Bobcat or Kabota?

npaden said:
I got it for an almost unbelievable price a few years ago. Purchased it for $18,500 in March of 2016. It is a 2011 LS 5030C. I think it had just over 500 hours on it. Closet dealer to me is over 300 miles so I'm most likely never going to take it to the shop for repairs. It was just out of warranty when I bought it. They gave me a really good trade in credit for my broken (over $6,000 to fix it) 1996 L4200 Kubota as well.

The LS is a heavier tractor than my Kubota was and a 55 hp vs 42 hp, but it can lift almost double what the Kubota could with both the front loader and the 3 point hitch.

Only issue that I have had with it was a tiny little filter in the injector pump. No one even knew it had a filter there. It was obviously a fuel delivery problem but isolating it was a pain. Finally found the solution from a post on the Tractorbynet forum. There is an LS forum on it that is pretty helpful. The fix was just to pull the thimble sized filter out and clean it. Took 15 minutes and it was free. Getting to that point took some time and effort though.

I'm pretty happy with the no-till drill too. Bought it an auction online earlier this year. It is a Tye Brand and has the large seed box and a small seed box. Called a Pasture Pleaser. It is a 7'er. I have $4,500 in it including shipping from Oklahoma.
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Thanks for that info! I hear ya about dealerships outside of Deere and Kubota, my closest NH dealer is a couple hours away.

Sorry for the sidebar @VikingsGuy . Good luck on your search.
 
So, tractor with 35-50hp it is. Kabota and Deere obvious choices, with new Bobcat offering and LS as things to consider. Any specific models folks want to add, in addition to the ones already mentioned?
 
VikingsGuy said:
So, tractor with 35-50hp it is. Kabota and Deere obvious choices, with new Bobcat offering and LS as things to consider. Any specific models folks want to add, in addition to the ones already mentioned?
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Guys have been LOVING the BC tractors.

They are rebranded Kioti tractors with some extra features but they are rock solid.
 
4wd is absolutely necessary if you are going to have a front end loader and you will for sure want a front end loader.

I think the slightly larger utility type tractors give you more bang for your buck than the compact tractors personally. I think having the heavier machine helps a lot more than it hurts.

Grapples, Remotes, Etc. are all really cool and generally cheaper to get up front than add later so if you are thinking you might end up going that way might as well bite the bullet up front.
 
I’d take a good hard look at the Kubota MX series tractor. Comes in Two models, a 54 and a 60 horse. I opted for the 54 horse model.

3A56AA50-E1CF-4815-A4C3-86F9199442CE.jpeg

I was all ready to buy a lesser quality tractor because I didn’t think I could afford buying a new orange tractor. Just for s**** and giggles I got a quote for exactly what I wanted all along and it was at, or less than lesser quality tractors that I was looking at. Glad I went the way I did. I highly recommend the MX model from Kubota.
 
Another vote for 4x4 tractor. If you have a New Holland dealership I would not leave them off your list of brand choices. The 75 HP New Holland we have has been very reliable.
 
Shangobango said:
Another vote for 4x4 tractor. If you have a New Holland dealership I would not leave them off your list of brand choices. The 75 HP New Holland we have has been very reliable.
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I have a T4.75(assuming maybe the same as you mention) 2019 model, no DEF!! I was looking at a 6 series Deere(used) but opted for the slightly smaller NH. I only have one issue in that I can't get into some areas due to height restrictions.
I have a FEL bucket, hay spears and pallet forks. Rear implements are 3pt PHD, 8ft rear blade w 1 hydraulic, 7 tine ripper, Box Blade and brushhog.

@VikingsGuy unless you really enjoy blowing snow, get a cab no matter the brand.
 
If you're going to snow blow vs plow get something with a mid or front mount PTO. I only have a rear and damn if my neck doesn't hurt like hell come March from all the driving backwards.
 
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One thing to keep in mind with tractors is the availability of a service department nearby.

Find people locally that own different brands, and ask them what their experience is like dealing with the service departments. You can compare tractor brands, and all are going to have decent machines, but you'll save yourself a lot of headache when you can get same day service for a minor repair vs having to wait a week and/or hauling the machine many miles.

Oh and one thing to keep in mind is that the John Deere small tractors (I think under 70 hp or something) are basically just mahindras or something painted green. Might as well save your money and buy a machine by the same company that makes it. Unless of course your local john deere dealer is the only folks with good customer service.
 
VikingsGuy said:
So, tractor with 35-50hp it is. Kabota and Deere obvious choices, with new Bobcat offering and LS as things to consider. Any specific models folks want to add, in addition to the ones already mentioned?
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I looked hard at Kubota 3901 and the JD 3039R and JD 3038E. It wasn't really a contest which was best in my opinion, but then there is the money factor and green can be pricier and may not be the best bang for the buck. A buddy bought the Kubota after I bought the JD. After seeing more of his in action, I'm really happy that I went with the more expensive JD instead. I'd be happy to outline why if you think those are in play for you.

I did not get a cab because of the amount of time i spend in the trees. I do not regret that one bit. I also did not go bigger, as many recommended, because of the trees - being small without being too small - is important to me.

As other have said, placement and friendliness of local dealer is really important too.

What sorts of tires are you thinking of - it matters and you have 3 basic options for tread, plus loaded or not loaded.
 
Zach said:
I have a T4.75(assuming maybe the same as you mention) 2019 model, no DEF!! I was looking at a 6 series Deere(used) but opted for the slightly smaller NH. I only have one issue in that I can't get into some areas due to height restrictions.
I have a FEL bucket, hay spears and pallet forks. Rear implements are 3pt PHD, 8ft rear blade w 1 hydraulic, 7 tine ripper, Box Blade and brushhog.

@VikingsGuy unless you really enjoy blowing snow, get a cab no matter the brand.
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We have a TN75 on the farm. 2008 or 2009 Model if I am not mistaken. I have put most of the 2500 or so hours on the tractor. The only issues that we have had that were not due to the operator were the fuel gauge and the ignition switch. That tractor does not get babied at all. It sees a lot of rotary mowing and sickle bar use as well as a lot of box blade and front end loader use.

I know what you mean about the height restrictions. We have a lot of tree line on the fence rows and it takes some limb trimming to be able to rotary mow along the fences.
 
Outside of a couple old IHs, we ran all green until long after I went away to college - so I won't comment on other brands. I will say we never had a lick of trouble with tractors and combines, but we had the field service guys half-joking about throwing a match in our new square baler. They just couldn't get the knotters to tie bales through a whole day of haying.
 
JeffJ said:
Outside of a couple old IHs, we ran all green until long after I went away to college - so I won't comment on other brands. I will say we never had a lick of trouble with tractors and combines, but we had the field service guys half-joking about throwing a match in our new square baler. They just couldn't get the knotters to tie bales through a whole day of haying.
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Always been a green guy but when it comes to baling New Holland all the way.
 
BrentD said:
I looked hard at Kubota 3901 and the JD 3039R and JD 3038E. It wasn't really a contest which was best in my opinion, but then there is the money factor and green can be pricier and may not be the best bang for the buck. A buddy bought the Kubota after I bought the JD. After seeing more of his in action, I'm really happy that I went with the more expensive JD instead. I'd be happy to outline why if you think those are in play for you.

I did not get a cab because of the amount of time i spend in the trees. I do not regret that one bit. I also did not go bigger, as many recommended, because of the trees - being small without being too small - is important to me.

As other have said, placement and friendliness of local dealer is really important too.

What sorts of tires are you thinking of - it matters and you have 3 basic options for tread, plus loaded or not loaded.
Click to expand...

Closest fit I have found is the Kubota 3560 (37hp), as I want power to the front for snow blower and front auger (and maybe front brush cutter instead of rear). Going back and forth on cab - in the summer and woods I want open, but blowing snow in the winter a cab would be nice.

What about the JD did you find better? What don't you like about your buddy's Kubota? What model does he have?

As for tires, using Kubota lingo I am thinking R4 Industrial as midway between traditional field tire and "turf" tire.
 
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