I've been tractor shopping for several months looking at Kubota m7060, New Holland t4.75, Massey Ferguson 4607, and the 4707. There's not a lot of personal experience posted for the Masseys, so I took a leap of faith based on the technical specifications, a test drive, and good experience with the dealer. If anyone has questions about the tractor let me know. I have a Kubota m6040, and a smaller mx to compare to.
Comparison Bought a Massey 4707, Ask Me Anything
- Thread starter Tsauga
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coldsteelva
Veteran Member
Pictures? Oh yeah....welcome to TBN :welcome:
Wagtail
Super Star Member
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- St Helens, Tasmania, Australia
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- JD 4105 / JD Z355E (48" deck)
G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.
Enjoy the site.
Enjoy the site.
Wacky
Veteran Member
Am looking at a 4708 or 09. What do you think about the shuttle on this unit? The price seems right for the amount of tractor. Anything on this tractor, being made in China, cheaply designed or made, in your opinion?
How does it handle hills? Do you have a loader? Any negatives with it?
Sorry for the late reply, it didn't seem like this post was getting any action, so I stopped paying attention. We've had the 4707 for almost a year now and am pretty pleased with it. As far as cheaply made parts, I believe the parts are significantly heavier duty than our comparable Kubota M6040. The shuttle is fantastic has worked well, though I can only compare with Kubota manual shuttles, which are always sticky and a source of agravation for me.
We work some steep land and have been watching the side hill angles. In the manual it notes to not exceed 20 degree side hills but I've pushed 40 degrees. There are two issues with this. 1) The tractor sits up high on account of the large tires and it feels unstable in comparison to the Kubota. I'm not sure if this is real instability or just due to the elevated position. In any case, I feel more comfortable in the Kubota (open station) on side hills than the Massey. 2) Fuel deliver, I believe, has been a problem when the tank is under 1/4 full and you're in the 20-30 degree range. I've had it cut off and think it just isn't pulling in fuel. Now that I know this, I've been able to prevent it. This has never been a problem with the Kubota.
I have the self-leveling loader. It is fantastic. Super sensitive and smooth. I can also pickup significantly more weight with it than the Kubota. Also, the heavier tractor helps. It's really a well made loader, much smoother to operate than the Kubota.
Here are a few other things that are important that you didnt ask but I will tell you anyway:
- We blew out the front right CV joint on the axle which Massey covered without any hesitation, agreeing it was a factory defect. Looking the axles over, they look very solid in comparison to the other tractors we looked at. I am assuming this is a one-off situation though it may indicate poor construction.
- The serpentine belt came of and was damaged, the dealer also replaced this under warranty.
- Over the year, it has thrown a lot of errors but none of consequence. For instance, holding in the clutch too long will show as an error. Also, we had a water in the fuel error which was resolved after we drained the oil/water seperator.
- This is a bigger tractor than the Kubota which is a plus and a minus. For any heavy duty tasks it is a champ. For tight turning and nimblness, the Kubota wins hands down.
- The range of the 3 point hitch blows the Kubota out of the water and is generally a lot more stout and easier to hook up to implements.
- This is a clean burning engine, you'll be surprised how much you appreciate this after you switch back to an older tractor.
- Power (this is a big one) - The engine has no low-end power, you need to square with this. Once it's in the 1200 rpm range everything is fine. To compensate for this, the tractor has an auto function where it maintains a certain RPM and it works very well. I set this to about 1200 and leave it there when I a working which effectively sets the minimum rpm it will run at. Then I can use the hand or foot throttle to set working speed. In this way I don't have to worry about getting down into the no power zone. Above 1200 rpm, it has plenty of power.
Any other questions?
edit: Another thing came to mind, the turning radius on the Massey is abysmal.
We work some steep land and have been watching the side hill angles. In the manual it notes to not exceed 20 degree side hills but I've pushed 40 degrees. There are two issues with this. 1) The tractor sits up high on account of the large tires and it feels unstable in comparison to the Kubota. I'm not sure if this is real instability or just due to the elevated position. In any case, I feel more comfortable in the Kubota (open station) on side hills than the Massey. 2) Fuel deliver, I believe, has been a problem when the tank is under 1/4 full and you're in the 20-30 degree range. I've had it cut off and think it just isn't pulling in fuel. Now that I know this, I've been able to prevent it. This has never been a problem with the Kubota.
I have the self-leveling loader. It is fantastic. Super sensitive and smooth. I can also pickup significantly more weight with it than the Kubota. Also, the heavier tractor helps. It's really a well made loader, much smoother to operate than the Kubota.
Here are a few other things that are important that you didnt ask but I will tell you anyway:
- We blew out the front right CV joint on the axle which Massey covered without any hesitation, agreeing it was a factory defect. Looking the axles over, they look very solid in comparison to the other tractors we looked at. I am assuming this is a one-off situation though it may indicate poor construction.
- The serpentine belt came of and was damaged, the dealer also replaced this under warranty.
- Over the year, it has thrown a lot of errors but none of consequence. For instance, holding in the clutch too long will show as an error. Also, we had a water in the fuel error which was resolved after we drained the oil/water seperator.
- This is a bigger tractor than the Kubota which is a plus and a minus. For any heavy duty tasks it is a champ. For tight turning and nimblness, the Kubota wins hands down.
- The range of the 3 point hitch blows the Kubota out of the water and is generally a lot more stout and easier to hook up to implements.
- This is a clean burning engine, you'll be surprised how much you appreciate this after you switch back to an older tractor.
- Power (this is a big one) - The engine has no low-end power, you need to square with this. Once it's in the 1200 rpm range everything is fine. To compensate for this, the tractor has an auto function where it maintains a certain RPM and it works very well. I set this to about 1200 and leave it there when I a working which effectively sets the minimum rpm it will run at. Then I can use the hand or foot throttle to set working speed. In this way I don't have to worry about getting down into the no power zone. Above 1200 rpm, it has plenty of power.
Any other questions?
edit: Another thing came to mind, the turning radius on the Massey is abysmal.
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Maharaja
Bronze Member
I looked at a 4707 last week it seems very heavy and has large HD castings etc.
However lots of locals say Kubota if under 100 HP Deere if over.
I like you see pros and cons with size. MF financing is not as good as Kubota but cash price is better.
Would you buy again?
However lots of locals say Kubota if under 100 HP Deere if over.
I like you see pros and cons with size. MF financing is not as good as Kubota but cash price is better.
Would you buy again?
chim
Elite Member
With the description of the problems and observations, it is a valid question. I've bought two new Kubotas. Had one for 10 years and the second tractor for 6 now. With a combined 16 years of Kubota ownership, I haven't had the issues listed in his first year.
With regard to the heavy parts, I recall advice given to me many years ago by our retired head of the purchasing department at work. He fell in love with Chinese tractors when he was making trips to Montana, and told me I'd be better off buying a new Chinese tractor than the typical used tractor found locally. His host there owned several Chinese tractors, equipping each with a different implement.
Scott said the tractors were very reliable, cheap, unadorned and the parts were heavy as though they came off a Russian tank. His reasoning for the heavy parts was that the manufacturer couldn't be sure of the quality of the metal used in the castings, so they made everything heavier to compensate.
Maharaja
Bronze Member
Thanks great point @ over sized parts and or material composition for that matter.
I am 99% decided on Kubota
I am 99% decided on Kubota
Bigpuddie
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
- Messages
- 458
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 4707
Kubota builds a great machine, but they have rested on their heels with new technology and offerings. Personally, I am not a fan of anything with a DPF due to time to regen, excessive heat, and eventually needing to clean or replace, which is very expensive. Massey Ferguson was able to achieve tier 4 without any DPF On the 4700 series. This is huge. Case IH/NH were able to achieve this with a hybrid DPF that regens passively and only about half as often. If Kubota were able to achieve this, it would be a stellar machine. Fact of the matter is that you get alot more tractor for the money with the Massey 4707 or Case IH 75c. The only exception to this is if you need a lightweight, highly maneuverable tractor for your work, where the Kubota will shine. Feature for feature, Massey gives you most bang for the buck. Don't take lightly dealer support in your decision either . Best of luck
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