John Deere 4410 Compact Tractor [24]

John Deere is a leading manufacturer of farm equipment. Their tractors have the reputation of being the best in the business. In my own personal opinion, the two cylinder models seemed to be the best engineered tractors for their time, compared to other leading brands.

According to an article in TractorbyNet about the recently released John Deere 4000 twenty series "In 2003 alone, the under-40 horsepower tractor market grew by a staggering 28.2%, to more than 125,000 units per year (with the 40-100-horsepower tractors growing 12% to 60,000 units sold). We are, right now, in the middle of the greatest compact tractor boom in the history of the market."

The John Deere tractor is a brand that is on the wish lists of celebrities from David Letterman to Dan Patrick to Jim Thome to Mandy Moore. It seems as if the lifestyle trend for upper income exurban residents now requires a country farmer feel. And a compact tractor complements that lifestyle. A country singer, baseball player or movie star with acreage needs a tractor to mow and putter around. The John Deere compact utility tractor fills the bill. It is easy to learn to operate, is more manuverable than a small car, and is entertaining to use.

Compact utility tractors have always had a place in orchards, vinyards and small farms where space between buildings and crops is at a premium. Also the horsepower needs are less on smaller farms with smaller implements and loads. Tractor mounted tool carriers, loaders, and three point hitches make the utility tractor quite useful for performing a wide variety of tasks. Many of these tasks have been taken up by skid steer loaders. But these machines, like the Bobcat, are not as "cool" looking, nor as well rounded. In addition skid steer loaders suffer from low to non-existent rear visibility. Although they have superior forward visibility. I would expect that compact tractors are cutting into sales of skid steer loaders.

I had the chance to operate the John Deere compact 4000 Ten series tractor and evaluate it for small farm usage. I operated the loader, used it to pull a wagon and operated a rear-mounted brush mower.

eHydro™ Transmission

This 4410 tractor is equipped with the optional eHydro™ electronically controlled hydrostatic transmission. The eHydro™ permits instant forward and reverse motion with no clutching. It eliminates the clutch/shift reverse action when using the loader attachment and so makes running the loader as easy as with a skid-steer loader. I highly recommend getting this option if you plan to equip your tractor with a loader. Stalling is not a problem as the engine works up to the load using the hydraulic pump as a buffer. The pedal configuration is slightly different than you might expect. The rear wheel brake pedals are operated with the left foot if needed. The right foot operates the forward and reverse travel pedals. The throttle is mounted on the steering column. (On the gear-driven 4410, the clutch pedal is on the left and the brakes are on the right, with a foot operated throttle.) Depressing the either the forward or reverse pedal opens a hydraulic valve to supply power to the wheels.

John Deere 430 Loader

The tractor is equipped with the John Deere 430 loader, which has a lift capacity of 1,045 pounds. This is less than the capacity of all but the smallest skid steer loaders. The modern skid steer loader design with vertical lift (John Deere or New Holland) has an inherent stability that cannot be matched. If you are planning to do some heavy excavation, a "Bobcat" or equivalent might be the tool for you. Our 430 loader will be primarly used for light materials moving, lifting logs, and snow scooping on the property. So digging and lifting power is not an issue here. The single joystick control makes it very easy to coordinate lifting and dumping. This 430 loader is best utilized with the eHydro™ Transmission described above. The right foot operates the forward/reverse motion. The right hand operates the loader action. The left hand operates the power steering. The 430 loader capacity on the 4410 is a weak point if you intend to do ground breaking or rock lifting. Moving mulch, gravel, loose dirt, or building materials is more the type of thing that the 430 loader will do. It is also best used in conjunction with a low-sided landscaping dump truck and not a construction dump. The tractor comes with a rear weight box for use with the loader.

Three Point hitch

We have a tiller attachment and a flail mower for the three point hitch. Both are powered by the power takeoff at 540 RPM. The flail mower was used on wet grass, foxtails, and alfalfa approximately 4 feet high. Clumps of wet grass will bog down the 35hp engine. So the mowing path has to be set to not cross over any previously mowed areas. The speed across the pasture was about the same as a typical lawn mower on 4 inch grass. The tractor was run with the loader lowered to less than a foot above ground so that any stumps or rocks will be caught before hitting the undercarriage or mower. There are a number of components exposed on the undercarriage of the tractor, so I highly recommend this practice.

4410 vs. Model 50

John Deere produced the Model 50 from 1952-1956 to replace the Model B. The Model 50 has 31.0 belt horsepower and 27.5 drawbar horsepower. The model 4410 is rated officially at 30 drawbar horsepower and advertised at 29 according to the John Deere specs. Compared to the similarly horsepowered John Deere Model 50 two cylinder, the diesel 4410 seems tougher in some respects but weaker in others. PTO capacity feels the same. Pulling capacity "feels" less with the 4410 than with the 50. Although, maybe I have new toy jitters with the 4410 and am not afraid to load down the model 50. The 4410 has a clear advantage with the hydrostatic transmission compared to the hand clutch/flywheel operation of the model 50. It takes much more finesse and experience to operate the old John Deere hand clutches to start a loaded tractor. The 4410 has three speed ranges with three forward gears (9 combinations) with the standard transmission. The 4410 with eHydro™ has three speed ranges with gearing handled by the amount of pedal depression. The model 50 has six forward gears. In reality, these are tractors for two different purposes. The model 50 was designed to pull and operate row crop machinery. The 4410 was designed to operate 3 point hitch attachments and maneuver. Both should be able to pull, with the 4410 having a distinct advantage in gearing, in addition to 4 wheel drive.

Winter Operation

The 4410 is a diesel, so it needs some warm up time in cold weather. It has a cylinder heater that is actuated by turning on the ignition key and pushing it in. It takes about 10 seconds. The dealer also installed a headbolt heater which I used with good results. The tractor works well also even at zero degrees fahrenheit. I used it to plow snow on a long driveway. However, a 3 to 4 inch snowfall is easier to remove with a 10hp two stage snow blower than with the tractor and bucket/grader blade. It takes a big snowfall to make it worthwhile. Also note that a closed cab would be nice when working outside in cold weather for extended periods.

Try it out!

All in All, the 4410 is extremely easy to use within minutes. I felt very safe and in no danger of a rollover at any time. The seat belt restraint should protect the occupant by holding him in place, should a rollover occur. The loader and eHydro make it easy to manuver. The power is sufficient for other tasks like pasture mowing or garden tilling. The narrow wheel base enables the 4000 series to slip between some tight areas like between two buildings. This tractor, above all else, is Fun!

Important Tip: SET THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN YOU STOP! This tractor will roll, as it does not have a park setting like an automobile transmission.

The John Deere 4000 Ten Series information page contains all the specifications and information about all the tractors in the John Deere compact tractor series.

Added: September 7th 2004
Reviewer: BB
Score:    [24]

Related Link: John Deere corporate home page
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