AVOID THESE BRANDS! Compact Tractor Buyers Guide

Deere, Kubota, LS, Kioti, TYM, Massey Ferguson, Mahindra, Bobcat, New Holland, Branson, RK, Yanmar, and more. Which one(s) should you avoid?

Tractor Time with Tim Information:

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[brentoconnor]

I have a 2015 McCormick x1.35, which is a completely identical to a Branson 3520r. Branson dealer won’t even talk to me. Went in in-person, and they were downright rude trying to get parts. Don’t have a McCormick dealer locally anymore.

[josemelero]

Great video! While I already made my purchase, I'm glad our outlooks are very similar. I ended up with a Kubota and have been really pleased. Like many on here, I did a lot of homework, looked at many different brands, studied their brochures and websites, talked to a number of sales staff, and stopped by the parts counter. The sales staff and counter people ultimately helped me make the decision. Once I narrowed down the brands, I went to two different dealers for each of the brands. One dealer was less than helpful and the other couldn't stop trying to help, same with the people at the parts counter. This being my first tractor every, I am definitely a beginner, and had a lot of questions. The parts guy that dropped what he was doing, called another person to come man the counter, and went outside to show me features, was the dealer I went with. In some ways, the man at the parts counter did a better job at selling than the salesman, who did a great job too! Great video, thank you!

[edgrigsby]

My local John Deere dealer wouldn't give me the time of day...he lost a sale. My local Yanmar dealership responded quickly, but was a bit pricey. I found a Yanmar dealership two hours away, but gave my his personal cell number and asked me to call anytime day or night, even on a weekend, and he'd talk me through any trouble or issue. Now THATS service!! He was also $2000 cheaper.

[davidhood]

This series has been fantastic and very informative. Keep up the great work and any additional informational videos would be appreciated on tractors and equipment.

[northeasterndirtandpropert]

I actually looked at different models of tractors and ended up buying Kubota L2501.I found, here in Canada, the less popular tractors did not really have enough savings for me to purchase them, before kubota.A 4000.00 difference was just not enough savings and too much long term risk for me too choose the less popular brand.Great Video, thanks.

[kennygb]

I bought a Kioti CS 2520 June 2021. I'm happy with my purchase, not happy with my dealer. i wish I could've seen this video a year ago. I've learned a lot from your videos. Thank you.

[carlstrohm]

All good advice as usual. I got my 1025R late last summer for several reasons you mentioned. And true to the statement that any brand can have issues, I had a hydraulic leak from the factory. My dealer was kind enough to pick it up and bring it back after fixing it under warranty. I had borrowed a truck and trailer to bring it home and had no way to get it to them otherwise. Your local dealer makes ALL the difference! And of course I believe that parts for that tractor should be available for a long time to come.

[scottmcquarrie]

Excellent video and outstanding information Tim. I agree with you on the parts availability. Very important. My Backhoe for example is an 89 and was a very, very popular brand but only in very urban and rocky Northeastern U.S. parts availability for me is still good even though they stopped manufacturing their machines in 2000 but my area there are still a good amount working and plenty in salvage yards. I happen to like these machines so I will continue to use it instead of purchasing a newer or different brand. Thank you everyone have a great day.

[bobbert]

Hello Tim, I think you are spot on with your thoughts on buying a new tractor. Alot of people will buy a tractor based on price alone and sometimes that could be risky. Like you mentioned with the rebranded tractors, the availability of parts may not be there in the future. The only thing that may be different in that case would be if someone planned on trading the tractor in every two to three years. In those scenarios parts may be more available in the shorter future. Anyhow these videos you put out are extremely informative and helpful. Thank you for taking your time to put out excellent contents.

[JelenOutDoors]

I like that you always provide useful factual information in a non bias manner. Your experience, knowledge, reviews, installations, modifications and demos has made your channel an excellent resourceful site for new and existing tractor owners. Keep up the good work!

[JCWren]

On the trailering, once you do tie it down, you have to pat it and say "That's not going anywhere."

[oldbigmo]

Tim, great video. what you just went through is the best way to look at tractors. I looked for two years at all the tractors I could find and test drove as many as I could before buying mine, when I look back at it 4 of those dealers are no longer in business. I always appreciate your content, keep up the good work.

[robertganther]

Can't beat those old Farmall M's ! Many are still plowing and working fields in Pa. and throughout the country today. Bought a Massey and have very good support with them.

[OliviaProductions]

All good thoughts/advice. One point I can attest to is the online support for whatever you end up with. I had bought a 2003 JD 2210 tractor. I loved it and had 1, 200+ hours of seat time over 18 years before getting a new tractor. The model was only made for a few years and I always struggled to online "help" for various things over time. So even with a popular manufacturer if the model isn't around for very long you don't have the benefit of crowd sourcing fixes for any issues or modifications you come across. To Tim's point, there are more videos out there on the 1025r than you can shake a stick at!

[jimmccullough]

ANOTHER excellent video. Before purchasing mine I made the rounds, looked at the tractors, looked at the facilities, and spoke to salesmen and techs (most of the time). Had one salesman who said I was wasting his time and I couldn't afford what he was selling, left there quickly. I found my first choice of tractor, but the dealer left a lot to be desired; no shop, just some gravel spread around for a work area. I went green as we were treated best, salesman showed interest and sold me what I needed instead of what I went to look at, and they have a great service department. Just before the two year anniversary they called and asked if they could pick up the tractor for a few days to give it a good going over - at no charge. That kind of service is hard to beat.

[HanginwithHarv]

Great video, very informative! Popularity of a specific model is definitely key in my opinion as well. In addition it helps to know what models share parts with the one you select as that too will determine long term parts availability.

[fdrc]

This is the exact sentiment we on MTF try to explain to potential buyers of garden tractors. Great video of nailing down questions most wouldn't think to ask.

[bryangriffin]

Any advice is always helpful and appreciated. You my friend own both a John Deere 2038R and a Kubota lx3310 so you can speak of those to tractors and brands with complete authority.

[aaronchavous]

After digging I found Kioti has a tractor that meets what I’m looking for. Oddly enough the Kioti dealer is right in my neighborhood. I’m looking at a used RX7320 with Powershuttle. It’s priced right. Yeah I’ll admit I had my heart set on the 4066M Heavy duty but there’s a lot of savings there for an attachment or two. I just hope that Heavy Hitch makes a weight set for it.

[davidtenley]

When looking for a compact tractor last year, I found Kioti and Kubota dealers were extremely friendly. Our John Deere dealer was basically “why bother looking at any other brand? Just buy this”