I purchased Cat's MT-295 compact tractor about 6 months ago and have operated it enough to give it a decent review.

The MT-295 is mostly an Iseki made to Cat's specifications for the American market. All the attachments appear to me manufactured in the US. The MT-295 has a 44 HP 4-cylinder naturally aspirated diesel engine and I got it with the 16 speed power shuttle transmission - there is a hydrostatic model available. This tractor is 4WD and has a limited slip front differential and a manual locking rear axle.

The tractor came equipped with a front end loader. This FEL is seriously heavy duty and has a bucket quick disconnect feature so that you are tempted to get all kinds of stuff to attach to it. The FEL a float function built into the loader's hydraulics which adds significantly to it's use.

Strong points for this tractor include:
-Built very well. High quality, heavy duty construction throughout the entire machine. Manufactured with a lot of attention to detail.
-Engine layout is excellent. Oil and filter changes are easy to do. Fuel filter changes are equally easy.
-Very strong engine and drive train. I have not ever been lacking for power.
-Good traction even with R-4 tires. Tire chains were needed on the rear tires during the winter to prevent sliding sideways when working on ice.
-The implements offered for this tractor through Cat are very well built and tough units. I've used their 7' landscape rake and 7' rear blade and have beat the tar out of them working in Connecticut's rocky soil. No damage seen except for where the paint wore off.
-No mechanical problems of any type seen to date.

Weak points.
-Parts available only through Cat dealers. Fuel, hydraulic and oil filters do not cross over to any standard NAPA part numbers although I bet that equivalents exist.
-It is very easy to lift the rear tires when operating with a load in the FEL. You can easily fill the 6' bucket with more material than the tractor can handle. FEL hydraulics seem willing to lift about anything. I've found that mounting a heavy implement to the 3-point hitch fixes this problem.

A good, solid tractor that will tolerate hard use without complaint.

Both Cat and Massy have very similar tractors except for the color of the paint. They all seem to be built by Iseki.

Lou Braun

Date Purchased: 7/2003
Purchased: New
Price Paid: US$28000
Pros: Well built, high quality, heavy duty construction.
Cons: Parts not commonly available.
Rating: