John Deere vs New Holland Compact/Utility

scb911 · Jul 30, 2023

Disclaimer: This is my first tractor purchase and admittedly I don't know much about them other than operating them a few times.

Need a tractor for 15 acres in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. Mostly for driveway maintenance, ditching, and light earth moving. Heavy duty, no farming.

I have a 1/4 mile long driveway that is steep (up to 15 degrees in some places). Stability is a concern obv. It's a shale base, no stone yet, but that shale can sometimes be a pain if it's undisturbed. So looking for something with a little more balls than I prob need (rather have more power than not enough). Will be getting a rear blade and box blade to start.

Checked out a 4044M John Deere and a New Holland Workmaster 50. Like them both, very comparable. I also looked at Kubota but didn't like the control setup.

---> John Deere 4044M is the 4-cylinder turbo diesel Yanmar, 43hp, 34hp PTO, 73" wheelbase, weight is 3770 lbs.

---> New Holland Workmaster 50 is a 3-cylinder turbocharged diesel, 53hp, 45hp PTO, 77.6" wheelbase, weight is 5059 lbs.

The JD is almost $10k more for slightly less tractor. I could also see downgrading the NH compact 40/45 which would make the price gap $13-14k. That's a lot to pay for green paint.

Both dealers are very good, close by, and have been around for 50ish years. Part availability and service are very comparable. And I know I'll get more resale value out of the Deere but as long as I get the right tractor, it should out live me.

So...

1. Thoughts on the tractor specs for the job at hand?
2. Why pay more for JD green? Basically talk me out of buying the NH (without brand bias).

Thanks guys

JimRB · Jul 30, 2023

Weight does work, assuming same size tires and 4wd, I can shift gears. I wish i had a heavier tractor for round bale handling but my little tractor is easy to load and go do trail work.

CaptPat · Jul 30, 2023

Looks like the NH is the winner, more HP and weight, both of which would serve well for your intended use. I suspect that the JD will have better resale value. Is the Workmaster series rebranded LS like the Boomers, if so then I’d wonder about long term parts availability. Personally I’d prefer a 4 cylinder vs. 3.

scb911 · Jul 30, 2023

Yes, I'm fairly certain the Workmaster is a rebranded LS. Obviously New Holland has been around forever but if LS is making it then yeah long term parts could be a potential issue, although I'd worry more if it was something like a Rural King tractor, or whoever makes those.

And yeah the 4-cylinder is a bit more enticing. Not sure the extra HP matters either since both are powerful and are 4WD.

mo1 · Aug 2, 2023

scb911 said:
Disclaimer: This is my first tractor purchase and admittedly I don't know much about them other than operating them a few times.

Need a tractor for 15 acres in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. Mostly for driveway maintenance, ditching, and light earth moving. Heavy duty, no farming.

I have a 1/4 mile long driveway that is steep (up to 15 degrees in some places). Stability is a concern obv. It's a shale base, no stone yet, but that shale can sometimes be a pain if it's undisturbed. So looking for something with a little more balls than I prob need (rather have more power than not enough). Will be getting a rear blade and box blade to start.

Checked out a 4044M John Deere and a New Holland Workmaster 50. Like them both, very comparable. I also looked at Kubota but didn't like the control setup.

---> John Deere 4044M is the 4-cylinder turbo diesel Yanmar, 43hp, 34hp PTO, 73" wheelbase, weight is 3770 lbs.

---> New Holland Workmaster 50 is a 3-cylinder turbocharged diesel, 53hp, 45hp PTO, 77.6" wheelbase, weight is 5059 lbs.

The JD is almost $10k more for slightly less tractor. I could also see downgrading the NH compact 40/45 which would make the price gap $13-14k. That's a lot to pay for green paint.

Both dealers are very good, close by, and have been around for 50ish years. Part availability and service are very comparable. And I know I'll get more resale value out of the Deere but as long as I get the right tractor, it should out live me.

So...

1. Thoughts on the tractor specs for the job at hand?
2. Why pay more for JD green? Basically talk me out of buying the NH (without brand bias).

Thanks guys

The reason the Workmaster 50 is much less expensive than the Deere as it is a simple full-sized ag utility tractor while the Deere 4044M is a not all that simple compact. The compacts from both makers are noticeably more expensive than their more basic full-sized ag utility tractors of anywhere near the same horsepower. The Boomer 45 is pretty similar in price to the Deere 4044M and the Workmaster 50 is comparable in price to the Deere 5045E/5050E. The Kubota that would line up the best here is the M5660SU although it is physically somewhat smaller than the NH Workmaster 50 or Deere 5045E/5050E. I guess you looked at a Kubota compact L or MX if you note the controls are different than the Workmaster 50, the M5660SU isn't all that different. The Deere 5045E is the model year 2022 and earlier unit, the model year 2023 is the 5050E, both are actually 50 HP. The 5050E changes from the 5045E's no EGR/has a DPF setup to an EGR but no DPF setup like the NH Workmaster has.

The Workmaster 50 compared to the Deere 5045E/5050E are very similar in physical size, features, possible configurations, and usually price as well. However, the Deere weighs almost a half ton more in similar configuration and can be had with noticeably larger tires than the Workmaster, if desired (the standard tires are close to the same size between the two.) The 520M loader available on the Deere is much larger and stouter than either of the two loaders on the Workmaster 50. The other major difference is that the transmission on the Workmaster 50 has a mechanical reverse lever so you get reverse in all 8 forward gears, while the Deere has reverse on the gearshift lever so you get reverse only in each of the 3 ranges. The Workmaster is apparently a new or at least revamped chassis for 2015 with a brand-new engine for 2015, the Deere is basically the same tractor Deere has been making since the early 1990s' 5200/5300/5400 with a 2.9 liter 3 cylinder engine that has been around since the mid-1970s' 2240 but updated with a turbocharger, aftercooler, common-rail EFI, and the Tier 4 emissions equipment.

My experience is that the Deere dealer will very likely have plenty of 5045E/5050E units around and will want to sell you one. It is one of the "standard" tractors the ag dealers keep in stock as they are popular to run hay rakes and such with, and is often priced aggressively. If you want it with some option that the one on the lot doesn't have, all of the Deere options except cabs, transmission, and drivelines are dealer-installed kits (hydraulic remotes, loader joysticks, loaders, etc.) so the dealer can get it set up for you in a timely fashion. The NH dealer may or may not have a Workmaster 50 and I know that at least as of a few years ago, if you want one with a loader, it must be ordered from the factory with the specific model loader you want, the dealer can't just install one. Ordering a NH can take a while, a few years ago it was a 6+ month wait to get one. The lower price and availability issues as well as the Deere being a heavier tractor with a larger, lower-revving engine than the New Holland is why I got a 5075E a few years ago instead of a Workmaster 70 (same tractors as the 50 HP units but with a different ECU tune.)

A 5 series Deere or NH Workmaster would be plenty stable on a 15 degree slope. These tractors normally have ag tires and that would be the right choice for you as they give the best traction. Get them loaded for better stability as well as traction. These also have adjustable wheels so you can set them farther out for more stability on cross slopes. Have the dealer do this before the tires are loaded as a loaded tire on a rim will weigh around half a ton on a tractor this size. A tractor this size on ag tires will have more than plenty of power to run a blade or box blade for a driveway and cut a ditch with a blade. You would have enough power you actually need to be careful with what implements you would pick as you would have enough power to ruin the typical yellow farm store blades and box blades if you hit a good-sized rock or stump.

Regarding a full-sized utility vs. a larger compact, I've run a few 5 series/5000 series Deeres and an NH Boomer 50. Either would do fine in running a rear blade or a box blade, and both would do fine moving dirt with a loader. The full-sized machines obviously had a lot more pull than the compacts due to being heavier, and their loaders lift quite a bit more. The Boomer is about as maneuverable as a 2WD full sized utility tractor and noticeably more maneuverable than an MFWD utility machine as the far larger front tires on the MFWD units limit steering angle.

Snockers · Oct 9, 2023

So which one did you buy op?

Torvy · Oct 9, 2023

Who knows? Maybe he hasn't yet. Some of us do a lot of analysis before deciding.

In case you haven't decided, those tractors are not comparable. The NH is 33% heavier and has 25% more HP and is still considerably less money. Even if LS makes them (not sure on that model), you still have the backing of CNH, just like JD supports the tractors that Yanmar made for them.

The other factor would be if you have any better feeling with one dealer or the other. Sounds like they are both similar. Around here, most JD dealers are part of a big corporate group. That can be good or bad depending on your viewpoint. It does seem to be a direct JD is taking toward dealerships, if it matters to you.