I bought my one and only modern tractor to replace a 9N from probably the 1940’s and Farmall H from the same time period. I had done enough bush hogging, plowing, discing, dirt work, and low impact logging with them over many years I had a pretty good idea what I wanted and needed going into it. I knew I wanted something I could work with more than I worked on, not the case for the 9N, and something with a center of gravity lower than about 3’, unlike the H. Both were often underpowered for what we were doing, particularly the 9N which was the primary workhorse due to its stability being a better fit for our difficult terrain.
I had professional dealings for many years with all the local equipment dealers so some brands were no go’s from the outset due to poor experience with the dealerships. I knew most of the guys in service and several of the folks in sales at the local Kubota dealer so that was a big plus for Kubota. Salesman asked what I was doing with it and suggested a L3301. I looked at the smaller L’s and was a hard no as I was done working with machines underpowered for my uses. Looked at a MX5400, measured it up, and was a bit disappointed it was a wee bit too big for some of our trails. The L4701 is a tight fit in some places but it does fit. Considered what all would be involved in widening trails for a MX5400 or 6000 and it was just too much grading and general destruction of mature trees. So I got the biggest little tractor I could.
Knew I wanted a removable loader with SSQA. Wasn’t so sure about top & tilt so skipped that and rear remotes to start.
Debated R4’s v R1’s. The R1’s on our older machines were hard on the dirt trails. Maybe 2WD played into that but knowing what the R1’s did to the trails, went with the R4’s, which are much easier on the trails.
Debated HST v gear/shuttle for about a minute. With all the loader work and mowing coupled with a general lack of ground engaging draft work, HST was the clear choice.
Open station was a no brainer with all the work in the woods I have. That and our climate is not nearly as severe, hot or cold, as what many of y’all deal with.
So sometimes I wish it was bigger, sometimes I wish it was smaller so I could use it more in the yards, but overall it’s exactly what we needed. Only regret was not getting three rear remotes with top and tilt out of the gate, but that was an easy add later.
Wish I could have avoided the EPA crap, but the used market here was not friendly to me for what I needed (ag behemoths and estate type stuff was plentiful and not unreasonable but 40 to 50HP stuff was like hens teeth and priced accordingly) and I couldn’t stand the thought of going with yet another tractor in the 25 HP range, so no real options to avoid.
With the loader off, its footprint is only slightly larger than the 9N and a bit smaller than the H, but it’s heavier than both, will lift over 3X as much on the 3 point as the 9N, lifts about the same as the loader on the H but with a real loader rather than a trip bucket, and spanks both of them hard on max drawbar for stuff like pulling trees even with the R4’s. PTO operations such as stump grinder, chipper, generator, bush hog; its everything I need. All that and the practical utility of a 4WD loader on property where there isn’t a flat spot anywhere beats the crap out of a 2WD loader regardless how much ballast the 2WD is hauling on the back.
But for the hundreds of hours experience with the old machines, I likely would have gotten one of the smaller L’s and pretty sure I would have traded up by now. The 4701 is a near perfect match for us.
Kind of funny to me. My brother and I both grew up running those two old tractors. I didn’t tell him I was buying the Kubota. When I told him I’d bought a tractor, he said he’d just bought one for his horse farm as well and was loving his new, modern JD. Of course I told him what I got and he did the same. I don’t recall the model number but his was a 30hp gear drive with a pin on bucket. Most basic thing he could get. We congratulated each other on graduating from 1940’s tech but I could tell he wasn’t as happy at the end of the conversation as he was at the beginning. Spoke to him about a month later and he’d traded the bare bones JD for an open station 4052M HST with every option he could get on it. If I’d bought a MX6000 I suspect he’d have a green one just a smidge bigger. Brothers…
Well done to Kubota for giving me 8 years of trouble-free ownership across four tractors and a generator.
