Newbie: a deer in the headlights

[Joemac8]

I previously posted I am a first time tractor buyer (The 8N doesn't count and is long gone). I am stuck between Kubota and JD. I have an illogical affinity for the green one, all emotion. I have 20 acres of primarily wooded land with my house and garage in the middle with a blacktop road in and out. I want a bucket and bush hog.

Went to both dealers in town today.

Kubota suggested a B2601 three speed hydro drive, 4 WD, cruise, LA434 front loader, quick attach bucket, quick coupler for rear. This is 26Hp 19.5 PTO hp. Includes a 4' bush hog. Weight 1632lbs. 18,000 plus tax.

JD offered 2 models: the new 2032R, 3 speed hydro 4 WD, cruise, front, read and mid PTO, quick attach bucket, quick reat coupler. This is 32 hp 25 PTO hp. includes 4' Frontier RC2048 bush hog. Weight 2436 lbs. $24,000 plus tax

3025E 2 speed hydro, front & rear PTO (no mid) regular attach D 160 loader, rear quick hitch, 25hp and 17 PTO hp. $18,500 plus tax.


Could I please get some comments? Suggestions are welcome.

 

[jeff9366]

GREAT TITLE!

Unless you will be working in your yard, 1/4 acre of ground maximum, not including the house footprint, a two speed HST will make you crazy.

If you want a Deere, for Pete's sake BUY A DEERE.


"JD offered 2 models: the new 2032R, 3 speed hydro 4 WD, cruise, front, read and mid PTO, quick attach bucket, quick reat coupler. This is 32 hp 25 PTO hp. includes 4' Frontier RC2048 bush hog. Weight 2436 lbs. $24,000 plus tax."

Why not a 5' Bush Hog?

A 48" Bush Hog has a cutting width of 42". A 60" Bush Hog has a cutting width of 54" (The 6" deductions are overlap.)

 

[RNeumann]

I appreciate the honesty and desire to have the JD. But just looking at the stats you have posted (what's important to you) the JD costs more for less machine. Just step back and look at your data objectively.
I'm a data guy and the numbers played a huge roll. The other is the dealer itself. Does one dealer have a better service center and or does your gut (better yet your wife's gut) tell you one is better than another for a long term relationship?
Both machines a large name brand units with good support. They also rank nearly identical in the yearly research posted in the sticky above this post.
The JD parts tend to cost a bit more. Also consider that JD uses their own quick attach which is limiting if you ever needed to borrow or rent something. Kubota and most others use the standard SSQA.
I am also going to mention that several other manufactures make quality equipment and tend to have a few more features for the same dollar. I won't take a complete tangent but the same sticky above offers several manufactures- some with similar numbers, some higher and one major one that is much lower.

 

[Joemac8]

GREAT TITLE!

Unless you will be working in your yard, 1/4 acre of ground maximum, not including the house footprint, a two speed HST will make you crazy.

If you want a Deere, for Pete's sake BUY A DEERE.


"JD offered 2 models: the new 2032R, 3 speed hydro 4 WD, cruise, front, read and mid PTO, quick attach bucket, quick reat coupler. This is 32 hp 25 PTO hp. includes 4' Frontier RC2048 bush hog. Weight 2436 lbs. $24,000 plus tax."

Why not a 5' Bush Hog?

A 48" Bush Hog has a cutting width of 42". A 60" Bush Hog has a cutting width of 54" (The 6" deductions are overlap.)

I chose a 4" bush hog because it will be more maneuverable. I have a lot of trees and tight spaces. A 5' unit is wider than the tractor tires.

I also forgot to mention that I am not a spring chicken. I will get one shot at a tractor and no more. One of my daughters has three horses and will eventually end up with a small "farm" for her heard. I heard that the minimum you want for a PTO is 25 hp. Since she will be using it for horses after I pass it to her, I was thinking a hay bailer needs more guts so the 25 hp minimum sounds reasonable.

 

[PJSprog]

I think I suggested in another thread something similar to Jeff's statement; If you really want a Deere, buy a Deere.

However, RNeumann makes some valid points. Ultimately, you need to be honest with yourself and ask what's important to you about owning a tractor. If telling people that you own a Deere, or looking at those colors and smiling, are what really motivates you, then it's an easy decision. If you're buying it as a tool, though, you maybe should consider a few more things.

I looked at a lot of tractors before we bought one; Kubota, Massey-Ferguson, New Holland, Mahindra, and LS. I was leaning towards Mahindra, and my Wife wanted a Kubota. But, when we sat down and crunched the data (I'm a Quality Manager and she is a retired Accountant), it was clear to us that LS would give us the best bang for the buck. Would we have been happy with one of the others? I have little doubt that we absolutely would. Any of those machines would do the job. Some of them, though, would cost as much as $5K more. That was definitely a consideration for us. We're not poor, but $5K is a fair amount of money to anyone who works for a living.

So think about what you really want from your tractor. Go check out other brands and compare. If, in the end, you still want that Deere, then there's little question it's the right one for you ... regardless of what the rest of us think.

 

[audsp98]

As you probably noticed, the 2032R is a "premium" tractor where as the B2601 and 3025E are not. The comparable Kubota will be the L3560, which is much heavier with base weight than anything you're looking at so far.

My only advise is, and you'll see it repeated on the forums often, buy the color of tractor that you really want (they all make good tractors) and make sure you get a big enough tractor. I'd recommend sizing the tractor as you need it now, then go up a size. That should have you set for a long time. In most cases the next size up in tractor is usually fairly close in price to the previous size, relatively speaking.

When I purchased my first tractor (recently) I had no color loyalty preference and quickly found that orange and green were a little more proud of their tractors than blue and red.

I ended up with a Mahindra.

 

[teg]

If you go with a Deere, get the 2032R and not the "E" economy series... But look at Kubota L2501 model. Strong engine that's de-rated for getting under 25 hp (emission crap not included).

As for the width of a bush hog, I want it wider to reach beyond where the tires run. I'm thinking of stepping up to 6 footer.

PS... you need much more for a bailer...

...I was thinking a hay bailer needs more guts so the 25 hp minimum
...

 

[cford36]

My first tractor was a John Deere 2210. I knew nothing about tractors and that was the name I knew, so I got one. 12 years and much wiser (at least in tractors) I was ready for a new larger one. This time I did a lot of research, 2 years worth. Now I sit in a new LS.

By all means get the tractor you want. But John Deere's are green for a reason. (Orange isn't too far behind either) You are going to pay for that color. There are other options out there that are just as good and will give you more options for less $$$.

Just my 2 cents from a previous JD owner.

 

[RNeumann]

https://www.ne-equip.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2016_Survey_Report_Final.pd_.pdf

 

[Joemac8]

My first tractor was a John Deere 2210. I knew nothing about tractors and that was the name I knew, so I got one. 12 years and much wiser (at least in tractors) I was ready for a new larger one. This time I did a lot of research, 2 years worth. Now I sit in a new LS.

By all means get the tractor you want. But John Deere's are green for a reason. (Orange isn't too far behind either) You are going to pay for that color. There are other options out there that are just as good and will give you more options for less $$$.

Just my 2 cents from a previous JD owner.

I know that ALL tractors are made from parts sourced all over the world. It just kills me that I can't get a real US made with US parts tractors. That being said, I want to get as close to US as possible.

Does this make sense?