Kubota SVL65-2s

Kubota's next-generation small track loader is a comfort and electronics refresh rather than a new machine, and that is the single most useful thing to know about it. Engine, rated capacity, hinge-pin height and hydraulic flow are all carried over from the SVL65-2 unchanged, so what you are buying over the older machine is the operator station, the ride system and the drive logic - and the older machine is still on the price list beside it.

What arrives with the refresh is worth having. The cab gets a colour LCD touch panel with a jog dial, keyless start, a standard rear-view camera and LED work lights on a delayed shutoff, all as standard equipment rather than options, plus the sliding front door that opens no matter where the bucket is. Kubota Shockless Ride is optional and matters more on a small machine than a large one because a small bucket spills what it loses. Auto-shift is the interesting one: it downshifts automatically when traction load rises in a turn and shifts back when it eases, which addresses the complaint that these machines break traction mid-turn. What it does not change is the ceiling - 2,100 lb of rated capacity, 17.4 GPM standard flow, and the same V2607 and its particulate filter, with the same regen behaviour on a machine that spends its day idling.

A landscaper or small contractor already sold on the SVL65 size, who will sit in it all day, is the buyer - one for whom the seat, the screen and the ride pay back the roughly $4,200 premium. Anyone buying on capability alone should price the SVL65-2 and put the difference toward the high-flow package. Before signing, confirm which model number is actually on the quote, because dealer listings are not careful about the suffix; settle high flow at order time; and remember this build has no accumulated field history yet, so the warranty terms matter more than usual.