3720 v. 4520

[jcmseven]

Fellow Posters,

Today was a big day. One of my business partners was testing a 4520 from our local dealer today to replace his old Massey. I am not 100% sure he will get the tractor because of his close relationship with the local MF dealer. (This is one reason I was so interested in this particular machine. The main purpose for my friend is mowing the 10 or so acres he finish mows. He asked me to join him since I have a John Deere machine and he thought I could provide at least a little insight. He actually asked the dealer to take the loader that was with the tractor off to do this, so I could gather no information on the loader. I had an opportunity to compare my 3720 to the 4520 for about two hours today, mowing. Here are my initial thoughts. I should note where we were mowing it is QUITE hilly. The 4520 definitely felt more stable. There were several places where my 3720 slid sideways, but with the 4WD would not slow moving forward. The 4520 seemed a good bit more laterally stable and seemed to remain "planted" slightly better. Powering the 72" inch RFM with mine and the 84" RFM with the 4520 seemed about the same. The 84" RFM that my friend attached to the 4520 was not as nice as my RFM, so the cut was not quite as good. I then took the 4520 up to my house to see how it did with my hills. The answer: quite well. I would rate the hill capacity as being as good as my machine, if not slightly better in some places (but not all). I did not have a chance to use a box blade or loader on this machine. One reason that I have taken so much interest in helping my business partner on this personal mission (beside the fact that I am wanting to convert him to green) is that this particular tractor is an oversell and will be sold for close to invoice price, either to him, myself or someone else. I really would say that if I were to trade at all, I would trade for a 4720, but currently this machine is so well-priced I would consider it, provided that it would represent a real improvement over what I have already. My main concern is the machine's size. It is a good bit larger than my 3720 is, and much more machine than I need (or my wife wants me to have). Should I still consider it? Should I do nothing--i.e. keep the 3720, which is probably the largest machine I could actually justify; or should I wait to order a 4720, which would immediately make me homeless--my wife might disown me. Thoughts?

John M

 

[Dirtboy]

Great post John, to bad you didnt get A chance to play with the loader. Im in the same boat except I dont even have A tractor yet . My property screams 3320 at the most but I scream 4320.I have A friend that lives in the city. He has A big 1 acre lot and A NH TC45da . He is retired, in the summer he runs around and does favors for people and in the winter he plows out all the drives on his street. He loves his HUGE tractor and wouldnt change A thing. I think you should order the 4720. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The wife will adjust and I think in no time that 4720 will feel like the 3720. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Adios, Mike

 

[BloomingtonMike]

I am purchasing a 3320 so I know the model I will have. I "borrowed" a John Deere twenty series Safety and Operational DVD Video from a dealers lot and just watched it. It is great and does a great job at showing both tractors. No gorey specs by any means but really nice to watch these two tractors in action. I really think your HP needs will dictate the size as these two tractors are very similar. Size wise I really do not think they are all that much different - I sat on both again tonight while checking out implements. I know the 4520 is bigger than a 3320 but not by a huge margin at all. I think if the 3720 is doing it for you then you are well on your way to owning the right machine.

My 3320 will mostly be a mower when it comes to the truth of use. I did the right thing for my lawn and ordered a 7-iron MMM. I think it was I needed to do right off.

Automotive cruise and MM switches will be next for the $85 or whatever they cost.

After that a box blade.

In the video I saw top and tilt with hydrolic control - WOW!! that was freeking awesome. Not practicle for me yet but my tractor will have that some day!!

The canopy also looks nice!

 

[fastpat]

Thanks for the "decision making" process demonstration. I too am looking for a tractor to suit my needs. My property is 11 acres on a hillside, with about 4 acres of grass and the rest in woods. I will be clearing a portion of the woods over time, so I need the power to run a backhoe, mower, and some sort of tiller.

I think the 4720 is the answer.

Pat

 

[jcmseven]

I have a few questions to pose to the group. My neighbor, as noted in the original post, is looking at this 4520 that the local dealer has in stock. He reports he will make a decision about purchasing this machine within the week. Being a Massey guy, he is already looking at MF models for comparison, so the odds are about 60/40 that he will get the John Deere machine in my best estimate. I personally would like the 4720, if I were to trade at all, but the deal on this 4520 may be too good to pass up. I have generated some questions specifically related to the large v. medium frame machine: first, would there be a substantial difference between the two (4520 and 4720) in pulling, say, a box blade, if equally ballasted? I operate a lot on hills, and it really saves time to be able to pull rear-mounted ground engaging attachments both up and down the hills. My 4310 really had trouble with this at times and my 3720 does really well, and is limited only by its weight. If I were to look at a large frame machine, I would want it to pull a 6' BB as well as, or better than, my current machine with a 5'. Second, are the bucket mounting points the same and same width between the 300cx and 400 x loaders? I have a front mounted boom blade for snow removal and light grading that I really do not want to part with, and I have not been able to measure the brackets yet. Next, I have a 1072E Frontier RFM with a rated 30 hp gearbox. Technically, I am over the box rating with my current machine (35.5 PTO HP) but with either a 4520 or a 4720, I will be WAY over. If mainly I mow light grass, would this present a problem? I certainly at this point am not sure that I will trade for anything, but I may need to make a decision fairly quickly, and wanted to have this information at the ready. Thanks again.

John M