4330 vs. 4630

[Marooned]

My first post, so bear with me. I've been watching TBN for several months now and love it. Frankly, it's been quite addicting.

Anyway, I'm new to tractors (only experience has been on my father-in-law's old Ford 800) and am considering purchasing either the 4330 or 4630 w/ fel and have noticed on the specs that the only difference is Engine & PTO horsepower. Is basically 3 more hp on the 4630 worth the extra $$'s?

I plan to use on 17 acres around my home that needs alot of brush / small tree clearing, moving dirt piles, dragging large tree trunks, shredding, disking to plant a small patch of oats or rye grass for deer, some box blading & eventually some type of pasture sprayer. Also will occasionally shred around roads on an additional 75 acres & maybe spray a few meadows on same.

Additional equipment I intend to purchase with tractor is 6' medium duty shredder, 6' box blade & 6' disk (Hay King Brand).

Based on these uses & equipment, do I need the extra 3 hp?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[_RaT_]

I personally would not pay the extra for what basically amounts to the exact same tractor with a slight bump in engine performance on the L4630. If you need a cab then I think your decision is made. Save the extra money and get the L4330. If folks can tell the difference in a few extra HP's in the L4630, they are already undersized to begin with.

 

[Marooned]

No cab needed, I live in S.E. TX, humid & hot most of year. My place has quite a few trees on portions of it and cab would make it difficult to navigate through them.

Question: FEL performance & PTO capacities should be the same on either tractor, right?

 

[texbaylea]

Just a comment. A cab will be no more obstructive than a canopy on the ROPS and I consider a canopy a necessity in our climate. Helps keep the sun off. I would have bought an L3430HSTC if the budget would have stretched that far. A/C would be heavenly in our climate.

Vernon

 

[Marooned]

Vernon,
Yep, AC would be nice, but cab is not in budget. I'm gonna be stretching it as it is, my financial advisor put limitations on me (if you know what & who I mean!). That's why I'm looking to maybe save a little by going 4330. I'm just a little apprehensive about going for less HP. The general consesus on TBN seems to be "get the most HP you can afford". 4630 could be had, but might have to give up am implement to get it.

 

[JoeR]

Now that I have a cab on my tractor, all my friends and relatives are willing to help me do tractor work. My wife suddenly wants to help now too! No dirty clothes or sweating means less work for her too since my kids like to help and we generate plenty of laundry. I don't know how I survived so many hot summers with dust, sweat, and the smell of diesel covering me. I would sometimes take two to three showers a day along with clothes changing just to stay dry! I don't mind sweating, but when my underwear and feet get wet, I gotta change! Now with the A/C, I have less fatigue and can operate for hours in the 90F+ heat and 80%+ humidity.

Just my two cents, I know you can't justify it, but keep it in mind.

Good luck,

Joe

 

[SWB]

I think I read in one of the posts that although you get 3 more HP, you don't get a bump up in torque.

 

[Marooned]

I read the same post. Not sure where they got the torque figures from. I will ask dealer about torque specs when I go to talk w/ him to verify. Probably will be next week sometime though.

 

[jmc]

Marooned,

At the bottom of this post is a copy of my previous post describing how I used to use my old Ford 1920- around 34 HP gross. Basically I maintained 187 overgrown acres with it and a 5 ft bushhog. Now I own an L4330 and it will run circles around that Ford. I would be surprised if you needed more tractor than the 4330.

Both the 4330 and the 4630 have the same hydraulic pump and the same loader so even though the 4630 has more HP, that pump is still only going to pump so fast. The extra HP may help bushhogging extemely thick weeds but if its just occasional, you can slow down or overlap more.

John

<font color="red">
cuzncletus,

In the fall of 1988, I bought 187 acres of multifloral rose, johnson grass, 16 foot tall horseweeds, thorntrees and woods, about 200 miles away. It looked manageable.

The following summer, once I saw it grown up, I bought a 1920 with a 5 foot ford rotary cutter. Several years later, a local oldtimer, who had rented that ground off and on for 50 years, said it was the best he'd ever seen that farm. Of course it was because of that incredible tractor/cutter and a lot of seat time.

Take the 20 acres of bottom ground- the most fertile part of the farm. The horseweeds were so tall that on the first pass through, the tops of the weeds on either side of the pass would reclose to form a tunnel you could drive thru! Hidden in that mess were downed trees, washed up logs, and eroded groundhog holes. I learned to resist the temptation of mowing in 4x4 because it would climb up on those obstacles before you could react. Never the less, the 1920 would grind all that up at a slow walking speed, all day long. You just had to stop and clear the radiator screen once in a while.

I've also hit many solid limestone outcroppings and stumps, wrapped up wire fence in the cutter and there is no apparent damage. That farm is gone but I've still got the tractor.

John
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[Marooned]

John,

Thanks for the vote of confidence in the 4330.