Looking at Branson, but not finding much...

[ronT]

I have a Branson 4020. Like the tractor but hate the BL20 loader. It's junk in my opinion, caused several headaches & dangerous situations for me. The C50/C50HL is a much better loader that works like it should(I tried one out after I bought the Branson). It came on the Century tractors which was the same tractor as Bransons.

Also beware of dealers that are here today and gone tomorrow. Some are hard to get a hold of since they are involved in other ventures besides tractors. They may talk a good story to get the sale but then........leave you hanging. Waiting a year & a half for a fuel cap here(gave up on the cap)and other issues. Dealer reputation is extremely important.

Have a good day,
Ron

 

[claggsgarage756]

Another point on them is that they have extended the powertrain warranty from 3 years to 4 years.

 

[bitstibe]

My perspective might be a little different. I owned 3 smaller Kubota's (BX2200, BX22 and 7610). Love the tractors and living in the mountains with lots of snow, used them a lot to move snow, mow and for digging lots of post holes. When I moved my horses to larger, 1 ton bales, I decided I wanted to go to a larger tractor for the growing needs on my small farm. I went to the Kubota dealer and was very surprised at the price increases as you went up the power scale. I did a ton of research and came down to the Kubota L3400 and the Branson 3820i. When comparing weights, power etc. I was impressed with the 3820i capabilities. Understand, I had NEVER had a problem with any of the Kubota's I had used before so this was a much tougher decision than I ever thought it would be.

My concerns were that, even though they build for Cummins and John Deere, they were a relatively unknown group to me. The final "tipping point" was the fact that I was able to get the 3820i for about $8k less than the Kubota AND the Branson dealer offered me more for my trade in Kubota than the Kubota dealer, go figure.

My transition has not been without challenges. I am at 7000 feet and had difficulty getting the tractor to start, even after 10-15 cycles of the glow plug. I also had the dreaded "BIG SMOKE" problem. My dealer and Branson worked very well with me and, except for the fact that it costs me $50 every time I want to haul it to the dealer (he is over 50 miles away), they took care of all the problems under warranty and even gave me a free oil change as they felt the timing was off when it came from the factory and had carboned up the injectors.

With that in mind, I have continued to use the 3820i and now have NO regrets for making the purchase. Branson has stood behind its product very well and the dealer and I have established a pretty good working relationship. I believe that in the price/productivity/power range, you can't beat this little tractor for its intended use.

Like others here I agree the web site needs some TLC but if you visit any of the other "non-American" tractor sites I think you will find the same challenge. Maybe it is a translation thing...

Hope that helps.

 

[BobQ]

Ront,

I have a 4720 with a BL20A loader and have had no complaints at all on it, I did install a bolt on wear edge though. What don't you like about yours?

Bob

 

[RED_TRACTOR]

Barticus73-
There is a small Branson dealer in Indiana- I believe he has a 3820 in stock.
If not he can get you the model you may need.
Also a larger dealer located in Somerset,pa. Both good guys and will treat you very well and be very,very price competitive.
Good luck and if they cannot satisfy your needs pm me and I will get you taken care of.
Regards,
Red