# Branson Tractors? What's their history?



## 1guido2 (Oct 25, 2015)

Hello

I'm kind'a new here, and well, to be honest, I'm kinda new to tractors, but I hope to change that soon.

Wife and I just got second house +33 Ac. in east TX, I'm in the market for a 35-45 hp. compact. 

I've noticed a few Branson dealers popping up, and wondered if they were a completely new brand, or a re-badged tractor, and if they have been out long enough to develop a reputation of any kind?

I was thinking that I was in the market for a Mahindra, even though many of my co-workers have Kubotas, one particularly analytical engineer decided on a Mahindra and his logic was convincing. However, after reading some reliability and service nightmares on this list, I'm rethinking that notion.

So, I was eyeballing' the Bransons last weekend.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

Guido in TX


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## mrcoutts (Mar 17, 2015)

Hi Guildo 
I have a Dong Feng 25hp tractor that is Chinese, have had it for just under 12 months, tuff little thing. 
Branson is made in Korea and also tuff, have a look at midway sale. com. au there is a lot of info there, but I here no complaints here in Australia. 
John.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

All makes and models will have there own little problems sooner or later,than that's how you find out just how good dealerships are.


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## Aquamoose (Oct 29, 2015)

I have a Branson 3520h with a backhoe and I like it. Regardless, you should look into dealer support first then find a tractor that suits your budget.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

What model Branson?? How many HP are you talking about.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Take a tour of the dealers in your area and try each of the models you are considering. Most established dealers will bring a unit to you to try once you settle on the brand and model. Take advantage of that option.

Seek their advice on the tractor for your application. 

One thing to keep in mind is that tractors in the size and horsepower range your are considering are the most popular and competitive units in the market with the hobby farm and small acreage owners. To be competitive the profit margins are slim. So, with low profit margins it takes a well established dealer with a broad product line to be assured you will have parts and service when you need them. And, you will need dealer service sooner or later. 

For the most part both the Branson and Mahindra tractors are excellent products, but support has been spotty in most areas. If you have a shop and tools, know your way around equipment, and are willing to dig in and do the mechanical work it makes the decision much easier.

I run into guys with issues because they leave their equipment in the weather, do not perform routine service, and treat their tractors like disposable lawn mowers. They tend to be the guys with the most problems with any brand of equipment, and must rely on the dealership for service and repairs.

This is where the Kubota, John Deere and AGCO dealers excel. They sell and service the commercial farm industry, so have established service and parts departments.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

RC Wells said:


> I run into guys with issues because they leave their equipment in the weather, do not perform routine service, and treat their tractors like disposable lawn mowers. They tend to be the guys with the most problems with any brand of equipment, and must rely on the dealership for service and repairs.


 Or worse yet, they blame the manufacturer.


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## cougsfan (Apr 20, 2013)

Bransons have been around for a while. They were called Century tractors until sometime in the mid 2000's. They are Korean made and are on par in quality to the other Korean tractors (Kubota, Kioti, LS) and of Mahindra (all of which are quite good). As with other brands, dealers vary in quality. I owned a Branson 4720CH for 6 months and 70 tractor hours and have been happy with the tractor and with my dealer support.


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## cougsfan (Apr 20, 2013)

A name like "Saynotobranson", and 4 posts to his name, all of them slamming Branson to the hilt? I wonder if he (she) has agenda? 

There is a person on another Tractor forum with the same name who made similar posts. I remember reading them when I was looking for a tractor. I see now that all those posts have been removed. I wonder if they own a Kubota dealership? I don't really like being drawn into a internet shouting match with what appears to be a troll. I'll just say my experience is nothing like their experience.

If he did indeed blow their engine after 2.6 hours and the dealer refused to participate in the repair, there must be other extenuating circumstances he is not sharing. My dealer immediately ordered and sent me a new radiator when I had overheating problems while mowing (The problem ended up being seeds being sucked into the radiator clogging air flow, I ended up returning the new radiator because it didn't need it) 

My bucket lifts and curls together just fine. My interior is solid. I have even washed it out with a hose a couple of times when it gets muddy with no problems. I have never drowned mine out, and I have washed the engine a couple times already with no problems. My AC keeps me cool at 100 degrees.

Just how did he discover all these major problems in 2.6 hours of use?

If you go to other forums you see plenty of people who are satisfied with their Bransons. If you read the Kabato and John Deere posts you will find a few people that have had problems too. But problems are really fairly minimal though with any tractor these days.

The 0% financing is a sales gimmick used by almost every tractor company. It is not limited to Kubota. Go in and ask what kind of discount you can get if you pay cash. If you do the math, you will quickly see that the cash discount is equal in cost to roughly a 4% finance charge. The only difference is that if you pay the loan off the loan early you don't get of the savings.

I got quotes on several brands including Kubota before buying. No way a similar Kubota is cheaper in price to LS, Branson, Kioti, or Mahindra, even considering re-sale value. Granted, Kubota is a very good tractor, but are they a better value? It is all debatable. But if you are a multi-millionaire, why should you care?


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

cougsfan said:


> A name like "Saynotobranson", and 4 posts to his name, all of them slamming Branson to the hilt? I wonder if he (she) has agenda?
> 
> There is a person on another Tractor forum with the same name who made similar posts. I remember reading them when I was looking for a tractor. I see now that all those posts have been removed. I wonder if they own a Kubota dealership? I don't really like being drawn into a internet shouting match with what appears to be a troll. I'll just say my experience is nothing like their experience.
> 
> ...


These are post's that I missed when I banned saynotothebransonguy. Just now deleted them and yes, he did have an agenda.


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## ERR (Dec 15, 2016)

*Branson Tractor*

I have a Branson 8050 with only 420 hours the fuel tank started to leak. When Branson assembles them they don't put rubber between the metal straps and the plastic tank, causing it to rub and leak. The tractor was about 2 months out of warrenty and they wouldn't do any thing about it. This tractor also has a problem they can't fix with the clutch jerking. I wouldn't buy another one, they don't seem to care about there customers. Fuel tank cost me over $1700.00 to have it repaired.


1guido2 said:


> Hello
> 
> I'm kind'a new here, and well, to be honest, I'm kind'a new to tractors, but I hope to change that soon.
> Wife and I just got second house +33 Ac. in east TX, I'm in the market for a 35-45 hp. compact.
> ...


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

*LouNY*

I have an 8050, and I have had a few problems with it my dealer seems to be working on them. Last winter it would not start when it was cold. It would make about 2 revolutions and just quit cranking, it didn't matter what charger or booster cables i tried it just didn't want to start till I'd tarp over it and run a salamander heater on it. This winter I switched to synthetic engine oil and cen-pe-co for the hydraulics and tranny, to the other poster complaining about the clutch operation, it does not have a normal clutch disk, it is a multi plate wet clutch one for forward and a separate one for reverse, the "clutch" pedal has only a rheostat on it to engage the selected clutch pack, the "clutch" feel is much better now with the cen-pe-co oil in it. And its starting much better, tomorrow morning will be the test forecast is -2 F.
I have also ordered a couple of frost plugs for the motor to see if I can get a block heater into it, lower radiator hose heater isn't working for it and not much room for a tank heater.
Overall it has been a good tractor a few quirks, but they all do.
Lou


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## ERR (Dec 15, 2016)

Thanks for the input on the cen-pe-co oil I will give it a try. The dealer was told to use John Deer hydrolic oil because Branson said it is the same trany. that they use, but that didn't fix the problem. I live in Ontario Canada it is cold here and my tractor starts well with the block heater


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Morning;
With you being in the cold and having good starting, you say you have a block heater, do you know which frost plug it was put in. My 8050 wouldn't start yesterday morning a t -12F (-24C). It tried and actually fired then the cold put the fire out.
I put the battery charger on and the lower radiator hose heater for about 3 hours, (I had it parked a bit different then normal so that the left front was tipped up a bit) then I saw the other problem with the lower radiator hose heater the temperature sensor for the intake manifold heater thought the motor was warm and would only cycle on for a few seconds, I had to cycle the key repatedly to get manifold heat into then she fired up good.
I have ordered a couple of 40mm frost plug heaters and a couple of frost plugs from my dealer, in case when I remove a frost plug I can't get a heater in the hole.
My dealer has never installed frost plug heaters in the Bransons, and Branson USA is about totally useless, I sent them an email a few months ago requesting info and optional equipment for cold weather starting, there has been absolutely no response from them to me and to my dealer just that no else has that problem. I know that Korea gets cold so they must have had some experience with cold weather starting.
So while I am mostly pleased with my tractor, I have absolutely nothing good to say about Branson USA. 
Lou


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## ERR (Dec 15, 2016)

I checked which frost plug it was in and it is the one that is about two inches ahead of the oil filter. That is the best that I could tell. I hope that helps you.


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## Just jeb (Mar 8, 2021)

1guido2 said:


> Hello
> 
> I'm kind'a new here, and well, to be honest, I'm kind'a new to tractors, but I hope to change that soon.
> Wife and I just got second house +33 Ac. in east TX, I'm in the market for a 35-45 hp. compact.
> ...


Ok I just paid cash for a 25 hp with the loader and I am completely amazed at the power look a Branson 25 hp will out do a mahindra 40 hp I know this because a guy was trying to get out from under his mahindra his words was he was sick if it Branson all steel not the head lights lol I’m telling you they have Cummins motors they will not be beat James bates Huntsville Alabama.


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## Have a branson (Mar 20, 2021)

cougsfan said:


> A name like "Saynotobranson", and 4 posts to his name, all of them slamming Branson to the hilt? I wonder if he (she) has agenda?
> 
> There is a person on another Tractor forum with the same name who made similar posts. I remember reading them when I was looking for a tractor. I see now that all those posts have been removed. I wonder if they own a Kubota dealership? I don't really like being drawn into a internet shouting match with what appears to be a troll. I'll just say my experience is nothing like their experience.
> 
> ...


I've had a 3510 i branson with a bl10 loader for 15 years I've abused that poor little tractor I wish there was a branson dealer less than 100 miles away from me my poor 3510 blew a head gasket and has a cracked head wondering fix or buy a new one branson has in that class which now is the 3515 h upgrade from shuttle shift heaviest tractor by weight highest lift cap at loader highest lift capacity at 3 point compared to any other brand in that category and hp tractor


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## lewis cassill (Jan 12, 2018)

cougsfan said:


> Bransons have been around for a while. They were called Century tractors until sometime in the mid 2000's. They are Korean made and are on par in quality to the other Korean tractors (Kubota, Kioti, LS) and of Mahindra (all of which are quite good). As with other brands, dealers vary in quality. I owned a Branson 4720CH for 6 months and 70 tractor hours and have been happy with the tractor and with my dealer support.


Starter went out of my Branson at 580 hours. Still waiting on warranty replacement starters. Front differential throws out a quart of oil a day through breather. Clutch started slipping on second day and continues to get worse. My neighbors new Deere had five oil leaks when they unloaded. Warranty repaired all but three thousand dollars worth of it. I paid cash for a New LS. When the head gasket started leaking I sent it in for warranty repair. A couple weeks later I called the dealer to check on it. They told me I was not a customer of theirs and that my parents spoiled me. My tractor disappeared without a trace. A cop told me it probably had been stolen from an other dealer and since I paid cash they figured they would unload it on me. My emails to LS manufacturer were never returned. Found later that dealer had pulled the same stunt on a lot of other people.


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## Captain Mal (Jul 15, 2020)

lewis cassill said:


> Starter went out of my Branson at 580 hours. Still waiting on warranty replacement starters. Front differential throws out a quart of oil a day through breather. Clutch started slipping on second day and continues to get worse. My neighbors new Deere had five oil leaks when they unloaded. Warranty repaired all but three thousand dollars worth of it. I paid cash for a New LS. When the head gasket started leaking I sent it in for warranty repair. A couple weeks later I called the dealer to check on it. They told me I was not a customer of theirs and that my parents spoiled me. My tractor disappeared without a trace. A cop told me it probably had been stolen from an other dealer and since I paid cash they figured they would unload it on me. My emails to LS manufacturer were never returned. Found later that dealer had pulled the same stunt on a lot of other people.


Reads like you were "taken to the cleaner".


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## Gerry walker (Dec 18, 2021)

cougsfan said:


> Bransons have been around for a while. They were called Century tractors until sometime in the mid 2000's. They are Korean made and are on par in quality to the other Korean tractors (Kubota, Kioti, LS) and of Mahindra (all of which are quite good). As with other brands, dealers vary in quality. I owned a Branson 4720CH for 6 months and 70 tractor hours and have been happy with the tractor and with my dealer support.


"Other korean tractors" Kubota is not a korean tractor. Under 50 hp kubota is by far the best tractor sold. Ive got three with thousands of hours without issue... I like Branson alot and being built by tym seems to have not changed there heavy duty quality...


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Gerry walker said:


> "Other korean tractors" Kubota is not a korean tractor. Under 50 hp kubota is by far the best tractor sold. Ive got three with thousands of hours without issue... I like Branson alot and being built by tym seems to have not changed there heavy duty quality...



Depends on who you talk to......Several on here have had major problems with TYM tractors......As for your luck with Kubota, that is great but some of us on here have had very similar service out of other brands of compact tractors......

And you are correct, Kubota is not a Korean tractor company. It is Japanese


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Actually, the early small Kubota clones were Korean or Chinese copies and the early Kioti's were manufactured using Kubota's obsolete and sold tooling. Also why Kubota sued Kioti over Trade Dress infractions (and lost btw), over the orange color and why Kubota changed from Orange I in the early tractors, to Orange II in the later models and changed from ROPS blue to ROPS grey. Orange II is a lighter shade of orange used in Kioti's and they went from the blue chassis color to the present day grey. If you have an early Kubota you want to get your orange and blue chassis paint from a Kioti dealer. Rustoleum offers Orange II and Magic offers Orange I. Neither offer the blue or grey chassis paint.

I believe Kubota switched colors sometime around 2001. Still have a Kubota branded can of spray paint in ROPS blue on the shelf with the old Kubota trademark on it, from many tractors ago.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

unsquidly said:


> And you are correct, Kubota is not a Korean tractor company. It is Japanese


In reality, Kubota builds many of their smaller units in Georgia now and all their implements (like loaders are made there as well as all their UTV's. Only the larger M's come from Japan as do all the engines and the really large Kubota ag tractors are built in Europe by Steiger (I believe) and Kneverland and Kubota bought Great Plains Manufacturing a few years back so they build the attachments like box blades and other implements but they also build implements for other brands as well.

Kubota is trying to make inroads into the large unit ag market by buying other smaller manufacturers. Like all their current hay tools, mowers, bailers and rotary rakes, all built in Europe and Italy (where all the round balers are made at). I have one. I've always considered the Itallians tp be excellent farm implement builders.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

If I'm not mistaken (could be), Branson tractors and implements are rebadged TYM or Kujuke (sic) units, made in South Korea.


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

SidecarFlip said:


> If I'm not mistaken (could be), Branson tractors and implements are rebadged TYM or Kujuke (sic) units, made in South Korea.


It's my understanding Branson (Kukje) were the same company and TYM acquired them in 2016


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Sounds good to me.... Just had a Branson dealer open up, up town. Don't see anything big though.


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## automobob (12 mo ago)

I have had a Branson 48hp hystat with loader and extra hydraulics for front and rear.for about a year. I have about 100 hrs on it. So far.....no problems. My feedback on this Branson would be that as all hystat machines you loose some power vs the manual transmission. The shifting is reluctant and feels kind of cheap made along with the 4wd/2wd shift. Sometimes I cant get it in or out of 4wd without moving the machine a little. Ok, that is the negative. The positives have outweighed the neg. overall. First, the tractor was almost half the price of the Green popular tractor out there allowing me to spend that money on the extra hydraulics and attaching implements. Another advantage over the Green tractor is the skid steer adaptor on the front loader arms. JD has its own and you have to buy their stuff to attach to it. With the skid steer adaptor I can by from Titan and endless other mfg of attachment implements. The AC has worked and the heater is good. It stars well even in cold weather (if you let the glow plug do its thing firest of course), before starting. The lifting is strong. I did like that it out weights the competition by almost 1000 lbs which is good for pulling traction. Steering is good and sharp turns. I did have a temporary coolant leak, then it stopped....still dont know where that came from or why it stopped but will keep posted... The hystat is kind of loud so the radio is hard to hear in the cab but that is kind of par fot the design, understood. It is a bid tight to get in and out when your 6ft 1" 300 lb man but after using a while ya kind of develop a habit of how....good luck on choosing your tractor and I hope this helps!


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

I have a 2015 Branson 3520H that I bought new in 2015. It has about 700 hours on it. I have had four problems with it in that time.

I did have the instrument cluster go out on it at 375 hours and it cost $800 to replace. Apparently the instrument cluster is NOT part of the power train warranty, even though it is what monitors and controls the power train. Go figure.

Another issue I had was one of the springs that holds the hydrostatic pedals in place broke. That meant that I couldn't let go of the pedals and have the tractor sit still. I took both springs off and found comparable springs at Tractor Supply. They were tougher, stiffer springs, but they work fine and I imagine they will last forever.

One of the springs that holds the FEL lever in the middle is broken. This causes the fel bucket to slowly curl up. I have temporarily solved the problem with a bungee cord hooked to the bottom of the lever and down to the door hinge on the little glass panel. To fix it properly will require me to disassemble the valve assembly and replace the springs. I have a new valve for adding a new hydraulic port to the FEL that I plan on installing this summer, and will fix the main FEL valve springs at that time.

The damned DPF! My 2015 tractor was the first year model in which the EPA required a DPF. I don't run my tractor full throttle,plowing fields all day so the DPF would get clogged and kill the engine. I had to load it up on a trailer and take it 100 miles to the dealer twice to be cleaned out. The third time I asked them if there was anything they could do to ameliorate the problem. The guy said, "well, we can make it 'breathe' a little better for you" wink wink. I said, "DO IT". After that I haven't had a DPF clog issue since. It does smoke a little bit from time to time, but not like it would if it had no DPF. I presume they drilled a few holes through the DPF media but haven't been curious enough to take it off, open it up and have a look. The first time I had a DPF clogging issue I had a local muffler shop make me a regular muffler for it and I'd swap the DPF out for the muffler everytime I needed rescue it or to transport it. I still have the regular muffler for it, but i haven't used it in years. With the regular muffler it does smoke a lot, is much louder but seems to have more power. I like the modified DPF better than the regular muffler even with a slight reduction in power.

The most annoying and repetitive minor issue I've had is the front tires. I simply cannot get them to properly hold air. If I don't check them for proper inflation everytime I use the tractor, one of them will pop off of the rim. I never can get the bead to seat right on the rim myself and whenever that happens I have to take the tire into a tire shop to get it fixed. I've tried slime, and other things but that is just a waste of money and time.

Most tire shops give me trouble, not wanting to work on agricultural tires, but they all eventually fix it for me. I don't know why tire shops are such jerks when it comes to ag tires, but they are all crappy to me when I take on in for repair. Many times they end up not charging me but not charging someone for seating and airing up a tire is not enough apology for treating me like a fool whenever I arrive.

Otherwise my tractor is in good shape and works great. I change the fluids on it at the recommended intervals and quickly fix things when they break.

The dealer I bought my Branson from was in Berthoud Colorado and did go out of business a few years ago. There is another new dealer in Peyton, Colorado which is much closer to me. Their flagship brand is McCormick, which is a re-badged Kukje / Branson, so I should be able to get any parts or service I need from them, but I don't imagine I'll ever need a dealer again now that my warranty is expired. I'll just buy my tractor parts on line and do the work myself.

So there's my first hand experience with a Branson tractor. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Branson; though I'd get a bigger one. Always get a bigger tractor than you think you need.

Update:
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Oooh. One more issue I forgot is one of the spring/hydraulic struts that holds the hood up died. They are about 125pound struts and the hood is too heavy for just one of them to do the job.

I couldn't find the exact replacement for them easily, quickly and cheaply, so I ordered a pair of 150 pound lift cylinders from Amazon for about $18 and replaced them both. The new ones are 17" and the original ones are 16" so I had to drill a new set of holes in the steel bracket inside the engine compartment that they bolt to, which was no big deal. Now the hood comes up quick and stays up while I am washing the tractor, changing oil or cleaning the air filter.

In case that happens to you, the replacement struts I got work great, and are these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093DGL2R5

If the forum removes the link just search Amazon for the item number: B093DGL2R5


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## randyajames1959 (2 mo ago)

1guido2 said:


> Hello
> 
> I'm kind'a new here, and well, to be honest, I'm kinda new to tractors, but I hope to change that soon.
> 
> ...


I would run from Mahindra different finance companies nothing but trouble!


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## randyajames1959 (2 mo ago)

cougsfan said:


> Bransons have been around for a while. They were called Century tractors until sometime in the mid 2000's. They are Korean made and are on par in quality to the other Korean tractors (Kubota, Kioti, LS) and of Mahindra (all of which are quite good). As with other brands, dealers vary in quality. I owned a Branson 4720CH for 6 months and 70 tractor hours and have been happy with the tractor and with my dealer support.


Mahindra made in India! I have had a Korean call a Hyundia Santa Fe never a problem and my LS only has a gear problem, I think it has 2 many gears!


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