Deere 4044R or Kubota L3560

[69 SS]

Hello all ,1 payment left on 2015 L 3901 Kubota w 282 hrs. Allergies really bad so going with cab tractor w AC.4 plates,8 screws in neck from rear end last year. Both tractors close on price,trade in varies from either dealer. Air ride seat. Looking at around 340.00 monthly pmt. w 0% interest for 5 yrs. Deere has no extended warranty, Kubota makes you buy extended warranty for 0%,48.00 per month!. Done got old n beat up so need for AC and air ride seat. Anyone care to give advice or have anything to share about either of these tractors? July 25 last payment,have been to both dealers and have started credit approval process ,both dealers aware of my intent. Looking for advice. Which tractor is best. Thanks

 

[rScotty]

I have heard that the original Grammer air suspension seats are better than the Kubota air suspension seat, but I have no knowledge of whether that is so or no. Anyone?
I think that the seat in my JD is a Grammer. It came used with the tractor. Looks and works good, though. 6000 hrs.

BTW, it sounds like you might have just the tractor that spydermike72 is looking for. He posted looking for a tractor earlier today in Buying/Pricing/Comparisons.
rScotty

 

[nybirdman]

Only advise I would have if you go Kubota is look at a L4060 HSTC,more power when air is on.

 

[RjCorazza]

Full disclosure, I'm a Kubota guy...
It appears that the 4044r is more comparable to the L4060. The HST features seem similar with the notable exception of no Hi/Lo in each of three ranges that the Kubota HST has. I may have missed this on the JD info sheet though. I use this features a LOT.
I went with a cab tractor for the comfort factor, and haven't regretted getting a cabbed tractor for a second.
If you haven't already, you should probably go operate both tractors... Then buy the Kubota (just kidding).

 

[Fallon]

I have heard that the original Grammer air suspension seats are better than the Kubota air suspension seat, but I have no knowledge of whether that is so or no. Anyone?
I think that the seat in my JD is a Grammer. It came used with the tractor. Looks and works good, though. 6000 hrs.

BTW, it sounds like you might have just the tractor that spydermike72 is looking for. He posted looking for a tractor earlier today in Buying/Pricing/Comparisons.
rScotty

Granmar is the OEM for the Kubota air ride seat.

 

[rScotty]

Granmar is the OEM for the Kubota air ride seat.

I've heard that. I wonder though.... is it as good as the Grammer seat?
rScotty

 

[Fallon]

I upgraded from a L3200 to a L4060 a couple years ago for the cab & bells/whistles.

Really beyond the cab & radio I installed HST+ is the only bell & whistle I actually use. 2 speed HST+ is so worth it in & of itself. It's why i chose a Kubota over a JD. I'd make the same decision on that 1 factor again.

The Grands weigh a lot more than the economy models. Lots more traction & lift capacity. But in your case less HP pushing the extra weight. My L4060HSTC at Colorado altitude (15% less HP) is a little anemic roading on hills & mowing with my big mower. Fine HP to traction ratio for grading type work though.

 

[buck12]

I have no loyalty to any tractor brand my last tractor was a Mahindra. My current tractor is Kubota and my mower is JD. One thing to keep in mind is whether you want plastic or metal body panels. I choose metal because of my experience with my JD mower. It was nice cool in my Grand L cab today.

 

[chim]

My experience is with similar but older models (L3200 to an L4240) but agree very much with what Fallon stated. The HST+ is a great feature and I use it all the time. The other thing I use is the auto throttle. I manually bump the throttle to select the desired PTO RPM's and then use the pedal for forward and reverse. With that setup there's a spot where the pedal offers some resistance just prior to increasing the engine RPM's. With the trans in HI Turtle the ground speed is nice for comfortable travel in the yard.

After work yesterday I mowed our 3-1/2 acres and the neighbor's 1/2 acre. Had to cut back on the A/C after the cab cooled off a bit. Smiled at the deer flies bouncing off the glass. At one time in my life it seemed like a cab would be great for Winter. As I get older (71 this weekend) it's really nice in the heat, pollen and bug environment as well

 

[buck12]

My experience is with similar but older models (L3200 to an L4240) but agree very much with what Fallon stated. The HST+ is a great feature and I use it all the time. The other thing I use is the auto throttle. I manually bump the throttle to select the desired PTO RPM's and then use the pedal for forward and reverse. With that setup there's a spot where the pedal offers some resistance just prior to increasing the engine RPM's. With the trans in HI Turtle the ground speed is nice for comfortable travel in the yard.

After work yesterday I mowed our 3-1/2 acres and the neighbor's 1/2 acre. Had to cut back on the A/C after the cab cooled off a bit. Smiled at the deer flies bouncing off the glass. At one time in my life it seemed like a cab would be great for Winter. As I get older (71 this weekend) it's really nice in the heat, pollen and bug environment as well

It is amazing the difference a cab makes. I now get on my tractor to take a break from real work. Just today I was working on the cabin, when I got tired I hopped on the tractor for an hour or so to smooth some rough spots in the road then went back to the manual labor. AC in June is sweet.

 

[powersrp]

go kubota, lol, what kind of emissions syetem on the jd? and how are the reviews or problems?

 

[Ortimber]

go kubota, lol, what kind of emissions syetem on the jd? and how are the reviews or problems?

The emissions systems are similar on both machines. In my opinion, they are both going to be similar in reliability as well. We have a combined 3000hrs spread out amongst newer Deere and Kubota tier 4 equipment. Emissions problems are non existent.

 

[ovrszd]

The emissions systems are similar on both machines. In my opinion, they are both going to be similar in reliability as well. We have a combined 3000hrs spread out amongst newer Deere and Kubota tier 4 equipment. Emissions problems are non existent.

Good post. Real World experiences.

 

[Fallon]

The emissions systems are similar on both machines. In my opinion, they are both going to be similar in reliability as well. We have a combined 3000hrs spread out amongst newer Deere and Kubota tier 4 equipment. Emissions problems are non existent.

Seems to be that way for the big tractor & diesel pickups these days. Not to bad, but a few more issues that you'd expect bolting a bunch of extra stuff to an engine. They all seem to have similar levels of issues & cost to repair.

The 1 advantage JD had over Kubota was a bit smoother of a HST & a nice dedicated knob to adjust HST response. On Kubota its 1 button to controll the whole dam dash, including finding the HST responsiveness menu then adjusting that setting. Granted I probably wouldn't fiddle with it much at all on the JD, but I definitely don't on the Kubota. That Intellipanel UI on the Kubota is one of the worst parts. A knob & push button to navigate the menu would be so insanely better than just 1 button.

 

[69 SS]

Thanks to all who replied. Been on the Orange and Green websites. Lots of info from all. But still not enough to make up my mind either way. I welcome any and all input. Neither dealer has come up with a definitive "final" cost offer. I told them payoff date.July 25, so maybe try get busy after the July 4 vacation. Thanks to all, have safe and happy July 4 weekend,and good luck on all your projects

 

[JethroB]

I agree with others that the L4060 (or L4760) is a better comparison to the JD4044R in terms of not only HP but also weight and physical size versus the L3560. I went through these comparisons a couple of years ago before buying a L5460 for a little extra oomph. Both are deluxe tractors from the top premium manufacturers so you likely can’t go wrong. I too preferred the JD knob and buttons (and on the fender to boot!) but the HST+ Hi/lo, lower fuel filler location, and single treadle pedal won me over to the Kubota. Test drive both and perhaps one will just feel better to you.

Good luck.

 

[Fallon]

I agree with RjCorrazo that the L4060 (or L4760) is a better comparison to the JD4044R in terms of not only HP but also weight and physical size versus the L3560. I went through these comparisons a couple of years ago before buying a L5460 for a little extra oomph. Both are deluxe tractors from the premium manufacturers so you likely can’t go wrong. I too preferred the JD knobs and buttons (and on the fender to boot) but the HST+, lower fuel filler location, and single treadle pedal won me over to the Kubota. Test drive both and perhaps one will just feel better to you.

Good luck.

All the Grand Kubotas are the same "frame". Bigger front axle & Cat 2 3pt on the L4760 & above. Different tires at several points. Obviously different engine & turbo combos for the extra HP. But it's only 200-300lbs between the L3560 & L6060. Hydraulic flow is pretty much the same across al of them.

There are 3 loader options. You can only spec the big loader on the L4760 & above. I assume due to the bigger front axle.

As noted, take them for a test drive & see which fits best. That's more relevant than a lot of other factors as you have to sit in that station for hours on end. I prefer the single treadle vs double pedal HST control. But that's mostly because I started off Kubota. I run a 15 year old JD that's the same weight & HP on occasion. I dislike re-learning the controls (mostly HST pedals) that are different than mine, but they aren't intrinsically worse.

I still think 2 speed HST+ is a defining difference. Beyond that the Kubota & JD machines have similar design & build quality.

 

[chim]

....................The 1 advantage JD had over Kubota was a bit smoother of a HST & a nice dedicated knob to adjust HST response. On Kubota its 1 button to controll the whole dam dash, including finding the HST responsiveness menu then adjusting that setting..................................

I have an earlier model - L4240HSTC - and the response is adjustable via a dial on the left side of the dash. I keep mine at the midpoint, so although the dial is nice I never use it.

 

[buck12]

I have an earlier model - L4240HSTC - and the response is adjustable via a dial on the left side of the dash. I keep mine at the midpoint, so although the dial is nice I never use it.

The Grand L 60 series are adjustable. The problem is there one button that controls everything from the clock to HST response and everything in between. This one of the few things I don’t like about my tractor.

 

[Fallon]

The Grand L 60 series are adjustable. The problem is there one button that controls everything from the clock to HST response and everything in between. This one of the few things I don’t like about my tractor.

Ya, it would take me a minute or 2 & a dozen button pushes to tweak mine. Haven't looked at what it's set at in a while. 25% towards responsive I expect. In all honesty I probably wouldn't mess with it much even if it was trivially easy to adjust like on the JDs.