I recently purchased a 10 acre farm that I am in the process of setting up for horses. I am shopping tractors. I have John Deere or Kubota in town and it looks like JD offers the best options for package deals. I’ve driven both the JD 3032E and 3035D. The 3032E seems like an anybody could drive tractor, but I wonder if I would be better with the additional HP of the 3035D for the same price. If it makes a difference, I am in sandy north central FL. I will be mowing, moving brush/cuttings from the wooded areas, and thinking ahead I want something that will work for dragging both pasture and the hypothetical ring (that’s not going to be an immediate build, but I don’t want to be replacing the tractor anytime in the near future either). What tradeoffs do I need to be considering between these two options? What would others go with if you were in my place?
We are in FL too, and have a Kubota L3430. At the time we bought ours , Kubotas were more affordable than the John Deere and had a much better warranty. Just throwing it out there
if the price is the same, I’d go with more power.
I’ve gotta go with Kubota too. For my 30 acre farm, my L3301 does everything I’d ever need to do with ease. Plus I shopped them all and felt Kubota was the better tractor, plus the 0% financing was a big plus.
I have a Deere 2025 and L.O.V.E. it! All of the quick hitch features are outstanding. We have 11 acers in IL with some brush clearing, etc and it has never lacked for power. Enjoy!
I, too, can’t say enough about JD. I have a 30 year old lawn tractor that is a tank. My bigger tractors are also workhorses. JD also gives you a health discount if you are a member of a horse organization- USEF, AQHA, etc. Don’t forget to ask- it takes a couple of days to process.
Which brand has the better dealership for tractor servicing where you are? A poor service department is a huge problem especially if the tractor is still under warranty. Also - ring dragging doesn’t use that much power but if you think in the future you may feed round bales or the big square bales buy enough horse power to move those. I wish my tractor could pick up the 3x3x8 bales. that would really simplify my life.
My JD dealer advises people to avoid the E series if using it for real work.
I have a 1025 series and it does everything I need it to. Get the bigger HP if in budget. Zero issues with mine but I don’t feed round bales either.
I love a Kubota, but the service shop is a pita in my area.
Thanks all! I ended up going with the 3035D thanks to everyone’s advice. I put it to use almost immediately and it is already obvious that it will definitely make my life easier getting the farm up and running.
Congrats and enjoy your new tractor! We joke that we don’t carry anything around the property anymore - the tractor does!
