L4400 vs M4800

Knobby1 · Dec 11, 2008

Enjoy reading everyone's decision making processes. I am in the middle of this myself, have bought 40 acres very hilly and rocky acreage in the ozarks. Need to brush hog this and maintain about 25 acres of it, up & down, rocks, etc. Know for sure the M4800 will do the job, but wonder if the L4400 would suffice and save a few bucks for implements. Anyone with similar landscape please advise on experiences with these or similar machines. Thanks !!

dex3361 · Dec 11, 2008

Welcome to TBN we are glad to have you as a new member. I have a L4400HST and my land sounds a lot like what you have to deal with. from the lower bottoms to the hill tops it has a rise of about 400 feet and I am maintaining about 80 acres and all of it is not tractorable. I say about the m4800 I havent looked at those but I did look at the MX5100 I think and if it had been available in HST I would have had to price compare that machine. The only drawback that I see to the L4400 is the Bucket Rollback angle. Some will talk about the weight oof the L4400 but I had the rears loaded with fluid and that balanced it out well. I pull a 7 foot box blade, 6 foot KK Rotary, a 7 foot blade all of this on some slopes that the seatbelt is needed to keep you in the seat. I dont hear many people talk about the saftey aspect of an HST tranny but It I rarely use the brakes even when changing directions on the hills. When going from forward to reverse the tractor never lets go or free wheels like if you would push the clutch in or slip a manual transmission into nuetral. I learned the benifit of this on the HST lawn machines. It was always nerve racking to clutch in and pass through nuetral on a sttep hill to change directions with my pevious tractor. Go test drive the machines and look at the physical differences.

Knobby1 · Dec 12, 2008

Thanks for the info, I have used a borrowed HST tractor L48 and have hogged some of my acreage once, it did engage the pucker factor a couple of times. The gear model which would be my first choice would indeed pose an issue in some areas, thanks for this tip. I think the L4400 would work well for about 95% of what I need here. The M4800 is about the same price as the MX5100 and has same engine (without the turbo unit). But it has more weight and is wider/longer than the MX or the L4400. But what I want and what I need are likely two things. I guess what is bothering me about the 4400 is the "weak 3 pt" and the FEL angle thing, I keep hearing about these and it bothers me. Why walk into a gar hole intentionally, I keep thinking? Mostly what I would be doing is mowing and hogging or rough rocky terrain and I don't want anything breaking behind me. Sounds like your place is about the same as mine with regards to rough hilly terrain, what is your take on this paranoid view I have?

art · Dec 12, 2008

I haven't seen where the three point hitch lifting capacity to be a problem on the 4400. They are both good tractors. The added weight of the 4800 would be nice depending on how much excavation you are going to do with the rocks.

Wombat125 · Dec 12, 2008

I could be very wrong here, but it sounds like you've already made up your mind and you just want help justifying your decision.

Get the M4800. If you don't have any clearance or maneuverability constraints, the bigger tractor will serve you well. You don't want to plunk down $25k and then always be second guessing yourself about what you think you should have bought.

I took my own advice and got a JD 5303. It's more tractor than I practically need, but I've never once had to question the value of my purchase.

Also, check out the JD 5003 series (or new 5E series). It's a lot of tractor for the money. Nothing wrong with the orange stuff at all. In fact, I was all queued up to buy a Kubota L or M tractor when I hopped on a JD 5303 just out of curiosity. The price was good, the dealer was closer, and there were a few little things that I just liked better.

Have fun researching and post pictures when you buy something.

john_bud · Dec 12, 2008

You may want to look at a slightly larger tractor so you can get a bigger mower. Cutting 25 acres is a lot for a 6-7' cutter.

jb

dex3361 · Dec 12, 2008

Knobby1 said:
Thanks for the info, I have used a borrowed HST tractor L48 and have hogged some of my acreage once, it did engage the pucker factor a couple of times. The gear model which would be my first choice would indeed pose an issue in some areas, thanks for this tip. I think the L4400 would work well for about 95% of what I need here. The M4800 is about the same price as the MX5100 and has same engine (without the turbo unit). But it has more weight and is wider/longer than the MX or the L4400. But what I want and what I need are likely two things. I guess what is bothering me about the 4400 is the "weak 3 pt" and the FEL angle thing, I keep hearing about these and it bothers me. Why walk into a gar hole intentionally, I keep thinking? Mostly what I would be doing is mowing and hogging or rough rocky terrain and I don't want anything breaking behind me. Sounds like your place is about the same as mine with regards to rough hilly terrain, what is your take on this paranoid view I have?

I have experienced no issues with the rear being weak. I will bring up again the stress of shifting gears or any tractor that disengages the transmission hold on a slope(freewheeling risk). If I were on flat ground I would get a standard transmission tractor the heaviest that I could afford because I tend to be a traditionalist. That said I like to be safe more. I looked at the Kubota web site and the M4800 is not the best for what I do. It is a wider ,600 pounds heavier and a more powerful tractor with planetary gears on the final drive but also a standard trans.. So It all depends on what you are going to use it for. I do not feel like I am at a disadvantage on the hills and in the woods. I really think otherwise the L4400 with L1 AG tires that are loaded in the rear set all the way out is stable. I do not do production work so the rollback issue isnt a problem that I cant live with.

Knobby1 · Dec 12, 2008

Thanks to all for the valuable insights, this is good stuff; Wombat; you are pretty much correct on your mindreading here, based on my lookings and researching, the 4800 looks good to me, real good, and the back end of that thing is **** for stout. I am second guessing myself, perhaps needlessly, in wondering that I may not need something that stout for what I'll be doing. Several folks have assured me that the L4400 will do what I need and then some. The 4400 with loaded tires may be the solution for me, but will keep figuring on this until the light comes on. Also, have not looked at the Deere's other than a quick drive by, may have to check that out too. The comments on the HST have me thinking hard about that, really prefer the gear, but clutching on a hill side in a bind situation is something to really consider. I have more work to do here on figuring this out.

rbargeron · Dec 13, 2008

Forgive me for bringing this up if you've already considered it, but I believe the M4800 is only offered in 2-wheel drive. The L4400 is available in 2wd or 4wd. For a sloped place like you describe, it would seem like 4wd would be an important feature.

Knobby1 · Dec 15, 2008

yes you are correct 2wd would get me nowhere, fast. The M4800 is offered in 4wd, the kubota webpage makes it look like that at first glance in the photos. The 4wd M4800 is a beast compared to the L series. The 3pt is way heavier and rear axle assy. My concern if figuring out if I need that much more or if the L4400 would work just fine. What most are telling me is just get the larger unit and stop trying to figure it out.......??!!