I have a Kubota L3130 and highly recommend one. I prefer the Kubota, but you really can't go wrong with Kubota, Deere, or New Holland. The lesser known brands may be alright, but I would not feel as comfortable with them as one of the "big 3".

Stephen

 

At the risk of being redundant, I would keep the New Holland at the bottom of that list. By the way, the Case/International (or whatever the current incarnation of the merged companies is now called) is the same as the New Holland as Case/IH/NH are all one company now.

 

Don't get hung up on the 2 speed transmission. On the Ingersolls you don't vary speed by shifting gears. You vary the pressure to the hydraulic motor that drives the rear wheels giving you in essence an infinately variable transmission. I've had on for many years and never wanted for speed while working. Also since it's hydro drive, you don't have to shift the trans to go to reverse, just move a lever controling a hydraulic valve and you're going backwards. The 2 speeds are more of working gear and road gear. I rarely if ever use the high gear. It's simply not needed.

As far as the engine choice goes, I preferr the simplicity and economy of an air cooled gas engine. I can get a single lung gas Kohler worked on anywhere for reasonable rates. A water cooled 4 cylinder diesel is a whole 'nuther story.

If you need the power of the larger tractor then go for the diesel. If you've never had a diesel you should check out some of their eccentricities (ie NEVER EVER get water in the fuel, cold start etc.) But if realistically a smaller tractor will work for you then you should check one out.

 

I do agree with that. I know people with them that love them, but they would be my third choice.

Stephen

 

I have a kabota b24....great little tractor.
A B29 would be a great/small enough, and enough power for backhoe use.

Check out any large dealer with used inventory.
Find one a couple years with less than 500 hrs....save thousands.
You may end up buying a backhoe seperate...woods/ etc.
15-20k should get you the package.

Kabotas tough to beat...price, and quality wise.

My2

 

Great replies all...........thanx.

For right now trenching and general landscaping are the immediate needs. Eventually I'd like it to dig my pool. That's why I've sorta bumped myself to the Utility as opposed to compact.



Parts availability is a priority. The dealer with the LG Montana claims he'll have the parts overnighted from Mo. and there are dealers here in Vegas/Utah that warranty 'em............I will check. The motor is a Mitsubishi which i kinda respect.

I'm really on the fence.........the Kobuta seems to be the dream machine followed by JD.........honorable mention goes to NH with the only mention of I/R and Allmad being here. (I've made this thread on a few sites.)

Some of the other off brands I've seen on line; Iseki, Mahindra, Zeh-noh(supposed to be a rebadged kubota)seem to be in the same league as the LG Montana I'm looking at. I've seen a lot of the "gray market" rebuilt units. Sorta cynical of those.

I've really appreciated ALL the responses. What I was hoping for(or not hoping for) was negative/positive experiences with the upstarts. So far I've heard no negatives on the cheaper brands.

I fully expected the positives to the well knowns. My messed up mind has me convinced, though, that there isn't over 10K difference in the name.......this is based on the responses so far.

In other words, my first choice 3130 Kobuta with hoe and loader is aprox 28K. The JD 4110(less powerful than the Kobuta) is 22K.The Allmand was 31K. The Korean tractor which has nearly twice the capacity and size as the other 3 is 23K to the door.


Even used Kobutas fetch 20K!!!!

If I get the Korean.............hey JD fans, at least it's green!!! I'll be FTE's lab rat and keep y'all updated.

 

I personally would hold Iseki above the others (possibly even Kubota).
We had a 60hp one just used for general purpose duties around the farm, we sold it when it had 10000hrs on it, not because it had any problems, beyond regular servicing, I had to replace the clutch twice. (thats expected it was used to unload hay often, had high clutch use)
And had to replace the tie rods 3 times, again expected as it travelled over rough ground.

Has been behind the second best tractor we have had, behind a 125hp Deutz Fahr.

 

A JD 790 (27hp) or 990 (35hp) would be a great solution in your price range. The 990 runs about $14k with loader its gets to about $17k.

The 790 and 990 are built in the way JD built their compacts from 1979 to 1997 (the time of the intro of the 4000 series). They are made of metal and not plastic and have the same proven engines the ones made 10, 15, and 20 years ago had.

 

It's done!!!!!! Just got off the phone with a guy in San Diego(short drive, what luck) am picking up a L3710 Kubota with 145 hours on it.............it even has a cab and AC!!
I'm paying a tad less than then the new Korean tractor.
Thanx for your help guys!!!

 

Good for you! Enjoy!

 

well done, and a good choice, lucky you got a cab and AC, I am sure those Nevada days can be hot sometimes...
I assume you will be towing it back with the V10?

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Welcome to the Kubota owner's club. As someone else mentioned, take a look at tractorbynet.com. It is to compact tractors, what this site is to our trucks (except they accept all brands)!

I've had my B2400 for 6 years and finally got around to getting a FEL for it two years ago. Man, I didn't realize what I was missing.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the congrats guys.


Pulled it back with the mighty V10. Anyone that says they can't tow don't know how to drive 'em!!!

Pretty sure the tractor is around 5000# and the trailer I used had to be over 3000#. The truck would pull as fast as I dared (the load sat pretty high) and I had to go over two major grades; Cajon Pass and Baker grade. On a few occasions I had to drop to 2nd and tach it close/over 4000 RPM to stay above 60. Otherwise, when not paying attention, I'd be going 75 which was my max comfort zone. Fuel economy was 12+ pulling the empty trailer and unfortunatly I got a miserable 7.5 with the load. My guess is if I kept at 50ish up the grades instead of screaming it'd been closer to 10.



The tractor flat ROCKS!!! HST tranny is amazing, never thought about the cab and A/C but now I can't believe anyone can live without it.

The 2 negatives are the cab is too small for me and my Japanese Mastiff(he did ride in the bucket around the neighborhood) and all the neighbors are now my best friend.

Again, thanks for all the input. I think I wanted the Kubota all along but was willing to chance the cheaper tractor to save $$$. I got lucky!!

 

My experience is that Kubota's are great tractors. The problem is the cost of repair. Labor rates for repair are comparable to other brands, but the parts cost a lot more. JD makes a good tractor, but you pay for that green & yellow paint. I used to work at a place where we make the steering linkage systems for JD & Kubota -- basically the ball joints & threaded rods. The Kubota parts were consistently designed from a higher grade & diameter than the JD parts. I never saw a Kubota part that was not heat-treated as well. Good stuff, until you have to fix it. Then it gets expensive.

 

To hijack the thread a bit... A neighbor is selling his 2003 Massey Ferguson 1433 (33 hp diesel) with front end loader, heated Curtis cab, pallet forks, quick detach bucket, and snow plow blade, industrial tires, 44 hours on it. It has a power shuttle tranny. Where can I look up the price new, and used on this? He is asking $17.5K.