Well, it's here. The dealer delivered this morning about 9 and took my
L4630 away. Seeing them side-by-side all I could say was, "Wow, it's tiny!"
Pros: My wife likes the size. The FEL has a surprising amount of ooomph for something so small. And it's very maneuverable with great visibility all around!
Cons: The operator's station is really cramped, and with all those levers surrounding the seat I have to be really careful what I grab when mounting. And the lack of power compared to the Grande L is really startling. I can easily walk uphill twice as fast as this tractor.
My tach seems to be malfunctioning. It reads about 1800rpm at idle, but the feel is the same as the
L4630 at idle. With the throttle wide open the tach reads about 3200rpm -- does that sound right? At 3/4 throttle the tach swings back and forth from 1500 to 3000rpms even though the engine sounds hold steady.
But I think it'll grow on me. It is incredibly nimble, which should make mowing a pleasure. And the R4s are really gentle on the turf.