Kubota vs John Deere compact tractors, model by model, from the manufacturers' published figures: PTO horsepower, 3-point lift, loader lift, hitch category and quick-attach coupler.
Kubota and John Deere are the two brands most compact tractor buyers compare. This guide compares them model by model using the figures in the FitTractor database: 35 Kubota and 19 John Deere tractors, each with a spec source on file. It scores what the manufacturers publish and says plainly what it cannot score. Earlier versions of this page also gave resale percentages, dealer counts and a build-location claim. We removed them because none traced to a manufacturer document.
Across the tractors on file, the two brands are closer than their reputations suggest. The median PTO horsepower is 29.6 hp for Kubota and 32.3 hp for John Deere, and the median rear lift is 1,985 lb against 2,081 lb. The median usable loader lift, estimated at 24 inches forward of the pin, is 786 lb against 803 lb, which is within 5 percent. The strongest rear lift on file is 2,976 lb for Kubota and 3,240 lb for John Deere. These are medians of the models we hold records for, not of everything each maker sells, so use them to see the shape of each lineup and use the matchups below to compare real tractors.
The 1025R has more engine horsepower (23.9 against 21.6) but the BX2380 has slightly more PTO horsepower (17.7 against 17.2). The 1025R lifts 758 lb at the 3-point against 680 lb, and its loader is rated 803 lb at the pin against 739 lb. The BX2380 has a standard Category 1 hitch and a pin-on loader. The 1025R has Limited Category 1 with iMatch compatibility and a JDQA loader coupler. The full breakdown, including breakout force and hydraulic flow, is in the BX2380 vs 1025R guide .
Both are about 25 hp tractors with a Category 1 hitch. The L2501 has 20.5 PTO hp and a 1,918 lb 3-point. The 3025E has 17.4 PTO hp and a 1,356 lb 3-point. The loaders run the other way: the 3025E's 300E is rated 1,186 lb at the pin against 1,082 lb for the L2501's LA525, and 845 lb against 820 lb at 500 mm forward. Rear implements favor the L2501. Loader work is close to level, with a small edge to the 3025E. The L2501 vs 3025E guide has the full comparison.
These two are not the same size. The 2032R has 31.2 engine hp and 24.2 PTO hp. The LX2620 has 25.5 engine hp and 20.7 PTO hp. That is a 3.5 hp PTO gap, about 17 percent, so the comparison is a larger Deere against a smaller Kubota and not a like-for-like pair.
The 2032R lifts 1,356 lb at the 3-point against 1,257 lb on the LX2620. Its loader is rated 1,120 lb at the pin against 1,067 lb. The LX2620's loader is wider (60 inches against 49), and Kubota lists its breakout force at 2,100 lb against 1,949 lb for the Deere. The LX2620 loader uses the SSQA coupler and the 2032R loader uses JDQA, so the Kubota takes standard skid-steer attachments directly. The usable-lift row compares two different conversions: the 2032R from its 500 mm rating, the LX2620 from its pin rating, because no 500 mm figure is on file for it. Treat that row as indicative.
Again the two are different sizes. The MX5400 has 55.5 engine hp and 46.5 PTO hp. The 4044M has 43.1 engine hp and 33.6 PTO hp. That is 12.9 hp more at the PTO, or 38 percent, on the Kubota.
The 4044M has the stronger 3-point (2,500 lb against 2,310 lb, 8 percent more) and a slightly stronger loader at the pin (2,391 lb against 2,275 lb). Both have Category 1 and 2 hitches. The 4044M record lists three rear remotes and the MX5400 record lists none. Check that against your implements before you buy. The MX5400 loader uses SSQA and the 4044M loader uses JDQA.
Of the 18 John Deere loaders on file, 17 list JDQA as the coupler and one has no coupler recorded. Of the 26 Kubota loaders on file, 9 list SSQA, 4 are pin-on, 2 list Kubota QA, 5 have no coupler recorded, and the other 6 use proprietary, Swift-Tach or two-lever couplers. A buyer shopping Kubota should read the coupler on the exact loader. A buyer shopping John Deere is almost always looking at JDQA. The SSQA vs JDQA vs Kubota QA adapter guide covers adapters and what they cost.
Three John Deere tractors on file use Limited Category 1: the 1023E, the 1025R and the 2025R. No Kubota on file does. Limited Category 1 shares the pin sizes of Category 1, so a Category 1 implement pins up to it, but the envelope is smaller. Twelve Kubota and three John Deere tractors on file take Category 2. The Limited Category 1 guide has the detail.
Price, resale value, dealer coverage, warranty terms, build quality, where each machine is built and how each drives are not scored here. They are not in the compatibility database and we could not trace the figures we had before to a manufacturer document. These are the things that often decide a purchase, so get them locally: ask each dealer for a written quote on the same equipment, ask how they handle warranty work, and check how close the service shop is. A good dealer matters more than the badge.
Before you commit, pull up your shortlist in our Kubota tractor database and John Deere tractor database and check the exact attachments you plan to buy. A tractor that cannot lift the implement you want is the wrong tractor, whatever the badge.
I've run Deere, Kubota, Massey and Kioti, mostly smaller compact and utility tractors, a few hundred hours all told: bush hogging, loader work, moving gravel, grading driveways, snow, post holes and pallet forks. This is what I've learned from that, not manufacturer data.
Dealers will sometimes tell you, "Yeah, that tractor will run that no problem," and technically they're right. But there's a difference between being able to run something and being comfortable running it all day.
It depends on the pair. The John Deere 3025E loader is rated 1,186 lb at the pivot pin against 1,082 lb for the Kubota L2501, and the 2032R is rated 1,120 lb against 1,067 lb for the LX2620. At the larger end the 4044M is rated 2,391 lb against 2,275 lb for the MX5400. Across the models on file, the median usable lift 24 inches forward of the pin is 803 lb for John Deere and 786 lb for Kubota, within 5 percent.
Of the 18 John Deere loaders on file, 17 list JDQA. Of the 26 Kubota loaders on file, 9 list SSQA, 4 are pin-on, 2 list Kubota QA, 5 have no coupler recorded and 6 use proprietary, Swift-Tach or two-lever couplers. Check the coupler of the exact loader you are buying.
Compare by size. The Kubota L2501 lifts 1,918 lb against 1,356 lb for the John Deere 3025E. The John Deere 4044M lifts 2,500 lb against 2,310 lb for the Kubota MX5400. Across the models on file, the median rear lift is 1,985 lb for Kubota and 2,081 lb for John Deere.
Not on this page. Those figures are not in the compatibility database and we do not publish unsourced numbers for them. Ask each dealer for a written quote on the same equipment, check completed used-tractor listings for resale, and read each manufacturer's own warranty terms.
Published 2026-04-19, last updated 2026-10-21. Figures quoted in this guide cite manufacturer documentation where available, and the tractors and attachments it references are records in the FitTractor compatibility database.