Funny that I stumbled on this topic. Here is perspective from someone who uses an L47 for a side business:
Things I end up doing:
A big chuck of business is fixing gravel driveways. These are existing/old or maybe even new/recent driveways that got worn out due to water damage or other reasons. Need to remove potholes, crowning it, and/or add ditches (non-existing or eroded). Occasionally there is a request for a new driveway, however there are far more existing driveways than new construction. In the case of wanting a new driveway, the property is wooded and what they really mean is they want land clearing for a house and a driveway to it.
The L47 really shines on fixing driveways. The machine can turn sharp enough that in a typical 12-15 foot driveway, you can go perpendicular and the front bucket is able to dig in a few feet out down a bank (skidsteer can't do this because the bucket is too close to cable and makes a mess turning hard). Then move the extra dirt somewhere else on property...very efficent way to make make a clean 18 inch ditch. The tractor is able to run a heavy 6 foot boxblade or 84+ inch rear blade (I use ABI TR3 rack 6.5 foot), allowing you to crown half the typical 12 foot driveway each way. It has the muscle to tear up heavy compacted gravel with closely spaced scarifiers. Picking up and spreading a pile of loose gravel is no problem (can do a truck load in less an hour). When there are harder to reach ditches that need to be installed or cleaned or culvert needs to be installed, you can use the backhoe (handles the typical 15 inch 4 foot long concrete or 20 foot long plastic pipe just fine), which has good reach and geometry to angle a bucket as you work on both sides the driveway (you stack the spoils as you continue down the ditch and then transport them away with the front bucket...if the backhoe was much larger, you'd be up too close and have a hard time with the bucket angle). The machine is heavy enough to get the job done, but not too heavy where you're compacting everything or leaving ruts if you need to get off gravel and on dirt. There is nothing a M62 has to offer extra and in fact the larger size would get in the way, including the need for even wider real implement to cover the tracks.
Another big part of my work ends up being grading (aka dirt work). New construction requires 6 inch drop 10 foot out to pass inspection or property owner has water drainage issues requiring swales or ditches. The lot was cleared and rough graded, but now they want the finishing touch prior to grass seed. Or it might be recent or older construction where the yard around the house is in rough shape (perhaps for example septic field settled or erosion) and they just want it looking nicer and easier to mow/'maintain. In these situations, again you don't want to bring a bulldozer to make mess and you might have to work near trees which can die due to root damage from large equipment compacting around the root ball. The L47 does great here as well because it isn't so heavy to sink in as it travels around (unlike a heavy skidsteer which kind of feels like you're in a loop trying clean up after yourself and end up driving backwards), with the exception that it lacking grunt to use the front bucket to break up 'shale or very compact clay' (a skidsteer just tanks through it with a tooth bar, which L47 doesn't have though you could get). The backhoe with grading bucket becomes key here, letting you fine tune the grade, but the downside is you can't have your finish grade 3PT attachment with you. L47 can run a PTO power rake no problem (and arguably those work best off the rear of any equipment).
There is some tree removal or light land clearing. Here what works great is a woodchipper, grapple, flail mower, and stump grinder. I use woodmaxx MX-9900 wood chipper, which is basically the largest unit offered for a 3PT tractor and accepts 9 inch material. The L47 handles it perfectly without much struggle and the extra PTO HP of M62 is not required. The tractor can use a 72 inch grapple and lift 24 inch+ diameter logs 9-12 feet no problem...if dealing with brush, it is light and you can fill up as much as the tool can grab. The tractor runs a baumalight 3P24 stump grinder just great and there next step up is a cat version without much benefit. Stumps can be removed with backhoe no problem up to 24 inch, at which point it just takes too long and they become too heavy to lift anyway and instead should use a stump grinder (the M62 doesn't have a significant increase in lift to make a difference). The L47 runs a typical bush hog or flail mower no problem to clear/maintain fields, though here the M62 might work better (though I've never had an issue going as fast as I want with my flail... the bump y terrain wont let me go faster). Summary here is having a M62 is pointless because the L47 can already successfully run these tools without an issue.
Now here is where L47 lacks:
The L47 is inadequate for most kinds of 'land or lot clearing' work. The backhoe lacks reach and power. It can't run mulcher/flail or to get to pond banks etc. It doesn't have the power to knock trees down, though can deal with smaller stuff. The tires with air are fragile compared to steel tracks to deal with all the random junk hidden in the weeds. The L47 can't bull dozer and clear land like a skidsteer can and the M62's additional weight isn't enough because you need about 10 tons + for it matter. Ideally you want a big excavator or bulldozer for this type of thing.
The L47 is not good at digging footings on a construction site. The backhoe reach is too short to cover a typical building, the tractor is too big/clunky turning to position well, and the material can't be moved off to the right spot...can't move material very far and are limited to a semi circle. You can't cross your own ditch or get right up to a house and dig. The nails on the ground are just waiting to pop your tires. Can't really reach in and put in a footing for a pier. The M62 does not help here...you really want a mini-ex for this kind of work.
The L47 can't do any kind of demo work. It can't really run a hammer (or efficiently anyway). The backhoe is too small and weak to break things or load a truck. The L47 isn't shield/protected every where for these types of conditions. It's just the wrong tool to smash up a house and load it into dump trucks or to remove a swimming pool (surprisingly common request...).
I end up using the L47 with a tractor attachment more than I do the backhoe, but it still has it's purpose to remove stumps, trench/ditch for drainage, or rough grading. People want the small finish work more often that the heavy duty stuff. And when they want the heavy duty stuff, I'm not wanting a M62.... the proper tool at a minimum is CAT 308 excavator, which weights 20000 LB. You need a CDL and really big truck to pull one of those to a job....they cost a fortune to buy and unless you run a REALLY successful land clearing business, it's just not worth owning. Alternatively, it's actually more simple than that...if you have a job requiring big equipment, it makes a lot more sense to rent or lease it. A semi truck drops it off and picks up for $100-200 each way and the rental cost you're just passing off to the customer. You don't worry about maintaining or storing it. The rental prices make a lot more sense than owning this equipment.
Thus in summary, I don't really see a use-case or need for M62. I'm not the only one because they are very rare and L47 is what's popular for a reason. When I had a choice between L47 and M62 and I had less experience, the following occurred:
- I didn't want to stomach the additional 15-20k cost of the M62 <<< bad point if that machine lets you get more jobs that cost gets covered quickly
- I was intimidated by the M62 large size <<< bad point because it's small compared to other equipment
- I thought it was too heavy and wide to haul <<< bad point because any HD truck can handle towing 10k and you can fit it on a trailer with fenders (though it's going to be tight)
- Perhaps I wanted extra trailer weight and space left to haul a second attachment instead <<< bad point because I never have to do that in practice
- I was concerned about the tractor being tippy with extended backhoe <<< bad point because this about operator and you can't ever have a backhoe too long
- The L47 would be more fuel efficient <<< bad point as it's nearly identical to L47 and at best maybe uses 1-3 extra gallons a day which is a wash
I will point out that I think a 4000 LB Kubota 4060 like OP posted would be too light weight for a lot of the work I do. I experienced this with Kubota L3301... nice tractor, but not something's I'd recommend using if doing work for other people competitively.
Can the L47 use more weight? Sure weight always helps.
Would I buy L47 or M62 today? I think the L47 makes business sense for the type of work this equipment is good for, but I don't think you could wrong with a M62 doing the same work though it's just not required. It would best to spend that 15-20k on a min-ex or some other equipment.
I will say I win jobs all the time against folks with big heavy skidsteers and excavators. They want to bring oversized tools and over charge for it. The owner rather pay less and have something less destructive on their property. Something else to consider as it seems the trend many think is 'bigger is better.' ...I'd say better phrase 'right tool for the job.'
EDIT: I fixed some of my grammar in the rambling type up.
