Compact 4x4 tractor advice?

[BD]

I've been looking for an affordable small tractor for a couple of years, but don't really know that much about them. I have a lot more experience with excavators, skid steers, bulldozers and telehandlers over the years. I'm not tied into any particular brand, and in general low hours means more to me than date of manufacture. JD and Kubota are the most common brands I see around here. At the end of the day I'd like something around 30 hp with a loader, backhoe, cultivator and maybe a snow blower. I've been told by the local dealer to avoid any Kubota earlier than the mid 90's due to parts availability. I haven't gotten any such warnings about the JDs. I'm going to look at a 1996 JD 870 with a loader and hoe on its this week. 1,000 hrs on the clock and in the pics paint looks good. Asking price on that one is 16,000. Any advice?

[Blanket]

check out LS and Branson

[BD]

I've never heard of LS or Branson. Can you give me any basic info, (where they are built, who builds the engines, pricing?).
Searching the web, the only LS dealer anywhere near me is a very small shop, 80 miles away, and in a different country, (Quebec). I'm not finding any price info.
The Branson website is 90% unusable. No pricing and the dealer locator puts the only dealer within 500 miles on top of a mountain 20 miles from me in a township where the total population is zero? There is no real road on Whitecap Mtn, so I am pretty sure there isn't a tractor dealer up there.

[BD]

A question for anyone knowledgable about the John Deere stuff. Would the implements from the 850 series fit the 870s? I am asking because I may have a source for a couple of 850 implements that have have been sitting for a long time. The woman's husband died, and his 850 and the implements have been sitting in the yard for 15 years now. I've asked a few times and she is unwilling to sell the tractor for sentimental reasons, (and I don't know how I feel about a tractor thats been grown up in weeds for 15 years), but maybe she'd part with the implements.

[merlin101]

I'm a Kubota fan so you now what I recommend, one thing I'd worry about with a JD is the computer software. I've heard that JD considers it always theirs and you just get to use it, end result you MUST have tractor repaired at a Deere dealer.
Parts for a Kubota could be a problem but only if they break down which they don't seem to do! My old Kubota B6000 is still running strong even after 42 yrs the only parts that have been changed besides glow plugs is the starter air filter housing and hoses (coolant and hydraulic).
I told ya I was a bota fan!

[akajun]

Either jd ir kubota is fine , the one you listed seems a bit high to me for its age. Go to tractor by net for discussions on various brands and models . One decision maker for me as far as brand, where is the dealer for parts and service? If one is 20 mins away and the other an hour or two I know which brand id buy.

[MyFlatline]

If you hadn't said back hoe......A few years ago, I got the Kubota 25hp with the front loader. It is one little working machine. I keep a grapple rake on my. Sure is handy with tree debris.

I took advantage of a zero down, stupid low payment for 5 years, fully insured. The insurance sold me. If I rolled it, they pay, if I catch it on fire, they pay, and I still get a tractor. My first Kubota, I'm happy.

[Blanket]

http://lstractorusa.com/ They Make the compacts for New Holland at about 20% higher price, Branson is made in Korea and assembled in Rome Georgia and is made by the same company that makes JD's for the Asian market. I have a 2640 JD but that is a lot larger tractor.

[blackriver]

I have owned and operated over a dozen Kubota tractors in the past 20 years. They have ranged from 30hp to 125hp and have been used commercially. They were run hard by employees. Other than normal wear and tear, they never let me down. I did try a couple of green tractors one year, within a few months they were traded in for Kubota’s. In my opinion the Kubota is the best compact tractor on the market today.

[PaulG67]

I have owned Yanmar and John Deere, and for those two reasons I now own a Kubota. Yanmar was good, the John Deere was horrible even though it too was a Yanmar it was nothing but trouble. I have had the Kubota BX25D for 6 years now and it can't be beat. Front loader, backhoe and three point hitch snowblower. As far as using implements from one tractor to another the three point hitch universal.

[Geezer in NH]

Closet dealer with great service IMHO

[rockrat]

I have had a JD950 for about 25 years. Have a loader and hoe on it. Regular maintenance and had a power steering setup put on it (don't know how I did it for years without one---I know, I was younger and stronger!!). Bought wife a 770 with belly mower last year for $7k. Figure loader at around $4k and hoe, maybe the same. My JD's don't have computers, newer ones do. Doubt the 850 stuff will fit, but you never know. Too bad she won't sell the 850, good machines. Maybe you can convince her you would take care of it just like her husband did.

[Hossfly]

Started with an old English Ford Super Dexta 1962 Perkins diesel, man was that thing hard to start when it got cold, below 50’ You better get jumpers ready. Then picked up JD 950 with decomp to help start unloaded, wore it out just a little light for my doings. Finally got a 30 hp Kabota with front loader glow plugs and fast shift rop on top with sun canopy. This week at 11’ needed to clean out horse stalls, and haul off bedding after hitting glow plug switch for 20 seconds she fired right up, other tractors will do same but for now I’m Orange. Wow 11’ for Louisiana is cold.Crawfish hard to find now for sho.

[Hossfly]

I think all small hp 3 pt hitch equip will work every thing I have from the 50s - 90s brush hogs hole digger and tillers all hook up fine.

[AnthonyB]

I bought a Kubota BX2680 last year after moving back to AL. It has the front bucket and belly mower, and that bucket is a very versatile tool! Paid around 17K for mine at 0% interest. I have nothing negative to say about a JD but love the Kubota.
Tony

[Elkins45]

The JD small tractors are rebadged Indian or Korean imports, so if that’s the route you want to go I would just cut out the middleman and buy a Koyote, Branson or Mahindra.

I bought a new Kubota L3800 (gear) with a loader in 2013 and don’t regret the purchase at all. I had a MF 245 that I sold last spring and I don’t miss it at all.

Pay extra and have them load your tires with Rim Guard. It makes a huge difference and no corrosion worries.

[TXGunNut]

Kubota! Great service from tractor and dealer. True zero finance hard to beat as well.

[Ickisrulz]

I have had a BX25D for a couple years now and it has been great. In addition to the front end loader and backhoe I use a rototiller and flail mower. It can do lots of work, just not fast.

[Thundarstick]

One thing you should keep in mind, and that's what am I really going to do with this tractor? I have a1979 Yanmar that tills the garden, and runs the box blade. I don't need an expensive new tractor! It starts when I think it shouldn't and pulls more than it should for 23hp, but it's a fairly heavy tractor. Keep in mind that anything you buy new over 25hp will be tear 4 emissions! I would buy a 25hp Kubota L ( no computerised common rail injectors or EPF to go bad) before a B series. Be aware that some of the older Deeres aren't very well supported, at least a Kubota is a Kubota is a Kubota, and not cobbled from Japan, Korea, China, etc etc! Don't discount Mahindra either, they have the most weight and lifting capacity per given size!

[MyFlatline]

That is exactly what sold me on mine...great point.