JD Vs. Kubota

[rockrat]

Looking to get a small tractor for the wife. She likes to mow the pasture but her JD770 is too big for her.
Been looking at a JD1025 and a Kubota B2601. She prefers the hydrostatic pedals on the JD vs the Kubota, but likes the seat better on the Kubota. The Kubota is a bit larger but she still likes it, but her only dislike is the hydrostatic pedal arrangement. I like the lower idle speed (1500 vs 800) on the Kubota and the bit larger tires which I think would give a better ride.

Anyone have one of these and can give me your likes/dislikes.

Drawback to the Kubota is that they don't know when they could get the mower for the thing

[tinsnips]

I can only give a small amount advice . The guy that does my ditch digging for me loves Kubota equipment has mini x diggers ,trac hoe diggers and small tractor for mowing. He also use a JD track hoe. I have used his Kubota tractor with a pull behind mower deck I thought it was very nice. I hope this will help a little.

[HWooldridge]

In my opinion, the most important aspect to tractor ownership is competent local dealer support. Most of the common brands are similar with regard to specs and performance. You might also look at Mahindra - commercial private shredding companies around here use that brand and will tell you they are bulletproof. The state of Texas generally uses big JD machines with an AC cab for road median mowing but the state probably has a long term purchase contract.

With that said, my neighbor has a Kubota B2150, which is an older version of this same general family you mentioned. He bought it new in 1994 and has experienced little to no trouble over all these years. He has broken some items but it was operator error rather than the machine.

I have a large JD tractor and the main issue I've discovered after owning two Fords is that JD is very proud of their OEM parts; many SKU's are two to three times more expensive than other brands.

If it were my decision and all else was equal, I would buy the Kubota.

[DCB]

Kubota. I have a 2620 with a belly mower makes short work out of a hay field.
I like it

[Buzz Krumhunger]

IIRC Deere is supposed to have fixed their equipment to where nobody other than Deere dealerships can repair them. That’s a deal breaker for me.

[ohen cepel]

I have a John Deere 2305, came with my place when I bought it. I like it and it has served me well. However, I am not a fan and when my Brother was looking to buy something like it I suggested whatever was close to him and not a John Deere. Deere stuff is simply overpriced.

Kubota is a great option (that is what he ended up buying) but whatever is close would also be high on my list if I were looking.

To make my Deere situation worse, the local dealer closed up last year.......

[Tazman1602]

IIRC Deere is supposed to have fixed their equipment to where nobody other than Deere dealerships can repair them. That’s a deal breaker for me.

That is absolutely correct. Readers digest had a huge article about how ticked farmers were about that. Deere claims everything in their electronic systems is “proprietary” and won’t release any info to consumers or independent mechanics. Ridiculous!

Art

[dverna]

If just mowing, a zero turn is a better option if the ground is in decent shape.

If you have an LS dealer look at them. LS was not on my list when I was shopping but I wound up buying one. A lot more tractor at a lower price and a very good warranty. My dealer has been excellent. I bought my Bad Boy ZT from him as well.

[Handloader109]

I've a 25hp Tym, made for cabelas. Bought 5 years ago. Mid mower. I cut almost 4 acres with mine, most flat, some hills. 4wd makes it safe on the hills, no matter which way I go. But it is a pain to remove the mower. JD supposedly has a drive over to attach. I'd have to see it in use to determine if better, but kubota like tym isn't. If only for mowing, yes, get good zero turn for half the price.

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[Shawlerbrook]

Much of this is a Ford or Chevy situation. I do agree that with JD you pay extra for the name. Kubota is very popular. We looked at many a couple years ago and ended up with a NH Boomer. Major factor in that decision was the NH dealer around here was miles better than the JD and Kubota dealers. After two years of hard use we are thrilled with our decision.

[rancher1913]

IIRC Deere is supposed to have fixed their equipment to where nobody other than Deere dealerships can repair them. That’s a deal breaker for me.

it only has to do with the computer, any other part that breaks, you can buy and fix yourself.

[GregLaROCHE]

Thumbs up to Kabota in general. I would worry about JD’s policy of not letting you work on your own equipment.

[Budzilla 19]

Sold my pre emissions JD 2950, bought a pre emissions Kubota with a front end loader. John Deere, if I remember correctly, locked their ecm on their equipment to prevent tampering with emissions equipment. No more deleting, altering the power outputs, or bypassing any emissions controls now. Want to bet that some computer geek hacker type has already figured it out? Just my opinions, as always. Good luck in whatever direction you proceed.

[square butte]

I wish Kubota would make something that's Not ORANGE :)

[dverna]

Much of this is a Ford or Chevy situation. I do agree that with JD you pay extra for the name. Kubota is very popular. We looked at many a couple years ago and ended up with a NH Boomer. Major factor in that decision was the NH dealer around here was miles better than the JD and Kubota dealers. After two years of hard use we are thrilled with our decision.

LS makes many of the NH tractors. Another reason I got the LS. LS had more features than the same NH model and was $3k less. No brainer. Even if the LS dealer goes belly up, parts will be available from NH.

[Rapier]

I have a bigger place, looked at different tractors, have many customers with equipment schedules, including rental equipment dealers. The Kubota owners were very happy with their equipment, so I bought a L4400, probably would buy an M today to get a bit heavier frame with industrial tires, filled with water, 4x4 with a manual transmission for added power. I added a 2,000 pound lift capacity to the FEL, when I added a grapple.
I mow with a 6’ bush hog. It is the biggest tractor I can get between the planted pines.
It takes two days of dry time to put the tractor on the yard.

[Eddie Southgate]

Ask her which one she wants and buy that . I used a JD 955 with a 72" belly mower to cut my in laws 5 acres with , took about an hour and I'm slow. If it's flat and reasonably dry turf tires are fine but if it gets wet and soft and there's any hill to it get the Ag type tires . Mine has turf tires and can get slippery on damp hilly spots . How big is your pasture ?

[Eddie Southgate]

I wish Kubota would make something that's Not ORANGE :)

Pittsburgh makes paint pretty cheap.:bigsmyl2:

[Jeff Michel]

I have a 1025 with a belly mower and a loader bucket. It works way out of proportion for it's size. Any after market attachment will fit and work fine. I got my 5' rototiller, PTO spreader and quick detach from the local TSC. I would suggest that if you get additional attachments, get the quick detach. One reason is it make implement changes a breeze and second, you will probably have to shorten your PTO shaft if you don't. I haven't found any difference in getting parts and service from any tractor dealer regardless of manufacture. I have both JD and Massey Ferguson. Kubota though popular with some, a couple of contractors I work with had purchased compact sized tractors (the 1025 is a sub compact) and found them under powered and break down prone eventually swapped them out for an equivalent sized John Deere tractor and remain pleased with the performance. Good luck on your purchase.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I bought a 17HP Kubota back in 1981-83(?). Still have and it still runs just fine. Tires and hydraulic hoses, rebuild of the hydraulic controls for the bucket(not Kubota). Have a John Deere zero-turn mower, mostly because John Deere is about the only dealer for zero-turns for 50 miles. It does cut a lot grass fast compared to the old riding mower. No Kubota dealer nearby here so went with the John Deere, for just mowing, hard to beat zero-turn. Back when I got the Kubota, all the rental shops ran Kubota tractors, my reason for the Kubota, they were not wrong.

[hc18flyer]

My brother just bought a new Kubota. Said he priced both and looked at common features, says he got a lot more tractor with Kubota. We used one with a 6' belly mower for many years, really was abused mowing several acres all summer and held up very well! Hc18flyer

[onlybrowning]

If you got hills like I do, you may want to look at the John Deere X758 if you are only mowing. Same engine as in the 1025, but AWD, single range hydro, and waaay more stable on hills. I went from 12 hours with my Kubota b7500 to under 3. My Kubota was a great machine but it was a pain to remove the mmm and it was very unstable on hills. The Kubota 28xx and JD 1025 are great little machines as well, but slow for mowing and very tippy on hills. In short, if you need a tractor, buy a tractor. If you need a mower, get a mower (Not directed at OP as he states he already has tractor). Zero turn is no good on hills compared to AWD and the AWD does not tear up turf life 4WD does.


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[BNE]

A local good dealer who can fix it is a key deciding factor.

Whichever one makes the Mrs. Happy is the 2nd factor.

I had the same question a year and a half ago, but for a bigger tractor. I ended up with a 6000 series Mahindra. The Mahindra dealer is 2 miles away. I probably would have gone Kubota if they were that close, but the Mahindra has done great.

[Three44s]

The small JD Tractors are designed to only use their rear attachments as they built them for a sub-category 1 standard.

My wife bought a Kubota M4-071 in late 2019 with the works and she LOVES it!

(She does not like orange either, but the rest of the package compensates for that minor point)

Three44s

[rockrat]

We have JD, Kubota and MF around here, but thats it. Don't really need a FEL as my JD950 has one, but they said a tractor without a loader around here is not worth much. JD has done some service work on my tractors, but not much as they haven't needed much.
Not in a huge hurry. Need to fix my bush hog, burned clutches out, but it is 60+ years old.

She does like Orange---Oklahoma State fan, as is a lot of her family

[Nazgul]

Bought a JD 5205 to clean up our property after it was logged. They had a near new tractor that was smaller I was looking at. When I went to buy it was sold. The salesman said he just got a used one in that was 2 frame sizes larger for the same price. Had 1414 hrs on it and a brand new bucket. Needles to say I had it delivered 2 days later.
I have pulled a 25" x 78' tree with it. Use a 7' mower on it with no problems and a 7' scraper blade. Not a real high use situation , but have had only one problem with a heat sensor that I fixed easily. I am a retired forklift mechanic, 38 years, and have good trouble shooting skills.

Sad to see what JD does to their tractor that use a lot of electronics. It has to be hard for the large farms that have breakdowns when they need the equipment running .

Don

[HWooldridge]

Bought a JD 5205 to clean up our property after it was logged. They had a near new tractor that was smaller I was looking at. When I went to buy it was sold. The salesman said he just got a used one in that was 2 frame sizes larger for the same price. Had 1414 hrs on it and a brand new bucket. Needles to say I had it delivered 2 days later.
I have pulled a 25" x 78' tree with it. Use a 7' mower on it with no problems and a 7' scraper blade. Not a real high use situation , but have had only one problem with a heat sensor that I fixed easily. I am a retired forklift mechanic, 38 years, and have good trouble shooting skills.

Sad to see what JD does to their tractor that use a lot of electronics. It has to be hard for the large farms that have breakdowns when they need the equipment running .

Don

One of my sons manages a large ranch near San Angelo and he is regularly cussing JD because of field breakdowns. The worst of it is that the dealer techs often cannot diagnose or repair some of the problems. The ranch owner only buys new machinery so he has several 110hp to 150hp machines that are 2018 or newer - all of them have experienced stoppages at some time or another, usually right in the middle of a season. They had one tractor which was down for weeks because a bad sensor in the operator's seat couldn't be diagnosed. The GPS stuff is pretty cool to run but a lot of the other electronics are just too complex for average farm use.

[Gator 45/70]

Have the orange machine, L3901 I use to clear brush, Manual transmission too, I like it!

[Finster101]

I just sold this 296494

296495 and bought this 296496

The Kubota was still in good shape but had become too large with the plants and buildings now in place. The JD is a bit more agile for me and has a smaller footprint. The attachments are also much easier to remove and install. I have no complaints with either. I had the Kubota for 12 years and the JD for just a few months.