Kubota M7040 vs. JD 5403 vs. NH TN75A

[s012adh]

Hi! I have narrowed down my tractor choices to a Kubota M7040 (with MFWD and hydraulic shuttle), a John Deere 5403 (with MFWD), or a New Holland TN-75A (with FWD and 16x16 power shuttle transmission). Does anyone have any experiences or know of any pros/cons with any of these tractors? I have checked out each of these tractors and have gotten fairly similarly priced quotes between the 3 with the NH being the highest. All 3 dealers seem easy to work with so that doesn't help my decision at all. I am wanting this tractor so that I can make hay on about 5 acres of the land and bush hog another few acres. Ideally I'm trying to find a tractor that both my wife and I can easily handle which is why the synchronized gears (granted within a range only) is kinda nice to have. But the biggest thing I'm wanting is something that is reliable and if something does break, I want to be able to find parts easily well into the future. I know the 5403 has been redesigned this year with the SyncShuttle so I don't know if that should cause me to steer away from JD to make sure they have the bugs worked out. I know the Kubota is fairly new but in doing searches for tractors, I don't find many out there (especially used ones) so I don't know if not many are sold or if no one wants to sell their Kubotas. I would appreciate anyone's feedback, opinions, etc on any or all of these tractors.

Thanks!

Aaron

 

[Builder]

Hi! I have narrowed down my tractor choices to a Kubota M7040 (with MFWD and hydraulic shuttle), a John Deere 5403 (with MFWD), or a New Holland TN-75A (with FWD and 16x16 power shuttle transmission). Does anyone have any experiences or know of any pros/cons with any of these tractors? I have checked out each of these tractors and have gotten fairly similarly priced quotes between the 3 with the NH being the highest. All 3 dealers seem easy to work with so that doesn't help my decision at all. I am wanting this tractor so that I can make hay on about 5 acres of the land and bush hog another few acres. Ideally I'm trying to find a tractor that both my wife and I can easily handle which is why the synchronized gears (granted within a range only) is kinda nice to have. But the biggest thing I'm wanting is something that is reliable and if something does break, I want to be able to find parts easily well into the future. I know the 5403 has been redesigned this year with the SyncShuttle so I don't know if that should cause me to steer away from JD to make sure they have the bugs worked out. I know the Kubota is fairly new but in doing searches for tractors, I don't find many out there (especially used ones) so I don't know if not many are sold or if no one wants to sell their Kubotas. I would appreciate anyone's feedback, opinions, etc on any or all of these tractors.

Thanks!

Aaron

I can't assist you much with comparing the brands. You really can't go wrong with any of the 3, but there is a nice 7040 for sale by a TBN member. I'd love to have it, but business is down right now, so I must wait:

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHID=5274532&guid=85D7D30A9AF5459A94D1752D29E32417

 

[Gary51]

I compared the NH to the Kubota in the 95 hp range this past summer. I felt the Kubota was better engineered and smoother to operate. The NH had a lot of unprotected hydraulic lines just hanging under the tractor and the 4X3 trans was very awkward to use. (I was comparing cab tractors). My opinion was that NH was just trying to make a tractor as cheap as possible even though it was priced higher than the Kubota. I ended up buying the M9540. I didn't look at the JD line as there weren't any available in my area at that time.
At 300 hours so far I have been happy with the Kubota. - Gary

 

[s012adh]

Ultimately I'm trying to find a good tractor that is easy for my wife to use so that when she has to do some work with it, she doesn't get tired having to change directions and shift gears or in other words, the less clutching she has to do, the better. Yesterday I saw a Massey Ferguson 3635 that had a clutch button on the gear shift (vs. having to depress the clutch pedal) but I had a couple of friends that didn't have good luck with MF's so I'm inclined to stay away from them although that is a nice feature.

Next weekend, I'm planning to get to the stores again to test drive the tractors with my wife (assuming the weather ever decides to cooperate ). Does anyone know how the hydraulic shuttle works on the 7040? I know it has the lever to switch from forward to reverse without clutching. But how does the changing of gears work? I know the dealer said that you can change gears "on the fly" but I didn't think to ask at the time if that was without or with the use of the clutch.

 

[Bob_Young]

To change gears on the fly without using the clutch, you'd need a power shift transmission. Neither the 7040 nor the 5403 have powershift...dunno about the NH, but I doubt it. Normally it's a big tractor feature; but there is an exception.

To get powershift in a Kubota, you're in sort of an odd position....you have to go either up or down in size. The bigger M105X and M108X tractors have a true powershift. Also the smaller L5040 has Glideshift which, to my understanding, is a powershift transmission.

But, in the L-series, you can also get a hydrostatic transmission in the L5240 and the L5740. These might be even easier for your wife to use than a powershift transmission. If you're planning to make small square bales on your 5 acres, the L-series would be sufficient. I know I've made small square bales on small acreage with significantly less tractor than the L5x40s. If you're not striving for a super high production rate, pulling a wagon behind the baler for the kicker or baling on steep hills, there should be no problem. The hydrostat would let you conveniently choose whatever rate the tractor can easily handle....without even shifting.
FWIW
Bob

 

[s012adh]

I know I have looked at both Kubota's and John Deere's with HST but didn't realize that they would probably be powerful enough for my use...Highest PTO power I have seen with them is about 50 HP. Right now I have a Minneapolis Moline Jet Star 3 that struggles sometimes going up small hills with a 5' bush hog and just figured that I was needing something with a bit more horse power. I know the PTO HP on the Jet Star 3 is supposed to be 44 but I know the engine isn't running 100% so I may be getting a little less than that.

I probably don't have plans to make anything other than small bales but don't know if in the future sometime I make look at purchasing a mower-conditioner which requires more HP than the equipment I currently have.

 

[RFB]

s012adh,

Sir,

I have the previous series prior to the 40, an L5030HSTC which is 43 pto hp.

The 5740 is 50 pto hp. I think you owe it to yourself to try/demo the 5740 with the HST, and you may be pleasantly surprised at its capabilities. With my 5030 I pull an 8 foot triple k spring tine cultivator, a 7 foot towner offset disc, push mountains of snow with a 7.5 foot Curtis snow plow, and power an 8 foot Loftness 3pt snowblower.

The other issue is HST. My wife never operated a tractor prior to this one. She loves it. Cockpit workload is greatly reduced with HST. Push the pedal to go forward, push the back of the pedal to reverse. That's it.

The 5740 has more power than my 5030. Any good dealer should let you demo it. Then put her in it also, and let her play.

Then get out the wallet.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

If your haying and stuff, I'd say out of the compacts. Your not going to be saving any money by going with the smaller tractors, and you really should have the physicaly bigger machine for the tasks your considering. The M7040 shifts really easy, I would think you wife could learn.

 

[big bubba]

I totally agree w/the above post. If you are considering any ag applications however minor, I would go with the M series hyd. shuttle 7040. Anyone involved with hooking up 3 pts, and general equip applications should be able to handle depressing a clutch and shifting. The advantages of a larger frame tractor are numerous. Unless you're running a lawn and garden business, the smaller frame tractors have too many disadvantages and limited applications. Go with the 7040. I can't help with the other brands. In my mind Kubota is the best bb

 

[RFB]

Mr. Messick,

With all due respect, at what point does a compact cease being one. I think that the 5740 at 57hp (50pto) could definitely occupy a transitional category that is really larger and more capable than what one thinks of as a compact.

The 5740 should have more than enough capability for small scale (the original post indicated 5 acres of potential hay operations) haying and grounds keeping tasks.
big bubba,

"Anyone involved with hooking up 3 pts, and general equip applications should be able to handle depressing a clutch and shifting."

Without disparaging your opinion, I disagree. While my crystal ball is no better than anyone else's, I think that the entire premise of manual clutching/shifting transmissions is anachronistic, and in not too many years will be like crank up windows in cars. (Do they still make those?) The fact is that all manufacturers advertise the "new and improved" shifting capabilities of their respective transmissions. They would not do that if the overall customer base really wanted to jam gears. IVT/CVT transmissions are becoming more ubiquitous, and so are all of the various flavors of "powershifting" transmissions, all for the aforementioned reasons. Reduction of cockpit workload is not just a convenience, it enhances safety.

Finally, if the 3 pt "hooking up" evolution is regarding the alignment tasks, slipping a clutch to obtain precise positioning is significantly more difficult for those at the beginning portion of the learning curve. (There are some people who when faced with that task, will simply opt out.) The precision for incremental movement with HST/CVT/IVT is significantly easier to obtain with less instruction time and effort.