Sweet new tractor Eagle. I know that you were also looking at the Massey 1648. I'm currently looking at a Massey and was wondering if there was something that you didn't like about it that swayed you toward the Deere? I'm not impressed with hydros, so that limits my choices.
Well I was actually looking at a 1652. To be honest, I liked the Massey 1652´s features and functionality and the cab did seem to be a little roomier. I operated gears tractors for years and really like the DynaQPS, but my uncle, aunt and mom need to operator the tractor while I work down in the NYC area, so I had go with the easiest option - HST. I can tell you that not all HSTs are created equal. The NH Boomer 3040 I had was great, the Massey 1652 I test drove was very good, but when I test drove the JD4720 on the dealer´s lot, the JD had more power to the wheels when using the loader and was more fluid with better response (no hesitation or jerkiness in the HST); you could tell the difference between the tractors (never got the opportunity to test drive the Kubota GL5740).
In addition to that, the JD4520´s PowerTec engine seems to have more guts, the 3PH was made heavier and was smoother lifting implements, the loader was faster, the fit and finish on the cab was better (everything was at my fingertips) and the rear remote setup was nicer (I can control the hydraulics with the thumb switch on the joystick; prefect when using a 4-in-1 bucket or
grapple bucket). As for the price, the Massey with my trade-in was $2k less than the 4520. To me it was a no brainer. I felt I got more bang for the buck with the JD, plus the JD dealer in my area is huge/excellent (7 locations) compared to a much small Massey dealer (1 location with 1 small satellite location). In the end, the Kubota GL5740, Massey 1652 and the JD 4520 were all about the same price from the quotes I received; the Kubota was only a few hundred less than the JD4520. In my area, it seems that all the mainstream tractor dealers are about the same price at the moment for this size tractor.
