Kubota L4610 HST vs. New Holland TC45DA

OutBurst · Nov 8, 2015

I will finally be purchasing a tractor this week and I have two to choose from:

2002 Kubota L4610 HST with LA852 loader and Woods Groundbreaker 9000 backhoe with manual thumb - 1350hrs - very clean - $20,000

2006 New Holland TC45DA with 16LA loader and New Holland 758C backhoe - 1550hrs - very clean as well - $18,000

$2,000 is not a tremendous amount of money so I won't let it make my decision for me - I just want the better tractor. The Kubota has a stronger loader while the New Holland is newer.

Thoughts?

View attachment 446812 View attachment 446813

spitter · Nov 9, 2015

Seat time . Seat time . Seat time .The only one that can tell U if U like the machine and it fits your needs is u .Both machines have been wrote up alot on this site and and both have thier quirks.Biggest difference is ones blue ones orange. Next is do u want a treddle pedldle or side by side set up. Plus for Blue curved boom easy to see around.Plus for orange slightly higher lifting capacity. Dont know if u need a mid pto might be nice . Rear remotes might tip the scale.Every backhoe should have hydro thumb.Probaly the two best tractors in class .Drive both put them through thier paces. Have fun!!!:drink:

spitter · Nov 9, 2015

I forgot check service records look at fluids ,filters ,check pins for slop.All thats more important than mine or anyone else is stupid opinon.:cool2:

OutBurst · Nov 9, 2015

spitter said:
Seat time . Seat time . Seat time .The only one that can tell U if U like the machine and it fits your needs is u .Both machines have been wrote up alot on this site and and both have thier quirks.Biggest difference is ones blue ones orange. Next is do u want a treddle pedldle or side by side set up. Plus for Blue curved boom easy to see around.Plus for orange slightly higher lifting capacity. Dont know if u need a mid pto might be nice . Rear remotes might tip the scale.Every backhoe should have hydro thumb.Probaly the two best tractors in class .Drive both put them through thier paces. Have fun!!!:drink:

Mid-PTO is definitely nice but I won't be mowing with it and I can put a front-mounted snowblower on the Kubota (see Erksine blowers). Hmm - very tough!

OutBurst · Nov 9, 2015

spitter said:
I forgot check service records look at fluids ,filters ,check pins for slop.All thats more important than mine or anyone else is stupid opinon.:cool2:

Both have been maintained very well. The Kubota has the edge over the New Holland, if anything. The New Holland had more than one operator while the Kubota did not.

Grandad4 · Nov 9, 2015

I'm biased of course, having owned an L4610 for 13 trouble-free, hardworking years. But both the Kubota and the NH are darn good tractors. When it comes to used equipment, the condition of the individual machine means more than what brand it is. That and your own seat of the pants impressions.

OutBurst · Nov 9, 2015

Grandad4 said:
I'm biased of course, having owned an L4610 for 13 trouble-free, hardworking years. But both the Kubota and the NH are darn good tractors. When it comes to used equipment, the condition of the individual machine means more than what brand it is. That and your own seat of the pants impressions.

How do you like the center of gravity on the Kubota? It is definitely lower and seems to be more stable? Would you concur? Also, how do you like the loader joystick location? With it being mounted on the loader, do you find your arm is always outstretched to reach it and it leads to premature fatigue in your arm?

Grandad4 · Nov 9, 2015

Can't compare the two machines, but my tractor has been very stable for me. Key is proper ballasting. We've done extensive tree removal and filling in gullies on a moderately steep hillside with it. The factory 4560 backhoe is a heavy old beast that adds more than a ton of weight to the rear of the tractor, enabling us to take full FEL buckets of fill dirt safely down a 50% slope with excellent stability and traction. Side slopes always demand caution, none of these tractors are going to be very stable going sideways on a hill.

The FEL joystick is pretty much dead solid perfect for me. I did replace the factory seat with one having armrests so my arm has comfortable support at exactly the right place for using the joystick (although FEL work never bothered me with the original seat either). With a spinner on the steering wheel for the other hand and the foot pedal run by the right foot, moving lots of dirt is easy and comfortable. The 852 joystick has a refined feel to it so you can feather the angle of bite very nicely with some practice. This is also important to working productively. Again, I can't compare to the other machine but something to look at when kicking the tires.

OutBurst · Nov 9, 2015

Thanks for the help everyone! Any New Holland owners to pitch in a word?

varmint · Nov 9, 2015

Can't speak for NH, but I notice that the Kubota has a mechanical thumb, which can be converted to hydraulic, while the NH has a canopy. Too bad the Kubota doesn't have a SSQA loader bucket. Overall, the Kubota appears to be a more capable machine, IMHO. But then, I am biased towards orange. I wouldn't let the model year be a factor- it's hours and care that matter. Looks like you will have a great tractor, either way!