4700 vs 4720?

SWIFFY · Jun 25, 2020

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post so sorry if this gets old....

I live in Central Minnesota on a 72 acre hobby farm. I take care of maintenance and food plotting on about 450 acres around connected. Maybe up to 10 acres of plots, trail maintenance, tree planting/removal, bale hauling, some culvert/drainage ditch work, brush cutting, and lots of snow removal! Ive been here about 10 years and have always had to rely on the neighbor for most row crop plots and snow removal and Im happy to say I've finally saved enough to buy a used tractor.

Im trying to keep this short and sweet but ive been researching taking advice on maxing out frame size etc. Ive found a JD 4700 with 3 rear hookups and FEL, and I have also found a 2011 JD 4720 with FEL and 1 rear hook up and 2 mid. Id like to know what your opinions are as far as the pros and cons between these 2 machines. Assume they are both in good condition. The older 4700 has 1500 hrs and the newer 4720 has closer to 3000.

What are the main differences between the machines themselves?What would be the advantages of the mid hookups compared to the rear? I plan mostly on pulling attachments but, I dont really know what the mid are for? Grapple? Belly mower?

Also, I have a John Deere and Kubota dealer within 15 miles so that is why im interested in JD (or Kubota i guess). Please suggest any other models you think may be better fitted for me.

Its clear there're a ton of knowledgeable people here. I have very little tractor experience to offer so please hit me with your thoughts and advice. Its greatly appreciated!

Swiffy

***If this belongs in different subforum feel free to move it. thanks***

chevy · Jun 25, 2020

Welcome.

The only major difference is that the 4700 has a Yanmar engine & the 4720 has a John Deere engine. Both are good engines.
Below are links to data on both tractors.

TractorData.com John Deere 47 tractor information

TractorData.com John Deere 472 tractor information

xrjohndeere · Jun 25, 2020

SWIFFY said:
Hi Everyone,

This is my first post so sorry if this gets old....

I live in Central Minnesota on a 72 acre hobby farm. I take care of maintenance and food plotting on about 450 acres around connected. Maybe up to 10 acres of plots, trail maintenance, tree planting/removal, bale hauling, some culvert/drainage ditch work, brush cutting, and lots of snow removal! Ive been here about 10 years and have always had to rely on the neighbor for most row crop plots and snow removal and Im happy to say I've finally saved enough to buy a used tractor.

Im trying to keep this short and sweet but ive been researching taking advice on maxing out frame size etc. Ive found a JD 4700 with 3 rear hookups and FEL, and I have also found a 2011 JD 4720 with FEL and 1 rear hook up and 2 mid. Id like to know what your opinions are as far as the pros and cons between these 2 machines. Assume they are both in good condition. The older 4700 has 1500 hrs and the newer 4720 has closer to 3000.

What are the main differences between the machines themselves?What would be the advantages of the mid hookups compared to the rear? I plan mostly on pulling attachments but, I dont really know what the mid are for? Grapple? Belly mower?

Also, I have a John Deere and Kubota dealer within 15 miles so that is why im interested in JD (or Kubota i guess). Please suggest any other models you think may be better fitted for me.

Its clear there're a ton of knowledgeable people here. I have very little tractor experience to offer so please hit me with your thoughts and advice. Its greatly appreciated!

Swiffy

***If this belongs in different subforum feel free to move it. thanks***

Virtually the same tractor with different engine. 4700 is Yanmar 4720 is John Deere engine. If I was choosing I would get the 4700 and in my opinion a better engine. John Deere went back to Yanmar in the 4 series. Do a search on the 4720 engine. They have internal injectors which are not a DYI repair and very expensive. Call a John Deere dealer and ask them what it cost to replace 4720 injectors. You will be shocked. I was. Yanmar has external injectors. That痴 my 2 cents. Good luck with your purchase.

kennyd · Jun 26, 2020

They are not "Virtually" the same in my opinion, spec wise yes very similar since the 4x20 was the next series after the 4x00 series, but the older 4700 has a "normal" hydrostatic trans versus the "eHydro" (electronic hydrostatic) on the 4x20 series has. Also the engine differnces as noted above.

Mid SCV's are used for the loader and is operated by the joystick to the right of the seat,so don't really count them since they are basically dedicated to the loader. The other rear SCV's could be extended to the front for a grapple, but may not be convenient to use if you have to remove your had from the joystick to operated them. Adding a "3rd function" to the loader can get costly, probably about $800 for a aftermarket WR Long kit.

dieselscout80 · Jun 26, 2020

What transmission does the 4700 have hydro or power reverser?

The 4720 is only hydro and a fair amount more HP.

chevy · Jun 26, 2020

From statements above, it appears that the major difference is that the 4700 has a lot fewer electronics on it that will fail & be costly to repair.

Zebrafive · Jun 26, 2020

I would want the 4700. I would consider the power reverser a "plus" if it had that.

Storm56 · Jun 26, 2020

I bought a 4700 new around 2000. Been a great tractor, mine is the power reverser. The 4720 has more power but to be honest mine has all you need in this size tractor. I like simple to maintain, I would buy the 4700 in a heartbeat if it has been taken care of.

SWIFFY · Jun 27, 2020

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I致e looked at the differences on tractordata many times etc. I知 just looking for opinions from people who have experience with either. I知 a firm believer on what can go wrong will, so I like less electronics. The 4700 is nice... you making me feel more comfortable with that machine.

Again thanks!