Is Kubota’s smaller frame a drawback or a clever advantage?

[Stormwolf]

Have always been around bigger tractors and thought size was everything. But I’ve been watching Kubota’s smaller-frame models lately and they really seem to hold their own. What do you all think does their compact size hinder them or is it a secret weapon in the field?

 

[Cooperhawk]

I grew up on a farm and live in farming country. Occasionally I help my neighbors in the field. My 3710 is a great utility tractor but you can't compare it to the massive John Deeres and IH/Case that the farmers use around here. I'm not familiar with the larger Kubota models but I don't see them in the fields pulling huge tillers either. Where I do see most of them are on hobby farms and for that role they are great.

 

[Stormwolf]

I appreciate you sharing that it totally makes sense! The smaller Kubotas seem to really excel on hobby farms, even if they aren’t quite up to the task of the big fieldwork that the larger Deeres and Cases tackle.

 

[thendrix]

To me, the smaller frame is a blessing and a curse. With the smaller frame tractor, fuel economy is better and weight to HP ratio is better. The problem with it is if you're using an attachment that's rated for, say 60hp. It's quite a load on a 70hp tractor. I run into this fairly often with a windrower I use in my chicken houses. It's rated for 45hp and my M6800 has plenty of HP to run the machine but if I take the loader frame off the tractor the front end gets light.

 

[Alan]

Absolutely, smaller frames definitely come with their pros and cons. That front-end lift issue with certain attachments is something many people experience.