Tractor Sizing New John Deere - Need Help with 3 or 4 Series

lewgar · Jun 2, 2020

I have been lurking for a while and reading various forums and internet info. I have visited a couple different dealers and received different opinions. I am looking for more insight on this from folks dealing with tractors daily. Here is what I am working with land wise and tools.

* Why John Deere? This is the only local dealer in 50-100 miles from my cabin in West Virginia, it is in the middle of no where. If I need service, they do pickup/dropoff.
* Very little flat ground, mainly hills.
* 50 acres total, 30 acres of fields that need brushed hogged, 20 acres of which many have trails that need brushed hogged as well
* Many projects to dig and put in culverts and I need the backhoe when I have time to use it, so I want the backhoe and I know the increased cost. Renting a mini excavator just does not work timing wise as you have to factor in when I am there and weather is good.
* FEL & pallet forks for moving material around
* Box blade or land plane for grading and smoothing out the very rough terrain/trails

I am between a 3038e, which I do am reading I want the heavier 4xxx series for hills and the R as it has a beefier frame compared to the e. Cost is always a concern, so no specific budget yet. Trying to figure out if the 3xxx or 4xxx series is the better way to go? Also 3038e or 3038r or maybe the 4044M. Or what else am I not thinking of.

CADplans · Jun 2, 2020

I have an older 4 Series, I would never consider a 3 Series,, for me,, The new 4 Series sure are nice,,
(mine is not real old, it still has the original battery,,, )

DO NOT get a cab,, WAY TOO top heavy,, if you buy a cab, within a year, you will be trading for an open station,,

I tried a cab tractor when I was buying my current JD,, I did not like going over the speed bump in the parking lot at an angle,,

dodge man · Jun 2, 2020

Bigger is always better unless you have a lot of tight spots. The R series in JD usually means deluxe. For example, in the three series the loader comes off easier, it has a mid pto, often a better seat. Look at the features and decide if you need the R. Either way load the tires. I’m not sure if you can flip flop the wheels to make the stance wider or not. If not you might want some spacers.

crashz · Jun 2, 2020

The 3 series seems narrow and tippy to me. The E's cannot accept a backhoe either (from what I remember shopping them a couple of years ago). Sounds like you know what you want and need. I'd go for the 4 series, loaded tires, and all the remotes you can get. Best of luck and we want pictures!

That is a fair amount of land to maintain. you will want the bigger tractor. And a very heavy duty bush hog.

arcadelt · Jun 2, 2020

Only thing I will add is make sure whatever you buy can lift what you want to lift with the forks.

rScotty · Jun 2, 2020

You sound like us 15 years ago. We were looking at new tractors, but when it came down to it almost all the work we were wanting to do was loader and backhoe type of work intstead of crop farming.

So instead of a 3pt tractor, we ended up getting a purpose-built tractor/loader/backhoe (TLB) Much heavier duty machine. In addition to the heavier duty, the difference in a TLB vs a Tractor is that with the TLB the backhoe is the primary rear attachment and the 3pt hitch is an option - which we got, too BTW. With a tractor it's the other way around in that the 3pt is standard and the backhoe is the option.

Ours is a Kubota M59 because we got a great deal on it. and JD no longer builds a medium size TLB. I wish they did.
If buying today, we would probably have bought the L47 Kubota.

Buying this machine was a hard decision for us. I've been a John Deere guy since I was a kid, and so my wife and I spent the summer of '07 looking at JDs. Then we looked - reluctantly - at Massey, NH, and even some commercial equipment. We drove past various Japanese Tractor shops for all that summer while we were looking and never even thought about stopping until one day we did.... I still wish we had been able to find a JD that was built as well. When it's time for our next tractor I'll be back at JD again.....hoping that they have at last begun to build a machine that fits our needs.

I HATE that ORANGE Color!! But I gotta say that after using this Kubota hard for 12 years it is one well-built and trouble free machine.
But I still wish it were GREEN! Sigh...

Anyway, you probably didn't want to hear all that. I know I didn't. But here is some good advice: Do get the larger machine with a full frame and lots of steel and iron. Go for quality of design and heavy construction even if that means giving up some swoopy hood shape and convenience features.
rScotty

blackdog2086 · Jun 3, 2020

I have the older 4 series (4720) and from the work you're describing, I definitely wouldn't recommend the 3 series. Yes, you would be able to accomplish the tasks, but with much more strain on the smaller macine and with much more of your time invested in each job. I've had mine for about 15 years or so and it has been an absolute workhorse and to this point trouble free. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

lewgar · Jun 3, 2020

Thanks for all the feedback, you are all confirming what I was thinking. This is exactly why I opened the thread. I need to check some trail widths and see if I can adjust them to be larger in some cases, but I am now set on the 4 series, now to determine which one and the trim level. Thanks for all the feedback.

MtnViewRanch · Jun 3, 2020

lewgar said:
Thanks for all the feedback, you are all confirming what I was thinking. This is exactly why I opened the thread. I need to check some trail widths and see if I can adjust them to be larger in some cases, but I am now set on the 4 series, now to determine which one and the trim level. Thanks for all the feedback.

Get the best that you can afford, you won't be sorry. And as previously mentioned, every SCV that you can get.

I highly recommend that you get both a heavy duty 800lb + box blade and a land plane grading scraper (LPGS) of equal weight or heavier. Box blade does the rough in work and the LPGS does the maintenance, and in about 1/2 the time of the box blade. A good rear blade works well also and should be added later for shaping the ground.

Just my :2cents:
Good luck with your decisions.