The Tradition of Tractors

Editor’s Note: In this new CE series called Brand Appeal, we’re asking equipment manufacturers with long, venerated histories to discuss the culture their brands have created. From nameplates like Caterpillar and Komatsu to John Deere and JCB, the machine industry produces much more than construction equipment for contractors. They engineer brands with values and character, which has created a subculture of enthusiasts who love to discuss, collect, run and own a particular brand of equipment. We’ll discuss different trademarks each month, starting with Kubota.  

When Kubota tractors were introduced to the United States in 1969, few could have predicted that the little orange tractors would change the American equipment landscape forever. Yet, more than 40 years later, this is precisely what Kubota Tractor Corp. has done. By offering quality-built, precision-engineered smaller horsepower tractors, Kubota has evolved from filling a niche to becoming a necessity for operators across the country.

In fact, more than a million units have been sold since the U.S. introduction, and as the Kubota brand has evolved and expanded, so has the product line. Today, Kubota offers a complete line of tractors up to 118 PTO horsepower, performance-matched implements, lawn and garden equipment, commercial turf products, utility vehicles and compact and utility-class construction equipment. With its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif., Kubota also has divisional offices in northern California, Texas and Ohio. Additionally, the southeast divisional office and production facility is based in Suwanee, Ga.

While it is a different world than it was in the late 1960s ,when Kubota debuted in the U.S. market, the company’s commitment to quality, innovation and value has remained the same throughout the decades. Each day we hear from dealers and their customers that Kubota is “their” brand because of the quality, because of the durability, because of the versatility, because of the low maintenance and certainly because of the value. The reasons they are Kubota loyal are as varied as the operators themselves. From California to Connecticut, Kubota tractors and equipment are at home and at work on vineyards, orchards, grain farms, dairy and livestock operations, golf courses, hunting preserves, rural properties, jobsites, municipalities and more.

Along with a quality product, Kubota’s national dealership network of more than 1,100 dealers makes the brand what it is today. Anchored by the National Dealer Advisory Board (NDAB), which is comprised of top Kubota dealers from throughout the United States, Kubota encourages open and honest dialogue between dealers and their NDAB representative. The advisory board members are then encouraged to share with the Kubota management team suggestions, ideas and inspirations to further strengthen the product line and related offerings.

With a strong dealership network, loyal fans of the brand and an unwavering commitment to quality
engineering and production, Kubota is optimistic that the future is bright … bright orange, that is.

Greg Embury is vice president of sales and marketing at Kubota Tractor Corp., based in Torrance, Calif.

A Kubota Retrospective

Over 100 Years Traversing Construction and Ag Sites All Over the World

Kubota tractors got its start when Kubota Corp. visionaries, with headquarters in Osaka, Japan, recognized the opportunity to create a thriving market for their world-class Kubota engines and, thus, introduced the early Kubota tractors. Driven by innovation and the opportunity to expand into new geographies, the tractors were debuted in the United States in 1969, and just a few short years later, Kubota Tractor Corp. was incorporated.

Within five years, the well-received compact tractor concept led the company to launch three of its best-selling lines on the market today — the B, L and M Series. And just last year, the most recent product breakthrough was marked by the introduction of the Kubota SVL75 and SVL90 compact track loaders. The new compact track loaders are 100 percent Kubota designed, engineered and manufactured, while powered by the machine that started it all … the classic Kubota diesel engine.

Kubota: A Historical Snapshot

1890: Kubota Corp. founded in Osaka, Japan.
1969: The first Kubota 21-hp L200 tractor was introduced in the United States, filling a void in the American marketplace.
1972: Kubota Tractor Corp. was established in Torrance, Calif.
1974: Kubota introduced its first 12-hp tractor, the model B600. Although four-wheel drive was common among larger American tractors, it was unheard of in the compact segment and quickly became a benchmark for the industry.
1977: Kubota introduced its M Series agriculture tractor line.
1979: Kubota introduced compact excavators with its KH Series.
1982: Kubota Credit Corp. began offering U.S. customers a range of financing alternatives.
1983: Kubota introduced its G Series garden tractor line.
1988: Kubota Mfg. of America (KMA) opened in Gainesville, Ga., as the brand’s first U.S. manufacturing base.
1989: Kubota introduced its first compact TLB with the B20.
1990: Kubota Corp. celebrated its 100th anniversary and the company exceeded 1.5 million tractor units produced.
1993: Kubota became the world’s first company certified by the California Air Resources Board to be in compliance with the Utility, Lawn and Garden Equipment regulation of utility diesel engines.
1999: Kubota Engine of America (KEA) was established in Lincolnshire, Ill., to market and distribute Kubota compact diesel engines to top-name manufacturers.
2000: Kubota introduced the first sub-compact tractor with its BX Series.
2001: Kubota’s ZD Series zero-turn mower line was introduced.
2002: Kubota Tractor Corp. celebrated its 30th anniversary in the United States.
2004: Kubota introduced the RTV900, its first utility vehicle.
2005: Kubota celebrated its one millionth product sold in the United States. Kubota Industrial Equipment Corp. was established in Georgia this same year.
2010: Kubota Corp. celebrated its 120th anniversary. In the same year, the first compact track loaders — models SVL75 and SVL90 — were introduced in the United States.