New L4760 first impressions

[fishpick]

Took delivery of my new L4760 and loader yesterday (the factory is behind in production of the big front snowblower, so that will come later whenever it's built).

I'll be honest here - this tractor purchase was not something I put a ton of research into... I had a 2004 TC45DA without a cab that I have used around the house and for farming chores for the last 8 years or so. And I loved it. But as age starts be beat on the body, the last few years driving in reverse all winter down a nearly 1/2 mile long driveway to lear the snow - and we live in a lake effect snow belt - well, it was starting to leave a winter long crook in my neck. And - I'll admit - I hate the cold. So after the first big snowfall this year when I came inside unable to look forward and mumbling about the icy shards that find their way onto skin through any layer of clothing - it was my wife that told me to go get a new tractor with a cab and a front mounted blower. Done!

In my opinion - where we live - there were pretty much 2 choices Green and Orange. As much as I loved Blue - the new LS made "things" were not even a consideration. I started with Green (because the dealer was closer) and learned how little tractor you get for the money and how long the wait was and how little they seemed to care about actually selling me one... so I talked to the second closest Orange dealer, test drove a L3560 on a cold snowy day around Christmas, got some quotes, kept adding options, took a vacation, had the flu, and took delivery yesterday!

So with about an hour of seat time in the cab - doing nothing but driving around in my heated bubble - here's my first impressions and comparison against my beloved and now gone TC45DA.

First off is the profile:

I was actually surprised when I had the 2 tractors right next to each other... The Kubota is a little higher and a little wider but it's actually shorter. I think that's due to the loader boom design... and that's one of the negatives IMHO. Now, I know the loader is far more capable than the NH - but - that comes at the price of some visibility. You can see in these 2 pictures how rounded the NH loader was and followed the "Aliens" head shape of the hood... the Kubota loader is "blockier" and those higher parts by the bend in the boom obscure the bucket itself a bit from the drivers seat. It's not awful - but when compared back to back - it's very obvious. Totally something i can get used to - I'm not sending Orange back - but in all fairness Blue's design is better for visibility.
On the flip side - the L60 wins like 3 times over the NH in turning radius. Like - WTF did the minds at Kubota do to make such a large machine turn in such a small space. I remember back when I was looking at the TC45 they had a "supersteer" option that would also pivot the axle to let the tractor turn crazy sharp... the Kubota turns sharper than I remember the supersteer NH ever turning... Honestly - I feel like the L4760 turns sharper than the BX24 does... I LOVE how nimble this monster is.

On the other business end - things are very similar here.

The telescoping arms were mandatory (and standard on the L 60). Another point for the TC45DA tho is that the drawbar could be offset simply by pulling a single pin and pushing the bar to the side. Now - the Kubota makes it easier to REMOVE the drawbar - so that's not really a big deal. But when I put o nthe big 2 bottom plow - the bar will have to come off now, not just be offset. Again - not a deal breaker - and - I'm telling myself the tradeoff here is again added capacity in the 3pt lift on the Kubota. At first I didn't really like the pin for the adjustable sways on the Kubota - then I discovered there's little pins that hold them in place - while I think I like that more - ask me again in the middle of summer when I'm looking for a dropped pin in the tall grass.

In the drivers seat - there's definitely an awareness that you have moved on to a new more modern and comfortable tractor.

The array of buttons knobs and levers is strong with the Kubota. Lots going on and that's not even lookin at all the menu options in the IntelliPanel! The ease of adjusting the steering wheel on the Kubota is awesome. Step on a lever - move the column, get off the lever, done. All the buttons and knobs and levers feel solid on the Kubota and I don't worry about something falling off when I have big gloves on (i.e. when I'm not scared of the shine on the newness). Ohh - and the Kubota has a horn. That will actually be useful when I need to get my wife's attention... and it will also be useful in getting her to wave at me with a single finger - I'm excited about this feature! All the buttons and gauges and lights are very visible - I like this layout a lot. The digital "RPM speed" is friggin cool as opposed to trying to get your RPM's to the tic mark on the tach... technology is cool.

As for the other operator controls - the TC45DA was sold a a "deluxe" tractor - so the jump in creature comforts isn't HUGE - but Kubota did a great job laying things out.

I tried to show you the NH view of the right and left fenders of the operator platform and then again the same thing for the Kubota. I don't know that anything anywhere is really better - although there is one thing that is a "I miss it". So - the TC45 had on the loader joystick a rabbit and turtle button... so while the physical shifter had a high/low range - you could cycle between high/low in a given range... JUST LIKE THE KUBOTA (except the Kubota has 3 physical ranges L/M/H)... the difference here is the Kubota uses an orange lever on the left of the steering column to let you toggle between the L/H of the physical range. THe NH had that option as a switch on the fender AND as 2 buttons on the back of the loader joystick. That was REALLY nice when you were doing loader work and needed to slow down for a pile - puch into it - and then go back to H to deliver the bucket.

At first blush - I miss having the range selection on the joystick... BUT - it's really silly to - as the kUbota has so many features and modes of driving (and the throttle boost button on the joystick) that in practice once I get used to the Kubota and its setting for a given job - I don't think I'll miss those 2 buttons on the joystick at all. The Kubota's programming options are so much broader than just 2 buttons!
Ohh - then then there is this...

You know - the fact the Kubota has a friggin CAB! Heat / AC, defrosters on the side and rear windows, front work lights, rear work lights, front and rear wipers, and it's fully wired for me to pop in a radio (dealer gave me the bracket for mounting my own radio) Come on - this is luxury! Yesterday was like 40F and a brisk damp wind... I had my farm coat on - it was "ok" but as they were going over the tractor on delivery my ears were cold under my hood. Hop in this thing - it's time to take off the coat. Heaven. I'm am the guy who when in FLorida in July and it's 95% humidity and 98 degrees - I'm not complaining... so - this cab (portable green house on a tractor) is possibly the greatest! Now - I used to think "why would I want to NOT be outside in the summer"... then when I had 4 hives beekeeping... and got stung... and discovered I had developed an allergy (and when tested not only is it honeybee but also yellow jacket)... suddenly mowing the fields became "where's my epi pen" activities... This is boy in a bubble mobility here folks!
And the visibility - WOW! Better than most cars. You can see everything you need to front tires in furrows / ruts, rear tires, implements you are attaching - it's a great design / platform.

I opted for the square back QA bucket. I didn't need to spend the extra on the heavy duty removable tooth version. I moved 1000's of tons of crusher run with that NH and the bucket was still like new... well... maybe not this shiny, but...

My dealer said the main use for the replaceable bar is folks that use the loader on concrete / hard surfaces... and that's not me 99.9% of the time.

The engine is VERY quiet. Compared to one of those JD Yanmars - you could call it silent Inside the cab - there's a reason the radio is an option... it's so well insulated in there and the engine itself makes that easy - music is totally an option... as opposed the TC45 where I would opt for earplugs when doing anything at PTO RPM's. So much luxury right there.
The transmission is super too - and this is without me playing with any of the electronic settings... It's very easy to shift the physicals from L/M/H - and there's a solid difference in all 3. Also the rabbit / turtle (H/L) on the column works as expected. I didn't play with the auo-accelerate engine RPM go faster as you step on the pedal setting...(it's got a better name than that). I have R1 ag tires on here (rears are loaded with beet juice / rim guard)... and in messing around with the pedal for the hydro... I friggin spun out the rear going across the driveway... wife was not impressed when I tried to explain how much torque the thing has... she pointed at the 90 degree to traffic flow ruts... I shrugged in the cab and yelled "I can't hear you in here"... and beeped the horn as I peeled out again

Dealer delivered it with a full tank of fuel... which was nice... but I kinda wanted to use the super easy fuel tank compared to the one on the TOP of the REAR of the NH... (but I have a hunch I'll get to put a lot of fuel in this thing over the years, so I can wait). Ohh - the lack of an actual tool box is disappointing but the little compartment in the cab will work fine for like a tow line and a few small things.

Final thoughts -
I think I did real good with L4760. Really the only "complaint" if it even is one would be the design of the loader booms - but again I'm comparing it against a less capable NH curved design. And it's really not that bad - but the end of me doing nothing but burning fuel to drive it around my perception of "less visibility" was even less. I'm sure after actually doing something of value with the tractor and loader and another couple of hours of seat time - the visibility loss will be forgotten. No doubt it should be able to do everything I asked of the TC45 and more (in comfort). The front blower (when it gets here) will be the ultimate luxury - going forward in a warm cab clearing feets of snows - without a care in the world of wind direction... if it blows on the glass - the defroster will melt it and the wipers will make it go away (it's a little more complicated but I'm not getting covered in show while breaking my neck is the takeaway)! Even now - while I still need to go backwards with my old blower - the Kubota seat has a built in side to side twist... and - huge mirrors... so - I think I can go backwards while maintaining normal body posture (amazing)! Really aside from the loader "humps" and the visibility reduction there (and it's minor - just very noticeable compared the the boom design of the NH "Boomer" and our BX24) - there's not really much to NOT like about this tractor in my first impressions.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Excellent comparative post!

I took delivery of my L6060 this past spring and share many of your likes / dislikes. I didn't opt for the cab though so I can't offer an opinion there. To me, the luxury comes from the optional air ride seat. There is just no comparison to the standard spring unit. I'm still craning my neck using my rear mount blower though but I'm seriously considering a front mount.

Thanks for posting!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Great write-up.

One thing I'll mention, as you do loader work, the left hand is on the wheel, where it us easy to flip that hi-low level with your fingers.

They are awesome tractors.

 

[TCowner]

I had been a "green guy" for decades when my local New Holland dealer kept asking me to demo the TC40D (pre-curser to the DA series) and I was immediately converted. I was coming off a John Deere 4400, which was a good tractor, but the visibility and maneuverability of the New Holland was a night and day improvement. I got the Supersteer version which I had a love/hate relationship with. Without the loader, I absolutely loved the tractor. I can't say enough about the visibility from the operator's point of view. And the Shibura engine was so smooth and quiet compared to the Yanmar. However, with the loader attached I lost a little love because with Supersteer, the loader moves in the opposite direction of your front wheels at least for the first few degrees of the turning arc. Over time I got used to it and was able to compensate for it but on more than one occasion I found myself struggling to be accurate with the loader. On one occasion I was dumping some gravel under the deck of a neighbor and got into a situation where I was struggling to avoid taking out a post. The more I tried to turn away from the post the more the loader turned into the post. I had to dump the load of gravel, lift up the front of the tractor with the loader and reposition my steering angle to back out. Over time it became less of an issue and I really enjoyed the tractor, but once in a while if I got a little lax in attention span, the "quirk" of the loader operation would frustrate me a bit.

But on balance I was quite impressed with this tractor. So much so, that ended trading for the new DA when it came out. My dealer was quite pleasant to work with on trades so I bought another TC40DA two years later. I put a Curtis cab on the tractor for winter operation and it worked out well. As time went on I was looking at going to a tractor with more horsepower but wanted a hydrostatic transmission. New Holland didn't offer a larger hp tractor with a hydro so I ended up back with Deere. I traded the TC40DA for a 4720 John Deere with the Comfortgard cab. And of course shortly thereafter New Holland contracts with LS to build their compact tractors and I just was not as impressed. Had New Holland continued with Shibura and offered a tractor with 55-60 hp with a hydro I probably would still be a New Holland guy today. But as I look back I had a very fond memory of the TC40D and DA tractors. They had features that were not offered by others at the time. And that visibility from the operators station I still don't has been duplicated today.

I sat on a John Deere 2038r compact tractor at the local dealer and thought this may be close. Still, New Holland did it 20 years ago and it has taken a long time for anyone to catch up.

 

[nybirdman]

Congrats on the new rig;very similar to my L4240 HSTC.Your loader has more capacity and will surprise you with the power it has.I have 1200 hours on mine now;front snow plow and food plot chores.

 

[RjCorazza]

Sounds like you're having fun with the new machine! Be sure to read up on the numerous HST electronic settings, and try them out. I prefer to use Auto Throttle, Stall Guard, no Auto HiLo, and set the HST sensitivity about midway. I also like the Throttle Up switch set at pto speed.

 

[fishpick]

Yesterday I was able to spend some more time with the new L4760 and build upon my first impressions. Here's some things I noticed just driving the tractor around our field and on some paths as well as working over a big snow pile with the FEL.

• Although the cab isn't much bigger than the old ROPS - it feels much larger. When driving near trees the branches / limbs seem to want to reach out and touch the glass and try to pull on the rear mounted turn / flasher signals. I can see how those are pretty vulnerable - I'll be repositioning them further to the rear and coming up with some solution to protect their wires. I also am going to put a set of ratcheting clippers in the cab for trimming the offenders as I find them. REally need to be careful in / around the woods... but I expected that.
• The heater is INSANE. Like - need to figure out how to grill a steak while working off the hot air kind of insane... I LOVE IT!
• Something about the geometry of the 3PT is "different" than the TC45 - I'm not sure but maybe the lift arms are a little shorter... The reason I say this is yesterday and today I put the rear blower on / off and whereas with the NH when attaching it you just telescoped the arms a bit to get onto the implement and then the top link "just fit" - both times I found after attaching the arms - I needed to get in the tractor and back up about 2-3" to push on the implement so it rotated a little so the top would reach. Don't know if this is particular to the old snow blower itself, if its the location the lift arms came set up, or if the factory top link is shorter than the one I had on the NH. It's not a huge deal - it's part of learning.
• Comfort level is absurd. After sliding the seat back and forth and cranking the "how springy / cushy is it" and moring the angle of the back of the seat back and forth... I decided the seat is about as good as a Lazyboy... and I have the "base seat" - someone commented (and the dealer told me too) there's a air ride option for about a grand. No way do I need that - the factory seat is amazing.
• The loader does block some of your vision - period. But - and this is a huge BUT - it's a small price to pay for the capacity of the loader. I attached a giant snow / ice pile and here's 3 simple thoughts. 1. you don't know when you have a full bucket because the stupid loader / machine never strains. 2) the trigger on the loader control to rev the engine that I thought might be a bit of a gimmick is awesome and I can see how that "changes how you will work a pile of material - that's a great feature 3) when you roll out the bucket to dump the end of range where it hits the blocks to "bang" lose any material still in the bucket - good lordy that's solid and hard. SO so so much nicer than the old floppy flaccid limp thing on the NH. The minor vision loss when driving and operating is totally worth it for the obvious jump in capacity and capibility of the FEL.
• I mentioned the turning radius in my initial impressions - and I'm still baffled how they make this machine turn so smoothly in such a tight radius. It's absolutely wonderful!
• I need to get a radio... not because I NEED one - but because it is so quiet in the cab I was able to call my wife and when she answered the first thing she said was "Is everything ok - I saw you going down the field in the new tractor and I don't hear it now"... I was still driving - on the phone - having a conversation... it's THAT quiet in the cab!
• A rather irrelevant observation is the R1's on this tractor seem to be "more aggressive" than the R1's on the NH - I have no way of knowing for sure but I think the rear are a couple of inches taller and maybe an inch or 2 narrower. They just seem to leave more of a mark where I took it. I don't consider that anything other than an observation that may or may not be correct.

I am 100% sure this is a luxury upgrade that I could have lived without - but it will make the next 20 years of tractoring around on our property moving gravel for the driveway every year, topsoil, gardens, field maintenance, planting trees, and not the least - blowing snow - a pleasure to do. I'm thrilled with the fit and finish. The quality of workmanship is top notch. This is really an impressive machine!

@bdhsfz6 - there was no way I could justify $1000 for a seat. The dealer said most of those get sold to towns around here and to "bigger gentlemen" - I'm neither - and am so impressed with the base seat, I was smart enough to NOT sit in an air ride

@buckeyefarmer - I see what you mean and that works most of the time (in my playing simple size of less than 10 minutes) but if you are doing loader work I still contend the buttons on the joystick are "easier"

@nybirdman - I'm actually going to start some food plots this year! As we have gotten out of farming I have started doing more tree planting on our property and food plots are on the list this year! I expect this tractor to handle the 6' tiller the NH ran without issue

@RjCorazza - good advice and I messed with several setting yesterday. I think I have things a bit more adjusted but need to play more with the HST responsiveness when you get on and off the pedal - it's "better" but still not there... the thing is - I'm trying to NOT do too much until I kinda learn the "defaults" - I don't want to just try and make this "like" the NH simply because that's what I liked... so I'm trying to let the memory fade before fine tuning the HST

 

[mopardude318]

VERY nice tractor!! I was torn between the L6060 or the M7060 that I ended up getting.

 

[Fallon]

Have rear remotes? If so how bad do they leak down? Hope your are a lot better than mine. Been fighting to get the dealer ton them. My replacements are worst than the first ones so far.

 

[fishpick]

No rears - almost did the toplink but for $1600 I couldn't justify it... and I run a tiller, 2 bottom plow and bush hog most of the time (the snowblower this time of year - but that will go away when the front one comes in) - so - for the cost - there was just not a real justification... all those implements get set and that's it - no angling of blades and fancy things like that for me...

The loader and the 3pt don't seem to leak down hardly at all tho - for whatever that's worth... parked it the other day with both up and got distracted by something new on the tractor... went out the next morning and everything was still way up. But again - apples to your leaky oranges, I suppose.