Kubota M62 vs. John Deere 310 P-Tier: Tractor Loader Backhoe or Dedicated Backhoe Loader?

Most Kubota-versus-Deere backhoe comparisons on this site put Kubota's sub-compact BX90 up against Deere's full-size 310 P-Tier — a genuinely different scale matchup. The Kubota M62 is a different animal: it's Kubota's actual full-size tractor loader backhoe, not a sub-compact tractor with a backhoe attachment, which makes it a more natural cross-shop against the 310 P-Tier. The real specs still tell an honest, slightly surprising story once you line them up.

The Numbers: A Much Lighter, Less Powerful Machine — With One Surprising Exception

The Kubota M62 runs a Kubota V2607 diesel rated at 63 gross horsepower, weighs about 8,925 pounds, and carries a loader lift capacity of roughly 3,960 pounds. The John Deere 310 P-Tier runs a PowerTech EWL 4.5L turbocharged diesel rated at 100 net horsepower (96 gross at rated speed), with an operating weight of 16,217 pounds — nearly double the M62's weight, and well over 50 percent more power. On paper, this isn't a close fight: the 310 P-Tier is simply a bigger, heavier-duty machine built for production digging and loading at a different scale than the M62.

Here's the surprising exception: on standard dipperstick digging depth, the two machines are almost identical. The M62's published maximum digging depth is 169.8 inches (14 feet, 1.8 inches). The 310 P-Tier's standard dipperstick digging depth runs 13 feet, 8 inches (164 inches). The lighter, far less powerful Kubota actually digs slightly deeper than the much heavier Deere on paper — a detail that doesn't show up anywhere in either brand's marketing, and one worth knowing if digging depth is the single number driving your decision.

Why the Weight and Power Gap Matters More Than the Depth Number

Digging depth is one spec among many, and in this matchup it's the one place the smaller machine happens to compete. Everything else about the two machines points toward very different jobs. The 310 P-Tier's nearly double operating weight and substantially higher horsepower translate directly into faster cycle times, higher breakout force, and the ability to load trucks and move material at a production pace the M62 isn't built for. The M62, in turn, is lighter on tires, easier to maneuver on softer or more sensitive ground, and a genuinely more versatile tractor platform — it's a tractor loader backhoe first, meaning the same machine pulls mower decks, box blades, and other three-point implements when the backhoe isn't attached, which the 310 P-Tier's dedicated backhoe-loader chassis doesn't offer.

That versatility is the real reason to consider the M62 over a dedicated backhoe loader: if your business needs a tractor for mowing, land maintenance, or PTO-driven implement work most of the time and only occasionally needs to dig, the M62 does both jobs from one machine. If digging and loading are the primary daily function, the 310 P-Tier's purpose-built chassis, higher power, and greater weight make it the more capable tool for that specific job.

It's worth being direct about what that digging-depth parity does and doesn't mean. A single matching spec doesn't erase a near-double gap in weight and horsepower — it just means depth alone shouldn't be the deciding factor if you're trying to pick between these two. Breakout force, bucket capacity, hydraulic flow for attachments, and cycle time all favor the heavier, more powerful 310 P-Tier, and a buyer focused only on "how deep can it dig" risks missing every other real-world difference between a tractor-based backhoe and a purpose-built one.

Controls and Operator Experience

We've covered the 310 P-Tier's electro-hydraulic backhoe controls directly in our 310 P-Tier backhoe loader spotlight, and in our comparison of the 310 P-Tier against CAT's mechanical-lever 416. The 310 P-Tier offers 2-lever mechanical control standard, with pilot control and electrohydraulic proportional auxiliary functions available as options — a genuinely more configurable control scheme than you'll find on a tractor-based backhoe like the M62, which runs simpler hydraulic lever controls more in keeping with its tractor-implement heritage. For an operator who runs a dedicated backhoe loader daily, that configurability is worth something real; for an operator who's primarily a tractor driver who occasionally digs, the M62's simpler controls are not a disadvantage.

Loader Capacity and Front-End Work

The loader side of a tractor loader backhoe or backhoe loader matters just as much as the backhoe end, and the gap here follows the same pattern as the rest of the spec sheet. The M62's loader lift capacity sits around 3,960 pounds — solid for a tractor-class loader handling pallets, mulch, gravel, or general material movement around a property or small jobsite. The 310 P-Tier's loader is built for genuinely heavier front-end work: backfilling trenches, loading trucks, and moving larger volumes of material faster, consistent with its higher horsepower and much heavier chassis. If loader work is a significant part of your daily use case rather than an occasional task, that capacity gap should factor into the decision as much as the backhoe specs do.

Which Trades Fit Each Machine

• Property maintenance, small farms, and acreage owners who need one machine for mowing, light grading, and occasional digging — the Kubota M62's tractor versatility wins here.

• Utility and underground contractors running trenching and backfill work daily — the 310 P-Tier's higher power and loader capacity better match sustained production digging.

• Small excavation and site-prep subs bidding a mix of digging and loading work — the 310 P-Tier's purpose-built chassis is the more defensible choice for bid-winning cycle times.

• Rural municipalities, parks departments, and campus facilities crews that already run tractors and implements — the M62 adds backhoe capability without a second dedicated machine to store and maintain.

Dealer Network and Parts: A Genuinely Different Decision Than Model-vs-Model

This comparison is really a decision about which category of machine fits your business more than it is a spec-for-spec fight, and that makes dealer relationship and existing fleet composition matter more than usual. A contractor who already runs Kubota tractors and implements keeps everything — financing conversations, parts, service — under one dealer relationship by adding an M62. A contractor who needs a dedicated digging-and-loading machine and has no reason to want a tractor's versatility is generally better served going straight to the 310 P-Tier or a comparable dedicated backhoe loader, Deere or otherwise.

Trailering and Transport: The M62's Real-World Advantage

At under 9,000 pounds, the M62 trailers behind a standard pickup and a mid-size equipment trailer without triggering the weight thresholds that push a contractor into a heavier towing setup or additional licensing considerations. The 310 P-Tier, at over 16,000 pounds, needs a dedicated equipment trailer and a truck rated to match — not a dealbreaker for a contractor already set up to haul equipment at that scale, but a real consideration for a smaller operation deciding what to buy first. If you're a one-truck, one-trailer operation without a heavy-duty hauling setup already in place, the M62's lighter weight class is a genuine practical advantage that doesn't show up on a horsepower or digging-depth comparison chart.

Resale and Parts Availability

Both machines hold up well on the used market when properly maintained, but they sell into different buyer pools. A used M62 appeals to the same acreage-owner and small-property-maintenance buyer who'd shop it new, while a used 310 P-Tier competes in the much larger used backhoe loader market dominated by production-digging buyers comparing it against CAT, Case, and other full-size backhoe loaders. Parts availability for both is solid through each brand's respective dealer network, and neither machine carries unusual resale risk — the bigger factor in resale value for either one is documented maintenance history and honest hour-meter records, not the brand or category itself.

The Rent-vs-Own Case Either Way

Whether the right fit is Kubota's multi-purpose M62 or Deere's dedicated 310 P-Tier, the financing logic is the same one that applies across this entire equipment category: a contractor renting a backhoe loader by the job is paying rental-yard markup every time, with nothing to show for it once the trench is backfilled. Equipment financing through BFC turns either machine into equity instead of a recurring expense, and we finance both brands on the same terms nationwide — because which machine fits your business should drive the decision, not which one happens to be easier for a lender to finance.

Financing a Kubota or John Deere Backhoe Through BFC

Whichever category of machine fits your work — a versatile tractor loader backhoe or a dedicated production backhoe loader — BFC finances both Kubota and John Deere equipment nationwide, new or used. See our backhoe loader financing page, our Kubota equipment financing page, and our John Deere equipment financing page for more on how we structure financing for either brand.

Ready to finance your next backhoe loader? Visit our home page to learn more about BFC, start your equipment financing application today, browse our equipment for sale and financing marketplace for available inventory, or subscribe to our blogfor more coverage like this.