Another JD 4700 Owner!

[dmccarty]

Well, I did it. Last Monday, I bought a JD 4700, MX6 rotary cutter, FEL with 4n1 bucket, JD 48 backhoe, and a boxblade. The equipment was delivered on Friday and I spent all weekend working the tractor.

The equipment is AWESOME. I can't believe how much work I got done. Simply AWESOME.

I think the tractor already saved me $3,000. We need to build a 450 foot long driveway. I have figured it will cost me about $2,300 in culverts, ABC, and hauling. A contractor came out to bid on the septic system and thinks the driveway will cost $3,000 which is HALF what other bids have been. He saw the tractor and asked if I was going to build the driveway. I have every intention of doing so but if he can do it for 3K the job is his. He was talking about hauling in 180 tons of material which is the exact number I figured was needed to build a 12 foot wide driveway. His written bid will be interesting.

The tractor and equipment are going to allow me to work the property the way I want when I want. It just flat out does the job. Very Impressed. I got a good bit of driveway cleared, stumps dug up, stumps moved, timber moved, slash moved, cleaned up ditches and the timbering decking area. AWESOME equipment. I'm really impressed with how much work this stuff can do and how easy.

Thanks to everyone on the forum for answering my questions. This forum is an invaluable resource and has really made it easy to make an informed tractor purchse.

Thanks Again.
Dan OneBigHappyJD4700Owner McCarty

 

[glennmac]

Dan, congratulations. It seems you have bought all the right equipment. Enjoy.

 

[roysallis]

Dan,
Congratulation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the 4700 had been available when I was looking I would have bought one instead of the 5210.
Happy tractoring!

 

[bpence]

Sounds to me like you invested in a terrific toy.....oopps, I mean piece of equipment.

I saw a 4700 a couple of weeks ago at the local JD dealer and it's one mean looking machine. Enjoy.

Bob Pence

 

[dmccarty]

I priced out a 5210 as well since the FEL on 5n05 series has lower performance the the JD 541 FEL. The 5210 was just a bit more tractor and price than I could justify or afford. The 4700 hit the correct spot on the price/perfomance curve.

The 4700 certainly has met and exceeded my expectations with 17 or so machine hours this weekend.

But there are other implements to buy and no bank account to backup the demand! I sure would like a tiller, trailer, finish mower, chipper, PTO generator, and post hole digger. The last two are purchases that will happen but I might have to take on another job or two to pay for them!

At least I'm adding a little more color to TractorByNet to offset those Kubota Red/Orange guys!

And as everyone has said about getting a tractor, the Dealer is a big part of the purchase. Mine has been excellent so far.

Later....
Dan The 4700 Man

 

[scruffy]

Dan, I must say a great big CONGRATULATIONS Sir!! Now the fun (as you've already figured out)begins! You forgot to mention a Digital camera to take and post photos of all your work and Tractor!

 

[dmccarty]

LOL! I must admit that Harv's pictures has put the digital camera bug in my head. But I do have a scanner at work so I might scan any prints I have made. I have been taking pictures of the property, mainly with Kodachrome slide film since it has the best archival quality that I know of. I guess I should go take some print pictures of what I'm doing before I get much more done....

Thanks.
Dan

 

[roysallis]

Dan, which transmission did you get and why? After re-reading your post I see that you got a backhoe too. I have been thinking about getting one for my 5210. How much trouble are they to connect/disconnect? I may even see about trading my 5210 for a 4700. It may be cheaper than getting a hydraulic top link and 3rd SCV to my 5210.

 

[dmccarty]

I got the PowerReverser tranny since it did not steal horsepower and works like my truck manual transmission. I really wanted a tranny that worked the same on the truck and tractor. And that has turned out to be a good idea. There is a lever on the tractor to take the tranny from forward, neutral or reverse. You DON'T have to clutch to switch from forware to reverse. BUT I still clutch anyway out of habit. I can't stop. To many years with a manual tranny I suppose.

The backhoe is the easiest implement to put on the back of the tractor. Its so dang easy its fun! There is a frame mount on the rear of the tractor for the backhoe. You have to remove the lower arms and the toplink which takes about 5 minutes or so. Once this is off, just back the tractor into the backhoe lining up the rocker arm pins to the "hooks" on the backhoe. You have to be aligned just like attaching a 3PH but it is not as critical. Once in position just lift the rocker arms, insert two L pins to hold the backhoe to the frame, and then turn off the tractor. Release the pressure from the hydoraulics, take the hoses from the back hoe and hook 'em up to the valves on the back of the tractor. Your done. All of this is done from the tractor's operator seat. Its very easy. I wish the 3PH implements went on this easy.

Getting the 3PH back on the tractor is a bit more work since the clearences on the lower arms are very tight. You have to angle the arms just so to get the lower arms on the pins under the tractor. But once you figure out that certain angle on it goes...

One of the reasons I bought the 4700 over the 5105/5205 is that the FEL is stronger. The 5000 Ten series FEL and backhoes are more powerful that the 4000/5n05 but MUCH more expensive. The JD48 backhoe for the 4700 was just shy of $7,000. Which was a big OUCH for me but it has been well worth the money so far. The best price for the backhoe for the 5000 series tractors was around $10,0000. Its a stronger backhoe but it was hard enough for me to justify $7,000 much less $10,000.

I have not gone after my 36 inch stumps yet. I toyed with one the first day with the tractor but this weekend, if the weather allows, I'm going some big stumps that are in the way of my driveway.

Hope this helps...
Dan

 

[roysallis]

Dan, thanks for the response, I am going to look into trading my 5210 and see if I can get a 4700 since I want MFWD. There is not much difference in hp, especially if I get the PowrReverser instead of the HST. I think the MFWD will be worth the sacrifice in hp. I have an MX6 cutter and it has never lugged the engine so hp should not be a problem. Don't know if my 521 FEL could be put on the 4700 or not but my 6 foot equipment (MX6, box blade, grader blade and disc) should be ok.