Most compact tractor buyers are new to the equipment industry. Don't be overwhelmed, our series of videos can help you understand the features and functions of different machines and how to pick the right tractor for your application.
We were lucky enough to have five of the six different variations of Kubota's BX Series tractor all in stock at the same time. To take a quick walk through each model here with me and we'll point out some of the differences as this tractor has grown up over the years.
Bryan Messick with Messick Farm Equipment, and we're here today to talk about the New Holland Boomer 50 compact tractor. This is a 50 horsepower tractor. It's mainly targeted towards our landscapers, large estate owners, and maybe even some small agricultural applications. This tractor here is a hydrostatic unit, meaning that you have a pedal for forward and reverse that you depress, it's inside the cab, but it makes it very good for loader applications because it's quick response time to go forward and reverse.
When you look at most machines under about 60 horsepower or so, hydrostatics are probably 95% of what's out there. There are two other options, though, that you will see in some of the L Series machines that are a little bit more uncommon.
There are two chassis sizes in the B series, this is the larger of the frames that are offered in this size. Let's take a quick walk around here, we'll take a look at these models and see if this is a tractor that may be right for you. Kubota offers several different configurations of these tractors depending on exactly what your needs are.
Today we're going to do a short review on the Kubota BX25 Sub-Compact Tractor. We're going to walk around here and do a layout on what the basic controls are on this machine, give you an idea of how to operate a machine like this. The concepts that we're going to cover here are going to apply to most Kubota products specifically those in the BX series. Today that would be the BX25, BX1870, 2370, and 2670.
This is the most popular Tractor that our dealership sells. Last year we sold 196 of these guys. We were hoping for four more to hit the 200 mark, but it didn't just come together. It looks like this year we are on track to do that actually. Sales for this product are very, very strong. It's a very popular tractor for us. Let's do a quick walk around here we'll show you why it's the top selling subcompact tractor of the entire last decade.
We're out today with several Kubota machines, and we're going to take a moment to show you some of the differences when you move from a B-Series tractor into an L-Series tractor. Take a walk here with me around these two machines, and we'll show you some of the things that make these tractors tick.
we’ll give a short conversation and do a comparison between Kubota's Grand L Series and Kubota's MX Series tractors. Take a quick walk around here with me and we’ll show you some of the differences between these two series.
We are working through a series of comparative videos between Kubota's different series tractors. We're up here in the upper end now between an MX and an M Series machine. This is one of the first places in this comparison series that you're going to start to see some very, very clear differences for a very, very different customer. Let's take a quick walk around these two tractors here and we could show you what makes an MX right for one person and an M series right for another.
We're back now from the Annual Kubota Dealer Meeting. This is the time of year here every October where a big meeting is held for the introduction of new products, new business initiatives, and those kinds of things. This year it was held in Phoenix, Arizona.
I know you guys are going to start to think of us a little bit as the Kubota BX site and, you know, a little bit of that can be explained in the importance that this product line is to us. Our dealership literally sells nearly a BX series tractor every day. We sold over 250 of these machines last year and our customers couldn't be happier. It is the highest volume single product that our dealership has it's subcompact tractors. Reading through the comments that a lot of guys have left on our videos in the past.
We’ve done a lot of technical overviews on a BX series and a lot of overviews on a B Series but there are certain things that will cause a customer to opt for one tractor over another. We’re going to do a quick walk around and explain some of the demands that your application may have that would push you into a potentially larger or smaller machine.
Today we've got a BX that that has transmission issues. We're going to let you peek inside, take a look at what happens inside a transmission. This video is by no means instructional, it's just to give you a point of view and take a peek inside a transmission and let you see what's going on inside.
These tractors from the factory will have single stage air filter boxes on them and if you go to parts some other product lines that Kubota has, you can actually add a secondary air cleaner inside of the primary one to help protect your engine.
We're going to do a quick walk around here on these machines today, show you a couple of features and some of the things that make them unique. Let's see if this the tractor that might suit for your operation. Many tractors in Kubota's product line, sometimes it's difficult to know exactly what tractor is right for you. Our typical customer for a Standard L Series tractor is somebody who's doing a little bit of everything, to be frank. Small horse farms, small dairy operations, landowners with ten or more acres for the most part.
Normally, we're used to walk it around tractors outside but these machines aren't going to ship for anywhere between about two to six months here at this point. So we're going to go through a quick slideshow of things from pitchers and stuff that we took at the meeting to give you an idea what some of the new products are going to be.
Today, we're going to discuss about the Kubota L6060 tractor. This tractor is 60 engine horsepower, its a four cylinder turbocharged engine, it has 53 PTO horse power. It comes standard with four wheel drive, as well the hydro-static transmission. You can get this tractor with either an air conditioned heated cab or a fold down rollbar.
We're going to do a quick walk around the machine here and show you some of the features and functions of the tractor. See if this may be the right machine for you. Kubota has a rather complex product line and sometimes it's difficult to really establish what is the right tractor for you.
This is a new tractor in the BX series, replacing the BX 25. Let's take a quick walk around here, and we'll show you some of the changes. This is a really important model for us in Kubota's product line. Our dealership sells over 200 BX series tractors a year. For us and our customers, this is a very well accepted and high-volume model in our product range. If would go around the machine here, you can see a lot of places that Kubota made improvements to this tractor.
We'll do a quick walk around here and explain some of the unique features about these models. These are three tractors that are often very misunderstood in the Kubota product line-up and we'll show you some of those reasons why.
This is New Holland smallest tractor in their line up and it makes a great compact tractor for the homeowner and the hobby farmer for the Homeowner and the hobby farmer. First off, there's Boomer 24 here has 24 engine horsepower.
Neil from Messick's here, out today with the Land Pride S 820 post auger to go on the front of some compact tractors, or machines are going to have a little less hydraulic flow. This is a unique piece that we've had a lot of interest in here lately, coming from guys that are a little disappointed in the performance of three-point hitch post augers. Remember, about a year ago or so ago I did what was one of our most popular videos of the five worst attachments for a compact tractor. One of those was a three-point hitch post auger. This is the much better alternative. We'll take a walk around here and show you exactly how this fits up to the tractor.
Today, I'm going to show you how to get your tractor unstuck from the mud using your load or there's a little technique that you can do to help get that tractor out on your own, without needing another machine in order to tow you out
Neil from Messick's here today, with a Kubota BX tractor, loaded to the hilt, with all the attachments and accessories that you would need for snow removal. We spent a lot of time talking about application on our channel, and the different attachments and accessories that you can get for your machine, and the different ways that you might use them.
Kubota B26 - In a Lawn and Landscaping Application
Today's short conversation is going to be about horsepower and all the varying standards that exist that are a little bit confusing.
Neil from Messick's here today with a little bit of a fun tractor video. I post a question on some Facebook groups about a month ago for guys to vote on what their worst most frustrating to use tractor attachment was. I'm going to run you through some of those here today. The number five most frustrating implement to use is a three-point hitch snowblower.
Neil from Messick's here to talk through with you on the top five tractor accessories. Tractors are both tools and toys for a lot of us, and there's nothing more fun than accessorizing your toys. The stock lighting packages on most tractors are usually pretty inadequate, and you're going to find that if you have a loader on your machine, the headlights don't help that at all because when you bring your loader up, the loader is going to cover the headlights. Some kind of work light is a good idea on a lot of tractors.
Neil from Messicks here today with the New Holland Workmaster 25s. Today we're going to take a couple of minutes and walking around this tractor and show you the newest addition to New Holland's compact tractor family. In the last several years there's been some changes to CNH's distribution of their compact tractors. If you paid attention to this industry much, a lot of the outsourcing happens in this business between the manufacturers whose names are on the side of the hood and the companies that are actually building the tractors. Manufacturer relationships you're going to find in probably about 80% of the tractors that are out there today.
Neil from Messick's here to talk through with you today on the different series of tractors that Kubota makes. I spent the better part of about the last three years making fairly regular videos on these different models and their features and functionality. Consider this the index. If you have no idea where to start in your tractor buying process, this is where you're going to want to begin. We'll get you honed in here to the right series tractor for your application.
Neil from Messsicks here out to do a little bit of backyard work with you today. One of the fun things is when you have a tractor-based YouTube channel is that all the projects that you need to get done at home become videos. If you come along with me here today we're going to do a little bit of work. I've got an area here that someday I'm hoping to have as part of my backyard.
Neil from Messick's here with today's Three Minute Thursday. Today I'm going to take a couple of minutes to show you how to put a three-point hitch kit onto the back of your BX tractor.
Neil from Messick's here today, out to run through eight different mistakes that I see guys make when operating a front loader. The very first of our front loader mistakes is the way that we approach a pile of dirt. When you have your front loader bucket on from the tractor seat, it's often fairly challenging to be able to look down and know the exact orientation of that bucket and whether the floor of it, the bottom of the bucket, is level as you're approaching your pile.
We very frequently hear from customers how well turf tires can perform in the snow and something you wouldn't necessarily expect because of them not cleaning out so well. We're going to actually put some numbers to that here today
Neil from Messick's here today out on a beautiful spring day to do some tire testing for you. We're going to bring down three of Kubota's B Series tractors, one with R4 tires, one with the new R14 and one with this hybrid zig-zag pattern I've had for a while, hook them up to the load cell and measure exactly what the tractive difference is between these tire options.
Neil from Messick's here, out today with the Kubota LA 434 front-loader. Today we're going to do a little bit of load cell testing down in our test pit. I've got here buried about 10 feet underground a tire with a chain attached to it and a loader cell between my loader and that chain going down underground. I'm going to go through and do a couple of demonstrations here for you today showing how lift, height, and the positioning on your loader bucket impacts your lift capacity.
Neil from Messick's here, with one of the new 2019 Kubota B2601 tractors, sporting a new set of tires. This is the R14 that just came out here from Goodyear Titan. We're going to take you around this tractor here today, talk about these tires a little bit, and maybe find out if it might be a good selection for you.
Neil from Messicks here out to do my favorite kind of video a new product launch video. We're going to go today over the L3560 Limited Edition and tell you exactly what makes this tractor Limited. A lot of times in the car world limited edition means that you're getting something more it's usually used for the high trim models, but in the case of this tractor, it's actually the opposite. The limited-edition version of this tractor is a cheaper version than the regular L3560 variant that we've been selling for many years.
Neil from Messick's here. Sitting outside today on a Kubota BX 1880. Today we're going to have a short conversation about this tractor and when is it enough for most guys' applications, and when does it come up a little bit short? I shoot a lot of videos with sub-compact tractors and sometimes I feel in the comments and when talking to guys, I almost feel like a little bit of a defender of the subcompact. A lot of guys watching our videos have all kinds of different applications.
Today, we're out with the Kubota B-series tractor. I wanted to go through and show you some of the differences between using a mid-mount finish mower and a rear 3-point mounted finish mower and show you some of the differences in these mowers between their different construction and different applications for the varying mowing chores that you may have.
Today, we're out in the parking lot with a Kubota BX series tractor. We're going to go through the steps of taking the mower deck on and off the machine and show you how to install and remove the non-drive over version of the Kubota BX deck. This process is relatively the same on all BX series tractors, whether you're looking at the new 80 series or one of the prior models that have been built over the last 15 years or so.
Today's short conversation is going to be about the process that it takes to take an older tractor that has a pin on bucket on the loader and install a skid steer quick coupler
We're out with a Kubota BX series tractor with a set of R4 tires on it to do a quick demo for you today on the turf damage that is done by an industrial tire. You guys seem to like tire videos. Every one of them that we do seems to solicit a lot of comments and a lot of opinions. We're going to take a little bit more time today and go over the turf damage that happens from an R4
Neil from Messick’s here out today to show you a quick demonstration on the proper technique to back drag with your loader. I’ve frequently seen guys doing this wrong. If you don't approach your pile and back drag in a right way, you can do some quick damage to your loader. I’m going to walk you through that here today.
Neil from Messick's here with today's Three-Minute Thursday. Today's short conversation is going to be about your tractor's hydraulic system and the way that it builds pressure.
Neil from Messicks here today. We're outside with the Kubota BX Series tractor, the load cell hooked to the bottom of it down here. We're going to go through and give you a couple of examples today of why it's important to properly size the duty of your implements to your tractor's loader. The setup that we have out here today is a tire that I've buried about six or eight feet down there underground attached a chain to it and then put this 3,000-pound load cell here in the middle. This is then chained up around our loader.
If you're new to looking at manufacturers' product lines when it comes to tractors, they are frustratingly complex. Most manufacturers are going to have categories of deluxe tractors and categories of standard economy tractors. Oftentimes it's hard to go through and tell the difference between them. In the case of New Holland, they call their deluxe tractors Boomers and their standard tractors Workmasters.
It has happened to everyone. You come out to use a piece of equipment but find a flat tire. Sometimes it's as easy as adding a bit of air to the tire, but other times it has shifted too far off the rim. While it may seem daunting, the fix becomes simple when armed with a ratchet strap and an air compressor.
This tractor's a little bit different than some other utility tractors that you may see around. Being two-wheel drive and a gear-driven transmission, this is a significantly large tractor that you can get at a price point of only $14,870 at list price. We're going to take you around this machine here today, talk about some of the things that it lacks in order to drive that price point so low, but specifically point out some of the applications where this tractor might be a great value for some of the chores that you need to get done.
Embarrassingly, I overlooked this feature for almost a decade. I recently learned how to make adjustments to the suspension seat on a Kubota LX tractor.
I've gotten to spend about the last two months putting significant hours on both my LX3310 and an L2501, which have a lot of things in common, but also a lot of differences and so we're going to go around and talk a little bit about my seat time here for the last two months.
Looking at this tractor, you're going to notice a couple of things about it. And the first thing is that the loader that's on it doesn't look like the traditional loader that usually goes onto a standard L series tractor. The labeling and stuff is kind of a stand out there. You see the model number on the side, and the complete lack of vendor markings. What you're seeing there is a loader from Ansung, it's a south Korean company. Ansung actually seems to be a growing company. You're going to find a lot of their implements on a lot of imported and particularly South Korean equipment. They're going to show up on kind of that lower tier of tractors out there.
PTOs have been a staple on the back of tractors for decades. Before the three-point hitch was even on the rear of older machines, you had that stub shaft coming out the back in order to put power, the power takeoff, out to some kind of implement. There are four main drive mechanisms that get power out to this shaft. The oldest and most basic of them is called a transmission-driven PTO, where this shaft is literally tied into the same gearing that's turning the wheels on the back of the tractor. As those wheels are turning, that shaft is also turning as well. That's found on the oldest machines that are out there. I'm not aware of any modern equipment that's going to have a transmission-driven PTO. One main reason for that is that those straight transmission-driven PTOs can actually drive the tractor forward. If you have an implement behind the machine, it has a large moving mass on it, and that moving mass is turning this shaft. Even when say the tractor's power has come down and you're trying to slow down, that moving mass can actually drive the tractor forward.
We get a surprising amount of snow here in the Northeast. We saw a lot of cabs on small tractors, but you would not believe how radically different the different enclosure solutions can be for the tractors that are out there. So today we're going to walk you around this machine and show you some of the things that make it a little unique. This is the Workmaster 25S, the tractor that this cab machine is based upon. You notice how small this thing looks without the big glass enclosure sitting on top of it. Today, we're going to focus on the cab itself. There's a lot to talk about here, but if you're interested in this specific tractor and the loader and the function of the tractor unit itself, we'll have a link down to the description or one of the little cards up here that links you to that video, that dives into the details on this machine. But today we're focusing on the cab. There are many different cab solutions for small tractors. For even a small machine like this you could have just simple, soft side enclosures that might be only a couple hundred dollars. Different degrees of add-on cabs in varying qualities and fits and finishes. But we always prefer to see factory cabs like this one that's behind me here.
Neil for Messick's here to do a video for you guys that are out there shopping for a piece of equipment. We're going to take some time here this morning, go through and talk through 10 myths that we hear from people who are shopping for a piece of machinery.
Today, we're going to do a short investigation into the filters that I just took off of my tractor. Just did my 50-hour service. We're going to take the three filters off of my machine, the two hydraulic filters and the engine oil filter, crack them open, and check and see what kind of debris they picked up from the inside of my machine during that break-in service interval. So what this thing is, is basically a gigantic can opener where you can tighten down this little knife that goes around and cuts the side of this thing open. If you remember here back, it's been probably three years ago, I did a series about three or four videos like this, cutting open, both manufacturers OEM filters, and some aftermarkets and tearing them apart and looking at the differences inside. So if you find this video interesting, it's worth going back on our channel and finding some of those older videos, because there's interesting stuff here and the differences in filter construction and that kind of stuff that might surprise you. These OEM filters are often the same price or only marginally more expensive than what an aftermarket is. And often the quality of them is notably better. One thing that I notice when cutting these things is the difference in the can themselves.
Neil from Messick's here to show you the implements that are available to go on the front of your tractor, utilizing your mid PTO. Your tractor at the end of the day is a tool carrier, right? It's that base machine that you're going to take different implements and attach onto that tractor, depending on the application that you have. You often are going to see videos featuring the things on the three point hitch or the loaders and grapples in your loaded mounted attachments. But you may not see so many variations in accessory kits and things for the front of the tractor, utilizing that mid PTO is what I'm going to be able to show you here today. So we're going to have a quick walk around this BX tractor, show you how these attachments go onto the machine and see whether some of them might be a good fit for the front of your tractor.
For a number of years, we've given the advice that you should remove this loader from the tractor when you go to cut your grass, that's for several reasons. When you have a tractor you're driving around on your lawn, the more weight that you've got on that tractor, the more ruts you're going to leave in the lawn, the more you're going to compact the grass, none of which are good things.
Every once in a while. Something rolls in here that every one of us kind of looks at and is like, yep, I could use that at home. And this is definitely one of those. So I'm going to walk you around this trailer here a little bit, show you some of the features on it, tell you why it's priced as well as what it is, and see if it's something that might fit well behind your tractor or utility vehicle. What we have here is a little dump trailer to go behind your tractor or utility vehicle. This is made by a company called Extreme Road and Trail, and very cool that they're only about an hour away from us. This is a locally made here piece, which is important when it comes to this kind of thing, because that goes really far to holding your price down. This is a fairly big piece. And when you look at trailers that have to come in from manufacturers far away, you can pay several hundred dollars in freight costs in order to get them in. But we can sell these at a really good price because we're able to pick them up directly from the manufacturer where they make them.
Neil from Messick's here to do a little bit of tractor maintenance with you here today. This is my Kubota LX 3310. It's not just a pretty tractor for YouTube videos, I actually do a lot of work at home with it. I'm rounding about 50 hours, 50 hours is a meaningful service interval for your equipment. It is the break in interval, and you're going to go through and drop fluids from your engine and transmission at this point, spin some new filters on there in order to get out all of that initial break in stuff that happens when a machine is new. When those gears first start turning, there's a lot of wear that happens there initially. It's probably the most important service interval that you're going to do. So today we're going to do it on my tractor here, go around and check a couple of different service points and change some fluids. Now before we get started, this should not be the first time that you're servicing your tractor. If you have a loader or a mower deck about every 10 hours you should be hitting those things with a grease gun, going around greasing all the moving points on your loaders and your mower decks. That is one of the primary things that we will look at when we see where on a machine.
Kubota recently introduced to the 02 series of the Standard L, the L 33-02, and the L 39- 02. When new models are introduced, they don't break the mold from the old one and completely change it around. And so we're able to go through the parts catalogs for this new model and try to find some of the improvements that can be carried back into the older machines. Today, we're going to show you the rubber floor mats from the L O2 and install them onto an L 25-01 tractor that I have here today. So, why rubber floor mats? Why do you want to consider doing this in the first place? There are a couple of reasons why these are considered a little bit more of a deluxe feature, or deluxe option, on some tractors. When you look at economy-oriented machines, you're usually going to find a simple metal floor pan like this. It does the job. Right? It gives you a place to step. The little holes here kind of create some slip resistance, but rubber floor formats are usually considered a better alternative for a couple of reasons. There are a little bit more anti-slip. These little pop-outs that are put in here will give you some traction for your boots, but a rubber floor mat is going to do a better job of that. They also help with keeping the noise down. These heavy, rubber pieces. They don't resonate.
Neil from Messick's is here to show you a whole bunch of attachments that could go onto your tractor. Think about what a tractor is at the end of the day. It's a tool carrier. In and of itself, a tractor doesn't do a whole lot but drive around. But between the three-point hitch and the skid steer coupler, there are a lot of different implements that can go onto that tractor to do a very wide range of chores. So today we're going to go around machine gun style. We're going to go around and very quickly highlight what is sitting out here on the lot today, not an exhaustive list but maybe a list that piques your interest a little bit. Maybe you'll see something that's going to be a perfect fit to get a chore done on your property.
Neil from Messick's here, out today with the Kubota L3902. This is a really important tractor, Kubota's introduction of an updated Standard L. This series machine is actually the top selling compact tractor in the United States, it is one of the most popular models in the industry. And Kubota has done a lot of things to this tractor that I think are really nice improvements. So we're going to take some time today, walk around the L3902, show you a couple of things that they've changed and updated. If you're the owner of the prior model, I've got a couple of tips for you, on here are some of the things you might be able to peel off of this tractor and put onto your older machine if you think that's worth looking at. So come along with me here today, we're going to walk around this new model.
Neil from Messick's here with two special customers. This is Jeff and Lori. We're out today dropping a tractor off, delivering their new machine. We're going to take some time here, have a good conversation with these guys about what the purchase experience was like, what this looks like from kind of shopping for a tractor to actually delivering it, to financing it. Spend some time talking about their equipment and introduce you to some really cool people.
It's very easy to understand the transaction of simply writing a check for something, right? But understanding the transaction for something that's financed is a lot more complicated and there's a lot more moving parts. So we're going to go through and discuss a little bit here how that finance transaction financially works and what it looks like, kind of who are the players that are involved. Me here is the dealership, we're looking at a traditional kind of 0/60 financing for example. We don't make any money on your financing transaction. It does not matter to us one iota whether you write a check or you choose the financing. There's more paperwork for us when you do the financing, but we're not generally making money on that. When you're looking at automotive financing or high interest rate stuff, sometimes there are kickbacks to the company that's selling that loan to you, right? But for us as a dealership, that generally does not happen. We do not make money on this.
One of the things that I feel is missing a little bit from the tractor buying resources that are out there is a real way to go through and distinguish between these premium and basic models. There can be some very significant differences between tractors. And I feel like when you go through and you watch the YouTube video of somebody who's bought a piece of equipment, or you go through manufacturer literature, that's always positive about a machine, you start to lose some of the finer points of ergonomically what a machine is like to operate or what the experience is like in the driver's seat. It's one of those things that you can really only pick up on when you have opportunities like I do to be around this stuff all the time. There are things on this machine that are frankly not the best. It's not the best that New Holland has to offer, that many companies do.
A third function valve is going to be an accessory kit installed onto your tractor that's going to give you a third hydraulic function and additional set of couplers out on that front loader for operating simple attachments that are going to have a hydraulic function on them, kind of the entry level, the small things that are going to come over from skid steers and that kind of stuff, will now be able to work on your front loader. That's usually going to be for most people, grapples operating those simple cylinders to open and close the lids. There are also a very limited subset of implements that you can run that are going to have hydraulic motors on it, that don't require a whole lot of flow, so things like hydraulic post augers most commonly. Regardless of who makes the third function valve, you can pretty well break all of these valves up into two different categories. The first category is going to be the most common of them, where the valve itself is tied in between the tractor and the loader valve. There's a port coming out the side of your tractor that's generally labeled PB or power beyond. It's a constant flow port that comes out of the side of the tractor up to your loader valve, with the return line then that goes out of the valve back down to the tractor's sump.
