CVHoss
Gold Member
Anthony,
Don't know if you made your decision yet, but in case you haven't, I'll give you my reasons for picking the 48 that is being mounted by my dealer as I write.
1. Price -- The 47 has a msrp of $6519.00 with a 9" bucket. The 48 (with mounting brackets for a 4310) has a msrp of $7282.00 with a 12" bucket. That's a price difference of only $763.00. If you were comparing items where one cost $1000.00 and the other was $1763.00, the price increase would be dramatic. But, unless you're pushing your budget to the max with the cost of the 47, an additional $763.00 on a $6519.00 item does not seem like too much excess.
2. Digging depth is one foot more on the 48. While you may not be able to visualize a point where you would need to dig a 8'6" deep trench, remember that digging depth carries over to other areas such as reach, loading height, etc.
3. Loading height is one foot more on the 48. If you ever have to load out the material you are digging into the bed of a truck or trailer, this one additional foot can be a great advantage.
4. Dipstick digger force is 430 lbs more on the 48. While there may be times that this higher force is advantageous, I actually gave it little thought on my 4400 as there is a point where the downward force of the dipstick will just lift the tractor off the ground.
5. Bucket digging force (sometimes seen as bucket curl force) is 890 lbs more for the 48 over the 47. This number is significant if removing stumps is of importance to you. It was a high priority to me, so this played a major part in my decision.
6. Finally, what really made the decision for me was the ability to carry the 48 to a larger size tractor. If I ever trade up in tractors, it will be to the 4600/4700 size frame. With the 48 hoe, I can have my hoe moved to the larger tractor. With a 47, I'd have to buy a new hoe again.
Best of luck with whichever one you decide on as I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely.
Hoss
Don't know if you made your decision yet, but in case you haven't, I'll give you my reasons for picking the 48 that is being mounted by my dealer as I write.
1. Price -- The 47 has a msrp of $6519.00 with a 9" bucket. The 48 (with mounting brackets for a 4310) has a msrp of $7282.00 with a 12" bucket. That's a price difference of only $763.00. If you were comparing items where one cost $1000.00 and the other was $1763.00, the price increase would be dramatic. But, unless you're pushing your budget to the max with the cost of the 47, an additional $763.00 on a $6519.00 item does not seem like too much excess.
2. Digging depth is one foot more on the 48. While you may not be able to visualize a point where you would need to dig a 8'6" deep trench, remember that digging depth carries over to other areas such as reach, loading height, etc.
3. Loading height is one foot more on the 48. If you ever have to load out the material you are digging into the bed of a truck or trailer, this one additional foot can be a great advantage.
4. Dipstick digger force is 430 lbs more on the 48. While there may be times that this higher force is advantageous, I actually gave it little thought on my 4400 as there is a point where the downward force of the dipstick will just lift the tractor off the ground.
5. Bucket digging force (sometimes seen as bucket curl force) is 890 lbs more for the 48 over the 47. This number is significant if removing stumps is of importance to you. It was a high priority to me, so this played a major part in my decision.
6. Finally, what really made the decision for me was the ability to carry the 48 to a larger size tractor. If I ever trade up in tractors, it will be to the 4600/4700 size frame. With the 48 hoe, I can have my hoe moved to the larger tractor. With a 47, I'd have to buy a new hoe again.
Best of luck with whichever one you decide on as I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely.
Hoss
