Deere 4520 versus Kubota 5740... I am need of your thoughts and expertise.

[DieselnHooters]

Matt, two things strike me the most from your list of _likes and _dislikes

The Deere has a better cab , more ergonomic , pressurised with air ride seat BUT the Kub has that famed Kubota diesel engine made in Japan versus that whateva assembled in Mexico

 

[ctlguy]

Kind of sounds like you have made up your mind based on cab coments and your allergy's and the dealer quality you mentioned. Have fun with your Deere tractor. I would maybe point out that the powertech engine, although mfg in Mexico, is not by any means a NEW engine. These engines have been around for a while now and really all of the bugs have been worked out. Did not see much issues with the engines in tractors but did experience some issues with the same engine family from some of the first powerunits (pumps, gen sets, etc) and some of the skid steers. This was however about 6 years ago and they have held up well. You might also consider checking out the university of Nebraska test lab web site and look at some third party comparisons, can be some interesting information on there. Especially related to fuel usage, engine power bulge, and three point capabilities.

 

[Piston]

well my tractor is a mx5100 hst 4x4 with la844 quiicktatch loader.an it can lift an move 5 by 6 bales on the front an rear safely.the jd dealer said doing that would flip our tractor you need to really step up in hp.

I think the dealer must not know what he is talking about as hp won't change anything regarding lift capacity, it all has to do with frame size and hydraulics, all the 4x20 series have the same hyd pump and lift capacities. They are just as bit as capable as the kubota. I have basically the same tractor as the mx5100 and my neighbor had the 4720. I didn't see a difference in them. I'm actually quite dissapointed with the lift capacity of my Kubota (still love my tractor but my expectations were wrong, that's my own fault) Bottome line though is you won't notice a difference with either tractor capability wise. Go with whatever one you feel better in, and that sounds like the Deere.

I wouldn't worry SO much about the dealer you choose. I know most people won't agree with me but I think a lot of people stress going with the best dealer too much, they read it SO much on TBN that you start thinking ya, you really need to worry about the dealer.

Sure you don't want a horrible dealer but when it all comes down to it, your tractor isn't going to be at the dealership all that often. You will be using it a lot more than you deal with your dealership, I'd rather be happy in the tractor I like, and have to deal with some annoyances from the dealer, than be in a tractor I don't like as much, yet I have an awesome dealer, for those once every couple years that something actually breaks. Most services are pretty straight forward.

I think if your using your tractor for business and can't take the chance of being stranded and broken down for more than a day or so, then the dealer support becomes more important. However, I'd like to know how many people actually are dealing with their dealer on a weekly or monthly basis, if they are, then they're tractor has serious problems.

 

[94BULLITT]

One huge advantage the kubtoa has over the jd is the hst+, primarily the dual speed hydro. That is probably my favorite thing about my 4240. My tractor is almost always in medium range becasue it. I have plenty of power in low in the ds and in high I can run 10mph. I have alergees too. I have not had a problem with that on my tractor, I have 45hrs on it now. One thing that may help is putting the a/c on recirculate. The cab on these tractor are seales really tight. I mostly open a side window so I dont have to slam the door as hard. You can get a tnt on the Kubota too. Alot of people complain about the kubota seat, I did not like mine at first. 2 different times I bottomed it out which does not feel good. I played around with the adjustment and it rides really good now. I think most people are running them too soft.

 

[daugen]

I had to tighten up my 5740 seat several times before I wouldn't crash against the bottom. Then I added a thin seat pillow of memory foam and I was seriously comfortable. Plus I let some air out of the R4's in the back, which were pumped up too much by the dealer, and the ride is even better now all around. Since I have a heavy FEL grapple, I did not take air out of the front tires. Just takes some fiddling and fine tuning.

 

[PioneerMan]

Idk how much you would want to lift with the grapple, but my only .02 would be to at least consider a 400cx. More capacity means more lifting with a big heavy grapple...

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I wouldn't worry SO much about the dealer you choose. I know most people won't agree with me but I think a lot of people stress going with the best dealer too much, they read it SO much on TBN that you start thinking ya, you really need to worry about the dealer.

Sure you don't want a horrible dealer but when it all comes down to it, your tractor isn't going to be at the dealership all that often. You will be using it a lot more than you deal with your dealership, I'd rather be happy in the tractor I like, and have to deal with some annoyances from the dealer, than be in a tractor I don't like as much, yet I have an awesome dealer, for those once every couple years that something actually breaks. Most services are pretty straight forward.

I think if your using your tractor for business and can't take the chance of being stranded and broken down for more than a day or so, then the dealer support becomes more important. However, I'd like to know how many people actually are dealing with their dealer on a weekly or monthly basis, if they are, then they're tractor has serious problems.

Piston, I agree and disagree. I also use to think that many people here on TBN waaaaaay over rate having a good dealer. I personally don't need a good dealer, I am able to do whatever repairs might ever need to be done. Thus the feeling of what's the big deal about having a good dealer over having the tractor that you would prefer to have. I happen to have a great dealer, although he is 650 miles away. But many if not most tractor owners do not have the inclination to do serious repairs on their machines and I'm actually surprised with how many actually have the dealers do small repairs & or service their machines. Here is where a good dealer comes into play, when there is any problem or even a question that needs to be answered, his dealer is there for him. Most of it is just piece of mind that "IF THERE IS A PROBLEM" it will be taken care of.

I 100% agree that if you have a tractor that is in at the dealers every week :shocked: or even every month then that tractor has some serious problems. I think that a lot of TBNers are first time tractor owners and figure that a tractor is going to be at the dealers a few times similar to a new car or truck. I believe that in all reality most tractors of all makes NEVER go back to the dealer.

I may very well be wrong, but this is what I have surmised from personal experience and reading TBN for years.

Both tractors are good machines and I would think that the OP would be happy with either one.

Just my :2cents:

 

[MHarryE]

Sounds like you have tried both and have definite reasons to go with the Deere. I did my comparison and went with the Kubota although we have mostly Deere large ag tractors. The Kubota treadle pedal was a plus for me but that is personal preference. I too have many allergies but have found the Kubota cab to do well for me. I miss the air suspension of our Deeres and New Holland, no doubt about that. The Kubota hydro is top notch. I wish my Kubota had more loader lift and curl power - not sure how that compares with the Deere. My Kubota cab is very noisy compared to our larger Deeres, something I would look at more closely if I were buying again. The Kubota has a Cat 1 - 2 (can handle both) while when I bought the Deere was only Cat 1 capable so I can use some heavier implements we have for our large tractors like HD bale spear. The Kubota engine is Kubota quality but it is indirect injected while the engine on the Deere size you are looking at is I believe direct injected and when I compared fuel economy figures, it uses a lot less fuel than the Kubota throughout the power range if that is a consideration.

 

[milkman636]

While not the same model, my 12 year old Deere has a Powertech 3029 (2.9L) engine. It has never given me a lick of trouble, and it starts great even in sub-zero weather with only a combustion air pre heater. It doesn't have any glowplugs to worry about. Deere makes a good diesel engine.

The economy pto option offered by Deere is also something that I haven't seen from Kubota. Mine lets me run 540 pto rpms at only 1700 engine rpms. It is great for anything you're running on the pto that doesn't require full horsepower.

The Deere also has a wet clutch and planetary final drives. I also like that Deere publishes specifications like axle capacities.

I'm not disparaging the Kubota in any way they are nice machines, but I do like my Deere and feel its quality is second to none.

 

[JoeBuyer]

We have many excellent brands of tractors, but if buying new we would go with JD or Kubota. As a rule of thumb Kubota under 60 HP and JD at or above 60 HP. Just my $0.02. I fundamentally think JD has their act together on big machines par none. But I also think Kubota is better than Yandeere on the smaller stuff.