Not trying to start a flame war. Kubota vs John Deere CUTS

[white cloud]

Hello all,

My wife and I have purchased 65 acres of forest property in S.C. We have decided we need a tractor to bush hog the roads and do general cleanup. I have learned that on 65 acres of forest there will be a blow down from time to time. I would also like to put in some food plots. I am guessing the total acreage for food plots would be less than three acres but I will have to plow/till this. I went and looked at tractors. In my area the dealers that are near enough to matter are John Deere and Kubota. I looked seriously at a John Deere 3032e and a Kubota 3301. Both of these tractors seem to do what I need a tractor to do and I can still get them in my garage. Neither my wife nor I have ANY experience with a tractor. Given that, it appears the 3032e is much simpler to operate. I like the pedals on the 3032e much better than the Kubota treadle pedal. Our problem with taking the plunge with the John Deere is that after talking with a number of tractor savvy people in my area, nobody likes a John Deere. What gives? Is the John Deere really a poorer choice? I want to hear any and all opinions. I am not bad mouthing either brand as they both must have good features. Both seem high quality to me.

Thanks,

White Cloud

 

[dadster4]

I know I'm probably biased, but you should look at Kioti also. I was new to tractors also and felt comfortable operating mine in no time, and after 175 hours seat time, I like it even more.

 

[4570Man]

My personal experience based of 2 different Deere's is the loaders are much smoother on Kubotas. I don't like the plastic hood on the Deere's. I personally prefer the Kubota treadle pedal. I really like the Kubota HST+, but the model you're looking at isn't equipped with that. As far as just the tractor they're probably equal. I think it really boils down the which one you think feels better and $$$. The Kubota in discussion weighs 400-600 pounds more than the Deere which means it's going to get more work done. The Kubota loader has a much higher break out force and has a higher 1.5 meter lift rating.

 

[paulfun9]

I also recommend looking at the other players like Kioti. They make a fine machine and my last time buying I brought a DK Series Kioti home over the Kubota. The arguments for one being more comfortable than the other from us really don't count for you as you would find out just by searching this site many will say they like the single pedal HST and others like me Hate it and would choose a pick and shovel over using one. SO comfort is relative to the user just as 4570man said he hated the layout of the Kioti and likes the layout of the Kubota. Myself I found that the opposite was true. Nothing will replace actual seat time on the tractor and don't just drive around the smooth paved parking lot at the dealership. Run it threw its paces and find out what it feels like on a bumpy field as well.

 

[4570Man]

Being a new tractor owner I think you'd be happy with either pedal style. I've spent several hundred if not thousands of hours on the Kubota treadle pedal. The few hours I've spent on the Deere double pedal felt like learning a foreign language. I'd still rather use any tractor over a shovel. My statement Paul quoted above was true, but I later removed it hoping not to start a war. A agree 100% that you need some real seat time off the pavement before you can make an informed decision. Surely the dealer had a used machine of at least a similar model you could put a couple hours on. You probably aren't going to be able to take a new machine off the pavement.

 

[ultrarunner]

I own 1 Deere and 3 Kubota...

Have to say I feel most comfortable with new operators on the treadle Kubota Hydro... like the L3301HST or even the L3901HST

The closest I have size wise is my L3800

I like my Deere but it is a larger TLB.

The Kubota front axle is rated for 1,000 more pounds than the Deere... good if you need to do loader work.

http://www.kubota.com/assets/product/comps/L3301/L3301Comp.pdf

 

[Aquamoose]

I'd list 10 (or 5, etc) features that are important to YOU and your wife and go from there. For me, loader capacity was top on the list followed by overall weight and wheel base for greater stability (without any 3ph implements). Don't forget comfort, ease of use, ability to fold ROPS, etc.

 

[brown40]

I think JD's change in business model ~10 years ago soured homeowners and other small fry that used the former hometown dealer network in favor of big box Ag distributors. They demanded a minimum volume out of dealers that one purchase every 3-10 years won't help much. I think SC saw a lot of closings and consolidations. They make as well an engineered product as anyone--particularly for ergonomics. I'd be pleased with either, but prefer separate pedals. I like Kubota's business approach, where consumer's value is not based solely on their annual expenditures/revenues.

 

[TMGT]

I stopped by my local jd dealer the other day when i had to kill some time. They had a L3301 there, I guess as a demo comparison. It was sitting next to a 3032e, seeing them next to each other I have to say it appears you get more for the money with the kubota, I know the JD is an economy model but I was pretty suprised at the things they removed and even the fit and finish didn't seem up to par considering the price.

I haven't run them both so can't comment on how they operate.
I will say I've run both the jd twin peddle and have a Kubota with the treadle, I considered the treadle to be a negative when I was looking at tractors but actually prefer it now, only took a few hrs to figure out what was comfortable and now it's second nature.

 

[Ivan49]

I would do a check on the background of both dealers to see if they have any complaints or other remarks on the quality of their service dept.Without a good service behind the product the tractor is worthless if something happens. Both tractors are good tractors and I looked at both. I always favored Deere as I have had several in the past. The first thing I noticed on the Deere was when I stepped on the step to get on the operater platform dropped slightly. I did not want the HST and it wasn't avaiable on Deere. The biggest thing was The Deere did not have a drawbar as it was an option and I wanted steering brakes which Deere did not have. I know of 3 tractors here within a few miles of me that the fenders cracked on them a couple years ago when we had temps of - 30. I did not know much about Kubota and the the things the dealer showed me I was imppressed , steel fenders and hood, steering brakes and it even came with the drawbar LOL. Kubota had a couple of rebates and Deere did not and this amounted to several thousands of dollars. The base price of the tractor was about the same as Deere but with the rebates it made the Kubota less. Tomorrow it will be one year since my L 3301 was delivered and the only regret I have is I wish that I would have had 2 rear remotes installed instead of 1. I have 120 acres of ground and I use it for trail maint, food plots and wood hauling and It has not disappointed me yet. If you get a loader make sure you get the tires loaded and I would recommend a box blade for the rear as it makes trail maint much faster and easier. The one rebate paid for the boxblade and most of the cost of a set of forks

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

I also initially looked at these two same tractors, the JD 3032e and the kubota L3301. I was already more interested in kubota since I was accustomed to operating my stepfather kubota L3000 but YouTube and these forums really led me to lean the direction of the kubota. I did however get a chance to look over one of the JD 3032e tractors at a local fair before going to my kubota dealer and I liked it overall. The tractor was comfortable to sit on but was really short wheel base wise and I hated how it didn't have a quick attach loader frame. Other downfalls of the Deere that turned me away from my it was the aluminum rear axle housing, the fact that it didn't have folding rops, it had plastic hood and fenders and the JD style quick attach bucket. Im sure it's a fine machine for many people but for me it seemed sort of cheaply built. Regardless I ended up gong with a 2015 kubota L3901DT for the extra power with loader, SSQA bucket and box blade. I tried out the kubota HST and liked the shuttle shift better. The kubota just feels like a better built tractor in comparison to the JD 3032e and it's got the extra weight to get the power to the ground which I like. I definitely have a soft spot for kubota because it's what I've grown up around but I'll say, every major tractor brand has its pros and cons and there's a few machines from each manurfacturer that I still like and would consider purchasing. One piece of advice that im sure many will agree with is take into account the dealer experience as well when buying. A good dealer can really influence the decision to go with a specific brand.

 

[radioman]

its tough call. both are good tractors. you paying extra for green paint, orange seems to hold a better resale value but a moot point if you are keeping for life. i went with kubota due to dealer attitude. like others are saying - you since you are new to tractors - you need to sit in tractors and try to run it and play with controls. find out with one feels right to you . both have forward, reverse different from each brand, the gearing, the specs, some even say oh this one has a coffee holder which is a must

a good dealer will listen to your seemly dumb questions and answer honestly and no bsing and give you the time to check other tractors and buy the one you need/want.

after all its not the color that affect your choices, its the dealer willingness and ability to get parts when you can.

 

[Farmer2750]

I've been a Deere man my whole life but ran many colors, new and old, big and small. What I found is get a machine when you sit on it you don't think "what was this engineer smoking when he designed this." After a full day of running anything you will have the fundamentals to the machine down. And from there it building your operator skills.

 

[Spindifferent]

Pick the brand with the best dealer support.

 

[roadhunter]

I've only driven a Bobcat(Kioti) and a John Deere of similar size and I can tell you the JD was a much nicer machine. The Bobcat(Kioti) just feel really cheap compared to the JD which felt more sturdy and well built on thing like the transmission shifter. Fit and finish were also noticeably better as was the performance.

 

[TMGT]

Was the JD a E or R model? When I looked at them there was a noticeable difference on build between the two.

 

[white cloud]

I looked at an "E" JD. Today is my day off. I think I will head to the Kubota dealer for another look. Thanks to all for the insights. The axle rating advantage of the Kubota is something I was not aware of and I will be doing at least some loader work as I get the roads in good shape. Also there is tree debris everywhere it seems and I will need to work a grapple into the deal for that.

 

[TSO]

Both choices would likely offer similar quality, like others have said, spend some time on both.

I'd also highly recommend that you look for a Massey Ferguson dealer and test the comparable 1734e. In my personal experience, the Massey units are at the top of the list for quality and durability.

 

[teg]

I'm not up on JD but I thought one grip people had with the JD was transmission was 2 range, Kubota has 3... good low gear for work and the high gear for traveling down the road.

Also, isn't the JD rear housing aluminum? Good for light weight but most people try and add extra weight (tire fluid, wheel weights).

 

[prichard]

Assuming you like both dealers and think they'll stand behind the product, I'd go for the heaviest with the highest loader capacity. You are correct thinking a grapple is in order and the grapple itself is not light and tress can be quite heavy depending on size and species.