Calling out to all 4120 owners

[Dirtboy]

Hi all, I have been researching tractors for a few years and have settled on a Deere 4000 series, the 4120 to be exact. Was wondering how you guys like your tractors and if the power is what you expected. I will be getting a loader, tiller, and a rear finish mower. Tranny choices are also haunting me. For you guys that have the Reverser tranny, do you like it ? Is it easy to operate? I will be making my purchase hopefully before winter. I appreciate all the info I can get. Thanks, Mike

 

[Greyfields]

I have hydrostatic transmission on my 4120. I don't see the point of the power reverser since HST does the same thing for you.

I am happy with the power and lifting. I currently use aa 6' rotary cutter, 2 bottom plow, 6' wide tandem discs, 6' tiller, post hole digger, 8' wide by 6' long blanket harrow and 6' wide ripper.

Arrivin on Tuesday is a MF 1745 small round baler, Braber rake/tedder, 6' Hesston disc mower and a Great Plains 3-PT seed drill. So, I'd say yes you can do a lot of farming with a 4120, plus it fits into our garden. It leaves some marks in the grass, but they go away after a couple days.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd get the 4320. There are oodles of attachments requiring a 40 HP PTO. It gets more and more scarce as you get down to 35 HP (you end up using 30 HP implements if you can't find a 40 HP thing you feel you can easily run).

There is just something I love with this tractor when the turbo kicks in and the pathetic grasses are obliterated. Not in my field, Mr Tussock Grass.

 

[Cidertom]

Tranny choices are also haunting me. For you guys that have the Reverser tranny, do you like it ? Is it easy to operate? Thanks, Mike

Having run the hydro stuff and now two different tractors with 12/12. My money is still on the 12/12. My current tool is a 4520 so I have a bit more HP than the 4120. For me part of it is I spend a lot of time shuttling in reverse. Finding the floor pedal while turned around in the seat is a pain. Overall my experience is it is better for my type of chores. Sure, there are times I wished for a hydro, but not too often.

 

[jamestaylor72]

Hi all, I have been researching tractors for a few years and have settled on a Deere 4000 series, the 4120 to be exact. Was wondering how you guys like your tractors and if the power is what you expected. I will be getting a loader, tiller, and a rear finish mower. Tranny choices are also haunting me. For you guys that have the Reverser tranny, do you like it ? Is it easy to operate? I will be making my purchase hopefully before winter. I appreciate all the info I can get. Thanks, Mike

Hi Dirtboy,, I've got a 4120 with the power reverser, and I love it. I maintain 20 acres with mine, run a 6ft. KK brushhog, use the FEL year round, and have yet to have any issues with it. And I don't care what they say about the r-4 tires,, I've had this tractor buried up to the axles in mud, with the FEL and Brushhog still attached, and and slowly but surely it dug its own way out. " while leaving 30'' deep ruts though" As far as power goes, I'd say it has more than enough for me, plus , ya gotta love that turbo whine !!

 

[tuolumne]

+1 for the turbo whine! I have a 3520 with 12/12 transmission and love it...especially for loader work.

 

[braque1]

I have a 4120 with the power reverser transmission and love it. It is very easy to use. I do not regret buying it at all. Regardless of the transmission you chose, the 4000 series is a great machine.

Good luck.

 

[Dirtboy]

Thanks guys for all the good info. Had to go to the dr. today, have been coughing up some yellowish green stuff with blood in it. He looked at my throat and voice box with a scope and said all looked fine. He ordered a chest cat scan which i get on monday.We had an oil spill at our house on may 1st. I hope the vapors didnt irritate my lungs. Im 40 yrs old and a non smoker/ drinker. I feel fine otherwise. The doc. said I may have to get a cab tractor!!! Anyway thanks for listening and keep the good tractor info coming. Mike

 

[ChrisJD4320]

I have a 4320 Power Reverser and I totally love it. Actually my "real" farming friends say they would choose the PRT over the HST hands down. They say they would be afraid of maintenance issues in an everday hard use situation. As far as the PRT goes, it's nice to not have to use the clutch when changing directions. I just put it in gear and go. As far as power goes I have used an 8' monster sized tiller, a New Holland Super 77 small square baler, TSC Post hole digger, an MX6 rotary cutter, and a 7' rear blade. In each case the tractor had PLENTY of power to spare and it didnt feel like it was being worked with any of the aforementioned attachments. I am new to tractors, and it scares me sometimes when the turbo really kicks in. It feels like a fire-breathing beast! Good luck! I'm sure your will be pleased with the 4000 series in any configuration.

 

[wolc123]

You will be happy with a 4120 powerrev. Mine powers a 6 ft rotary cutter in thick stuff with plenty of power to spare. The gear trans. is more efficient than the hydro and to get equal performance you have to move up one model size in a hydro (4320). If you get a cab with AC and hydro you need to go up aprox. two sizes (4520) to have the same power left for the cutter as the non-cab, gear 4120. Many folks do not take this stuff into consideration, assuming that there is no power penalty to pay for hydro or AC cab. Also, be sure to load the rear tires as a 4120 with loaded rears can get more power to the ground than a 4720 with unloaded rears. This is especially important for loader work and plowing. I have almost (2) years on mine without even a minor problem. Then again I still use a JD M grandpa purchased new in 1950 that has required nothing but tires and a couple of valve jobs. You can't go wrong with a made in USA deere like the 4000 series.

 

[radman1]

I will go against the previous posts. I have had 2 HST's and one kubota Gst which is similar to a power reverser. I have used multiple gear tractors. I have to say, HST is the way to go unless you do a lot of jobs that require true pulling power. The JD 2 pedal hst is ergonomically better than a rocker/tredle type setup. After a while, the ability to change directions becomes automatic and I don't even have to think about what pedal to push. The Hst also gets you motion match, load match, speed match and cruise if you want it. HST's are more desirable for resale IMHO.
Don't compare a CUT HST to a gear farm tractor. Most of the time they are used for entirely different purposes. I would never consider a mid to high hp farm use tractor with a HST-it won't hold up and inefficient. Farm tractors do tillage work requiring lots of pulling by drawbar or 3 point. A CUT usually has an entirely different purpose- mowing, FEL, blading, small jobs etc. A HST can do the pulling when needed and have no serious issues.
I look at it this way, some people have gear shift trucks or cars and love them. Others want only automatic transmissions. Both transmissions are reliable. Gear shift, with time, will require a new clutch. (I have probably had over 10 new clutches in tractors). I prefer an automatic transmission in my car/truck and HST in a CUT. A power reverser has an advantage over gear shift but still requires shifting and still uses a clutch.