TYM T454 cab vs Branson 4720ch

[Cougsfan]

Today I spent the day on a TYM T454 that belongs to my neighbor. It is a very comparible tractor to my 4720CH. I thought you might be interested in what I noticed in differences.

They are both very good tractors and I would be happy with either. However there are distinct differences. Each has its advantages. It doesn't appear that hardly any parts are interchangeable from tractor to tractor. You'd never guess they are owned by the same parent company.

I found the TYM to be much roomier inside the cab. The TYM is considerably taller, which gives it more headroom, but would prevent it from going into my garage. The cab is also longer and wider and less cramped. The door is wider and easier to get in and out of, especially on the right side. It seems like you set lower in the TYM and can't see what the Bucket on the FEL is doing as easily. The TYM is also longer in both wheelbase and overall length. It sure didn't feel that way because the TYM felt much "twitchier" in high gear going down the road. The Branson will get into tighter places.

I much prefer the HST and all the controls on the TYM. The HST is much quieter and smoother and doesn't seem to rob as much power. The TYM FEL controls and remote rear controls run circles around the Branson as far as feel and the ability to fine control things. On the downside, the FEL on the TYM is extremely slow moving compared to the Branson.

I have a long steep hill to my house. The Branson struggles going up the hill in high range. The TYM went up much easier and faster despite being 2 hp less than the Branson. I think the difference is in the HST. I don't know this for a fact, but it just feels like the Branson HST robs more power. As far as doing other things, the tractors seemed equal in HP.

The TYM is much quieter overall. I can hear the radio in it to where the radio is useless in my Branson because of background noise.

Everything about the TYM seemed lighter duty. The TYM's FEL seems somewhat flimsy compared to the Branson. The front guard, the door framework, the steps, all those little things like that on the TYM are not nearly as robust as they are on the Branson. The TYM feels more flexible and flimsy going over rough ground. That shows in the weight. The Branson is close to 400 lb heavier. This difference in robustness a major item that sort of offsets all the convenience advantages of the TYM. I think in 10 years from now the Branson will be in better shape.

The lack of electronics and simplicity of the Branson is another advantage in my book. The TYM has all sorts of electronic gizmos I would never use that add to the chance of causing reliability problems.

One interesting thing, that stinky exhaust that smells like burnt plastic that people like Tractor Ernie have complained about on the Branson.... The TYM emits the same smell. It has been blamed on the Branson's unique soot burner. Well, that is obviously not the whole story.

Again, they are both good tractors. If I had it to do over, I'd probably buy whichever one has the best dealer support and best price. In my neck of the woods those factors are pretty equal too.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Interesting write up. Thank you. Do you know who's engine is in the TYM? Is it a Kukje/Cummins, or is it something else?

 

[ericm979]

The 454 uses a Yanmar engine like most of TYM's range. There's a couple models just recently that use Kukje engines. TYM markets them as economy models.

 

[ptsg]

Interesting comparison Cougsfan. Thanks for the write up.

Regarding the HST on the Branson taking more power, it might have to do with how Branson sets the tractor from factory. I've noticed on mine, that it seems a bit tight on the wheel bearings or something, almost like it's slightly braking. I've seen other people saying the same on other forums. I think if we put a Branson and any other tractor brand on a slight hill and let them free roll, the Branson would stop much sooner than the others.

On a local fair, I've compared Branson with several other brands and also noticed that Branson it's a much robust tractor than the others. I compared it with Kioti, Kubota, TYM and LS as the booths were just around the Branson one.

The stinky exhaust smell is most likely more of a DOC/DPF thing than a brand thing.

 

[Branson Bob]

Thanks for the observations Cougsfan. A friend has a Kubota L3901 same year as my 3520H. The Kubota is a beautiful tractor. I would dare say that it's a more refined machine than my Branson and probably outperforms the Branson on some of the finesse metrics, sensitivity of controls, etc. I definitely would like to have more precise control of my FEL loader and backhoe movements. Maybe there's an aftermarket way I can improve the precision of my hydraulics?

That said even though the Kubota has a few more engine horsepower and is a bit more polished, the Branson is much heavier, beefier, and rugged in its build and lifts substantially more with the FEL and with the 3 point. My tractor weighs approximately 4000 lbs vs 2750 lbs for the Kubota.

What you're buying with the Branson (at least in this horsepower range) is an extremely robust and overly-built, practically indestructible machine. I don't think there's another manufacturer that comes close in terms of sheer brawn. That is why I bought mine.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I would also like my FEL control to be more precise. The FEL lift is fine as is, but the bucket curl is what I have issue with. If there was an aftermarket control valve that could tighten that part up, I'd be interested too.

 

[Cougsfan]

I would also like my FEL control to be more precise. The FEL lift is fine as is, but the bucket curl is what I have issue with. If there was an aftermarket control valve that could tighten that part up, I'd be interested too.

The difference in the ability to control hydraulics is the one area where the TYM made Branson look really bad.

The visual thing I noticed on the FEL controls about the TYM vs the Branson; The cables on the the TYM are maybe 18" long and they are about 6 feet long on the Branson. Also the control lever you push and pull on the TYM is much much longer than Branson's short little stick. I think those two factors contribute heavily to the preciseness of the FEL controls.

On the rear remotes, The TYM is spring loaded both ways back to neutral. The Branson is not. I am forever going past neutral to the other direction (often when I think I have gone to neutral) on my Branson.

 

[Texasmark]

Interesting comparison Cougsfan. Thanks for the write up.

.................almost like it's slightly braking./........

Going to bet you it's in the tire ratio. Checking, just setup on a 20* give or take sloping hill and let it roll itself down the hill in and then out of 4wd with the drive source disconnected.....in N. Obviously you will notice a slower decent in 4wd since you are adding a drive mechanism to the rolling resistance, but if it's significant blame your front to rear tire rolling circumference ratio vs gear ratio not being setup properly by the person selecting the tire-wheel combination wherever that was, Korea, or Rome Ga. The tires are fighting each other when the front is connected in 4wd.

On the comparison between the TYM and Branson tractors in the 25ish HP range, when I went to the dealer to buy my 2400, a TYM of the same general hp range was sitting next to it. While the sales guy was doing the paper work, I diddled around with both. In short, I didn't change my mind on the tractor I went there to purchase.

 

[Aquamoose]

I would also like my FEL control to be more precise. The FEL lift is fine as is, but the bucket curl is what I have issue with. If there was an aftermarket control valve that could tighten that part up, I'd be interested too.

Have you considered a one way restrictor valve that can be placed inline and is adjustable?

 

[ptsg]

Going to bet you it's in the tire ratio. Checking, just setup on a 20* give or take sloping hill and let it roll itself down the hill in and then out of 4wd with the drive source disconnected.....in N. Obviously you will notice a slower decent in 4wd since you are adding a drive mechanism to the rolling resistance, but if it's significant blame your front to rear tire rolling circumference ratio vs gear ratio not being setup properly by the person selecting the tire-wheel combination wherever that was, Korea, or Rome Ga. The tires are fighting each other when the front is connected in 4wd.

On the comparison between the TYM and Branson tractors in the 25ish HP range, when I went to the dealer to buy my 2400, a TYM of the same general hp range was sitting next to it. While the sales guy was doing the paper work, I diddled around with both. In short, I didn't change my mind on the tractor I went there to purchase.

This is noticeable in 2WD, when going on the road. It slows the tractor enough, that I don't need to use brakes at all when coasting to a STOP sign on a flat road.

I've checked the brakes and are not dragging.

With 4WD, it will be very noticeable but that's to be expected. But I don't use the 4WD, other than in soft surfaces.