Branson 4815ch and 4820ch

[Matt VA]

I am in the market for a new tractor. Was sold on a Kioti DK4710se hc but the salesman turned me off a bit and the dealer is further away and I am not in their free delivery radius. So I discovered a Branson dealer closer by and read up on them. Seems like they are a good piece of equipment. I am not trying to decide between a 4815ch or a 4820ch. Spec for spec the 4215ch appears to be similar to the Kioti except it lifts 500 lbs less and wheel base is 5 inches shorter. It also appears (although I cannot tell completely from pics) that it rides on smaller tires than the DK. So the 4815ch would be a good bump in HP with 40 HP at the PTO instead of the Kioti 35. Its also about $3,000 less than the DK. The 4820 ch, appears to be dimensionally more similar to the Kioti, with a more comparable wheel based and I think 3 inches longer. It lifts more and is materially heavier. It would cost me about $400 more than the DK. Right now I have been unable to see these Bransons in person. Just different pictures on teh internet.

I have 53 acres, mostly pasture, maybe 10 acres of it are wooded. Also have about a 1/4 mile of road. So tractor would be for mowing, some log work with a grapple (I am making furniture and am looking to get a hobby saw mill), and maintaining road (box blade and rake). I know you are always told to get the biggest you can budget. But for my uses am I losing much if I buy the 4815 instead of the 4820? The one thing I thought is maybe the wider wheel base would provide more stability. Im risk adverse and would probably avoid trying to lift super massive logs a the edge of the envelope for the FEL.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Does your Branson dealer have both the 15 and 20 cabbed models on hand? I haven't seen a 15 series to compare it to, but I think the cab is going to be larger on the 20? Larger cab may make it a "better deal", just for the ease of getting in and out, and more comfortable operating space?

I would try to get time inside both cabs and see how similar or different they are. Climb in and out a couple of times, etc. It's my understanding that the current production (as of a couple years ago) 20 series has the same cab that my 25 series has on it. I'm 6'1", and have big feet and long arms. I have plenty of head clearance in my cab. Also, find out if both cabs come standard with A/C or not. Also I think the controls are in different locations on the 2 cabs. The Branson website has been a tragedy for years. It's like their motto was "build a great product- tell NO ONE". I can see it would be impossible to make an informed decision just based on what you can get off the website.

I think member K5 has put up some great pictures of the inside of his cab already, maybe look at those pictures? Not sure if any member with a new 20 series has put up cab pictures? I could put some up from inside my 25 cab, and I'm pretty sure they'd be the same. But it would be nice to be sure you were looking at the current 20 cab.

In general, I think the 20 series is over 1000 lbs heavier than the 15, and most of the time, more weight is better. Not always, if you have to travel over landscaped areas, wet lawns, or shallow septic fields, then more weight could be "bad". But for stability, wider and heavier will always trump narrower and lighter. Especially when lifting or FEL work. You also gain benefits for traction with more weight, and larger tires. Larger tires bring more ground clearance also. As long as you're paying attention, getting a cabbed tractor around in the woods is certainly doable. The cab glass is safety glass, like you'd find in your car or truck. It's not single pane window glass like in an old 50's house. It would take a pretty good smack to break the glass. I've been in tree rows with mine, you just have to pay attention. Any branch that's going to smack your glass, is going to smack the operator in an open station. And the cab will push small branches out of the way that would sweep across your arms, legs, face and head.

 

[ericm979]

For your uses I'd get the 20 series, no question. Mine seemed huge when I bought it (my last tractor was a Kubota B7100) but it shrank during the first year.

My land is steep. Operating on side hills is inevitable, even if it's just turning where it's not so steep so I can make another run up the steep part.. Branson uses three different series of wheels and tires: IND10, IND20 and IND25. The 10s are the smallest and come on the smaller frame models and the smaller engine 20s. The 25s are huge and fill the fenders. The 20s are in between. 20s and 25s have adjustable width. I had my dealer put 10s on my 3725 which normally comes with 20s, and add 2" spacers on the rear. This lowered the tractor for a lower CG but gave it a 70" wide footprint in the rear for stability. They also put Rimguard in the rear tires. That also lowers the CG. I'm cautious about sidehills but the tractor is very stable on them. The drawback of the smaller wheels and tires is reduced ground clearance. It hasn't been a problem but I pay attention when driving over stuff.

 

[K5lwq]

I would echo what Slim and Eric said. Best to get time in both to see the differences.

I am 6’3 and fit just fine in the 15 series cab. The 20 series is a little roomier. I had a buddy that passed before I got the tractor but no way he would be able to get in my cab. He was just a little wide at 400lb to fit. It was tight for him to get on my Kioti open station.

With your land I would choose the 20 series.

 

[ericm979]

If your saw logs get much over 18" you'll want the extra loader capacity of the 20 series and the tractor weight to go with it.
A 12' northern red oak log that's 18" at the small end and 24" at the big end will weigh about 1800 lbs. A good light grapple like the EA Wicked weighs in the 450lb range. That puts you over your 2200 lb loader capacity. The BL20 loader on my 3725 supposedly has a 2200lb capacity and it will just pick up an IBC tote full of green madrone, which should weigh between 1700 and 2200 lbs, plus 250 for the forks. So the specs may be conservative.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

With 40 pto hp, you can get a pretty good sized mower, also a chipper. Do you know what attachments you'd like to have?

If I had a bunch of pasture to mow, I'd be looking really hard at this 10 ft batwing:

TS1 Flex-Wing Rotary Cutter | RhinoAg

 

[Matt VA]

With 40 pto hp, you can get a pretty good sized mower, also a chipper. Do you know what attachments you'd like to have?

If I had a bunch of pasture to mow, I'd be looking really hard at this 10 ft batwing:

TS1 Flex-Wing Rotary Cutter | RhinoAg

For now, rotary cutter, box blade, rake, and grapple.

 

[Matt VA]

Thanks, the wider stance of the 20 over the 15 is attractive to me, as is somewhat lower center of gravity. But Branson is frustrating with their crummy website and Covid makes looking at inventory mostly impossible given all the supply chain disruptions.