Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720?

   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #1  

Rolando

Platinum Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2004
Messages
586
Location
Northcentral Florida
Tractor
Bobcat Toolcat High Flow Turbo C-series
I'm looking at these two tractors and would like to get your opinions about them. I've been looking at 40hp class tractors and decided on these 44's because of the stronger loaders they can handle.

I have 13 acres that will eventually be a working pecan grove, but I'll need to disk and drap all of it because the ground is very uneven right now. I'll also need to do a lot of mowing and digging and moving dirt, hence the stronger loaders. I may also need to do some spraying, so a decent PTO will be helpful.

Attached is a comparison I got from the Kubota website. Hopefully the information is accurate. I notice that the visibility with the loader may be better with the John Deere loader because of the curved hood and loader arms, do you agree?

Thanks for your input.
 

Attachments

  • L4240comps.pdf
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   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #2  
I have used both straight and curved FEL's. Marginal difference between types of FEL IMHO. The Kub is a physically larger tractor and closer to the Jd 4x20 series in size and weight. With a grove, smaller size maybe advantage in the future. My prior kub 3710 was phyisically larger and didn't turn as tight of a circle as my current JD 3720. The JD has more than enough power for its size.
I thought you might hold out for a new toolcat with rear 3pt and pto?
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I thought you might hold out for a new toolcat with rear 3pt and pto?

I don't know if you read my last post on the Toolcat forum, but I'm having serious second thoughts about the Toolcat. The hydraulics are acting up again and I need something that's reliable. That, and needing the 3pt hitch now is making me considering switching to a tractor.
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #4  
To look at it from my pespective i'd say you don't need to many bells and whistles like mod pto for what you've described for work so buy a L-4400 or MX5000 and get a bigger mower for the money saved.
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #5  
Rolando said:
I don't know if you read my last post on the Toolcat forum, but I'm having serious second thoughts about the Toolcat. The hydraulics are acting up again and I need something that's reliable. That, and needing the 3pt hitch now is making me considering switching to a tractor.
Yikes, just read you post under the toolcat discussion. Sorry to hear about your problems. Hard to tell how much trouble the first hydraulic failure caused to the other components. Are you considering tractors with cabs since the toolcat had a cab/ac?
If you plan to use the tractor for discing, FEL and dirt moving, I would go to the large frame and R1 tires. If you plan to mow and use it later for more more simpler jobs and replace the toolcat, then the JD 3720 and R4's might be better. I looked the the Kubota cab 4x40 series recently and they seem much larger than my JD 3720 and JD 4x20 series. 13 acres is not too much for the JD 3720. Are you considering hydrostat only tractors?
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #6  
I'd go with the Kubota, more weight means more traction when performing ground engaging tasks like disking.
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #7  
I do not know if the more weight thing is always true. Frame design and powertrain efficiency play a very important point as well. I cannot answer on the Kubota end, except to say they seem to be excellent machines. I CAN say I am very happy with my 3720 JD. I have had something like 10 JD tractors in the past five years, and I can say I am overall the most pleased with the 3720. For all things, loader work, ease of hauling, manuverability and foremost--power, it seems the best I have had. The 4520 JD I had was the best overall tractor, but it simply is too large for much of my use. I have ballasted my 3720 well and it weighes about 3700# without loader. It does a great job, and really has some nice features and is very efficient. As for comparing it, I cannot, but I can say it is one fine machine and I can recommend it highly to you.

John M
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #8  
I have grown to really like the High/Low on the steering column and the auto-throttle on the Kubota's. These things seem kinda trivial till you go out and do some loader work and see how it all comes together in practice. You'll see other companies adding these things with time.
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Neil,
I've also been considering somewhat more horsepower and have also looked at the L4740, L5240, and L5740. In looking at the specs for those models, I noticed that the engines for the L52 and L57 have the same displacement as the L47, and get the additional power from turbo charge.

I had considered going with the largest model to have that extra horsepower in reserve in case I needed it in the future, but after finding out about the turbo models, my inclination is to go to with the naturally aspirated engine rather than the turbocharged. I was thinking that the turbo is additional complexity that can go wrong so why go with that when 47 horsepower is probably enough power for my needs.

Any comments?
 
   / Kubota L4240 or John Deere 3720? #10  
Rolando, the turbo would be super nice, especially at sea level, the increased torque is to die for! Gor for it! :D

Don't worry about turbo problems, the turbocharger will last as long as the rest of the engine does. Our four turbodiesels are all over 12 years old and not a single problem with any of the engines or turbochargers, of course we only use high quality synthetic diesel oil. :D
 

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