I know answers will be all over the place but who makes a good, best bang for the buck, sub-compact or compact tractor these days? I have bigger tractors at my disposal but could find a lot of little work projects for a small tractor with FEL. Easily removable FEL is a must as well as hydrostatic transmission.

If you can find a used JD 3520 or 3720 hydro they are great. Ive had a 3520 for years.

I have a John Deere 3038 that has been a workhorse. We have several larger tractors but this one gets picked for all the jobs it seems like. Easy to get around with and has enough horsepower to get big things moving. If it was stolen tonight I would have another one at the barn in less than a month. It is irreplaceable

John Deere 3038 for the win.

Kubota for the win. They build all their own engines, which is not the typical situation.

They control their own parts programs, not that you will need much other than maintenance items.

Make sure you pick out exactly what you want, because you won't be likely to wear it out.

We have several kubotas at camp one or two are HST they are workhorse tractors

I bought a 35hp New Holland HST about 6 years ago. Zero issues. It does what I need it to do

I'm a Kubota fan in the compact size , however , my cousin has a Mahindra about 30 HP HST and I'm really impressed . I ran it a couple of hours a few months ago . It was a very smooth operating machine, the hydraulics/loader are smooth as butter.

For the $ and features (weight and lift capacity), Mahindra is hard to beat.

I’ve had a 38hp (2538) Mahindra since 2018 and it’s been great.

Downside to Mahindra is they make tractors in about 4 different countries so they don’t have parts on the shelf at the local dealer for each diff model.

Kubota only makes one model of each size so parts are readily available.

Zero reason to buy a green tractor unless paint color and aluminum rear ends are your thing.

Same experience here.

Yanmar. They have the best warranty at 10 years. Yanmar has a higher lift capacity than JD and Kubota at comparable tractor sizes, 1200 pounds to 900ish for the others. JD uses Yanmar engines in their compact tractors.

I bought a jd 3025e last spring and it has been a dang good little tractor…but…it is made of plastic all over and the only cast iron on the thing is the front axel..everything else is aluminum. I put 150hrs on a mahindra an i still believe its leaps and bounds a better tractor and if i had a dealer closer by id sell you this john deere and go buy one 3 sizes bigger for what i give for this thing an itd be made of steel all over..an itd lift a dang house too…this jd is great but its very light. I would have bought a kubota but theh absolutely would not deal with me on price at all and they would not give me 0% on the financing…but they are weak bad on loader capacity and power in my opinion..they are really good tractors cause they aint stout enough to hurt themselves…an i have run a bunch. Not a big hst fan…i like shuttle shift..but it cost so freakin much for a compact shuttle shift john deere whats the point…i did get an E..if ida got an R it woulda been a whole lot more tractor…but theys dang near 10 grand difference…unreal what jd cost..but j got a dealer 5 min away an they been ok to deal with…but if i buy anything else..probably be a mahindra shuttle shift.

Gotta agree with you on this one, I bought a 2008 mx5100 fel, 4wd, gear transmission used in 2010 with 275hrs, on issue has been with 1 hyd line leaking

Don't know how small you want but kabota is making dingos now, check them out, they're pretty cool looking machines that could alot in tight places

I was in the market a couple years ago and did some research. For me it was gonna be between JD, Kubota, or Mahindra. I found a great deal on a Mahindra 3826, HST 4X4 with front in loader. The Mahindra is assembled in TN and is a very simple built unit. Not a lot of bells and whistles just well built and as basic as you need. Mahindra actually won out in comparison to the other 2 in important categories. More lift, more displacement, more weight. I have loved mine and it has done everything I've needed to do. Turns on a dime, love the HST! My only gripe is the battery cable connection. They way it is made and/or the battery, I have to replace the connection on the positive a couple times per year. (I'm so quick at it now its a 10min job. Ordered a different style for the next time I do it.)
You wont go wrong with any of those 3 brands I'm not knocking any of them. I just found a deal on the Mahindra I couldn't pass on.

I have the little Kubota BX 1880. I call it the WBT (Wanna Be Tractor). Front end loader, belly mower, PTO, 4WD. Its small so can go anywhere. In 4WD will almost climb a tree. Handy as you can get. Perfect for my use in the woods. Its small and definitely limited but that's why there are bigger tractors.

Kubota . Buying a name when buying jd. They will eat u alive if u have problems . Also their small tractors are made by yanmar which is fairly good tractors but service is expensive. Cost $500 just for them show up to diagnose problem. My boss was mahindra dealer for few years . No more . No parts and lots problems . Sells Massey now . Every time I went to shop their was 2 or 3 mahindra broken in half a they was working on clutches and trans . The Kubota dealer in Savannah tn has best prices around north al . An no tax . Most everyone I know that has a tractor whether for hay farm or just gardening is Kubota. I have a 40hp with gst transmission . Indestructible

I have a Kubota L3800. I bought it new and it has been a solid tractor for almost 10 years. I made the right choice for me. A few things I would change….the wheel base is kind of short so it can be bouncy at times. The hydraulics aren’t as smooth as JD but that hasn’t stopped me from doing anything. The lifting capacity is only about 1,000 lbs. Some folks in my camp have JD that was bought new. That thing has been in the shop multiple times for things like wires coming loose. It has been back to the shop every year they’ve had it. Whatever you get I hope you are happy with it.

We borrowed a 90 hp Kubota a couple years ago when we got behind on our hay bailing due to rains. It wore us out with the ride being so rough. It was the most user unfriendly cab design I have ever sat in. I would take it if it were given to me but no way I would pay for their larger machines.

This thread is about small tractors so the above comments may not be true for the smaller Kubotas as I have never sat in the seat on a small one. The local John Deere dealership is @ 4 miles from my house. It makes owing JD machinery an easier choice when a dealer is this close. Good luck with whichever one you choose. A tractor should last a lifetime-remember that. When you drive down a road here where we live there is nothing but John Deere products in the field.

Thanks guys. I wish P'ville had more tractor dealers. There is a Bobcat dealer in town. Bobcats worth a damn?