That's because Kubotas target market is not heavy field plowing work. Never has been  They target the utility tractor market where good power to weight ratios and high maneuverability are far more important to the operator than shear deadweight mass. 

When you're making hay or doing heavy mower work or doing common farm loader tractor work a lighter more nimble but higher HP tractor is nice to have and that's their target market.   

hopefully that will be there saving grace.

Without context that a totally meaningless statement.   Which model, which baler, which accumulator and what kind of hill?  
 

I follow now.  That makes sort of sense.   Thanks.  

As I mentioned before there are many applications where a guy wants a reasonably lightweight (low ground pressure) tractor with good power such as with rotary or flail mowing or general hay/feed production. 

Where I live we are in a valley and have a considerable amount of steep hillsides that need anual  brush and weed cutting done.   Now  the thing is the flail mower we have is just a 10 foot Balser (~110 HP rated) that our old IH 560D (~70 HP @ 7500 #'s 85 inch wheel base) can drag it up and down the steepest hills all day with ease plus go in and out of most anywhere along the stream and marshy areas with it to. 

  

The problem is  at ~70 HP it has no chance in hell of doing most the heavy flail work in anything but 1st gear and in many places even that would require multiple part cut passes to pull off so we run it off the AC 7050 ( ~175HP @ ~18,000 #'s as we have it set up with a 163 inch wheelbase )  which for most of the flail work is way overkill on both size and power and it rather sucks for working in tight areas and anywhere that the soil is the least bit soft.  It's too damn big and heavy for some of the work. 

Now that's where a Kubota M125 would rule in our applications   ~125 HP ~9700 #'s with a 106 inch footprint which makes it far closer to the 560D than the AC 7050.  

As I have stated before, Kubota is not after the heavy field work market (yet) which is pretty obvious looking at their tractor lignup and relating implements to go with them. They are after the utility tractor applications and shine in those areas.  

Well that's because you're comparing HP to HP not physical size to physical size. 

The Kubota L4330 is a 75 inch wheelbase 3900 pound compact utility and the AC D15 is a 88 inch 7500 pound rig which an a equal wheelbase and size  comparison puts it much closer to a Kubota  M5-91 which is a ~88 inch 6900 # rig pushing 92+ HP to the D15's ~44 HP.     

Ground work wise  the  M5-91 will run out of traction before it runs out of engine where as the D15 will do the opposite and on PTO work the  M5-91 will walk all over the D15. 

I grew up in similar mentalities as well but I learned to look past the common comparative points of engine power and look at realistic capacities of things when comparing one item to another.    25 HP in a 9N Ford will outwork 25 HP in a garden tractor. Ones underpowered for its size the other overpowered.  

For a few years I had a 1985 Ford F150 that I had a 460 (~400 HP propane burner too!) that I built for heavy towing with a equally built E4OD transmission behind it with the intention of it having gone into a F350 or heavier pickup and not the F150 it did. 

  

For a 1/2 ton pickup it was way overpowered, fun as hell to drive but way over powered for the weight and working capacities of the pickup itself.  

Most days if it wasn't locked  4 wheel drive it couldn't begin to put its own power to the ground which it proved pretty well when I did a burn out on some old tires just before getting new ones.   Easy burn out all the way into OD at half throttle.  Too easy and very much fit into the over powered garden tractor category.    

As of now I have a 1997 F Super duty ( ~F550  equivalent)  flatbed truck that's the  better place to put that engine and transmission combo.  Its got the heft and build to safely handle  towing things that would put that much engine power to good use but for now with the anemic stock engine it's very much in the underpowered  9N end of things.     It can easily handle physical workloads the F150 couldn't touch but dang it ain't exactly a  hammer down workhorse while doing it either.    

Then again you get into the intended design and application of the machine and does the workload fall into the intended application it was built for.  

I see the hydrostatic drive units as being best for applications where constant speed and direction changes are the priority like loader work or light tillage work that needs higher PTO power with below typical geared drive train ground speed capability such as rototilling.

Every design has it intended primary application and using a machine outside it design application largely invalidates it true capability and usefulness.    

To me using a hydrostatic drive tractor for plowing work is about as valid of test of the machines worth and ability to function as using a payloader as as field tractor.  It's not what it was built for and it won't do the job very well for very long.   

Same as taking a field tractor and putting a loader on it and trying to use it like a  commercial payloader.  It won't do the job well and it won't stand up to the workload either. 

Just because the field tractor and payloader may both have the same engines they are not the same machine nor are they directly interchangeable for applications.  Each may be able to do the others job for a while but neither will  be as efficient or as reliable.    

It was some upper level decisions to take it on in our area.  No one else wanted to stake claim to Agco AC/MF and it shows in the lack of service and high markup on what parts they can get. 

If you can't fix it yourself with salvage yard parts or with what you can find and order from online sources you're boned. 

It not a new thing and it doesn't just happen with Kubota's or tractors in general. 

They all have hope that the smaller machine will be just capable enough to barely do the work most of the time and  thus save them some money up front. 
 

~12 miles and I used to work there and they are a primary dealer and service center so they won't be getting shut down anytime soon.     

Now that the drunk little troll they had running the service center is gone I have often considered reapplying for a job there. 

As for small town that depends on what you define as s small town.   Most anything in this area with a population of over 1500 has at least one implement dealership that caters to various brands outside their primary one.   

If I wanted to spend the money the nearest small town (~1200 people)  implement dealership and service center would be happy to work on my 1940's AC M crawler for me.   It may not be their brand but they work on other stuff too.    

You're kidding!!!! That was our closest dealer, and it was 50 miles away! Crap... They'd always been an Allis dealer until Livingston took them over. Grandpa said they sold a lot of Gleaners at the Altus dealership back in the day. 

Now we get to go 70 miles to Livingston in Chickasha.  Ugh...

A friend of  mine said a town about 10 miles from us had: JD, A-C, MM, MF, Oliver, Ford, and probably a couple others all within a few miles of each other! 

There's also a rumor that when the MM dealership burned, a propane MM was inside with the fuel on (Magneto tractor). He said the fire heated the engine up, caused the propane in the engine to combust, the tractor started (in gear) and drove itself out of the dealership on melted tires. 

Not sure how plausible that is, but that's the rumor. 

As for the mindless banter about Kubota. If it was really that crappy of product, would they continue to gain ground? The tractors aren't typically sold for field work. You find me a John Deere made today that is as heavy as a Deere built 50 years ago. Kubota is no different. Most people don't want a 10000lb 80hp tractor to clean their barn out and pick up bales. No longer is a 50hp tractor a main field tractor.

 ADD TO THAT, I've never thought of the D15, 190 or 200,etc as heavy tractors.  Look up the Nebraska test for the D17 gas and a Kubota M5030. simliar HP but the Kubota weighs more w/o ballast.