Compact tractors - Kubota or Deere?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Factual question: which would you as a tractor owner recommend for a compact tractor?

Or any other contender?

They seem comparable in features and price. I am most concerned about reliability, even more than power; I’d rather spend the extra time shredding or discing, than working on the tractor (or, worse, waiting for someone else to work on it).

The Deere have a couple of nice-but-just-one-more-thing-to-break features.
There are more used Kubotas for sale (why get rid of something if you like it?)

I’m leaning toward the Deere, but I’m afraid that’s prejudice, not reasoned evaluation on my part.

2

Since the OP is looking for recommendations, this is best suited to IMHO.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

3

It’s the favorite thing I own because it gets jobs done I couldn’t do without it. I’ve never had a Deere, so I can’t compare, but I can vouch wholeheartedly for Kubota. The only problem I’ve ever had was when I loaned it out and it came back with its hydraulics messed up. I don’t know what they did but the lesson I learned is never, ever to lend it to anyone again. I do have one gripe…salesmen will tell you changing implements, like backhoe off and brush hog on, is a piece of cake. Yeah, maybe if you’re six feet tall and have three arms, you can do it alone. For 5’2" me, that’s a 2 person job. Might be the same with a Deere.

4

Our Kubota lawn tractor is a pain in the ass. There are safety interlocks everywhere trying to stop the user from using. We eventually bypassed every safety interlock so that we can use the tractor. Then, when it went to the Kubota dealer for service, they reconnected all the safety shit, saying it was required. So I re-disconnected and put in permanent bypasses and we are just not using the dealership.

Oh, and our owner’s manual was lost at one point. No big deal, I searched online. Except Kubota goes after anyone sharing their manuals. We ended up ordering replacements and they were ridiculously expensive and just Xerox copies stapled together.

I’d never buy another Kubota.

5

Like Skyo, I have a Kubota, and love it. 26 horse 3 cylinder diesel. 4x4, Loader with a box scraper on back. I think it’s a 2014.

Now I’ve never owned a JD. But I did have a 1982 Alis Chalmers about the same size. It’s not really fair at all to compare the two as the Kubota has the hydrostatic transmission and power steering and just over all newer tech. It always starts for instance :slight_smile:

I think the only safety interlock on my Kubota is that it won’t start if the PTO is engaged.

6

Ours has that, as well as a seat switch. My gf doesn’t weigh enough to reliably engage the seat switch. Oh, and there’s a transmission interlock; it has to be just so perfectly in neutral. There are others as well; all disconnected on mine, making my Kubota the most dangerous tool I use.

ETA: and a brake sensor also.

7

I have neither, but I know several folk who have 1 or the other. All seem to love theirs. My recommendation is that you strongly consider which dealer has most convenient and best rep for service.

8

I so want a nice little Kubota with a FE loader, like enipla has. Right now I have a small 17 horse Yanmar gray market tractor from the '70’s, which will pull my bushhog (my primary use). It’s a nice little tractor, but I’d feel safer with a ROPS system and I’d love a FEL.

StG

9

I’ve worked on the engines from both suppliers for at least 10 years, but not primarily in tractors (Air Force ground support equipment). The logistical chain for Deere is, IMO light years ahead of Kubota’s. Kubota egnines are outstanding, but when they break you almost HAVE to order factory replacement parts; quick fixes/rewiring are’nt an option. Another piece of anecdata: Deere’s survive the cold much better than Kubotas.

10

Here’s what little I know, which isn’t much. If you get one, get a compact; not sub-compact, those are generally best suited for being mowers. I have little experience with one of those myself, just have a few that haven’t been happy with theirs, and wished they would have got something a little bigger. It still might be suited for certain jobs though; I’m not an expert on this.

I settled on a New Holland. I’m sure I’d been just as happy with a Kubota or JD. I have two pto’s, with the mower deck in the middle, which then allows me to have other implements on the back without having to change it out as often. I believe some can put a pto up front too, that way you can run a snow blower and other stuff.

Although the implements are a bit expensive on just about any tractor, what I still like about it, is you can get just about anything with it. Besides the box blade which is just about a must, you can get auger, rototiller, wood splitter, wood chipper, concrete mixer, etc, and doing it this way, you still only maintain one engine which is the tractor. If you start buying this stuff separately, that’s another gas or diesel engine to maintain, and it’s a pain when they are not used that often, especially cleaning out fuel lines every year.

I like hydrostatic transmissions, mine doesn’t have that. My standard transmission delivers slightly more HP to the PTO, but it’s not enough to be all that significant to me.

The only reason I haven’t settled on a backhoe attachment for mine is because my neighbor has a fairly large backhoe that I rent out. Not an easy decision on what to go with when deciding for one of those. You have to decide if you want to attach it to the frame, or just go with some three point. Three point is more versatile, and you can take those off often, but some say you risk damaging your frame by not attaching to it. I think most come out okay here provided they don’t work it too hard. But there are horror stories to be told here. If you don’t have a lot of heavy rocks, thick roots and other stuff you’ll be dealing with, you’ll probably be okay. It’s a personal decision that each need to make.

11

I just wrote a detailed post, commenting on everyone’s response. My computer ate it.

Thank you everyone. You haven’t actually made my decision easier, but you have re-assured me that I probably won’t go wrong with either one.

razncain, I particularly appreciate the input on compact v. subcompact; I suspected it was just the testosterone talking, ‘That’s just a souped up lawn mower, and Campbell’s at that’, so that was good to hear.

12

I’ve got a 2001 Deere 4100 compact utility tractor with hydrostatic transmission. I bought it new with the loader and 4’ bush hog. I’ve since added a 60" rear finish mower, box blade, and a scraper blade.

The Deere hydro is controlled by two pedals on the right side. One for forward, one for reverse. The Kubota users a treadle where you press with your toe for forward and your heel for reverse. Be sure you try both. I don’t like the Kubota system myself.

Sometimes it comes down to the dealer. Who’s close? How does their service area look? Lots of parts in stock?

You might visit “tractorbynet” forums as they are dedicated to tractors and related subjects.

GaryM

13

GaryM, I haven’t tried the Kubota yet, but I have my doubts about that mechanism. Looks good for construction equipment, but more than I’d need for my little plot.

I’m here because, well, I trust you guys. Most of you. We’re not farmers, or heavy equipment enthusiasts, but we have a piece of land too big for a push mower and a couple of goats. I don’t mind spending money, but I want to do it right.

And, damn, those Deere’s are pretty, aren’t they?

14

I’d have to go with Kubota. Not for any technical reasons, but because my grandfather owned an International Harvester dealership for 50+ yearrs (retired and closed it before they ran the company into bankruptcy), so I’m genetically incapable of owning anything green.

15

What about Mahindra?

StG

16

The availability of parts and service would have me heavily favoring Deere. I don’t need one enough to go down this road though, my neighbor has a top end Deere compact with plenty of attachments and he loves using that thing, he’d probably pay me to come use it on my property. But if I was getting one, then surviving the cold would be a big deal also.

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Ahhhhh… Tractor Porn! :wink:

18

I have a JD X530. Not sure if that’s big enough to qualify as “compact”. If nothing else, it’s at the upper end of “lawn tractor.” I bought it new and have put about 200 hours on it. Mostly mowing and hauling trailers full of dirt, stone and firewood. It was the lowest level JD tractor that had a locking differential and the gnarlier all terrain tires. Absolutely love it so far. Google turns up pictures of front end buckets mounted on them but I think I’d want a bigger tractor if I was going to do much of that. It has a Kawasaki 25 hp. 2 cylinder. One of my most prized possessions! :slight_smile:

A place I used to work at had a similar sized Kubota (that also had 4wd) and that thing took a beating hauling big farm trailers carrying big steel weldments (plus mowing) for the 18 years I worked there and kept on working. They’re OK too I guess.

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I haven’t been active there for a while but when I was tractor shopping I spent a lot of time at My Tractor Forum.

20

To be honest, I think outdoor equipment should be bright red or flaming yellow, except I just like those tractors.

We haven’t considered a Mahindra because no one recommended one before. Do you like them? (our buying window might have just expanded a bit …)

I guess I’ll have time to check out actual tractor fora after all.