Comparison Tractor sizing and comparison and choices...Help me identify potential candidates!

[chim]

Ah yes, I just revisited the HDS HST trans video, and I had forgotten about that special feature. It definitely is a great feature. I wonder if it truly is the best trans in the industry or just more popular than Yanmars transmission due to dealer prevalence and tractor popularity. The Yanmar hybrid trans looks to be very awesome as well.

Can't say the trans is the best on the market, but I really like it. Life and perceived "facts" are affected by preferences.

My wife of nearly 49 years is perfect for me. Some might want to say that she isn't the best one on the planet, but she's the only one I've ever had so I can't directly compare her with others and I wouldn't trade her for another

 

[Cranblue]

Purchased a L4701 with front loader,back hoe,6ft grade box,3pt quick hitch,and 4K pallet forks.We have property in west NC that was formerly a tree farm with most of trees left in rows to tight and crowded and to old to move or sell.I also was set on a 45-50 hp tractor for our 18.5 acre property looked at JD 4044r and M insane price Kioti was a close to getting my business to buy cash Kioti was little cheaper but Kubota had 0% finance.I personally felt Kubota hydraulics on FLB was smother more responsive I have come from years of Cranberry and Blue berry farming and ran back hoes,excavators,front end loaders,dozers,and of corse tractors.My 4701 pound for pound a work horse it’s not a JD 410 back hoe that I had years of running experience but for its size it works well for a home owner with a light foot print.I also looked at MX 5200 was like 1800 more in price got bigger front tires bigger FLB and obviously 52 hp turbo engine with cat 2 3pt hitch.I can do my work with Cat 1 implements and quick hitch I’ve never ran tractor over 2300 rpms so 45 hp is plenty of power.Hydraulics are good I had years of running a full size back hoe JD 410 now these are two different machines by a lot but my Kubota pound for pound is worker. I’m pleased after 130 hrs that my 4701 is great size tractor I’m glad I didn’t go bigger or smaller we’ve had a lot of rain here in the last year bigger tractor with bigger bucket means bigger ruts.Im very pleased with 4701��

 

[radios1]

you really wouldn't mind sitting on the tractor for hours each day, in the hot sun, and getting covered in dirt, and other things?. 128 acres is a lot of property without an air conditioned cab!!..

 

[MechanicalGuy]

you really wouldn't mind sitting on the tractor for hours each day, in the hot sun, and getting covered in dirt, and other things?. 128 acres is a lot of property without an air conditioned cab!!..

I'd rather have both an open top and a cab for when I wanna be on either. The 128 acres is really only a few roads and a few flat plots. Most is too steep and wooded to ever get a tractor on it. A lot of it is actually protected too. I am looking at buying something in late summer so I can get to work in the nicer fall weather. I know it's really too hot for me right now after noon and before 5pm, and I work from 6-3pm so I'm pretty limited. I imagine I'll spend a lot of Saturdays and Sundays working on it.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

Purchased a L4701 with front loader,back hoe,6ft grade box,3pt quick hitch,and 4K pallet forks.We have property in west NC that was formerly a tree farm with most of trees left in rows to tight and crowded and to old to move or sell.I also was set on a 45-50 hp tractor for our 18.5 acre property looked at JD 4044r and M insane price Kioti was a close to getting my business to buy cash Kioti was little cheaper but Kubota had 0% finance.I personally felt Kubota hydraulics on FLB was smother more responsive I have come from years of Cranberry and Blue berry farming and ran back hoes,excavators,front end loaders,dozers,and of corse tractors.My 4701 pound for pound a work horse it’s not a JD 410 back hoe that I had years of running experience but for its size it works well for a home owner with a light foot print.I also looked at MX 5200 was like 1800 more in price got bigger front tires bigger FLB and obviously 52 hp turbo engine with cat 2 3pt hitch.I can do my work with Cat 1 implements and quick hitch I’ve never ran tractor over 2300 rpms so 45 hp is plenty of power.Hydraulics are good I had years of running a full size back hoe JD 410 now these are two different machines by a lot but my Kubota pound for pound is worker. I’m pleased after 130 hrs that my 4701 is great size tractor I’m glad I didn’t go bigger or smaller we’ve had a lot of rain here in the last year bigger tractor with bigger bucket means bigger ruts.Im very pleased with 4701��

thanks for your experience. I'm really leaning to the L4701 and the MX4800, but I haven't even glanced at the Kioti tractors in person yet and I feel like I should definitely give them attention. The L4701 is perfectly sized in my opinion, but now I have learned about the hybrid transmission of the Grand L and I'm very curious.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

A quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important for tractor neophytes. Most new tractors are delivered with a glitch or two requiring correction. My Kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment after seven years. Dealer proximity is less important for those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance.

Transporting a tractor for non-warranty service is expensive and one of the services that slows tractor service departments. If tractor service is 30 miles away it often requires the dealer make four trips, two laden with the tractor and two empty. So 30 miles is actually 120 miles for service; at $2.00 (varies) per mile transport alone will cost ~~$240.00. When you have to wait for dealer transport it may be because dealer wants to schedule a tractor return in your direction prior to picking up your tractor.


While you are shopping tractors research the best local welder.

thanks. The FIL has a welder and a farm hand well versed in diesel mechanics and welding, and I've spent 9 years as a steel mill millwright, so I'm covered. FIL also has all the trucks and trailers I could ever need, he runs a 2000+ acre farm. He wants me to buy used and use some of his older implements, but I'm pretty sure about buying new right now. So man 0% deals it's hard to try and buy something 10 years old for 3/4 the price.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

A lot of work on the matrix for sure. I have done smaller ones comparing up to 4 tractors at a time with fewer specs.

Another thing you may want to consider is turning radius. Comparison of the wheelbase isn't necessarily an indicator of how sharp the tractor will turn. The circle scribed by the inside rear tire on a tight turn is 27" smaller with my L4240 than with my L3200 (71" vs. 98").

I would echo Jeff's comment on the HST/Plus. The on-the-fly range shift has been very useful.

Thanks. I wasn't worried at all about the turning radius, until you mentioned it. Now I'm looking over the steering mechanisms in the tractors and I really like the bevel gears of the Kubotas. I noticed a few tractors have u-joints. I will not buy one with u-joints. I saw a double u-joint cardovan in a JD. Those are much better, but that tractor was sky high way outta my budget. I guess I will pay attention to the steering radius now that you've mentioned it. I want a long wheelbase for the steep hillclimbs that I'll have to do daily just to get from spot to spot.

 

[ericm979]

My 20 acres is steep, half woods half brush. Manuverability was really important to me when I stepped up from my 16hp Kubota B7100. The Branson 3725 I got has a super tight steering angle and medium length wheelbase for it's size class.

The only things I'd change with the Branson are HST+ and more HP to run a PTO chipper. Shifting between ranges with many tractors is fussy- you have to stop and then coax it into the next gear. (the L3301 I test drove was worse than my Branson). Maybe it's still breaking in after 175 hours. My land's too steep to use high range and low range is only good for hard pulls. Being able to shift on the fly between two gears in medium range would speed things up when on longer traverses. For 120 acres I'd really want it. But the price difference is large.

I think I've stalled a tractor twice so stall guard isn't a draw for me. I can feel when the load is dragging the engine down. Some people mistake the HST pedal for the gas pedal and try pushing down more to get more power, when you need to do the opposite. Even if you know it intellectually there's a muscle memory there for a lot of people.

With loader and grapple work, mowing and pulling a box blade the 37hp I have is plenty. It's only when I am chipping larger material with the 8" PTO chipper that I want more power. The Branson is a heavy tractor for it's size and I got the rear tires loaded. I also got slightly smaller diameter wheels and tires, and 2" spacers on the rear. It's very stable on hills.

If you do a lot of PTO work an independent PTO is nice. When I'm running the chipper I can turn the PTO on and off from next to the tractor.

Linked throttle and HST is another useful feature. Branson has a simple cable that works well for low and medium ranges but isn't quite enough throttle for high range. An electronic one would presumeably work well for all ranges.

 

[Carl_NH]

I'd rather have both an open top and a cab for when I wanna be on either. The 128 acres is really only a few roads and a few flat plots. Most is too steep and wooded to ever get a tractor on it. A lot of it is actually protected too. I am looking at buying something in late summer so I can get to work in the nicer fall weather. I know it's really too hot for me right now after noon and before 5pm, and I work from 6-3pm so I'm pretty limited. I imagine I'll spend a lot of Saturdays and Sundays working on it.

One big consideration for a cab is on hills/steep terrain if anything did happen the full cab and frame does offer more protection, then ground bees and other things that like to bite are no issue with a cab. The comfort level (seats and such) seem to be a better quality in the cab models too. Concern about trees and clearance a cab vs a canopy there is not much difference in height I would not think.

Understanding there is a budget of course, the Kioti NX4510C used on tractor data $23K 200hrs, and they have a good lift capability 0% financing and a bit heavier. Not pitting one against the other as Kubota is a fine machine too but probably with a cab slightly more than the Kioti.

Good Luck in your tractor quest!

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I've seemingly narrowed my selections down a bit