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".
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
No HST in the M. Deal breaker for manyI prefer M than MX for me they are more comfortable M I rode in such and such
The M's also push the concept of a "compact utility tractor". Too big a footprint for many.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
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
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.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
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.
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.a HST is the best for most
If I knew I would be putting thousands of hours on a tractor I would definitely be looking at owner satisfaction for all brands.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.