Yesterday I went to the John Deere dealer:

ddivinia · May 22, 2009

FRIZ said:
Hi everybody:

Thank you for bringing up these very valuable points. I want to buy an Erskine rear pull snow blower. And keep my loader on for additional help with the snow.

Later this year we plan to add an x749 (with mower deck) to cut grass around the house and pond.

Both John Deere dealerships I have talked to think that the 3720 is big enough for me. But both concede that with a 3720 I could be back in five years for an upgrade. And that is definitely something I do not want to do.

Regards,
FRIZ

A zero turn mower would less than half of a x749.

Pass on the 3720 and go 4x20.

D.

art · May 22, 2009

Many have bought to big of a compact and found that they were handicapped on the smaller details that they could have done with a smaller unit.

You might wast to stay with the 3720 and then buy a larger older farm tractor for big mowing on the back forty!

We've seen many here go to big with that idea of never big enough! Then go buy a Z style mower for around the home. Larger compacts are often to heavy for a lawn.

BarryinMN · May 22, 2009

Congrats -- your tractor fever temp is peaking...

Then you said the magic word:

Kids.

Ice pack time.

These compacts have no cab space & provisions for a passenger jump seat for riders.

The utility class cabbed tractors do have space & a seat with seat belt.

It's the most popular seat at my place since it arrived. Kids ages 5 to over 70. They are belted in and watch intently as you grapple, push/blow snow, load dirt, fork pallet loads, etc.

Then the younger ones want to drive the Gator. Draft an adult like Grandma to ride shotgun and they drive around the yard picking up tree trimming debris & move to wood chipper pile. Bonus: Trail maintenance needs a chain saw on a stick and lopers not a tractor.

Then the older ones want to drive the Deere skidloader. Nobody has said anything about this yet but they have total tool frontal visibility; stronger, faster, with an insane # of attachments - beats any CUT. 1st year I allowed older kid to run it and she picked 10ac of rocks over a weekend. She went back home grinning from ear to ear.

Add the Deere diesel lawn tractor doing double duty with 3pt attachments that will do 360's on the road for minor road repair, lawn maintenance, trailer moving, etc.

My b-plan considered the tractor/loader a new primary tool with most attachments and everything else secondary and acquired used.

Just more stuff to think about.

radman1 · May 22, 2009

Since you are looking at larger sized CUTs with cabs, consider looking at a Bobcat Toolcat 5610. I have a JD 3720, and TC 5610. I like the 3720 a lot but love the TC. The TC has more lift than the 3720 but not as much as the 4720. (However, I made a few mods to my TC to increase the lift and can outlift a 4720.

) Bobcat has the TC on incentives and the price should be similar to a 4720. TC turns tighter, can carry 2 people, can take about any skid steer attachment or 3 pt attachment, quiet, extremely smooth riding compared to a CUT, low center of gravity, more stability, easier on turf when turning, better A/C, digs in the dirt better than a CUT and easy to enter/exit.
Do a search under the Toolcat forum to read my review and to get other info.

ddivinia · May 22, 2009

radman1 said:
Since you are looking at larger sized CUTs with cabs, consider looking at a Bobcat Toolcat 5610. I have a JD 3720, and TC 5610. I like the 3720 a lot but love the TC. The TC has more lift than the 3720 but not as much as the 4720. (However, I made a few mods to my TC to increase the lift and can outlift a 4720. ) Bobcat has the TC on incentives and the price should be similar to a 4720. TC turns tighter, can carry 2 people, can take about any skid steer attachment or 3 pt attachment, quiet, extremely smooth riding compared to a CUT, low center of gravity, more stability, easier on turf when turning, better A/C, digs in the dirt better than a CUT and easy to enter/exit.
Do a search under the Toolcat forum to read my review and to get other info.

How can you say they are smooth. I have driven them - no wonder they aren't selling very well.

D.

FRIZ · May 23, 2009

Thank you all for the education. Please keep it coming.

Regards,
FRIZ

8934 · May 23, 2009

With 78 acres, go with the 4720, you won稚 be sorry, especially if you are getting a cab.... Heat and AC take power from tractor to run.

I went through the same thought process when I bought, and I only have 11 acres. I was going to go with the 3720, and went with the 4120 only because I got a very good deal. But I am very glad I got the larger tractor. Front end loader has more capacity, and I can mow faster.

radman1 · May 23, 2009

ddivinia said:
How can you say they are smooth. I have driven them - no wonder they aren't selling very well.

D.

Did you drive the "D" series with the independant suspension? The TC with newer suspension is at least 50% smoother to ride on compared to my 3720 in the same terrain and I can travel over the same ground much faster. Bobcat removed the prior standard suspension seat and it now has only a sliding seat on the D series. Suspension seat is not needed IMHO. I have the air suspension in my 3720 and the 5610 is vastly smoother. On the 3720 the seat is bobbing up and down, cabs rocking side to side and you feel the roughness of the terrain trying to hold the HST pedal in positon while driving in the rough stuff.

Price is what holds back the TC in sales. List price is probably 7K higher than a 4x20 series with FEL. List price of a fully loaded TC 5610 with nearly all the options is about 50K - 15-20% discount off list to buy plus incentives. I bought mine 20% off list and 20% off any attachments. I modified mine and put 3 rear hydraulics instead of the optional 2.

Biggest drawback to the TC is hydraulic pto just isn't as powerful as direct drive pto of a CUT. This is noticeable with some tilling I did 2 weeks in hard ground. My 3720 would have done much better. Direct drive will lug down and power through. Hydraulic pto just boggs down and goes slower until it stops. I haven't noticed it as much using 6 foot brush hog mower. The rear 3 pt does not have position control and can't just set and drop 3 pt when mowing. I use the rear view mirror and need to watch the depth gauge on the 3 pt when mowing to set height. Not bad but not as nice as a true postion control.

ddivinia · May 23, 2009

radman1 said:
Did you drive the "D" series with the independant suspension? The TC with newer suspension is at least 50% smoother to ride on compared to my 3720 in the same terrain and I can travel over the same ground much faster. Bobcat removed the prior standard suspension seat and it now has only a sliding seat on the D series. Suspension seat is not needed IMHO. I have the air suspension in my 3720 and the 5610 is vastly smoother. On the 3720 the seat is bobbing up and down, cabs rocking side to side and you feel the roughness of the terrain trying to hold the HST pedal in positon while driving in the rough stuff.

Price is what holds back the TC in sales. List price is probably 7K higher than a 4x20 series with FEL. List price of a fully loaded TC 5610 with nearly all the options is about 50K - 15-20% discount off list to buy plus incentives. I bought mine 20% off list and 20% off any attachments. I modified mine and put 3 rear hydraulics instead of the optional 2.

Biggest drawback to the TC is hydraulic pto just isn't as powerful as direct drive pto of a CUT. This is noticeable with some tilling I did 2 weeks in hard ground. My 3720 would have done much better. Direct drive will lug down and power through. Hydraulic pto just boggs down and goes slower until it stops. I haven't noticed it as much using 6 foot brush hog mower. The rear 3 pt does not have position control and can't just set and drop 3 pt when mowing. I use the rear view mirror and need to watch the depth gauge on the 3 pt when mowing to set height. Not bad but not as nice as a true postion control.

Honestly I do not know. I road in one at the Bobcat dealer and even he said these things suck. Price, ride, trans, etc. Your mileage might vary,
D.

radman1 · May 24, 2009

ddivinia said:
Honestly I do not know. I road in one at the Bobcat dealer and even he said these things suck. Price, ride, trans, etc. Your mileage might vary,
D.

Transmission is also improved on the D series. True all wheel 4WD and yet it does not leave scuff marks on turf. Tractor can leave minor scuffs even in 2WD. Major scuff marks in 4 WD with tractor. I can turn as tight as I want on my cement and leave no rubber marks. Can't do that with my 3720. As soon as the HST is released on the TC, the machine stops and parking brake is set automatically in the transmission. The JD will creep when sitting on a slope and will roll when shut off on a slope. Not with the TC d series. I can honestly say, I have never used the brakes on the TC. JD trans has 3 ranges. Stop and then need to shift to next range. TC has 2 ranges and can shift by pushing a button on the go. TC can go 18 mph.

Visibility on the TC is much better for loader work. I can't quite see the edge of my low profile bucket but a tractor bucket is completely blocked.

TC can certainly out pull my 3720 but that may be a function of more weight. TC weighs about 5400 lbs.