4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One?

   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #1  

FLDave

Silver Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Messages
118
Location
West Central Florida
Tractor
JD4320, loadmatch, speedmatch, motionmatch, automotive cruise, r4's
Hi All,

I'm getting seriously close here. I drove to a dealer 1 1/2 hours away and was suddenly in "Deere Heaven". They had almost all the ones I've been considering in stock. All except the one I really wanted to try which was the 4320.

We drove a 4410 HST, a 4wd 990, a 4120 HST, a 4520 HST, and a 4710 (HST is std.). I am just a little concerned with one thing that is preventing me from taking that final step.

Ok, a lot of people say that you should size your tractor for the work it will be doing a year or two down the road and not the immediate work at hand. This means, for example, if I have say a pond project but after that all I will need to do is mow and bush hog then I should buy a good mowing/bush hogging tractor rather than a giant behemoth with a backhoe.

In my case, I have 15 acres of pasture broken into 4 sections with horses, cows, ponds, and a house. I will need to scalp some turf and put in a barn pad, shell and grade a 1000-1600' of driveway, fill in 3 to 4 400' ditches that are 1 1/2' deep x 6' wide and move dirt here and there to help areas during Florda's rainy season.

After that it is bush hogging and mowing for the next 20 years. Maybe a some tilling because my wife eventually wants to make our pastures have certain grasses.

Mowing would eventually be the most frequent use for the tractor because it would be done on a weekly basis. Bush hogging would be next as a monthy chore. I would want a 5-6' rotary cutter for that.

My concern is that a new 20 series may be a bit heavy for finish mowing with r4's. It's 3700 lbs but the do sell belly (mmm) mowers for it. I was thinking of a 6-7' tow behind finish mower for our 3-4 acre yard but was worried a bit about the tractors weight. I would not mow or bush hog when it's wet out.

I was also thinking that I might be able to justify a bigger tractor if I picked up some pasture mowing jobs for like $45.00 per hour and to not buy the loader for a few months while my wallet recouperates.

Ok, that being said here's what I have:

JD 4410 HST, 4wd, 28hp PTO-$17,000 and $3,700 for a 430 fel

JD 990 collar shift, 4wd, 35hp PTO-$16,000 and $3,700 for a 430 fel (My wife was able to drive the standard no problem)

JD 4120 HST, 4wd, 35hp PTO-$19,500 and $3,400 for a 400X fel

JD 4320 HST, 4wd, 40hp PTO-$20,800 and $3,400 for a 400X fel

JD 4520 HST 4wd, 45hp PTO-$22,200 and $3,400 for a 400X fel

JD 4720 HST 4wd, 50hp PTO-$23,500 and $3,400 for a 400X fel

All of the above includes free pick-up and delivery during the warranty period.

Ok, which one will I be the most happy with? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Thanks,
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #2  
I was in your position a few months ago. I finally decided to go with the latest technology available and bought a 4320. It cost more than the 10 series, but the engine will meet the 2006 emissions regulations and theoretically will be more efficient at the same time. I wanted to go hydro, so my choices were 10 or 20 series only. I have no regrets. It is powerful, takes 30% less fuel than my garden tractor, and doesn't smell like it is spewing raw diesel out the exhaust like some I've been around. I am sure the other tractors would be fine, too, but I don't want to ever have to buy another one, and made sure this would satisfy me for 30 years or so. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #3  
First, if I were pasture mowing for hire, I'd get a beat up old Massey, or something. But, then, the pastures around you might be better than the stuff my friend that hires out gets to beat up his equipment with.

If you could wait, i'd say get a 3320 or 3520. The weight of a 4410, on steroids. (the 3720 is supposed to come several months later...)

Why is a 430 more $$ than a 400x?

For weight to affect mowing, you are considering compaction, in other words the PSI pressure applied to the ground. Even though the 4120 is 800 lbs more than the 4410, the weight is spread over a larger contact patch (bigger tires). I don't know if it is enough to compensate for you...
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #4  
Dave:


You silly tractor buyin' freak!....your makin' my head hurt!


yes...buy a mowing machine...and sub out the pond work. Belive me there is an "art" to digging a pond and he'll be much better at it than you and you won't have a hoe sitting in your barn that you payed for for years to come.

With that said.....I still like the 990 for $19,700 (and the wife can drive it.."perk") and see it the dealer will give you a break on the ridding mower for that lawn or some other rider for the lawn....but yes you can finnish mow with the 990 but I would do it off the rear and not a belly mower (I'm not real sure you can get a belly mower for the 990?)

Anywho....I'm not a fan of a belly mower but thats just me....I know your new home is not done yet....so when the landscapper from the builder comes...or if your doing it yourself....keep in mind your going to be mowing with a tractor and not a rider when planting and your should be fine.

The 4410 I think is a little small for your intended use.... I like the 990, 4120 & 4320. Thinking the 4520, 4720 are a little big for your intended use.


Whiskey
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #5  
Dave:

One more thing......

And just when do you think your going to have time to "mow for money"....it aint worth it with a bran new machine and the insurance, trailer, truck...

Just went back a reread what Mike and Glenn said and they both bring up good point's.......

I still like them basic and gear driven......but then again.....I don't want you callin' me and screamin at me over the phone....I HATE THIS FREAKIN' TRACTOR WHISKEY!!!!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Whiskey
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Glen,
Does your 4320 pull your MX6 ok? Can you pull it (and lift it) ok without the loader or front weights on?
Do you think you can finish mow a large yard with a 6-7' cutter and r4's? Or do you think it's too darn big and heavy?

Mike,
No clue why the 430 fel is more. Availability maybe?
Yes, compression is a big concern, maybe Glen can help out with advice since he owns a 20 series. Maybe I'll have to buy an aireator and use it often.
As far as the 3020 series goes I'd probably need the 3720 which may not be heavy enough to lift (without a fel or bunches of weights) a good size rotary cutter. Plus I don't think I can wait that long and put my salesman through the negotiation torture I already subjected him to on the 4020's.

Whisky (Dave) (I lost your number again so call or PM me),
Yeah the wife did good on the 990. Scared me a bit with all the cars in the parking lot but I think it was more of me (and my low "pucker factor" when I watch her drive things) waiting for her to finally press that clutch AND brake at the last moment. Parking lots have a higher "coast factor" then grass.
Going from 1st to reverse was quite easy as it was a straight shot on the shifter so it was only clutch-forward, clutch-reverse.
My only reservations are a 6' medium duty rotary cutter may be working it to the max and that my oldest girl who's 11 may be able to help mow in a few years and standard on the 990 may be too hard for her to learn on (plus the gizmos and the no-brainer factor on the hydros are sweet).

Help me, the 4520 is looking sweet and expensive at the moment. It had less operator station vibration than the 4120 & the 4720 that we tried.

Thanks,
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #7  
Dave,

Have not tried the MX6 without the loader. It calls for 720 lbs. of front ballast. It would probably be light, for sure. As far as mowing the yard, I wouldn't try it unless it had been dry for a while. It is a heavy chunk of iron, plus loaded rear tires (1500 lbs. more). With loader it is 6,000 lbs. plus. Compression will be a factor with any of the tractors you are looking at. I run R4's and they are quite wide, this helps some, but tracks from R1's would surely be deeper and more knarly. I would probably not try yard mowing with a MX6. It sticks out a ways and if you have to maneuver much it will eventually catch something you don't want caught on a turn. I stick with a 48" mower deck for my 2 acres of lawn. It does a lot better job...
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Glen,

I hope I didn't imply finish mowing the yard with a MX6. Yes, I would like the pasures to look nice. I mean, if I really wanted to mow all of the time I could probably finish mow my pastures. Just as long as the occasional petrified cow turd wouldn't hurt the blades. It's pretty much 90% Bahia Grass anyways. I meant I wanted to "finish" mow my 4 acre yard area with a 6-7 foot cutter (finish mower). Since most of my work will eventually end up bush-hogging and mowing maybe I should just get turfs. Then I would just have to wait until it was dry out to use the fel. If I bought front weights and cut the grass without the loader on then the unit would be around 4400-4500 lbs. The salesman said that landscapers bought them with turfs all the time. But that's why I'm here, I don't fully trust salesman. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Thoughts?
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #9  
Drop by my hilly little place and try out my MX6... And its behind a 4310... But don't think for a moment that it gets back there without the loader in place...
 
   / 4410, 990, 4120, 4320, 4520, 4720...Which One? #10  
Dave,

JD's old 4000 series demo tape shows large-frame units with turfs (perhaps the Galaxy turfs?) mowing fairways and greens without even a mark. So in theory...

However most everyone I know who has turfs on a tractor pretty much limits that tractor to just finish lawn mowing or cart pulling. More aggressive tires seem to make a big difference.

On the other hand - I think a large frame CUT is probably too heavy for finish mowing on a truely nice lawn with either R1s or R4s. I'm probably right at the high weight end with mine and there is no way it will ever do finish mowing on a good lawn set up as it is (filled R1's on a 4710, about 5800-6000 lbs with the loader). s'OK for me, I didn't plan on good lawn mowing with it anyway.

If you don't absolutely need the extra power and size the large frame brings to the table (and the 300CX loader does narrow the gap a little between loaders) then the mid-sized 4310/4410 seems to be an awfully good compromise as all-around CUT.
 

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