Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Looking for info on John Deere 790

I am looking for a compact 4x4 tractor for moving snow, a bit of dirt, food plot and trail maintenance. Only complaint I have been able to find on net is not enough power in the hydraulics. If anyone has any experience with it I would appreciate opinions. Thanks, Al

Kubota set up,.....set you back about 30K ( $30,000) Brand spankity new,.....with a trick assortment of implements

Old Yanmars are hard to kill,......I love the 27 HP 4WD series

if you're not a wrench,....welder,

you are kinda' screwed, as to owning operating older iron than that

GTC

I have a 790 and my only minor complaint is the weak hydraulic thing. I have a 5 foot bucket on the loader and when it's full of wet dirt it's tough to get it moving sometimes. Other than that they are really useful and worth the money they cost.

I spent ALOT of time (3 years) looking, driving and researching CUT's, and finally broke down and bought a Kubota L4400 this Christmas.

I looked and drove both the JD 790 and 990, and they're good tractors made by Yanmar in Japan (all JD tractors under 100 hp are made offshore, either in Japan, Mexico or India). They are basic to the nth degree. Collar shift tranny's, non syncro F/R or shuttle shift, exposed driveshafts on the MFWD versions, fixed ROPS, and cramped operators position if you're over 6 ft tall. JD is also VERY proud of them. I was contemplating a 990 with CX300 FEL and they wanted close to $20000 ($19,800) for it-without cutter or PHD.

I got my L4400 HST with LA703 FEL, Landpride 6' bush hog, and a Leinbach post hole digger with two augers for $24700. IMO if you want a smaller tractor in the 30 35 hp range the best buy for the money is the New Holland 1520 series (used to be the TC30). More features than the JD, and about $16,000 with loader. Next up is the Kubota L3400 for about a thousand more. I wanted the bigger tractor with 45 hp, so I went with the L4400, and love it. Check and see what kind of financing options they have too. Kubota was giving 0% for 60 months with 15% down, 0% for 48 with nothing down as of 31 December. I don't know what JD and NH are doing.

Why not a New Holland or CaseIH?

With a John Deere, you pay a lot for the green paint.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listing...mp;GUID=000F26FB8BBE47949DF1D2C2048FC8D7

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listing...mp;GUID=000F26FB8BBE47949DF1D2C2048FC8D7

I don't plan on buying new. Am open to any suggestions on what to look for. There is a 790 near here with 420 hours. Has 5' mower, back blade and set up for bucket(but doesn't have the bucket). Ad says it has always been kept in garage. Wants $8,500 firm for it. May be worth looking at. Appreciate the comments. Al

If I were in the market for a 30 to 50 hp tractor, I would look at older farm tractors in good shape in that horsepower class. They will fit the bill perfectly for the intended uses.

Example:
Allis-Chalmers D-14 and D-15
Massey Ferguson 135
International Harvester 340, 460 utility, 544, 484

Mike mentions the new holland.

We picked up a TC 30 new a few years back. like Mike says, it is just a little better, stronger, bigger than the JD offering you are asking about. I run a 5' bush hog rotary mower on it for cutting trails at the deer camp & it does very well. I find the hydraulics to be plenty strong for a little 30 hp tractor.

I got mine with the new holland loader & a 5' rear box blade attachment all for just under $15,000

no hydro, it's a manual trans, non syncro, no shuttle, but it's exactly what I wanted.

I like it.

here's a couple pics. me working around the cabin (heck no that's not a beer in my hand, i would never!!)


closer shot, my uncle at the controls hoisting me & some materials up in the air, building a deer stand.

There are all different models of tractors of all brands on the site I posted. Just look around for what you want. You can sort by your zip code, with those closest to you displayed first. Very few of these tractors are brand-new, although there are a few. A lot of brands are YanMar's now. I would look at some other than Deere's as they are less expensive due to being a different color. The Deere's always resale good though.

Kind of like going to Sears and looking at lawnmowers. They had a Craftsman and a Husky (short cause I can't spell the long way ) side by side. I wasn't in the market for one, but had noticed that they were identical down to the flaws in the stampings/castings. The salesman came over looking for a good commission, I questioned him on which was a better mower. He went on and on about how the Husky was good because of this and that and the other (not to mention a couple hundred dollars higher). When I pointed out that they were identical except for the sheetmetal he just kind of studdered and stammered. Fun times.

The 790 has a lower relief setting because of the closer wheelbase front to back in regards to other JD models, a so-called issue with a bucket full of dirt. JD doesn't install them, but they will sell you a kit for the relief valve, just a shim kit to go under the spring. I have got one , but didn't install it. The loader works well enough for me that I didn't bother with it. I really like my 790, very tuff little tractor. Had it for about 3 years now, no trouble yet. I will get you the numbers for the kit if interested. The price I paid was about the same as orange or blue tractors in the same category of tractors. This has been the most fuel efficient machine I have owned to date.

NH and Case/IH are exactly the same except for paint color. I wanted a 45 HP tractor, and looked hard at the TC45 or whatever the new nomenclature is. I liked it alot, but it was $3000 more than the L4400, and I liked both the financing and the Kubota dealer better.

There's nothing wrong with any of these tractors, and it comes down to buying whatever suits your need, fancy and wallet. Kubota won on all three with me. YMMV.

That's really a very good price but be sure to price the FEL first. If it just needs the bucket what happened to it?
As far as green paint costing more $ I can tell you I spent about a year and a half shopping. There wasn't $500 worth of difference on a new JD Vs Kubota Vs NH if you compared apples to apples. The biggest price difference I found was the dealers. I saved a bundle by driving outside of the tri-county area here to purchase. What I like about the JD was the hydromatic (I bought a 2210) trans, cockpit area was a lot more convienient (step through) than the other two. Pay close attention to the FEL controls as well. Decide if you want turf tires etc. Turfs get a bad rep but the truth is that you have to pay attention to the number of plys for those front tires. Smaller turf tires can offer more rubber all across the tread.
As far as JD being made in Japan that's partially accurate. The Yanmar engine and some components are made there then shipped to GA for assembly. The trannies are made in the US. No tractor other than JD AFAIK gets a Yanmar motor except for the old Yanmars. The Yanmar tractors that you see are all gray market, no longer imported and you should really understand the ins and outs of a gray market unit before you consider one, how they got here and what they were used for.
For what you want I wouldn't say you "need" more HP but 4wd is a must in a Sub-CUT and most CUT's IMO.

I've used my neighbor's NH, it's the next size up from my JD 790 but I don't know the model. It was a real PIA with all of the safety features they have now. There is no way to dismount the thing and leave it running so you can open and shut a gate or move a rock. I swear the starter motor has as many hours on it as the engine does.

Otherwise it's a nice rig. If I owned it there would be some wiring changes on it.

I looked up the shim kit for my relief and ordered one. A whopping $4. Glad I heard about it.

I have a John Deere 770 that I use with a Farmi wood winch, snow blower,bush hog, post hole digger and a five foot scraper blade. It is only a 25 horse but it is amazing what you can do with it. I use it in the preserve and because of it's size I can maneuver some real nasty terrain.

This unit is a 1990 that I gave $10,000 for in 1996. It is a great little tractor ,but it does not have the hydraulics for lifting round bales of balage. I have to roll them onto a sled I made and drag them to the paddocks.

770 with snowblower and ice chains......I picked up a hitch-hiker!




770 with wood winch, great way to winch a 400 lb. stag out of the woods.





Here I am towing one of my box blinds out to the preserve.







It may not be quite big enough for all my needs but it sure is easy on fuel and great in tight quarters!

Cub Cadet's new tractors are a Yanmar product.

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I looked at the 790 in 2003, but I ended up getting a New Holland TC 30. I was a great tractor for it's small size and did almost everything I asked of it. I bought more land and I quickly foud that I needed more weight and more lift capacity for moving rocks around the property. I still wanted to have a tractor that I could use on the front lawn without destroying the grass. I purchased a TC 40 with a 16LA front end loader. I paid $22k for the setup with filled R4 industrial tires. This tractor and front end loader can lift more than twice what the TC 30 did. The TC 30 weighed 3,400lbs with filled tires. The TC40 with filled tires weighs 6,000lbs. Weight is a benefit when plowing, but consider this if you plan on towing the rig. My 1500 Silverado wasn't too happy when towing in the mountains with my tractor and an attachement that weighs 600lbs. I ended up getting a 3/4 ton pickup to tow my new rig. Food Plots and hunting are that important to me.

I have several food plots and the type of soil you have will play an important role in what you need. At times, my TC 40 will become stopped while plowing new soil. If you plan on using a rough cut mower and mowing 10-15 acres, I would purchase a tractor that can handle a 6 to 7 foot mower.

I have seen some great deals on used equipement in my area because of the economy. You may even find a full size AG tractor cheaper than a compact. Shop around. I also would give any major brand strong consideration if the price is right. John Deere, New Holland, and Kubota are all proven machines.

I forgot to add a few things. A FEL is worth it's weight in gold, but make sure you get a HEAVY DUTY bucket and also spend $350 on get a tooth bar to fit on the bucket. The tooth bar does wonders for pulling out small roots and rocks.

'izzat so?

https://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs...egory_rn=1101005&top_category=600003