Help me Decide: Limited Availability

[Colorado]

Like everything else in the world, tractors seem harder to come by than they should be. Help me decide between two imperfect choices

I have 16 acres. I need a tractor upgrade. Used tractors in the range I need are nearly non existent and going at a big premium so that it is almost as good a deal to just buy new and get the warranty and dealer support behind it.

My wife and I have narrowed down to Kubota L3301 and John Deere 3230e. Sadly there is only one or two of each in a range of hundreds of miles from where I am at to buy right now - inventory is that tight. My wife and I have traveled to 5 stores and driven a few hundred miles since last week looking.

In favor of John Deere:

• $3500 less for out the door price of tractor + front loader
• Hydrostatic is available (the inventory on Kubota is all manual transmission)
• More nimble (11 inches smaller OAL, mostly because the front loader doesn't stick as far out)
• Better parts availability

In favor of Kubota:

• Better quick detach front end loader design is compatible with other vendors' skid steer implements
• More robust construction
• Hydraulic routing on the loader is mostly protected by panels
• Slightly more horsepower (33 vs 31.x)
• More horsepower at the rear PTO (30 vs 25)
• Slightly better practical lift capacity
• More recent design updates

The hydrostatic not being available on the Kubota, however, will make it harder for my wife to operate. Not thrilled with it being more expensive.

What we are doing:

• Rough Cut Rotary Mower (8 acres of the 16 need rough cut a few times a season)
• Snow Clearance
• Driveway maintenance
• Fill and move dirt for garden boxes, etc
• Future (spring): till/cultivate a small area
• Future (next 1-3 years): potentially use to lift up to a cow carcass
• Future (spring): potentially drive rear fence post digger

What do you think - what would you do?

 

[Goweresque]

Kubota.

Always buy a machine more capable than you think you'll need, because if you buy something that you think is just good enough, it won't be. To my way of looking (having thrown an eye over youtube videos of both models) the JD is a glorified garden tractor, whereas the Kubota is a proper tractor, only smaller.

 

[Flatlander]

resale on a kubota will blow the Deere out the door. They are a great well built tractor and one of the first names people think of for compact tractors. Drive a bit further and find the hydrostatic kubota. I’ve driven one wrapping silage bale for a friend. Super easy to use and if your wife is going to use it she appreciate it big time.

 

[Martyn]

Go Kubota, we have a small JD it's crap Indian build cheep engineering, wish we spent extra for Kubota.

 

[Boysground]

I have a 55hp Kubota on my dairy, it’s brilliant. Only serviced it no break downs.
Hydrostatic is great
Air con standard
Air seat standard
Heated rear screen standard
Radio
5 year warranty

I wouldn’t look at anything else for that size of tractor

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[DrDunc]

Hydrostatic Kubota

And patience

What's wrong with your current tractor that it needs changed in such a hurry?

 

[Boysground]

5 replies all saying the same must mean something. Usually with tractors on TFF I’d expect 5 different answers. Nobody has been on suggesting a Valtra yet

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[fendtfiasco]

And Fendt don't make anything that small !!

Besides what would you do do with all the diesel it would make for you.

Jesting aside hydrostatic is the way to go , the 47 Kubota is a lot more capable but obviously dearer but you get hydrostatic.

 

[Stewie]

Jesting aside hydrostatic is the way to go , the 47 Kubota is a lot more capable but obviously dearer but you get hydrostatic.

Money aside, unless you really need something very small for greenhouses or old stables, I would go for the larger one. Not for the power but for the weight, particularly with a loader.

 

[chaffcutter]

We’ve got a Valtra on loan while ours is in the workshop, driver hates the gearbox already!

 

[betweenthelines]

The correct answer is:

Pay a contractor to do the jobs your current tractor is unable to do.

Cheaper, quicker and they'll probably do a better job.

 

[steveR]

The correct answer is:

Pay a contractor to do the jobs your current tractor is unable to do.

Cheaper, quicker and they'll probably do a better job.

And turn up when it has started raining, as there was a bigger job to do first....

 

[steveR]

Kubota for all the reasons stated above, or look at a Kioti HST, if you have a Dealer near you.

 

[Colorado]

Hydrostatic Kubota

And patience

What's wrong with your current tractor that it needs changed in such a hurry?

My current one is an overbuilt riding mower. It can't hack the weeds. It's... Not a tractor.

So my wife and I realized, we were foolish to think we could do that and avoid buying a legitimate compact tractor.

And then found out the supply chain interruptions have made it hard to find and buy what I really want.

 

[DrDunc]

My current one is an overbuilt riding mower. It can't hack the weeds. It's... Not a tractor.

So my wife and I realized, we were foolish to think we could do that and avoid buying a legitimate compact tractor.

And then found out the supply chain interruptions have made it hard to find and buy what I really want.

Buy well

Buy once

 

[jondear]

Go Kubota, we have a small JD it's crap Indian build cheep engineering, wish we spent extra for Kubota.

Have heard not great things about the small JD .Is that the 5055 or what ever it's called ?What's bad about it ?

 

[Martyn]

Have heard not great things about the small JD .Is that the 5055 or what ever it's called ?What's bad about it ?

3036jd electrics have had be disconnected as dump seat/pto switch and various other things stop the tractor starting, issues with back end not strong enough for scraping, eats batteries like no other vehicle we have owned. Seat not worn well, just general poor build quality, JD badge on a cheep import.

 

[vantage]

And a Kubota advert at the base of the page!