Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Compact tractors

I've been looking at tractors in the 38-40hp range in the last month or so, Kubota, mahindra, and John deere. Don't think I want the Deere, thoughts or experience with the other two here.

Mahindra is the biggest tractor maker in the world. They're very popular outside the US and are growing here. However, make sure you have a good dealer within range or you'll be hauling it a long way if you need something done to it. A friend had one. He needed some warranty work and had to haul it 200 miles 1 way. That came to 800 miles by the time he went back for it the next week.

I have a loader series Kubota L3130 with a 3 cylinder 32HP. I guess I bought it new 12 years ago. It has been very reliable. I wish I got 40HP in this size frame, but it has a nice bucket and runs a 72 inch finish mower and 84 inch tiller with no issues. I would buy another Kubota if the need arose.

Kubota makes a good machine. The only criticism would be the loaders specs are weaker than some of the competitors for the same size tractor. If you have a local Kioti and LS dealers, I would check them out as well. They make solid machines that are usually a few $K less. LS has been making tractors for other big names (New Holland) for quite a few years and just recently started selling under their own name. I'd be on the lookout for used machines as well. The Tier IV emissions junk is causing problems on some of the new tractors.

I looked around for smaller tractors. Shopped, compared, and researched quite a bit. Bought a Mahindra 45hp.

It's tough and does what I ask of it.

You can't add horsepower later on. Get enough to start with.

Not to offend anyone but with Deere offering 6 year power train warranty this would be a no brainer for me.I own a 25 hp subcompact and it is unbelievable.Also everyone lets on that DeereS are so much more expensive but for what you get apples to apples i don't think so.Service,resale etc..are hard to beat.

We went with a new holland, purchased new in 2007. We went with 30HP, the overall physical size worked better for us on forest trails at deer camp, fitting between trees etc. They were running a zero percent finance deal at the time which worked out well for us. It's been paid off for over 5 years now. I don't think any of the above suggestions are bad ones. Look for the deal that works best for you at the time you are ready to purchase.

Deere also runs plenty of incentives. Sometimes it's cash back, sometimes it's an implement credit, etc. I found when shopping subcompacts that the number they throw at you isn't the bottom line. Kubota didn't seem that interested in discounts, nor was New Holland. Kioti was noncommittal but that was probably a dealer thing. All Deere dealers I visited were very open with incentives and specials, and 'hinted' at 'dealer cash' type incentives that might be available. I ended up with a used Kubota and am well pleased, but I was leaning toward the Deere if I bought new as the numbers were much closer than they originally appear.

I've researched CUTs a lot and am taking delivery next week on a Kubota MX5800.

I could have gone smaller for the vast majority of my uses (disking firebreaks and bush hogging) but the deciding factor for me was getting the extra HP necessary to pull a friend's no till drill

Plus, you'll never regret getting a bigger machine than you think you need

I shopped all the Kubota and Deere dealers within 100 or so miles and found the Kubota dealer who wanted to sell a tractor. Buying implements at the same time will help their willingness to deal

Also got 4:1 bucket, rear remotes, 6' disk, medium duty 6' bush hog, spreader and quick hitch. Should be quite the package

Probably also need to get a sprayer tank but otherwise I should be set for a long time

I don't have one, but I do work construction where EVERYBODY has at least one mini tractor.

Kubota is by far the most common. Now I don't know if that's because of dealer network, price, or quality. Maybe all 3. I don't see them down for anything other than onsite maintenance though.

I bought a 55HP Kioti back in 2006. It has been a champ. I had had a few minor problems with it but fixed them myself. I bought another in 2014. It is a 90HP with a cab. It too has been a great tractor. The dealer is 50 miles from us which is not too bad. Parts are available online. Like others have said get plenty of HP. I had trouble with implements (mower, bailer) with the 55HP but found some I could use. With the 90HP I am good to go. The cab is fantastic. I will never buy another without one. Good luck.

Jim

For commercial use, I own a Bobcat. Tractors are slow and tippy on uneven ground. You can grade to a precise standard, load a dumptruck, spin on a dime, the list goes on and on. Attachments of any description are available, but for homeowner type use a small tractor may be fine. Every time I climb on a tractor I want off real quick.

I bought the Bobcat used with 176 hours on it from a couple with a small farm. The man bought it to use on the farm but got cancer. There really is no machine like a skid steer.

I like 'em too. But for sandy terrain they are heavy and get stuck at the drop of a hat.

No PTO on the rear, which limits implements.

I use one periodically though.

I just went down the road you are going. I looked at overall weights, lift capacity ( front and rear )and overall consensus of the internet groups. After doing my homework, I ended up with a 2009 Mahindra 4110 ( 41hp) with 300hrs. 4wd, quick-attach 6ft bucket,shuttle shift, one set of rear remotes,R4 tires. The tractor weighs 5100lbs with the loader. PTO lift of 3000lbs, Loader 2000lbs. I really wanted a Kubota as I have owned two older Kubota tractors ( early 80's) and still have a ZD21 mower but mine will be for occasional use and I couldn't justify the extra cash for the Kubota nameplate. The same tractor in orange would have been $3-5k more.
Another thing to look at is the engines with the new EPA requirements. Older tractors have Tier 3 engines, new ones have Tier 4. I didn't want to mess with DEF on the new engines but you may not care.

I've got a 1994 Kabota B1750 20 h.p. I bought it used back in 1999 and never had a single thing wrong with it up until last year when a CV joint went out between the HS pump and the clutch. $4000.00 to fix it. But then again, it's 22 years old and the first time I've put anything into it. Maybe it'll go for another 22 years. Other than that, you can't kill it.

Kubota has been here longer, and has a better dealer network (at least, in this part of the US).

Mahindra's quite new here - and only stocking dealer's actually quite close to me; about 6 miles.. I've not had the need to check 'em out.

The dealer can be everything; close by, parts on hand, good shop and quick work.

When I was going to get a new compact I wanted to see the Mahindra but - at the time - the nearest dealer was about 75-80 miles away while the JD dealer's only about 20 miles.

Previous experience with the JD series had me leaning that way anyhow so I stayed with it.

Got this last May:




Love everything about it except the hydro trans.. I should have ordered one with gears.. But I know that's just me - most everyone else loves hydros..

What will be it's main use? It has a lot of bearing on what you really need and how much to spend.

JD would be about my last choice. They are assembly plant is across town from me (assembly being the key word). A good friend of mine does contract repair work for the plant. He is a very busy guy. Many parts are imported and are of questionable quality.

My recommendation is to buy a brand with a good service/dealer nearby. Bought one years ago that turned out to be a nightmare to get serviced. Spent a little more on the second one just to deal with a different shop.

This is why I opted for the shuttle set-up. Kinda the best of both worlds