What sold you on the 4310?

Tractors4u · Nov 18, 2003

I am shopping for a compact now. I am a JD man, I am on my second JD mower and I have a 6X4 Gator. I am looking at compacts in the low 30hp range. Because of the amount of money I am about to spend I am looking at everything. I have priced the JD 4310 with ePower Reverser with a 430 loader with R4s and my best price is $17,000. Besides the resale price which doesn't really matter to me because I consider this a long term relationship, what sold you on the 4310? The reason I ask is besides the New Holland and Case IH compacts the 4310 has been the most expensive. I like Deere and really want to like this one, but I can get so much more tractor for less money. The 4310 is the smallest of all the tractors I have priced; Kubota 3130, Massey 1433V, and AGCO ST35X. Give me your best sales pitch.

dmp437 · Nov 19, 2003

When I started I was split 50/50 between JD and CNH (New Holland). So...

I did a survey of tractor mechanics/dealerships. What machines do you work on the most and what kind of machines are sitting on the trade-in lot. The two most dependable makes were JD and Kubota. The make everyone said to avoid was CNH. Bummer, because they were on my list also. There were many more late model New Hollands that had already been traded in on something else, either green or orange. Since then New Holland's parent company (Fiat) is having severe financial problems and the word is they are prepared to sacrifice the Ag division if necessary to save the car division which is a source of pride in Italy.
Another factor for me was the degree of support. There are many more JD dealers in my area to choose from along with an awesome website with almost any scrap of infomation you could ever want. I just purchased some new parts for a JD implement from JD that's been out of production for 63 years. That's the level of service I expect; JD has the best chance to offer that. More dealers means I'm able to get a little better price. I got my best price from a small dealer with low overhead.
As far as the 4310, it was one size bigger than I needed. The 4310 has higher capacity hydraulics overthe 4210 with a wider range of implements to go with it. I got an awesome price on a 4610 MFWD (a better deal than I got on the 4310) but thought it would be a little too much weight to use as a lawn mower with loaded rear tires.
Bottom line, I was looking for a looooooong term tractor; all factors objectively (scientifically?) considered I concluded JD was the best way to go. More expensive up front, less expensive over the long term. As far as brand loyalty playing a part I'm from a multi-generational GM family (with access to GM employee discounts) but have driven Fords since the late 1980's. Ford had a better product at the time I bought my vehicle. The same process was used when selecting my JD.

MJB · Nov 19, 2003

The thing that sold me on my 4300 was the ease of implement attachment, especially the backhoe. I also appreciated that the mounting systems for the loader, mid mower, and backhoe are compatible with each other so you don't have to remove the mounting brackets for one attachment to mount another.

rockyridgefarm · Nov 19, 2003

First, Pepper, I want to say thanks for all your great input at TBN!

I had a Yanmar before. It was a great tractor, but I was ready to have something with dealer support. No one else can touch Deere there. have you logged into jdparts and looked up a part for your gator? No one else has anything close. At the time I was buying, we were looking a selling Daewoo cars at work. They were great products and had a great warranty. Then GM baought them and there was no warranty. I think it eventuallly shook out, but I didn;t want another orphan...

I really like the setup on the 4310. Yeah, there are heavier, but I can add ballast. Try taking some weight OFF the 3130. There are lots of times that it is handy to be lighter.

The attach/detach on both the loader and hoe are fantastic. I really like the electronics.

The size is Perfect for my needs.

Now your pricing does seem a little high. (I saw my bajaOklahoma buddy Kyle mention the same thing...) I always suggest looking up local dealers on the Deere site. Email or call all that you would be interested in using for service. I saved THOUSANDS that way, and found a dealer that I really like.

You will do fine with whatever you choose

newaukum · Nov 20, 2003

I will agree with what was previously posted. I have to say the greatest advantage of the John Deere is the easy attachment system for the backhoe and FEL. I also use a B21 on a regular basis, and it is a real pain to take the backhoe off. The FEL does not come off. I also prefer the John Deere Dealer much more than the others. After driving the other colors, the JD just fit me and the type of work I do much better. Another deciding factor was this. I live in farming country, mostly dairy, and after driving around, I noticed that none of the farms had anything but John Deere. Farmers do not like to buy equipment more than once, and that says alot for John Deere. You will not be unhappy with the 4310. Dan

farmerdick · Nov 21, 2003

Not in order of importance:
1. Kubota 3130 was not readily available at the time, but new model had been announced.
2. Price from JD dealer was less than I had expected.
3. Ease of use of features.
4. Quality, reputation of company and dealer.
5. Size. 3130 and NH T35/40 might have been more difficult to maneuver around gates, but 2910 and 33 was smaller than I wanted
6. PTO horsepower

I recommend the larger tire option on the 4310.

Kyle_in_Tex · Nov 22, 2003

I went with the 4310 after a 2 month exhaustive research period. It had the best price/hp/dealer combo that I could not pass on. I too kept narrowed my choices to green/orange/blue/red. No China for me.

My local dealer has a "no haggle" price system.
A few months ago when I checked:
4310 ehydro, R4's, DSCV's with 430 FEL for about $17,500

4710,ehydro,R4's, DSCV's with FEL, about $22,500

I haven't checked their pricing lately. Last month, his lot has been looking slim on compacts. I guess the finance incentives have kept them busy...Kyle

Tractors4u · Nov 22, 2003

I decided to go with the 4310 ePower Reverser, 430 loader and R4's. I am getting it for $16,850 out the door. I was initially comparing prices. Massey, Kubota, and Deere were all within $200 of each other. New Holland and Case IH were high and the low price leader was the AGCO ST35X. I may stll kick myself for not getting it at $2000 less than the Deere. I was intially trying to talk my self out of the Deere by doing a pro's and con's list of all the tractors and when I looked at it there was a long list of pro's for the 4310 and only 2 for the AGCO. Kubota came in second on the pro's list. There is a lot of things I liked about the Deere, but there are some things that stalled my decision. One thing is the R4's for the 4310 are 4 inches smaller in diameter than the R1 Ag tires. I would get the ag tires if they didn't have to special order them. Everyone has R4's on the lot. The other tractor brands I looked at dwarfed the Deere because of the smaller tires. The other thing that intially bothered me about the Deere was the steering wheel and the reverser shifter felt kind of flimsy. The steering wheel feels like one from a lawnmower and not as solid as something you would find on a tractor. The Deere dealer here in town closes at noon so they will mount my loader and I will get the tractor Monday.

scottbrrtt72 · Nov 22, 2003

Does anyone know how much weight the 430 loader can lift for the 4310 tractor? I was extremely impressed with the 3-point hitch capacity (2200 lbs) for this tractor.