New Kubota Tractor Purchase

[ted451]

I prefer M than MX for me they are more comfortable M I rode in such and such

 

[rScotty]

The thing is, I have Legacy brand farm tractors (Massey, Case-IH, AGCO) with 5000-6000 hours that are holding up better. Not perfect, but better. And they were used in Ag almost every hour.

Kubota just isn’t there yet. Now their newer M series looks better. 6.7L Cummins is a nice upgrade

It's a fair assessment when Hay Dude says, "Kubota just isn't there yet".

[AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] is usable for light commercial/Ag duty and that's why it costs half or less what he calls a "Legacy" machine does. He's talking Utility vs Commercial.

A Legacy machine needs to be a good design, with good support, be popular AND ALSO be produced for a long time by a company whose goal is to continually increase the reliability - and of course the cost goes up too.
[AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]KUBOTA[/AFFILIATE] JUST ISN"T THERE YET.

I see people move to the country and figure that since [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] makes one of the very best medium duty compact and utility tractors that their larger Ag tractors are just as good when scaled up. That just isn't the way it works.

We have two 2008 4x4 backhoes, the [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] M59 bought new - now with 1200 hrs hard work, and a Legacy Machine, a yellow John Deere 310SG bought 5 years later with 6000 hrs on the clock. The tractors are equipped about the same and do the same work.

We love using the Kubota, but every single component on the Deere is more than twice the size of the same part on the Kubota. It also cost 2x as much when new.

We like the [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] & think it is good value for the price. However, I would be surprised if it lasts 6000 hrs. At 6000 hours our Legacy machine - the yellow JD 310SG - is still going strong.

rScotty

 

[Hay Dude]

It's a fair assessment when Hay Dude says, "Kubota just isn't there yet".

Kubota is usable for light commercial/Ag duty and that's why it costs half or less what he calls a "Legacy" machine does. He's talking Utility vs Commercial.

A Legacy machine needs to be a good design, with good support, be popular AND ALSO be produced for a long time by a company whose goal is to continually increase the reliability - and of course the cost goes up too.
KUBOTA JUST ISN"T THERE YET.

I see people move to the country and figure that since Kubota makes one of the very best medium duty compact and utility tractors that their larger Ag tractors are just as good when scaled up. That just isn't the way it works.

We have two 2008 4x4 backhoes, the Kubota M59 bought new - now with 1200 hrs hard work, and a Legacy Machine, a yellow John Deere 310SG bought 5 years later with 6000 hrs on the clock. The tractors are equipped about the same and do the same work.

We love using the Kubota, but every single component on the Deere is more than twice the size of the same part on the Kubota. It also cost 3x as much when new.

We like the Kubota & think it is good value for the price. However, I would be surprised if it lasts 6000 hrs. At 6000 hours our Legacy machine - the yellow JD 310SG - is still going strong.

rScotty

[AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] wants the same money for their large AG tractors as Case-IH, New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Challenger, etc., but I’m not sure if they would last as long, side by side as those legacy brands.
My M-126X with loader was ~$90,000 when I bought it back in 2010. That was about the same as the other brands. I bought a second one used, back in 2016 of $45K. 12 years later, I came to the conclusion that neither one of them proved to reliable as I had hoped. I put about 5,200 hours on both of them. On a scale of 1-10, I would give them a 6-7 out of 10. The harder & heavier the work got, the more they broke. But I sort of get why, they were newer designs and didn’t have decades of use. They weren’t “battle tested” designs, like their smaller tractors.
My “legacy brands” have broken, too. But they have 5,000-6,000 hours on them, so it’s somewhat expected. Both AGCO’s needed brakes. That is particularly expensive because both have Fendt braking systems on them. But again, the brakes usually last about 5-6K hours so it wasn’t a shock. Outside of the brakes, only other issues were HVAC system repairs.

The newer version of the [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] AG tractors (M7/M8) built in France might finally be on par with the legacy brands, but we need more time to see. They are priced on par with the competition now.

Fendt and Deere are considered premium brands and have higher price tags.

 

[LD1]

I prefer M than MX for me they are more comfortable M I rode in such and such

No HST in the M. Deal breaker for many

MX is the biggest you can get with a HST. Which is why its so popular

 

[bdhsfz6]

No HST in the M. Deal breaker for many

MX is the biggest you can get with a HST. Which is why its so popular

The M's also push the concept of a "compact utility tractor". Too big a footprint for many.

 

[rScotty]

No HST in the M. Deal breaker for many

MX is the biggest you can get with a HST. Which is why its so popular

HST+ is nice. But in a larger tractor, if HST+ wasn't available it wouldn't trouble me to go for shuttle shift over a standard 3 range HST.
Does that make sense?
rScotty

 

[LD1]

HST+ is nice. But in a larger tractor, if HST+ wasn't available it wouldn't trouble me to go for shuttle shift over a standard 3 range HST.
Does that make sense?
rScotty

Im sure it wasnt, and doesnt trouble many. However, if it WERE available, how many people with a M6060 or M7060 sized machine would have opted for the HST.

Back in 1960, I am sure it didnt trouble anyone to use a clutch and shift gears.

Times change, things get better. For utility type work, using the loader, mowing, etc....a HST is the best for most.

 

[tradosaurus]

Wish I lived where you live.

My dealer is 4 miles away and will not deliver a new tractor to me without charging $135/Hr from the time the driver picks up the truck keys to the time when he puts them back on the nail.

Next closest dealer, about 30 miles also charges for delivery of new equipment, though not quite as much.

If a dealer did that to me I would buy my tractor and implements out of state if I had to. And buy my own trailer.
My dealer charges $50 pickup and $50 delivery if you need to bring your tractor in for maintenance.

 

[5030]

a HST is the best for most

With a hydraulic shuttle, there is NO clutch at all. Just a damper plate in the bell housing. Directional changes and travelling speeds are handled via a wet clutch that is hydraulically actuated via a lever on the steering column. I never touch the 'clutch' pedal unless I park the units.

 

[tradosaurus]

2010 M-135X 2800 hours. I sold it in May 2022. Had complete glow plug system failure due to PCM failure ($6,000 to replace PCM). Also had electrical system failures for dash readouts. Front suspension system never worked correctly. It was a nice tractor, but issues.
2011 M-126X 3200 hours. Currently for sale. Has had wandering steering since new. Hand pump replaced twice at $1,800. Had complete injector failure- $6,500. Rear axle seal leak. Both front axle bearings & seals replaced about $1,000. Range selector sensor issues.

They are decent at best tractors. They start & run, but many of the periphery systems have failed. Fuel system is a joke-Injectors are poorly protected. PTO solenoids and pump failures. Very spendy to fix. Hydraulic steering very poor (steering wander). Lots of codes.

I’m just being honest. I see so much brand “protection” going on here.

Pick your poison. Quite honestly, they’re all prone to failure when used for agriculture.

If I knew I would be putting thousands of hours on a tractor I would definitely be looking at owner satisfaction for all brands.