Kubota vs Deere

[JimSniatec]

I am thinking of replacing my Kubota bx2230 with a newer tractor. Are John Deere tractors better than Kubota. I have a 2005 model Kubota and would like to go to a B2620 0r bb2920 tractor.

JimSniatec

 

[Muhammad]

Welcome to TBN.

 

[Dogscape]

Whats wrong with your kubota? My impression of them has been they're pretty awesome.

You should also check out the Massey GC2610

 

[MarkV]

Jim welcome to the forum! I have to smile at your question because it is like asking if Ford is better than Chevy. That debate has gone on for decades. :confused2: What might be the bigger question for you is which brands dealer in your area you like the best.

MarkV

 

[creekbend]

Ditto on what MarkV stated. I have a L4400 and it serves me well. BTW, Welcome. :tractor:

 

[tractchores]

Welcome. I think you'll find that there is no answer to your question, both are quality tractor brands with pros and cons. I just recently did a search for myself and had it narrowed down to Kubota 2320 - 2920 and JD's of the same size. I ended up with a Kubota 2920 because that fit my specific needs and price the best, I also have an older JD subcompact that's run flawlessly for over 30 years now!

My view was this:

• Quality - both are pretty much on par here, can't go wrong with either.
• 3 PT hitch - Kubota has a 3/4 valve VS position control (unless you look at the 2x30's), capacities seemed roughly equivalent and while position control would have been nice it doesn't actually matter in my usage.
• FEL - Capacities and setups seemed about equivalent, ergonomically I preferred the kubota placement and feel (just seems to be in the right spot for my hand).
• BH - I wanted a BH, both seemed very good, but I liked having a reversible seat VS a separate BH seat because it reduced the length of the overall unit (important for trailering and tight areas)
• HST - I really like the 3 range HST and find the middle range to be a perfect blend of speed and power. I also preferred the rocker style pedal VS side by side, I find its too easy to hit both side by side and if the pedal sticks the rocker one is easy to unstick. It also fits my foot perfectly and not having to lift my foot during a lot of back and forth loader work is nice.
• Brakes - I'm not crazy about the right hand brake on the kubota, but its workable and I can do heel-toe for brake assisted turning.
• Price - The kubota was much cheaper both used and new. You do get fewer features (position control) on the Kubota, but given the large price difference for me it wasn't worth it (if it was I'd probably compare the xx30's to the JD's since that's a better feature-feature comparison). I also have fewer JD dealers near me, so after sale service is an important factor and with little competition the JD dealer charges a premium (he services my old JD).

Hope that helps. I think the bottom line is there are a few minor feature differences, which effect price and other than that it's largely ergonomics, dealer and what your favorite color is.

 

[TripleR]

All I can do is echo what everyone else has said, we have owned/own both and quality is the same on both brands.

I hate 1/4 inching 3PH, so I would have to go to the 2630 which is being discontinued or 3030 as I really like the three range transmission.

Find a good dealer and spend some time on both and just to be safe go look at Kioti/Bobcat, Massey Ferguson Cub Cadet etc.

Good luck.

 

[CharlieR]

One word response - DEALER - if your Kubota dealer is good then why switch?
If they are not OK, then look around for a better dealer before you look for a better tractor!
Go for a "B", bigger tires & more ground clearance - more TRACTOR!

 

[yelbike]

Green is the only way to go!! ONLY JOHN DEEREs run like DEERS!!!

Okay now I got everyone going!!! :laughing:

I agree somewhat about the dealer. If your like me, I do my own maintaince so its not a big deal. I never see my dealer anyways. That said I prefer a good one over a bad one.

One thing is green seem a little more expensive and retain a little more value, but in the long run thousand dollars spent now to save a thousand later doesn't make much sense or difference.

Good like with hunt!!! Hope you get yourself a nice deer!!!

I really liked the cub cadet, seemed nice, dealer seemed awesome, went next door to buy a deere from a prick but the price was good!

One nice thing with the cub cadet that I miss on my deere, the ability to shift between high and low on the go. Especially on the 2320. Low is a little low and high is a little ...........high!:laughing:

 

[skspurling]

My Kubota dealer IS the Deere dealer. One thing to consider is that a lot of the farmers around here used to run MF because the quality was good, and the repair parts were cheap. Now they run Deere. Main reason is parts availability. But they are more expensive to fix.

I found an article some place that did an overview of all the different CUT's. I was suprised to see how much the cub cost. The MF models were small. The NH were expensive for the same capacities. The Deere were reasonable. Kubota was pretty good too. You could get something a bit less expensive in a Kubota with the same capacities. I like the b2620's pedal layout, and find the three speed invaluable. People complain about the hst pedal and breaks being on the same side. I do like is said above and do the heal toe thing. Works like a charm.

 

[shortthrow50]

i alwalys bought john deeres. country singers only sing about them too. when was the last time you heard a country song about kubota orange. no im just bustin balls. its true though lol

 

[wcampbell47]

Are you needing more horsepower or just want something new? I really liked the B2920. 29 hp in a 4 ft wide tractor. You could get lots of work done with that model. I opted for a B3200 for the more hp and little larger tractor. That is just me.

A couple of things to consider.

Orange - 3 range HST Green - 2 range
Orange - double acting hydraulics on the fel Green - not so much
Double acting hydraulics allows you to lift and curl the bucket simultaneously, also lower and dump. May not be important to you but it is to me.

Of course there are many other things to consider. Operator station, ease of use, etc. My dealer is great and offered a much better deal than the green dealer just down the street.

 

[yelbike]

Are you needing more horsepower or just want something new? I really liked the B2920. 29 hp in a 4 ft wide tractor. You could get lots of work done with that model. I opted for a B3200 for the more hp and little larger tractor. That is just me.

A couple of things to consider.

Orange - 3 range HST Green - 2 range
Orange - double acting hydraulics on the fel Green - not so much
Double acting hydraulics allows you to lift and curl the bucket simultaneously, also lower and dump. May not be important to you but it is to me.

Of course there are many other things to consider. Operator station, ease of use, etc. My dealer is great and offered a much better deal than the green dealer just down the street.

True about the HST but not hydraulics I can curl and lift or dump and lower with my green cx200.

 

[Branchchipper]

Something else to consider:

Deere uses a lot more plastic than Kubota for body parts (hoods, fenders, etc) on CUTS and other small machines.

We have a 10 year old Deere machine with multiple plastic body cracks that we've had to drill out to stop.

Our two Kubotas, 1994 and 2005 vintage, have no plastic body components, and consequently no such issues.

I can't speak for the 2012 models, but the plastic vs. steel trend seemed unchanged for 2011 machines- Kubota uses a lot less plastic!

 

[skspurling]

Something else to consider:

Deere uses a lot more plastic than Kubota for body parts (hoods, fenders, etc) on CUTS and other small machines.

We have a 10 year old Deere machine with multiple plastic body cracks that we've had to drill out to stop.

Our two Kubotas, 1994 and 2005 vintage, have no plastic body components, and consequently no such issues.

I can't speak for the 2012 models, but the plastic vs. steel trend seemed unchanged for 2011 machines- Kubota uses a lot less plastic!

That is true. My FIL has beat the crap out of his plastic, and it's all cracked up. He's just hard on stuff. Lots of John Deere fans are proud of the plastic, but I've never been a fan of plastic body parts. Some pieces make sense, like the dash. There's a little trim piece on the front of my B2620, but it's not going to fade or break like a whole hood that is exposed day in and out to UV. If my orange paint fades or gets scratched, I can just grab my rattle can to do a quick touch up to prevent it from getting rusty. If the plastic hood fades and cracks, not so much.

I remember a couple of times my dad would get the decal kit and some paint, and make those old John Deere tractors shine. I'd want to be able to do that after 20 years if I got a little Deere. With all the plastic, you don't have that option. You can't just pound out the dents and make it shine. You have to replace the parts. That is one thing that chaps my hide about a lot of new stuff. It's made to throw away. I don't want to toss stuff that I find useful. I want to fix it and keep using it. People bad mouth Harbor Freight, but DeWalt and all the other name brand stuff is just as bad about not being repair items. I at least feel better about throwing away trash products I didn't pay much for and didn't expect much from. I pay for a Deere, I want to be able to fix the parts and paint it up. Is that too much to ask?

 

[wcampbell47]

True about the HST but not hydraulics I can curl and lift or dump and lower with my green cx200.

Maybe it was just the year/model of tractor that I drove. Drove my neighbors Deere that is about the same size of my B7510. He could not drive out from under the loader either - just his choice I assume. The loader definitely did not have double acting hydraulics. Can't quote the loader model.

 

[Briana03]

WELCOME to TBN

I moved your thread to the Buying/Pricing/Comparisons Forum.

 

[beppington]

I am thinking of replacing my Kubota bx2230 with a newer tractor. Are John Deere tractors better than Kubota. I have a 2005 model Kubota and would like to go to a B2620 0r bb2920 tractor.

I think it's common knowledge that John Deere is much, much better tractor

... at being green.

 

[dodge man]

I looked at JD's and bought a Kubota. The Kubota dealer just had a better understanding of what I needed. I'm sure if I bought a JD, I would be happy with it. In my town, they both have excellent parts and service. I think its impossible to say one is better than the other.

 

[Knight]

What tipped the scale for me was the weight. Kubota was a lighter, since I trailer it that seemed the way to go. Price seemed better too. My dealer sold both and Kubota had a rebate at that time.