Kubota B2601HSD vs Yanmar SA325 vs John Deere 1025R vs TYM 2610

Four 24-hp sub-compacts, four very different ways to spend $20K. Here's how they actually stack up.

Bottom line: If you're cross-shopping these four, the Kubota B2601 and Yanmar SA325 are the all-arounders, with the Yanmar undercutting Kubota on price and warranty while the Kubota wins on dealer density and 3-range transmission. The John Deere 1025R is the lightest and the priciest, and you buy it for the dealer network and resale, not the raw lift numbers. The TYM 2610 is the value play and the heaviest of the bunch with the tallest loader, but you take on a thinner dealer footprint to get there.

These four land in the same showroom corner for a reason: roughly 24 gross horsepower, a hydrostatic transmission, a Category 1 (or limited Cat 1) hitch, and a quick-attach loader. That's where the similarity ends.

The mistake first-time buyers make is shopping engine horsepower. In this class the engines are within a couple horses of each other and two of these tractors literally share the same Yanmar-built engine. What actually separates them is weight, loader geometry, hydraulic flow, the transmission layout, and the dealer who picks up the phone when something breaks. A heavier tractor with a taller loader and a worse dealer can be the wrong buy even when the spec sheet looks great. Spend your attention there.