Howdy from Texas, close to buying an M4D-071 - advice?

[JohnHillCountry]

Skip to the last two paragraphs to avoid my preamble

We ranch on 30 acres in the Texas Hill Country (a micro-ranch around here) and raise Blackbuck Antelope (native to India.) They are sold to other ranches for 'eye candy' and a mature buck makes a beautiful wall hanger. Anyway....

We currently have a 2010 Deere 4720 cab large frame compact (66 hp turbo, 50 at the PTO) and it has been in the dealer's shop for a few weeks for routine maintenance and a slipping PTO again. I was hot to trot for a Deere 5075E utility tractor but the dealer's service department is so dysfunctional I want nothing to do with them. In the last three or four years we recently bought a diesel UTV and a diesel ZTR from the dealer so this is going to be a messy divorce.

The 4720 has an HST and besides the PTO has been a very reliable tractor. I use it for grooming our various driveways, shredding and grapple work. A lot of grapple work. Bought it with 340 hours and I've put 600 more on the clock. 25 years ago had a Kubota L2900 (forgot the exact model but it was ~30 hp) and was extremely reliable but I was done with an open station tractor so that's why I bought the Deere.

Now on to the question. I need to step up to a utility tractor for various reasons and the Kubota M4D-071 seems to be a good fit for our needs. I drove one around the dealer's lot for several minutes and it seemed fine. It didn't take long to get used to the 'shuttle shift' again. The cab was very nice and ergonomic, I'm not real crazy about the location of the AC vents but that's not a deal breaker one way or another. The Kubota dealer has a good reputation and they do on-site service which greatly tips the scales to buy from them.

I have a quote for a dealer demo (20 hours) which is quite attractive. The quote includes a 3rd function on the loader and a 3rd SCV on the rear. Also R14 tires and cast steel rear wheels. I have a lot of Deere 3 point implements which I think will work well for the M4. For the front attachments I'm looking at a Deere to skid steer quick attach adapter.

Anything I'm missing or should know? I've done many hours of research and at this point the M4 seems to be a good fit for our ranch. BTW, we are rural and there's only two Deere dealers and one Kubota dealer within 50 miles of us.

-- John --

 

[McMXi]

Skip to the last two paragraphs to avoid my preamble

We ranch on 30 acres in the Texas Hill Country (a micro-ranch around here) and raise Blackbuck Antelope (native to India.) They are sold to other ranches for 'eye candy' and a mature buck makes a beautiful wall hanger. Anyway....

We currently have a 2010 Deere 4720 cab large frame compact (66 hp turbo, 50 at the PTO) and it has been in the dealer's shop for a few weeks for routine maintenance and a slipping PTO again. I was hot to trot for a Deere 5075E utility tractor but the dealer's service department is so dysfunctional I want nothing to do with them. In the last three or four years we recently bought a diesel UTV and a diesel ZTR from the dealer so this is going to be a messy divorce.

The 4720 has an HST and besides the PTO has been a very reliable tractor. I use it for grooming our various driveways, shredding and grapple work. A lot of grapple work. Bought it with 340 hours and I've put 600 more on the clock. 25 years ago had a Kubota L2900 (forgot the exact model but it was ~30 hp) and was extremely reliable but I was done with an open station tractor so that's why I bought the Deere.

Now on to the question. I need to step up to a utility tractor for various reasons and the Kubota M4D-071 seems to be a good fit for our needs. I drove one around the dealer's lot for several minutes and it seemed fine. It didn't take long to get used to the 'shuttle shift' again. The cab was very nice and ergonomic, I'm not real crazy about the location of the AC vents but that's not a deal breaker one way or another. The Kubota dealer has a good reputation and they do on-site service which greatly tips the scales to buy from them.

I have a quote for a dealer demo (20 hours) which is quite attractive. The quote includes a 3rd function on the loader and a 3rd SCV on the rear. Also R14 tires and cast steel rear wheels. I have a lot of Deere 3 point implements which I think will work well for the M4. For the front attachments I'm looking at a Deere to skid steer quick attach adapter.

Anything I'm missing or should know? I've done many hours of research and at this point the M4 seems to be a good fit for our ranch. BTW, we are rural and there's only two Deere dealers and one Kubota dealer within 50 miles of us.

-- John --

I think the M4-071 is a really decent tractor and there are some nice features not available in the M6060/M7060.

I'm visiting a friend in Kettle Falls and he's intetested in a Kubota tractor so we stopped by a dealer in Colville this afternoon and they had an M4-071 hooked up to a baler. I spent some time in the cab, and the only feature I found a bit annoying is the buddy seat which blocks ingress/egress.

The M4 is very similar to the M7060 with the 6-speed transmission. If I had ordered an M rather than found one on the lot at a great price, I would have been deciding between the M7060 and the M4-071.

I don't think you can go wrong with the M4, and if the price for the demo model works for you, and if it comes with the full warranty you should have many years of happy ownership. The 3rd function and three rear remotes is icing on the cake, not to mention the cast wheel centers.

I don't know if rear defrost, rear wiper and 540E are standard, or if an air ride seat is standard but they're nice to have.

As for the location of the air vents, my M6060 has the same vents, and not having them ducted above the headliner where they're prone to absorb heat is a good thing. The M6060 blows much cooler than the MX6000 and that's due in large part to the location of the vents.

 

[JohnHillCountry]

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me your opinion, it is much appreciated.

That's a great looking combo with the shiny new baler and tractor, thanks for the eye candy!

About the AC vent location being on the dash, I'm definitely okay with that and I will say adjusting the overhead vents on my 4720 can be a real PITA to manipulate. There's three as I recall (it's still at the dealer to fix the PTO) on each side and one them is hard to reach. The little plastic vanes are easy to break so I have to be easy on them. Also don't like them blowing right on my face but the AC does work very well even on those 100F days.

Next week I'll try to visit the dealer and check out their service department. One of my nearby ranching buddies has a couple of Kubota tractors and speaks very highly of their service so there's another check in the buy Kubota box.

My 4720 has a 3rd function and a top and tilt so I can't live without those features. Makes the tractor significantly more useful around the place. Need to sign off, the lunch bell just rang. Thank you again for your time.

 

[McMXi]

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me your opinion, it is much appreciated.

That's a great looking combo with the shiny new baler and tractor, thanks for the eye candy!

About the AC vent location being on the dash, I'm definitely okay with that and I will say adjusting the overhead vents on my 4720 can be a real PITA to manipulate. There's three as I recall (it's still at the dealer to fix the PTO) on each side and one them is hard to reach. The little plastic vanes are easy to break so I have to be easy on them. Also don't like them blowing right on my face but the AC does work very well even on those 100F days.

Next week I'll try to visit the dealer and check out their service department. One of my nearby ranching buddies has a couple of Kubota tractors and speaks very highly of their service so there's another check in the buy Kubota box.

My 4720 has a 3rd function and a top and tilt so I can't live without those features. Makes the tractor significantly more useful around the place. Need to sign off, the lunch bell just rang. Thank you again for your time.

Based on the outstanding ownership experience I've had with four Kubota tractors over the last 10+ years, I would think that there's a decent chance that you'll have a similar experience. The M models are excellent tractors. I tend to be very brand loyal when I have a good experience with a product. When that product extends to multiple examples my loyalty goes even deeper. I can say that Kubota tractors and Ford Super Duty trucks fall into the "very brand loyal" category for me based on my ownership experience that spans 25 years and three models for Ford Super Duty trucks and 10 years and four models for Kubota, in addition to a GL7000 generator.

I have 3rd function and three rear remotes on both tractors running top-n-tilt on both, and like you those are must have features. I also added Summit Hydraulics multipliers to both tractors to give me 5 circuits on the MX and 6 circuits on the M6060.

Sitting in that M4-071 cab yesterday and looking at the layout and controls, it is definitely a step up from the M6060/M7060 with lots of similarities but also some really nice differences. I think I would have most likely ended up ordering an M4-071 over an M7060 after sitting in both cabs and comparing the features. As it is, I'm very happy with my M6060 and don't see myself ever parting with it, but I don't kid myself that I have the best tractor available in that size. An M4-071 at a good price would be hard to pass up.

Post some photos when you get it if you don't mind. I always enjoy other people's purchases regardless of the model, but I'm particularly drawn to the bigger models.

 

[JohnHillCountry]

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts . I'll be happy to post pix if Orange comes home with me.

My ownership experience with the L2900 was very positive, the only problem it ever had was a leaking seal on the front axle. I had to replace all of the loader hoses after several years but I consider that a maintenance item like an oil change. I never liked the loader joystick for a couple of reasons, my Deere 4720's loader joystick isn't perfect either but I have more fine control over the loader.

I thought the M4 cab ergonomics was nicely thought out, well done Kubota. My 4720 is as well so no major complaints there. The M4 throttle (not the foot one), parking brake and steering wheel tilt are a bit easier to use so that's a plus.

Another check in the Kubota box is the heritage of the M6060/M7060, new models from the ground up always scare me as I don't want to be a beta tester for the manufacturer.

My truck is a 2000 Ford F-250 long box PowerStroke, bought it brand new and only have 115K miles on the clock. I've thought about replacing it for several years but holy cow new or used ones are way too expensive. Can't wrap my head around hauling hay/feed/wood/etc in an $80k truck. I've had Ford dealer service managers try to buy it from me but no thanks.

Talked with the Deere service manager Monday and the dealer's tech and Deere tech support have concluded the PTO slipping problem is caused by a hydraulic pump which is on national backorder with a Dec 19 available date. My parts order was tagged with a "machine down" so I get at the head of the line. This pump is only about $1200 and I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling that is the root cause of the problem but we will see (hopefully if I ever get my machine returned.)

 

[PaulL]

Talked with the Deere service manager Monday and the dealer's tech and Deere tech support have concluded the PTO slipping problem is caused by a hydraulic pump which is on national backorder with a Dec 19 available date. My parts order was tagged with a "machine down" so I get at the head of the line. This pump is only about $1200 and I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling that is the root cause of the problem but we will see (hopefully if I ever get my machine returned.)

Did they explain how a hydraulic pump causes slipping? Maybe if the pressure is low something's not held fully engaged, but it doesn't jump out at me as being an obvious explanation.

 

[JohnHillCountry]

Did they explain how a hydraulic pump causes slipping? Maybe if the pressure is low something's not held fully engaged, but it doesn't jump out at me as being an obvious explanation.

Very good question, I have absolutely no idea what role the pump has in the PTO system. I felt lucky to catch the service manager in his office and then for him to even find the paperwork. Next time I go into town I'll attempt to talk to the tech and/or get a detailed explanation of what exactly the pump's role is related to the problem. I should have bought the service manual for the 4720 a long time ago.

 

[JohnHillCountry]

Very good question, I have absolutely no idea what role the pump has in the PTO system.....snip.....

I have a thread going on GTT and have a much better understanding of the PTO system thanks to a very smart guy: "...when you energize the PTO valve solenoid, it applies 215 psi hydraulic pressure to a piston which securely compresses the plates/disks to engage the PTO clutch and make the PTO shaft operate." It is the hydraulic pump.

So here I sit, three weeks after foot surgery, no driving for two months and the Doc specifically said not to operate any equipment in that time. If I could get in the cab of the excavator I could use it to get some stuff done around the ranch since it can be operated just with hands. It's a couple of large steps (for me) to get into the cab so that's not going to happen.

 

[McMXi]

I have a thread going on GTT and have a much better understanding of the PTO system

According to the WSM, the M6060/M7060 PTO and 4WD system use oil pressure generated by the power steering hydraulic pump with a relief valve pressure spec of 313 psi and a normal operating range of 265 to 312 psi. Is the JD the same i.e. does it use the PS pump for hydraulic pressure?

The information below might be applicable to a lot of different tractor models.