Small Farmer Tests John Deere 4075R

When testing a new John Deere 4075R compact utility tractor for Progressive Farmer, Jon Clark headed for his pasture ponds. He'd been too busy to mow around them recently, and their banks were overgrown. He figured this would be an opportunity to see if the tractor had the horsepower to handle heavy-duty mowing. It did.

"Going around some of my ponds, I mowed brush and saplings that had gotten pretty thick. It cut through them just fine," the Turney, Missouri, farmer, says. "That's probably a good test of horsepower."

Besides the way it powered the mower, Clark also liked the way the tractor handled the slopes around the ponds. "It has good balance that kept it centered," he adds.

The 4075R is Deere's new top-of-the-line compact utility tractor. Deere is positioning the new model as the most powerful in its compact utility tractor lineup, with user-friendly and comfort features you might not associate with a compact utility tractor. Progressive Farmer arranged for Clark to test one for a month last fall, just as the 4075R was coming to market.

At 75 hp, the 4075R's Yanmar 4-cylinder engine achieves 14% more horsepower than Deere's previous most powerful compact utility. The boost in horsepower makes it more capable and productive, Deere product manager Mark Davey says: "It's the largest eHydro, 75-hp on the market."

During his month of testing, Clark used the 4075R for a lot mowing, moving piles of dirt and upgrading his gravel drive. Clark farms 220 acres of row crops, has 40 beef cows and harvests 100 acres of hay. He also has a full-time off-farm job.

As busy as he is, Clark values time-saving devices. The 4075R's Hitch Assist caught his eye: "The controls are right on the rear fender. So, you just raise and lower the arms, and you can creep the tractor forward and backward. I'm used to having to climb up and down to readjust things from the cab. So, this was very easy, and it didn't take me all morning to hook things up."

He also liked the eHydro's infinitely variable speeds and its twin pedal directional changing: "The foot pedals took a little getting used to. But, it [the forward and reverse pedal system] worked really well in mowing around things. You let off the pedal, and the tractor slows down or stops. Press it, and it goes." Depress the other pedal, and the tractor reverses with the same ability to accurately control speed.

Clark's only quibble with the twin pedal system is sometimes, in rough terrain, his foot would lift or depress, and cause the tractor to jerk.

The 4075R's cab was designed for comfort and ease of use, with a large adjustable seat and thoughtfully placed controls. For instance, the controls for the electrohydraulic hitch are beside the armrest at the driver's right. Davey calls the system "quite an upgrade. Instead of a manual lever, you now have fingertip control that gives you the exact depth you want when using rear implements, such as a rotary tiller or disc, just like on our larger row-crop tractors."

Clark found that feature useful when setting heights for the mower.

Davey says the new "beefier" limited-slip, engage-on-the-go mechanical front-wheel-drive front axle dramatically increases the 4075R's work capacity.

A new productivity feature on the 4075R is a powerful LED lighting system facing both forward and to the rear. "Those lights are awesome," Clark says. He used the system at night to move some dirt. "It lights everything up really well. It was impressive."

Clark's test 4075R didn't come with an owner's manual. So, he downloaded it to his phone's Deere TractorPlus app, which is a quick reference guide to the tractor's features. It also helps an owner stay on a regular maintenance schedule. Clark says the app "was pretty handy, because you always have your phone on you."

Deere's intended market for the 4075R includes small farmers such as Clark, landowners, highway departments and local government entities that mow, do loader work and light construction (grading, excavation, building fences), and move snow.

Starting price is $68,000.

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