John Deere 40 P-Tier vs. CAT 304 vs. Kubota KX040-4: The New 4-Ton Mini Excavator Class

For most of 2026, the 4-ton mini excavator class has belonged to CAT and Kubota. The 304 and the KX040-4 have anchored this size bracket for years, the machine most landscapers, utility subs and general contractors reach for when a 2-ton unit can't keep up with the dig depth a job needs but a 6-ton machine is overkill for the trailer and the driveway it has to cross to get there. That settled lineup just got a third real option. John Deere's new 40 P-Tier, unveiled September 24, 2026 and headed to dealer lots ahead of its Equip Exposition debut, was built specifically to slot into this bracket — Deere's own pitch is that it “transports like a 35, digs like a 50,” closing a gap that used to force buyers into a size compromise.

That is a genuinely new competitive set, not a rebadge or a paper spec bump, and it is worth walking through what each of these three machines actually brings to a 4-ton-class jobsite before you decide which one earns a spot on your trailer.

John Deere's New 40 P-Tier: The Gap-Filler

The 40 P-Tier is a real new model, not a rename — it sits between Deere's existing 35 P-Tier and 50 P-Tier, developed under Deere's long-term supply partnership with Wacker Neuson for sub-5-metric-ton compact excavators. Deere's own product marketing team describes the pitch plainly: a machine light enough to transport without a commercial driver's license, with dig geometry that punches into the next size class up.

The numbers back that up. The 40 P-Tier runs a 42-gross-horsepower turbocharged Yanmar diesel, weighs in under 10,000 lb in its long-arm, cab-equipped configuration, and reaches 11 feet (standard arm) to 11 feet 10 inches (long arm) of maximum digging depth with up to 18 feet 10 inches of maximum reach. It is a conventional-tail-swing machine — Deere kept the counterweight hanging out back deliberately, because that mass is what lets the 40 P-Tier lift and swing heavier attachments like the new ME28 mulching head without tipping forward. Standard equipment includes JDLink telematics, Deere's Attachment Manager software for recalling hydraulic flow and pressure presets, and an optional second auxiliary hydraulic circuit that lets an operator run a thumb and a hydraulic attachment at the same time without stepping out to swap a hose.

For contractors already running a fleet of P-Tier machines, the 40 slots in with a familiar CommandARM cab layout, an 8-inch touchscreen and the same electrohydraulic auxiliary controls found on Deere's larger compact excavators — which matters more than it sounds like on paper, because it means an operator moving between a 35, a 40 and a 50 P-Tier isn't relearning a control pattern every time they climb into a different machine.

The Established Player: CAT 304

CAT's 304 has been the benchmark 4-ton machine for years, and the current generation backs that up with genuinely strong numbers: 45 net horsepower, an operating weight that tops out at 9,867 lb in its full cab configuration, and a maximum digging depth of 138.2 inches — the deepest of this group by a real margin, over 6 inches more than either the 40 P-Tier or the KX040-4. That extra dig depth is not just a spec-sheet flex; it is the difference between finishing a footer or a utility trench in one pass versus stepping the machine forward and repositioning.

CAT backs the 304 with its usual dealer-network depth, which is a real consideration for any contractor weighing a first-time purchase against a machine they already know how to get parts for. The 304 also carries CAT's C1.7 Turbo engine platform and standard CAT Stable Blade-compatible hydraulics, giving it genuine grading precision on top of raw dig numbers.

Kubota's Proven Workhorse: The KX040-4

Kubota's KX040-4 is the quiet, dependable member of this group — no headline redesign this year, just a 4-ton-class machine that has earned its keep bridging Kubota's smaller U-Series and the larger KX057-5. It runs a Kubota D1803-CR-TE4 diesel rated at 40.4 gross horsepower, weighs 9,195 lb in its base rubber-canopy configuration, and reaches a maximum digging depth of 11 feet 2.7 inches with 17 feet 9 inches of maximum digging radius at ground level. Bucket breakout force runs 9,535 lbf, genuinely strong for this class, and the 2-speed auto-shift travel system with a load-sensing hydraulic pump keeps the KX040-4 efficient rather than just powerful on paper.

Kubota's dealer network runs deep in Florida specifically — Florida Coast Equipment alone operates 14 Kubota locations across 28 counties — which is a real factor for South Florida contractors weighing parts and service turnaround against a machine's raw spec sheet.

Real Specs, Side by Side

Here is how the three machines actually compare on the numbers that matter for day-to-day work, as published by each manufacturer:

• Engine power (manufacturer-published): John Deere 40 P-Tier – 42 hp; CAT 304 – 45 hp; Kubota KX040-4 – 40.4 hp. Note that Deere and Kubota publish gross horsepower while CAT publishes net — confirm the test standard before treating these as lab-identical.

• Operating weight: John Deere 40 P-Tier – 9,190 lb (long arm, cab, extra counterweight); CAT 304 – 9,867 lb (max, cab); Kubota KX040-4 – 9,195 lb (base rubber canopy).

• Maximum digging depth: John Deere 40 P-Tier – 132 in (11 ft, standard arm); CAT 304 – 138.2 in; Kubota KX040-4 – 134.7 in (11 ft 2.7 in).

• Maximum reach at ground level: John Deere 40 P-Tier – 18.1 ft (standard arm); CAT 304 – 18.25 ft; Kubota KX040-4 – 17.75 ft (17 ft 9 in).

The takeaway: these three machines are genuinely close on paper, which means the real decision usually comes down to dealer proximity, attachment ecosystem and which cab an operator is already comfortable in — not a dramatic spec gap. CAT's 304 wins on raw dig depth. Deere's 40 P-Tier is the newest technology and telematics package. Kubota's KX040-4 is the proven, lowest-drama choice with a deep Florida dealer bench.

Rent or Own: The Case for Buying in This Class

A 4-ton mini excavator is exactly the machine that gets rented over and over by the same contractor without anyone stopping to do the math. A landscaping crew pulling irrigation trenches, a fence contractor setting posts on a commercial site, a pool-deck subcontractor digging footers three feet from a client's patio — all three of those trades run this size class multiple times a month, not once a quarter. Every one of those rental tickets is money that never builds equity, and it comes with a real opportunity cost too: rental yards run out of the 4-ton class first during storm season or a busy spring, which is exactly when a landscaping or utility crew can least afford to wait.

Owning one of these three machines outright means the crew is never waiting on a rental counter, the hours logged build toward resale equity instead of disappearing into a rental invoice, and BFC can structure financing so the down payment scales to the business's actual credit profile — from $0 down for well-established credit up to 20–30% for newer operations, with the first payment sometimes all that's needed to get a machine on the trailer.

Which One Should You Finance First?

There is no wrong answer among these three — they are close enough on spec that the honest advice is to let dealer proximity and attachment compatibility break the tie.

Contractors already running a Bobcat fleet and weighing the dealer-network question directly should read our breakdown of CAT and Bobcat's Florida dealer coverage, which walks through why parts turnaround matters as much as the spec sheet. If tight-lot digging is the priority over raw class size, it's also worth comparing this 4-ton bracket against Bobcat's genuinely smaller zero-tail-swing E20 compact excavator, and contractors who want the full picture on what just changed in Deere's own lineup should see our original John Deere 40 P-Tier spotlight covering the launch in detail.

Kubota's KX040-4 remains the safest first purchase for a contractor who wants zero surprises and already has a Kubota dealer nearby, particularly in South Florida's dense Kubota network. CAT's 304 is the pick when dig depth genuinely matters — utility crews and foundation subs digging to grade every day will feel that extra 6+ inches. And Deere's 40 P-Tier is the machine to finance if a fleet is already standardized on Deere's JDLink telematics and CommandARM controls, or if the ME28 mulching head and factory Attachment Manager software matter to the jobs on the calendar.

Whichever of the three fits, financing the purchase — rather than defaulting to another rental ticket — is what actually lets a growing contractor take on the next job before this one's excavator is paid off. That is the real difference between a lender who just writes a check and a growth partner who helps a business keep moving.

Attachment Versatility: What Each Machine Can Actually Run

All three machines in this class are built to run more than a bucket. The 40 P-Tier ships with Deere's Attachment Manager standard, an optional hydraulic pin-grabber coupler, a factory-installed thumb option, and now the purpose-built ME28 mulching head for fence-line and right-of-way clearing — a genuinely new attachment introduced alongside the excavator itself. The CAT 304 supports CAT's broader mini excavator attachment catalog, including hydraulic thumbs, breakers and grading buckets, with the option to add a quick coupler for faster tool changes between digging and grading passes. Kubota's KX040-4 offers pin-on or quick-attach buckets, an optional angle blade with float function and BOE (bucket on edge), plus compatibility with Kubota's own Land Pride attachment line — breakers, plate compactors and stump grinders sized specifically for 3- to 8-ton excavators.

For a contractor who already owns attachments from a prior machine, that compatibility question can matter more than a few extra horsepower or an inch of dig depth — a hydraulic breaker or auger sized for one manufacturer's coupler pattern doesn't always bolt straight onto another brand's machine without an adapter.

The Florida Angle: Tight Lots, Zero Room for Error

South Florida jobsites put a specific kind of pressure on this size class that contractors in other markets don't deal with as often: pool decks three feet from a footer, AC condensers and utility meters crowding a side yard, and HOA-governed lots where there is often no room to swing a boom wide before the neighbor calls the property manager. A 4-ton machine with tight digging geometry and a responsive swing — all three of these machines offer boom-swing angles in the 55–80 degree range — is the difference between finishing a job cleanly and explaining a cracked paver to a homeowner. Miami-Dade and Broward contractors weighing excavator financing should factor dealer density into the decision too: a machine sitting three days out on a parts truck after a hydraulic hose blows costs more in lost billable hours than the difference in sticker price between these three machines ever will.

Timing an Excavator Purchase Right

Whichever of these three ends up on the trailer, the timing question matters as much as the model choice. Equipment financing and excavator loans structured through BFC let a contractor move on a machine the moment a bid is won, rather than waiting to save toward a cash purchase while rental invoices pile up in the meantime. Construction equipment loans can also be structured around a business's actual cash-flow calendar — a landscaping company's busy season looks nothing like a utility contractor's, and a one-size-fits-all 12-month note rarely matches either one. Deposit requirements flex with credit profile: strong, established credit can qualify for $0 down, while newer businesses should expect a 20–30% down payment range, with a first payment sometimes all that's needed to get a machine working.

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