clearing out honeysuckle, planting grass (both field and lawn). The best advice I got was to find a local dealer that sold one of the well supported brands. It does not take long on here to find out which brands are probably worth looking at. I found a dealer that has given some support when needed, but I have not needed too much. I really appreciate all the time Messicks puts in on this forum and YouTube. If you don't live in a community with lots of local knowledge about tractors having an online resource from other owners is so valuable. The brochures don't tell much about actually using and comparing equipment.

AxelHub seems to do a lot of posting as what I would call elsewhere as being a fanboy. He tries to rationalize his brand purchase to protect his sense of self. See internet posts about cell phone brands, Ford vs Chevy trucks, video games systems. Sometimes this devotion can be helpful as he puts lots of time in comparing the smallest things between products, but you also have to read between the lines as there is favoritism to the product he purchased.

 

[tractorshopper]

Greetings Tractorshopper,

However I also followed the Kubota promotions for years and my experience has been the following - Kubota offered 0% financing OR rebates - but not both combined. Big difference imo.

I actually disagree with this statement. I've bought three Kubotas so far and all 3 were rebates and zero percent. 1st part of 1st quarter each year are usually the lowest incentives, but the rest of the year each year in my recollection has pretty much been 0% for 60 months and routinely $1,500 off with additional implements.

 

[prichard]

I actually disagree with this statement. I've bought three Kubotas so far and all 3 were rebates and zero percent. 1st part of 1st quarter each year are usually the lowest incentives, but the rest of the year each year in my recollection has pretty much been 0% for 60 months and routinely $1,500 off with additional implements.

Exactly what I got on mine. 0% and $1500 on 2 implements. Basically got rotary cutter for free. Was that a "Free cutter promotion"?

 

[charlton289]

Where I live we have a green, blue, orange, red all within an hour drive when I got my GC 1705 I test drove the orange but I didn't like the trudle pedal and the green wouldn't even give the time as to they have that security wire attached and wouldn't undo it and they didn't have one that they just set up for a customer. So I went to the red which also sells the blue but I didn't see any of the blue that would fit my needs. The Massey was just what I was looking for and the deal I got was 2000 less than the orange with the same setup and free delivery and a tank of fuel. So I believe that it comes down to what you need and the best deal and the dealer and how they treat you before during and after the sale whether you can get a rebate and 0 percent and like I got with mine a tax exemption for being a hobby farmer or you run cattle, horses, or something else that the county or town considers tax exempt so in my opinion it's up to you and your needs and or the dealer location to meet your needs.

 

[AxleHub]

. . . . . . . .


AxelHub seems to do a lot of posting as what I would call elsewhere as being a fanboy. He tries to rationalize his brand purchase to protect his sense of self. See internet posts about cell phone brands, Ford vs Chevy trucks, video games systems. Sometimes this devotion can be helpful as he puts lots of time in comparing the smallest things between products, but you also have to read between the lines as there is favoritism to the product he purchased.

Greetings Thirdman,

I was intrigued by part of your post shown above. You stated: "He tries to rationalize his brand purchase to protect his sense of self." That's quite a diagnosis considering you've never met me - don't know my career path - and seem unaware of my motivations. You don't know if I write with a smile on my face or with my teeth clamped together. You're diagnosis strikes me much like a recent study announced on Good Morning America today. The study "clearly showed" that eating dark chocolate each day will make a person smarter and the supporting data was testing they did on people before and after they ate dark chocolate over a 30 day period.

Unfortunately at the end of the discussion of the study and all its potential benefits - it popped out that the diagnosis and result was based on a "small study" - five people (5) study. Not 500 or 5000 or 50,000 - but 5.

By the way - how about your "study"? Cell phone brands and Video game systems ??? I don't even own a video game system. Somehow your "study" on me seems to have some cross referencing issues - and logically makes your profiling rather error prone or assumption based potentially - don't you think ?

You would be correct when you stated I compare many things and specifics between products - thats the nature of my career path. But reading between the lines often keeps someone from actually reading the lines actually written . . . and specifics on any product - mine or someone else's are both positive and negative in what I write - again part of my career path and not related to my "protecting my sense of self".

But the most curious statement is that comparing my product chosen to another product I was considering - shows favoritism . . . . isn't that what everyone does - they choose the item they think benefits them the most? (price, features, fit, size, or whatever else). Isn't that the same as saying I chose chicken over veal because I like chicken better for my tastes ?

Maybe you can get back to us about the cell phone brands and video game systems I supposedly posted about. Thanks.

By the way - its not AxelHub - its AxleHub.

 

[AxleHub]

Greetings Fellow TBNer's,

Well when I started this thread I certainly expected to see some confuse sales numbers with marketshare - and we've seen that numerous times. But I didn't expect to see the tenacity to claim I said things that I actually didn't say (like Kubota is failing - as just one example). And after numerous years reading and posting on TBN I understood that there are some pretty sharp people posting and reading - and you better be prepared to defend your statements and reasoning with examples or specifics.

Now I have to confess something I discovered just today. While the things I was posting about were true and the reasoning logical - I discovered an error I was unaware of. And just as concerning is that while many have responded thus far to this thread - not a single poster came up with this fact that would have altered a part of the thread's direction very quickly. I apologize that I had to find it myself today instead of when this thread started - and I'm also quite discouraged that some of the responses by others were far too emotional or assumptive - instead of finding the same fact I found today.

Here it is: From the very first opening post I clearly stated that Kubota was doing something quite different than its done before to my knowledge. It was doing 0% financing - doing it for 84 months instead of the normal 48 or 60 or even 72 month - and having both a discounted set price and including a mower deck as well. In other words combining what Kubota BX product has normally always done individually - rebates and discounts vs 0% financing (but not both) - and advertising it heavily in an effort to maintain its scut marketshare it prior had.

That was and has been my focus on this thread to date.

And what did I discover today that no one has posted in all these posts - the fine print of the offer is not 0% financing. Its 0% financing on the balance after a 20% down payment.

And why is that a significant point? Because On a BX 1880 instead of $8316 plus tax paid over 84 months that little detail makes it $10,395 plus tax and insurance.


So I apologize that I was spending as much time fending off other posters commentary - that I didn't discover that detail. But it sure makes me question why out of all those poster comments - no one came up with it either. Several claimed I was uninformed or doing it out of personal reasons - yet they didn't point it out either.

Does it change the fact that Kubota is trying to defend and support its marketshare? No

Does it change the fact Kubota is forcing dealers to limit their selling margin on this promotion ? No

But it does change the fact that its not a true 0% financing and explains the deck included in the fixed pricing - or the $129 unit, deck, and loader pricing and that there is discounting being done at the dealer margin level.

So I missed it and I apologize that I wasn't aware of that small but significant detail.

 

[AxleHub]

Charlton,

Well said.

 

[ishiboo]

I actually disagree with this statement. I've bought three Kubotas so far and all 3 were rebates and zero percent. 1st part of 1st quarter each year are usually the lowest incentives, but the rest of the year each year in my recollection has pretty much been 0% for 60 months and routinely $1,500 off with additional implements.

When I purchased my Kioti, that was true. And in shopping for a new subcompact, that is still true for Kioti... the 0% for 60 is in lieu of basically all of the cash rebates. The additional $2600 on the CS2410 meant that it was priced basically the same as the Kubota and Deere.

In this round, both Kubota and Deere are $200 higher for 0% for 60. I was going to pay cash, but to have that much tied up when there is 0% for 60 it doesn't make sense. The Kubota dealer was willing to eat their $200, the Deere dealer initially told me he would as well, but then said he'd split it with me.

The Deere insurance is a 1-time fee for the life of the financing which is substantially lower than KTAC.

All in all, the machines compete very well against eachother and Kubota is no longer the price leader versus highest quality IMO... but I think I've settled on a new 1025r. That said, I think all of them are really nice machines these days.