Sunward vs. Kubota, Bobcat, Caterpillar and John Deere

Every figure below comes from the manufacturer's own published spec sheet or website, checked September 2026. Where a manufacturer does not publish a number, this page says so rather than guessing. Sources are listed at the bottom.

The short version

A Sunward mini excavator costs roughly half what Kubota and Bobcat charge for the same size machine — and on several specs that decide how much work the machine actually does, it wins outright.

Every Summit Source USA Sunward includes a free digging bucket, a free hydraulic thumb, and free delivery anywhere in Texas. Those are line items you pay for on every other brand.

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1.8 – 2 Ton Class

	Sunward SWE18UF	Kubota U17	Bobcat E20	Cat 301.7 CR	John Deere 17 P-Tier
Price	$19,995	$35,072 MSRP	$43,268 MSRP	not published	not published
Operating weight	4,145 lb	3,703 lb	4,167 lb	3,946–4,222 lb	3,790 lb
Engine	Yanmar 3TNV80F	Kubota D902-E4	make not published	Cat C1.1	Yanmar 3TNV74F
Rated power	18 HP	16.1 HP	15 HP	21 HP	14.5 HP
Max digging depth	7 ft 3 in	7 ft 7 in	8 ft 4 in	7 ft 8.5 in	7 ft 2 in
Max reach	12 ft 11 in	12 ft 7 in	14 ft 1 in	12 ft 9.5 in	12 ft 6 in
Bucket digging force	5,103 lbf	3,417 lbf	4,121 lbf	3,642 lbf	3,597 lbf
Arm digging force	2,526 lbf	1,918 lbf	2,588 lbf	2,136 lbf	1,933 lbf
Auxiliary flow	9.4 gpm	7.3 gpm	7.9 gpm	8.7 gpm	7.9 gpm
Tail swing	Zero tail	Zero tail	Zero tail	Compact radius, 25.6 in	Reduced tail
Warranty	Up to 3 years	2 yr / 2,000 hr	not published	2 yr / 2,000 hr	2 yr / 2,000 hr

What this class comes down to. The Sunward has 49% more bucket digging force than the Kubota U17 and the most auxiliary hydraulic flow of any machine listed — which is what runs a breaker, an auger or a grapple properly. It makes more power than the Kubota, the Bobcat and the Deere. And it costs $15,077 less than the Kubota and $23,273 less than the Bobcat.

Where it gives ground: the Bobcat E20 digs about 13 inches deeper and reaches a foot farther. If maximum depth in this size is the whole job, that is a real difference and worth knowing.

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2.5 – 2.7 Ton Class

	Sunward SWE25UF	Kubota U27-4	Bobcat E26	Cat 302.7 CR	John Deere 26 P-Tier
Price	$23,995	$45,713 MSRP	$53,623 MSRP	not published	not published
Operating weight	5,842 lb	5,908 lb	6,489 lb	6,725 lb	5,780 lb
Rated power	20 HP	20.9 HP	24.8 HP	23.6 HP	20 HP
Max digging depth	9 ft 4 in	9 ft 5 in	9 ft 6 in	8 ft 2.8 in	8 ft 6 in
Bucket digging force	not published	7,014 lbf	5,652 lbf	5,238 lbf	4,994 lbf
Auxiliary flow	not published	12.7 gpm	14.2 gpm	17 gpm	12.2 gpm
Width	4 ft 11 in	4 ft 11 in	5 ft 1 in	5 ft 1.8 in	4 ft 11 in
Tail swing	Zero tail	Tight tail (Kubota's term)	Rear protrudes up to 6 in past tracks	Compact radius, 30.5 in	Reduced tail, 31 in
Warranty	Up to 3 years	2 yr / 2,000 hr	not published	2 yr / 2,000 hr	2 yr / 2,000 hr

What this class comes down to. Within an inch of the Kubota on dig depth, lighter than the Bobcat and the Cat, the same 4 ft 11 in width as the Kubota — and it is the only true zero-tail machine in the group. Bobcat says outright that the E26's rear swings up to six inches past the tracks; Kubota calls the U27-4 "tight tail," not zero.

It costs $21,718 less than the Kubota and $29,628 less than the Bobcat.

Sunward does not publish bucket force or auxiliary flow for the SWE25UF. We are not going to invent them. Ask us and we will get the figure from the factory in writing.

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3.5 Ton Class

	Sunward SWE35UF	Kubota U35-4	Cat 303.5 CR	John Deere 35 P-Tier
Price	$29,995	$56,147 MSRP	not published	not published
Operating weight	8,490 lb	8,129–8,647 lb	8,930–9,239 lb	7,760–8,715 lb
Engine	Kubota D1703	Kubota D1703M	Cat C1.7	Yanmar 3TNV88F
Rated power	24.8 HP	24.8 HP	23.6 HP	23.3 HP
Max digging depth	10 ft 3 in	9 ft 8.9 in	9 ft 2.6 in	10 ft 0 in
Max reach	17 ft 8 in	16 ft 11 in	16 ft 10 in	17 ft 1 in
Bucket digging force	7,100 lbf	7,924 lbf	7,419 lbf	6,085 lbf
Arm digging force	4,400 lbf	4,451 lbf	4,249 lbf	4,277 lbf
Hydraulic flow	32.2 gpm	26.5 gpm	26 gpm	26.2 gpm
Tail swing	Zero tail	Tight tail — counterweight out 1.9 in	Compact radius, 35 in	Zero tail, 34 in radius
Warranty	Up to 3 years	2 yr / 2,000 hr	2 yr / 2,000 hr	2 yr / 2,000 hr

What this class comes down to. The Sunward has the deepest dig, the longest reach and the most hydraulic flow in the class — by their own numbers. It runs the same Kubota D1703 engine family Kubota puts in its own U35. It makes the same horsepower. It is a true zero-tail machine where Kubota's counterweight still stands proud of the tracks.

It is within 10% of the Kubota on bucket force and within 2% on arm force. And it costs $26,152 less.

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Who Sunward is

Sunward Intelligent Equipment is a top-50 global construction machinery manufacturer — ranked #41 in the world on the industry's Yellow Table, the same ranking that lists Caterpillar, Komatsu, Volvo and John Deere. Founded in 1999. Selling in America since 2015.

• Over 1,000 patented technologies and more than 200 equipment products
• A plant running 10 intelligent production lines, 96 welding robots and 43 CNC machining centers
• Engines from Kubota, Yanmar and Cummins
• Bosch Rexroth pumps and motors, made in Germany
• KYB hydraulics, made in Japan

These are not off-brand parts. They are the same components that go into the machines on the other side of this page. You are not paying less for less. You are paying less because you are not paying for the paint.

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Where we stand behind the numbers

We publish what the manufacturers publish. Where a spec is not published, this page says not published instead of filling in a guess. If a number matters to your decision, call us and we will get it from the factory in writing before you buy anything.

Summit Source USA — (888) 608-7866

Sources

• Kubota U17, U27-4, U35-4 brochures and U-Series MSRP list — kubotausa.com
• Bobcat E20 and E26 model pages and published starting prices — bobcat.com
• Caterpillar 301.7 CR, 302.7 CR and 303.5 CR specification pages — cat.com
• John Deere 17 P-Tier, 26 P-Tier and 35 P-Tier specification sheets — deere.com
• Sunward SWE18UF, SWE20F, SWE25UF and SWE35UF specifications and North American brochures — Sunward official
• Global manufacturer ranking — industry Yellow Table, 2026 edition

Caterpillar and John Deere do not publish list prices for these machines; their dealers quote. Bobcat does not publish engine make for the E20 or E26, or standard warranty terms on its model pages. All figures checked September 2026 and subject to manufacturer change. Brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners; Summit Source USA is an independent retailer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an agent of Kubota, Bobcat, Caterpillar or John Deere.