Buying Advice Kubota L4701 vs Yanmar L4900 (same darn tractor???)

[Poopdeck Pappy]

The Kubota has the advantage of resale value (although you might love it so much you would NEVER sell it), more PTO HP, no turbocharger and a much larger aftermarket.

The Yanmar has the advantage of a longer warranty, interim Tier 4 (no DPF/emissions nonsense to worry about), a little more weight, and you like the color better.

My only potential knocks on the Yanmar are (1) I hear that Yanmar likes to play hide the salami on warranty issues (but I've only heard that; it may be completely untrue), and (2) the Yanmar has less market presence than Kubota so the price should be lower than Kubota, not higher. There are some Yanmar owners here on TBN that seem to like their tractors a lot.

The loader lever is something that will become second nature to you after an hour or two in the seat. You will think about it about as much as you think about which wrist to look at to check the time on your watch. My Kioti has the lever right by the seat, and both of my Kubota's have them to the right of the steering wheel. I never think about it regardless of which tractor I'm on.

If it was me, I'd go sit on both of them and drive them around and see which one fit me better. You may find that one of them is a better fit than the other. Pay attention to things that could become a nuisance, such as a key that jams into your knee. See how easy it is to remove, clean and replace the radiator screen. Look at the locations of the oil and hydraulic fluid dipsticks to check them. Look at service items such as air filter, oil filter, hydraulic filter locations and see which one looks easier to service.

Also, instead of focusing only on the tractor price, figure out how you want it equipped and negotiate an out-the-door price for everything included. For example, it would be completely stupid not to get at least one set of rear hydraulic remotes, and I would STRONGLY encourage you to get at least two sets. (You can thank me later for that advice.) You will also want the rear tires loaded with beet juice or windshield washer fluid. If you ever want to run a grapple, you may want the third function hydraulics available for the front of the tractor. So, figure out how you want it set up and make sure all that stuff is priced in with the tractor.

Oh, one last thing. That Kubota orange looks mighty pretty when it's sitting in your garage.

 

[Grandad4]

They are really almost the same darn tractor! Ugh!

Unlike many who pose their "Which tractor" questions here, you've selected two very equivalent machines, to the exclusion of dozens if not hundreds of other models and brands available. One might expect that the capability of these machines in day-to-day operation is also pretty much the same, and your selection will boil largely down to your individual preferences and where you get the best deal and the best support.

One thing missing here is any description of what you might be using the tractor for. If you feel you've got the operational requirements pretty well nailed down to these two choices, say no more, but if that's still something of an open question...

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A couple of things, check out the seats. All seats are not the same. It's very nice to have a suspension seat vs a spring seat

Do not worry about having a turbo. The problems in the 60s-70s were on gas engines, not diesels that I am aware of. Just about every semi going down the road has a turbo and very common to go over 500,000 miles with zero problems. I currently have 5 engines that I can think of with a turbo and have had no problems at all. None.

 

[TSO]

The Yanmar will have a better loader by a fairly large margin.

That Yanmar is more of a "deluxe" model than that Kubota. The comparable Kubota would be the Grand L4740/4760, and then the loader specs would be nearly identical.

The HP difference you noticed is because Kubota calls their tractor models by "net" HP, which is slightly less than "gross" HP... So the Yanmar is probably 49 gross, and 46 net... Whereas that Kubota is probably 50 gross and 47 net.

Not that color matters, but I agree on yellow being preferable over orange.

Personally, I'd go with that Yanmar over that Kubota, but it would be a tougher choice between that Yanmar and the Kubota 4740/4760

 

[TJP89]

The Yanmar will have a better loader by a fairly large margin.

That Yanmar is more of a "deluxe" model than that Kubota. The comparable Kubota would be the Grand L4740/4760, and then the loader specs would be nearly identical.

The HP difference you noticed is because Kubota calls their tractor models by "net" HP, which is slightly less than "gross" HP... So the Yanmar is probably 49 gross, and 46 net... Whereas that Kubota is probably 50 gross and 47 net.

Not that color matters, but I agree on yellow being preferable over orange.

Personally, I'd go with that Yanmar over that Kubota, but it would be a tougher choice between that Yanmar and the Kubota 4740/4760

TSO has made the important distinction that the Kubota is the basic economy model, the Yanmar is a more deluxe model, hence the higher price. You have neglected the most important capacities, 3PTH lift, loader lift, and hydraulic pump gpms.
4701- 2320lbs on 3PTH, 4.7gpm steering pump, 7.8gpm implement pump, 12.5gpm total, 1263lbs on loader.
4900- 2760lbs on 3PTH, 6.8gpm steering pump, 9.0gpm implement pump, 15.8gpm total, 1855lbs on loader.

Both come with a mid PTO option. The Kubota is the base model, while the Yanmar is a deluxe model.

The Yanmar is more of a tractor, as you can see from the specs above. The 12.5gpm on the Kubota is less than what my 35HP Kioti has (12.8) I know of no reason why you should not go with the Yanmar.

 

[GManBart]

TSO has made the important distinction that the Kubota is the basic economy model, the Yanmar is a more deluxe model, hence the higher price. You have neglected the most important capacities, 3PTH lift, loader lift, and hydraulic pump gpms.
4701- 2320lbs on 3PTH, 4.7gpm steering pump, 7.8gpm implement pump, 12.5gpm total, 1263lbs on loader.
4900- 2760lbs on 3PTH, 6.8gpm steering pump, 9.0gpm implement pump, 15.8gpm total, 1855lbs on loader.

Both come with a mid PTO option. The Kubota is the base model, while the Yanmar is a deluxe model.

The Yanmar is more of a tractor, as you can see from the specs above. The 12.5gpm on the Kubota is less than what my 35HP Kioti has (12.8) I know of no reason why you should not go with the Yanmar.

Glad I read down this far, because this was pretty much what I was going to point out. More pump flow, more 3pt lift, more FEL lift (a lot) and an extra 8" of FEL lift height, which is significant.

I know people say having the FEL controls by the steering wheel isn't a negative, but if you do extensive loader work, your arm is going to get tired hanging out there in the breeze after a while. Further, I think it's easier to be precise if your arm is rested while working the FEL controls.

Having a turbo on the Yanmar isn't really much of a liability at all. Turbos go 1M miles on diesel trucks all the time without problems...they aren't like the turbo on racing car. Use good oil, let the engine cool briefly before shutdown if you've been working it hard, and check the manual for any related things like startup procedures after a long period of inactivity (2 weeks or more, for example) and it'll last indefinitely.

 

[TJP89]

I know people say having the FEL controls by the steering wheel isn't a negative, but if you do extensive loader work, your arm is going to get tired hanging out there in the breeze after a while. Further, I think it's easier to be precise if your arm is rested while working the FEL controls.

Yes, my Kioti loader valve position is beautiful, I can rest my arm while I operate the loader. Big difference on fatigue when loader work is the primary job of the day.

On loader lift, I have an example. I recently needed about 1500# of concrete for a project. Home Depot put the pallet on my trailer with a forklift. I took it off with my 3PTH mounted pallet forks (usually covered with plywood and used as a carry all). The whole time I was wishing I had 2 things, a set of SSQA forks, and enough loader capability to lift the pallet of concrete. With the Kubota, I would have been short, the Yanmar would have done it. That right there would sway me.

 

[PHPaul]

On the loader lever issue, my old JD had them up by the wheel, my Cabota has it by the arm rest.

Even allowing for the fact that the JD was the old two lever system, I MUCH prefer the arm rest position. Power steering plays into that as well, as I rarely have my right hand on the wheel anyway and I can rest it on the arm rest and diddle the loader control. Very comfy.

 

[HEC]

I was going to say Kubota all the way but after reading all the posts, the Yanmar sounds pretty darn good . I will say when I advertised a Kabota for sale, I only wished I had a few more to sell as for all the phone calls I received, and how fast it sold .

 

[oldpilgrim]

my old Fergie had the 2 levers up beside the wheel, and my new machine has them on the fender next to the seat. I much prefer them there. Much easier to feather the controls, and less tiring.