Kubota SVL110-3 vs. John Deere 333 P-Tier: Which Large-Frame Track Loader Actually Fits Your Fleet

Oct 2

5 min read

Updated: Oct 3

Kubota's SVL110-3 is the largest compact track loader Kubota has ever built for North America, and John Deere's 333 P-Tier is the balanced middle entry in Deere's large-frame lineup, sitting between the 331 and the flagship 335. Put side by side, this is less a David-versus-Goliath matchup and more a question of two different design philosophies converging on roughly the same capacity class — worth understanding in detail before either one goes on your loan application.

The Numbers

The SVL110-3 delivers 112.7 gross horsepower (101.3 net), an operating weight of 12,322 lbs, and a rated operating capacity of 3,700 lbs at 35 percent of tipping load. The 333 P-Tier runs a Yanmar 4TNV94FHT engine at 108.5 gross horsepower (105.8 net) with 290.6 lb-ft of peak torque, an operating weight of 12,183 lbs, a rated operating capacity of 3,850 lbs, and a top travel speed of 8.5 mph with 11,500 lbs of tractive effort.

Run the numbers and the 333 P-Tier actually edges the SVL110-3 on rated operating capacity — 150 lbs more — despite Kubota's slightly higher horsepower rating, almost identical operating weight, and a nearly identical footprint between the two machines. That's a useful reminder that horsepower and lift capacity aren't the same conversation: Deere's vertical-lift boom geometry keeps the bucket or forks extended further out at full height, which changes how weight and leverage interact through the lift cycle compared to Kubota's design.

Lift Geometry: Why Vertical vs. Radial Actually Matters

The 333 P-Tier's vertical-lift boom path is purpose-built for truck loading and pallet work — it keeps the bucket or forks extended further out as the boom rises, so an operator isn't fighting the inward arc of a radial-lift design when trying to clear a dump truck's sideboards or set a pallet on a high rack. Kubota's SVL110-3, by contrast, leans on "enhanced productivity and superior hydraulic performance" to open up heavier, higher-flow attachments the smaller SVL97-3 couldn't fully power. If your daily work is mostly truck loading and palletized material handling, Deere's geometry does real, measurable work for you. If your priority is running the heaviest attachment in Kubota's catalog — cold planers, high-flow mulching heads — the SVL110-3's hydraulic headroom is the more relevant spec.

Undercarriage and Ground Pressure

The 333 P-Tier rides on new-generation smooth-ride, long-life rubber tracks with steel inserts, over five triple-flange all-steel rollers per side, putting down 4.75 psi of ground pressure on its standard 17.7-inch track (5.27 psi on the narrower optional track). That's genuinely low ground pressure for a machine in this weight class, which matters on soft or saturated ground where a heavier machine would rut a finished grade. Kubota has not published a directly comparable ground-pressure figure for the SVL110-3 in the material we reviewed, so if ground disturbance is a deciding factor for your typical jobsite — landscaping on finished turf, wet-season site work — ask your Kubota dealer for the exact number before you commit.

Attachment Ecosystems

Deere backs the 333 P-Tier with compatibility across more than 100 John Deere attachments through smooth electrohydraulic controls — a genuinely deep ecosystem that lets one carrier machine earn across grading, land-clearing, and material-handling work without buying a second loader. Kubota's SVL110-3 launched alongside two additional new compact track loaders and a tiltrotator attachment in Kubota Canada's lineup, signaling real, ongoing investment in attachment breadth rather than a one-off flagship release. Both companies are clearly treating attachment compatibility as a core selling point rather than an afterthought, which is good news for buyers either way — just confirm your specific attachment list against each manufacturer's current compatibility chart before assuming parity.

Cab, Controls, and Operator Fatigue

Deere's P-Tier generation brought a completely redesigned, sealed, and pressurized cab with increased glass area, ergonomically repositioned joysticks, a redesigned switch module, and available heated/ventilated seating across the large-frame CTL range — all aimed squarely at reducing fatigue over a long shift, which matters because a tired operator on hour nine makes more mistakes and completes fewer cycles than a fresh one on hour one. SmartGrade compatibility also rides along with the P-Tier cab upgrades, letting the 333 pair with Deere's grade-management technology for faster, more accurate grading passes. Kubota's current SVL cab generation similarly prioritizes visibility and comfort, and the SVL110-3 inherits those gains directly from the SVL97-3 it sits above.

Engine Sourcing: In-House vs. Yanmar

Kubota designs and builds its own diesel engines in-house for the SVL110-3, which keeps engine parts and service expertise flowing through the same dealer network that services the rest of the machine. The 333 P-Tier runs a Yanmar 4TNV94FHT instead — turbocharged, intercooled, application-tuned, and backed by Yanmar's long track record in compact equipment, but a second-party engine supplier rather than Deere's own. In practice this matters less than it sounds, since Deere's dealer network services the complete machine including the Yanmar powerplant, but it's a real structural difference worth knowing if you've been burned waiting on a third-party engine part before.

Who Should Buy Which Machine

Truck-loading and pallet-handling contractors should lean toward the 333 P-Tier's vertical-lift geometry and slightly higher rated operating capacity
Contractors running the heaviest hydraulic-flow attachments in Kubota's catalog get more headroom from the SVL110-3
Site-development contractors wanting SmartGrade compatibility without stepping up to a full-size dozer should prioritize the 333 P-Tier
Fleets already standardized on Kubota dealers and parts inventory have a straightforward case for staying in the SVL110-3

The Rent-vs-Own Case at the Top of Either Lineup

A flagship-tier compact track loader is a production tool, not an occasional-use convenience, and that changes the rent-vs-own math compared to a mid-size CTL. If your crew routinely rents a large-frame loader to run a specific attachment your current fleet can't power, either of these machines removes that rental dependency for good — and because flagship-class machines tend to hold resale value better than mid-tier models, the ownership case strengthens further for steady, multi-year utilization. Equipment financing on a machine in this class should reflect that production role — a standard term sized to year-round utilization rather than a seasonal structure, with down payments that scale from $0 for excellent, well-established credit up to 20-40% for newer files.

For more on the SVL110-3 specifically, see our SVL110-3 flagship spotlight, and for the 333 P-Tier's full feature rundown, read our 333 P-Tier spotlight. For our full loader financing lineup, our skid steer and loader financing page is a useful next read.