Guidance on a new tractor not HDT related.

[SuiteSuccess]

My Kubota B7200 is 18hp and 14hp at the PTO. I have a 60" bush hog, 60" pull behind finish mower, and box blade. No trouble with operating any of them. Have had the bush hog in 48" overgrowth on our hunting lease and it did just fine. Just went slow.

[Broncohauler]

My Kubota B7200 is 18hp and 14hp at the PTO. I have a 60" bush hog, 60" pull behind finish mower, and box blade. No trouble with operating any of them. Have had the bush hog in 48" overgrowth on our hunting lease and it did just fine. Just went slow.

Awesome I knew you guys would have my answers thanks

[RickW]

I have a '06 B3030 with cab. Bought it used, 8ys old at the time but only 300 hrs and garage kept and serviced annually by the dealer. Had to go about 150 miles for but it has been well worth it. So it might pay off to broaden your search.

 

As for the rocker go peddle I have learned to really like it. Very handy when spreading out material. I also have a mid mount finishing mower deck. When mowing it is like being on a zero spin mower.

 

As for the backhoe, yes it is cheaper to rent. I have a Woods BH with 8' reach and 1 for wide bucket. I use it a lot. It has been a good investment. They are hard to find used so I suspect that I would have no problems selling the BH attachment quickly if I found I needed/wanted to get rid of it.

 

I also have a chipper for tree branches. Will take material up to 6"x8". It says it can feed at a speed of 72' per minute. Have no desire to feed at that speed. It is suppose to work with a PTO hp rating as low as 18hp. I have 24hp at PTO and have been impressed with the chipper. Very handy if you got a lot of trees and can't burn brush.

 

I was not looking for a tractor with a cab but love having the cab and A/C. If you have to get on the tractor and work on something in bad weather the cab will pay for itself. Also if on it it all day it makes a big difference. I am in Texas and mowing in the middle of summer is not a issue now. When mowing there is no choking on dust. Same when grading dry material.

 

My neighbor has a newer (than mine) JD. His is a little bit bigger (sorry don't know the model) and my Kubota will out lift it. The K has a much bigger pump since it is also used for making the the tractor move. The down side is the pump goes out the tractor is not moving.

 

My biggest dislikes is the PTO is hydraulically driven. So no reverse. Twice I have sunk the auger on the post hole digger deep in the clay. With no reverse I had to put the BH on and dig the auger out. It could also use a bigger A/C. My understanding is this has been resolved in newer units. Cheap and Kubota parts are never found in the same sentence. My local dealers also never have the part I need in stock. So I have learned to call before driving over. Up side is the part never seems to be more than 24 to 72 hours away. But still sucks when you are in the middle of something and you are stopped cold when you have to wait on a part.

 

I have been extremely pleased with my Kubota. Have put over 500 hours on it since I bought it almost 3 years ago now. It takes a beating and comes back for more.

[Broncohauler]

I have a '06 B3030 with cab. Bought it used, 8ys old at the time but only 300 hrs and garage kept and serviced annually by the dealer. Had to go about 150 miles for but it has been well worth it. So it might pay off to broaden your search.

 

As for the rocker go peddle I have learned to really like it. Very handy when spreading out material. I also have a mid mount finishing mower deck. When mowing it is like being on a zero spin mower.

 

As for the backhoe, yes it is cheaper to rent. I have a Woods BH with 8' reach and 1 for wide bucket. I use it a lot. It has been a good investment. They are hard to find used so I suspect that I would have no problems selling the BH attachment quickly if I found I needed/wanted to get rid of it.

 

I also have a chipper for tree branches. Will take material up to 6"x8". It says it can feed at a speed of 72' per minute. Have no desire to feed at that speed. It is suppose to work with a PTO hp rating as low as 18hp. I have 24hp at PTO and have been impressed with the chipper. Very handy if you got a lot of trees and can't burn brush.

 

I was not looking for a tractor with a cab but love having the cab and A/C. If you have to get on the tractor and work on something in bad weather the cab will pay for itself. Also if on it it all day it makes a big difference. I am in Texas and mowing in the middle of summer is not a issue now. When mowing there is no choking on dust. Same when grading dry material.

 

My neighbor has a newer (than mine) JD. His is a little bit bigger (sorry don't know the model) and my Kubota will out lift it. The K has a much bigger pump since it is also used for making the the tractor move. The down side is the pump goes out the tractor is not moving.

 

My biggest dislikes is the PTO is hydraulically driven. So no reverse. Twice I have sunk the auger on the post hole digger deep in the clay. With no reverse I had to put the BH on and dig the auger out. It could also use a bigger A/C. My understanding is this has been resolved in newer units. Cheap and Kubota parts are never found in the same sentence. My local dealers also never have the part I need in stock. So I have learned to call before driving over. Up side is the part never seems to be more than 24 to 72 hours away. But still sucks when you are in the middle of something and you are stopped cold when you have to wait on a part.

 

I have been extremely pleased with my Kubota. Have put over 500 hours on it since I bought it almost 3 years ago now. It takes a beating and comes back for more.

Lot of good info especially about the post hole digger

thank you.

[rickeieio]

I have little experience w/ Little Girlie Tractors (sorry, I couldn't resist), but I've never seen a PTO w/ reverse. A pry bar in the u-joint is the only reverse I've ever used.

[Imurphy907]

You can not go wrong with a Kioti. They are cheaper than Kubota and Deere, and offer higher lift capacities as well. Good power plants and durable.

[jkennell]

I have little experience w/ Little Girlie Tractors (sorry, I couldn't resist), but I've never seen a PTO w/ reverse. A pry bar in the u-joint is the only reverse I've ever used.

Just the thought of a reverse on a PTO gives me the shivers as a farmer. Just thinking about how many things your could destroy by having it turn backwards.... If you want to reverse something like a post hole auger, then you need to use a hydraulic motor drive and have a big enough tractor to run it.

[Broncohauler]

Makes sense guys thanks

[greenacres]

Never heard of a reverse on the pto. Imagine pulling a manure spreader with the pto in reverse.

[Broncohauler]

Never heard of a reverse on the pto. Imagine pulling a manure spreader with the pto in reverse.

That would be bad?

[rickeieio]

Never heard of a reverse on the pto. Imagine pulling a manure spreader with the pto in reverse.

In my misspent youth, I spread manure with an old New Idea spreader, behind a Farmall "M". Don't spread with the wind to your back..................

[shorts]

Scary is the thought of a mower or bush hog spinning backwards and loosening up the blade hardware with the blade tip speeds approaching 200 MPH and becoming projectiles.

[Broncohauler]

Scary is the thought of a mower or bush hog spinning backwards and loosening up the blade hardware with the blade tip speeds approaching 200 MPH and becoming projectiles.

Like back in my tow truck days right out of high school.

I towed a MGB with knock off wheels backwards, a ya wheel came off luckily at low speed.

Lesson learned.

[grendel]

I have a JD 3046R with a 72" bucket and skid steer quick attach instead of the JD attachment set ups.

 

My loader has high and low pressure at the front.

 

I love it. The AC and radio is very nice.

 

Go with the best support you can get.

 

Mine was "tippy" until I did 600lbs of concrete in the weight bucket, loaded the rear tires and put in 4" wheel spacers in the rear, with the tires flipped out.

 

I went JD as I get better support there, 0% interest (was going to pay cash) even though I know the owner of the local Kubota dealer.

[grendel]

One more thing, get as many hydro connections as you can. They are never cheaper than when buying the machine.

[Broncohauler]

Thanks again guys.

Went down today and drove both the JD 3032

( it will be the same as 3025 when it comes in)and the Kubota L2501.

The Kubota seems more heavy duty and the bucket raises higher with more reach.

But I can't stand the treadle pedal for forward and reverse. My 6'4" 235lb body with size 12 boot didn't fit well.

My legs are just to long. The controls also don't feel comfortable ether.

 

The JD operator area is great and fits me well.

BUT the JD only has a 2speed trans (k has 3)

The loader arms appeared lighter duty,

 

So now to decide

JD that drives great with better price or

Kubota that's not comfortable but built stronger?

Edited February 18, 2017 by broncohauler

[Broncohauler]

I have a JD 3046R with a 72" bucket and skid steer quick attach instead of the JD attachment set ups.

 

My loader has high and low pressure at the front.

 

I love it. The AC and radio is very nice.

 

Go with the best support you can get.

 

Mine was "tippy" until I did 600lbs of concrete in the weight bucket, loaded the rear tires and put in 4" wheel spacers in the rear, with the tires flipped out.

 

I went JD as I get better support there, 0% interest (was going to pay cash) even though I know the owner of the local Kubota dealer.

I looked at a 3046R today. I really like it but way out of my price range thanks

[Jack Mayer]

The question is, are you going to be doing work that will stress the loader to near its limits? If you are then my advice is to get a heavier duty piece of equipment. You don't EVER want to be near the limits on any of these lighter tractors. If you are doing "normal" work, then the Deere may be the best choice. I say that ONLY because if you are not comfortable on the machine you will curse it every time you are on it for more than an hour. I spend up to 6-8 hours at a time on the machine....it HAS to be comfortable.

[Broncohauler]

Totally agree jack.

And you said earlier that you have a JD 3038, and that's the same frame and loader, so if its working for you then I should be ok.

Do you have the plastic rear fenders, any problem with them over time? Do you wish the loader would reach higher or out farther?

[Jack Mayer]

Totally agree jack.

And you said earlier that you have a JD 3038, and that's the same frame and loader, so if its working for you then I should be ok.

Do you have the plastic rear fenders, any problem with them over time? Do you wish the loader would reach higher or out farther?

I do wish the loader was "bigger". But we just got a skid (again JD) to solve that. The good thing about the JD is that there is 0% financing on it, so "capital reserve" is pretty compelling from a business perspective. But that is no reason to buy a machine The skid will lift higher, and more weight. It can dump into a 10' side truck...or so they say....

 

The plastic fenders are fine in the application we put the tractor to. It works hard, but on a limited number of tasks in a campground. Frankly, I don't know how we could live without it. But it only does loader and scraper work - no grass cutting. I do notice a deficit of PTO power in some loading applications. You can push into a pile and not be able to lift/rotate when you want to. But that is a minor complaint and it is only when you are pushing the limits of the tractor. Not for routine work.

 

If you intend to fork a lot of material be VERY sure on the weights. That tractor does fine on lighter stuff, but it will not fork a pallet of bricks. It is simply too small.

[grendel]

What loader is on that machine? Can you spec into a 160 series? I know they could put three different types on mine.

[Broncohauler]

What loader is on that machine? Can you spec into a 160 series? I know they could put three different types on mine.

I have speced a D160

[Broncohauler]

I do wish the loader was "bigger". But we just got a skid (again JD) to solve that. The good thing about the JD is that there is 0% financing on it, so "capital reserve" is pretty compelling from a business perspective. But that is no reason to buy a machine The skid will lift higher, and more weight. It can dump into a 10' side truck...or so they say....

 

The plastic fenders are fine in the application we put the tractor to. It works hard, but on a limited number of tasks in a campground. Frankly, I don't know how we could live without it. But it only does loader and scraper work - no grass cutting. I do notice a deficit of PTO power in some loading applications. You can push into a pile and not be able to lift/rotate when you want to. But that is a minor complaint and it is only when you are pushing the limits of the tractor. Not for routine work.

 

If you intend to fork a lot of material be VERY sure on the weights. That tractor does fine on lighter stuff, but it will not fork a pallet of bricks. It is simply too small.

I do have a 3000lb forklift that doesn't work off-road very well I know this won't lift anything close to that but hopped for better than you and others have claimed.

 

Guess I just need to remember I'm looking at economy compact tractors And that's what you get.

The Kubota appears to be a lot better tractor, but as you say. I

If it's not comfortable than every job is going to be just that a job.

[grendel]

I lift pallets of wood pellets with mine. 2K lbs.

Edited February 18, 2017 by grendel

[jkennell]

IF the loader won't lift/rotate at full throttle, that's because the weight exceeds safe limits and if you could lift it, it might break something. On loaders, the hydraulic pressure/ram size/loader frame is designed so that the pressure quits first....and you don't break things. Hopefully. Now, if the motor is killed by simply trying to lift the loader, I'd say the design is underpowered.

 

Of course, what do I know about little girly tractors...