John Deere 4044R or 4052R, Which is the Best Value?

Had a viewer question about whether to get a Deere 4044R or 4052R. My advice today would apply to all tractors not just John Deere. I always advise tractor shoppers to get the biggest tractor you can afford because, regardless of what size and horsepower you buy, it seems like you always want the next size bigger.
In this case, I'm not so sure that holds true. Usually, when you move up in tractor hp, you get something else with it. In this case, both tractors have the same rated engine speed, 3 point and front end loader lift capacity, the same size power steering pump, brakes, wheelbase, transmission, battery and starter. They're both 4-cylinder Tier 4 engines with DPF filters. The 4044R at 42.5 hp and the 4052R at 51.5 hp seem to be identical with one exception. The 4052R has a turbocharger.
To me, if I'm only going to be using a brush hog that the 4044R can handle, and will just be using the front end loader to move around brush, I'll probably go with the tractor with less horsepower. If the price difference equals about what a new turbo would cost, or, in my mind, no more than $1200-$1500, then I'd go ahead and get the turbocharged model.
If the price differential is substantially more, I'm going with the 4044R, but I would look at the next frame size larger tractor and see what the price difference was for that. A bigger frame is going to mean a heavier tractor and more lift capacity, so that's what I'm going to compare to the 4044R and not the 4052R.
There is a big exception. In higher altitudes, turbocharged engines perform substantially better. If I'm in the mountains somewhere, then the 4052R gets a lot more attractive and eliminates the 4044R from consideration.
That's my opinion, but I'd be curious if any of my viewers feel otherwise. If you've had experience with turbo versus non turbocharged engines and want to present a different opinion, put it in the comments below.
LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT...
The Tractor Fun Store: asktractormike...
Support the Tractor Mike Channel: / tractormike
Visit the Tractor Mike website: asktractormike....
Visit Facebook Page: / ask-tractor-mike-31211...
Copyright 2022 Tractor Mike LLC