Comparison New Holland TN75 versus Kubota 4630 versus John Deere 5325

[candersen10]

The Website says: "Country of Manufacture: Augusta, GA." Unless the advertising is entirely a lie, this means that the tractor is at the very least built in Augusta Georgia from primarily American components. The idea that John Deere makes the entire machine in America is obviously not true. It would simply be stupid to build a machine entirely in America, given the comparative/absolute advantage that other countries have in the manufacturing certain components. As far as I can tell, given that the John Deere 5325 is well made, has the best ergonomics of pretty much all the similar tractors, and is supposed to be reliable, I would much rather spend money on the Deere than on say a New Holland or Kubota because I do believe that it is important to support American companies. If New Holland or Kubota made a far superior machine I probably would think differently, but I don't believe this is the case.

 

[Z-Michigan]

The Website says: "Country of Manufacture: Augusta, GA." Unless the advertising is entirely a lie, this means that the tractor is at the very least built in Augusta Georgia from primarily American components. The idea that John Deere makes the entire machine in America is obviously not true. It would simply be stupid to build a machine entirely in America, given the comparative/absolute advantage that other countries have in the manufacturing certain components. As far as I can tell, given that the John Deere 5325 is well made, has the best ergonomics of pretty much all the similar tractors, and is supposed to be reliable, I would much rather spend money on the Deere than on say a New Holland or Kubota because I do believe that it is important to support American companies. If New Holland or Kubota made a far superior machine I probably would think differently, but I don't believe this is the case.

I am certain that the advertising is not a lie, but as everyone has noted some number of the components come from overseas. It sounds like you're perfectly aware that there are shades of gray in the origin of "US made" tractors, as for most others (except that some Kubotas are almost entirely Japanese, and some of the Chinese tractors really are made in China).

I think the 5325 is really nice and I wouldn't hesitate to get one. I am very happy with my 5105 (similar size and function, somewhat different design in the details).

 

[Z-Michigan]

Wow, that sounds like a terrific idea. At this point the selling point of getting a larger tractor is simply that I need more power. Obviously, with fuel prices going up steadily, this sounds like a dangerous statement. But I feel that I need a 10 foot mower and a tractor that will pull it adequately. The TN75 would do this but it is not always available. Here is my farm website if anyone is interested: Charlestown Farm Center

You may well find that the larger tractor and mower uses less total fuel for a given task. The bigger displacement engines are usually more efficient in terms of how much hp you get out of a gallon of fuel. The Nebraska tractor test lab has details on these in the reports at the link I posted earlier. I think you will see that most of the JD tractors in the 50-80hp range are more efficient than the New Holland and CASE IH models in that range. There really isn't much data available on the Kubotas in that size range, as Kubota is not generally submitting their tractors for the Nebraska tests or comparable OECD tests that are readily available online (the NE test lab does have reports on the L5030 and the M6800 if you're interested).

The farm looks beautiful - both the land and the concept.

 

[wolc123]

My JD 4120 powerreverser runs a 6 foot rotary mower all day long in the hot sun and never gets close to the red zone on the temp gauge and I think it has a little less hp than the 4630. JD has a nice setup for keeping the radiator clean. The external plastic screen catches most of the chaff, and cleaning it off requires nothing more than a wipe of your hand. I bet you wish you had found this site before you got that hydro trans, we would have warned you that it is a poor choice for most Ag work. Unlike the others, I don't think there is anything wrong with your 4630, the combination of steep hills, high mowing speed, and inefficient hydro trans. is just a little too much for that little engine/radiator. Your choices are: slow down and take (3) days to cut that big field instead of (2), Get another tractor the same size with a gear trans, or another hydro with at least 10 more hp. It sounds like you are on the right track with the 5325.

 

[candersen10]

I'm planning on demoing the 5325 pretty soon. The dealer has one for around 31 grand with: (1) Isolated operators Station (2) 24x24 transmission (3) One rear mounted control valve. We'll see what he gives me for the exact quote. In addition to the things above, I've asked for the maximum wheel weights and front weights, FOPs or a Sunshade if FOPs are unavailable, and a front grill guard. The other question is whether to trade the Kubota in which depends on what he gives me in trade. This is the same dealer I bought my CT332 and he gave me 26 thousand dollars in trade for a CAT 257 from 2003 with around 600 hours. This trade turned out to be higher than the 20 thousand or so that people had offered for the machine so we'll see what he'll give me. The Kubota 4630 has around 460 hours, is in perfect condition, and has: (1) LA853 loader with a quick-tach mount but without bucket (2) front grill guard & complete set of front weights (3) 1 rear mounted Control Valve (4) Sunshade (5) Hydrostatic Transmission. We'll see what I get for a trade-in. I think the machine is worth around 24, maybe alittle more.

 

[Dargo]

The Kubota 4630 has around 460 hours, is in perfect condition, and has: (1) LA853 loader with a quick-tach mount but without bucket (2) front grill guard & complete set of front weights (3) 1 rear mounted Control Valve (4) Sunshade (5) Hydrostatic Transmission. We'll see what I get for a trade-in. I think the machine is worth around 24, maybe alittle more.

I don't mean to throw cold water on the idea, but one of my uncles just bought a new 4630HST (non-cab) tractor, LA853 loader, QA mount with HD 72" bucket for under 24k. Unless they are going to show you a lot of overallowance from full list on the new tractor, I wouldn't expect the trade value to be even 20k. If somebody can buy a brand new unit with zero hours, full warranty, and the bucket included for 23,600, I'd have to think that your tractor would have to be priced 5k less to sell. Based on local pricing where I am, I wouldn't be surprised to see the actual cash value from the dealer to be 18k or so for yours. But, when showing a trade in value off of full list for the new one, I can see them possibly showing you 24k for yours.

With a 5030HSTC and a JD5425 cab tractor, I can tell you that both tractors are great units but not comparable units. Unless I'm mistaken, I think my 5425 is the same size as the 5325 you are considering but just has a few more hp. If I use the "E-PTO" feature, I actually seem to burn less fuel using the larger JD than the 5030 when mowing. The JD is only turning about 1700 RPM or so to get 540 PTO speed when using the "E-PTO" feature. Good luck!

 

[Oleozz]

About five months away from this site and now you're back, self imposed exile? It's great to see you posting again, I always have enjoyed your thoughts and perspectives on things.

 

[Dargo]

About five months away from this site and now you're back, self imposed exile? It's great to see you posting again, I always have enjoyed your thoughts and perspectives on things.

Thanks. I had a reeeally long day at work. Rough day I tell ya!

 

[SCDolphin]

If not interested in hydro I would go with the Deere of M series Kubota.
The clutch is really stout on the Deere.......bad knees.........had to stay with hydro. I thought that the M series Kubota was quieter that the JD

 

[WeedHopper]

Like to hear what happened to that TN75 tranny?