Kioti vs Mahindra

[Tractors4u]

I think the dealer was probably mistaken about the 20hp. The Mahindra utility tractors, their larger models are made in India, but their compact diesel tractor are made in Korea.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

mahindra's compact line is made in korea, they have dae dong engines, built under licensce of kubota, which is what i was told by the mahindra rep. the old ih looking models 3505 etc and the 4500, 5500 and 6000 are built in india, i have been looking at becoming a dealer mahindra and i have done a lot of research on the compact lines, and been involved with farming most all of my life, i think mahindra has a better product and the support from the company is very good. but kioti is not a bad tractor i just think mahindra is better laid out and has some nice features over the kioti.

Scott

 

[RanchMan]

I bought a Mahindra 4110. I had compared Mahindra, Kioti, & Branson (the "Big 3" were simply not a viable option due to their price range for what I needed.)

As far as the engines are concerned, the Mahindra 4110 has the same Daedong engine as the Kioti DK40 (4A200 & 4A200b respectively) - so engine wise, there's really no difference. I hadn't researched the other versions much, so I can't say for sure that the DK35 has the same engine as the 3510, etc, but it wouldn't surprise me.

All of the Mahindra 4wd tractors (2310-4110) are made in Korea except the new 6000, which is made in India. Mahindra 2wd's are the ones that are made in India and are like the old IH's.

Both the Kioti and Mahindra have +'s and -'s, so I personally don't think you'd go wrong with either of them, but for me the Mahindra seemed to fit my needs/likes a little better.

I've put a few links to past posts I've made on TBN regarding opinions/observations/experiences below. If you have other questions or want me to elaborate on any of them, let me know. Hope this helps!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genbuy&Number=108504&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post108504>Kioti vs. Branson - impressions</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genbuy&Number=114513&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post114513>My Decision - why Mahindra</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genoperating&Number=151219&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=ranchman&Match=Username&Searchpage=0&Limit=250&Old=allposts&Main=147274>Mahindra Problems</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=other&Number=136439&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post136439>Other Questions & Answers</A>

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks for all the info. So far all of it has been useful.
Based on the info. I am leaning towards the Mahindra. The Mahindra price is better and the quality is comparable to the Kioti. Finally, the Mahindra dealer is about 20miles closer than the Kioti. I do have some additional questions if someone out there has some answers or experiences:

1. How does the turning radius compare with other tractors?
2. Same question for stability?
3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power. He did not explain, and at the time I was just toying with the idea of buying so I did not pursue the discussion. I think he might have had a 2wd, or maybe he was talking about power at the PTO. Any idea what he might have been referring to? Is there a significant power difference at the PTO?
4. Another man I met said that he had actually bent the frame on his "Big" Mahindra while working it. The little bit of experience with this guy makes me suspect he was trying to do more than the tractor was rated for. Even so, what is your experience with durability? How good is the steel?

 

[RanchMan]

Here are a few more opinions regarding some of your questions...

<font color=blue>1. How does the turning radius compare with other tractors?</font color=blue>

Compared to the Kioti, my perception was that the Mahindra turned tighter, however, I did not measure. If it was any tighter than the Kioti, it was not by much. Of course, using the brake pedal, I could have made it a much tighter turn, although I've never had to do this while working as I find its turning capabilities more than adequate.

<font color=blue>2. Same question for stability?</font color=blue>

The 4110 sits a little higher than the DK40. The hood is definitely higher and doesn't slope quite as much as the DK, which cuts down visibility some, but I'm not sure how much higher the real C.G. would be. (e.g. if it is simply "light" sheet metal that is higher and not the "heavy" guts, C.G. may not be shifted upwards much).

When I picked mine up, I had them flip the dishes/wheels so that it would be wider and more stable (but you can do this with any tractor) (I didn't go as wide as possible - didn't feel it was necessary.)

I'd say that initially the DK seemed more stable, but I think that was mainly due to it being shorter overall. To date I've felt really comfortable with the stability of the Mahindra - of course, I don't zoom around and do a bunch of "risky" maneuvers either.

<font color=blue>3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power. </font color=blue>

This comment seems really weird - I actually bought the Mahindra because it was heavy because that helps with traction and stability - i.e. a heavy tractor with X HP and all else being equal will "out pull" a light tractor with the same X HP. Although the 4110 is a little bigger physically than the DK, I'd not characterize it as something like comparing a Surburban to a Geo by any means. Got to admit that I really don't understand what he was meaning by this.

<font color=blue>...maybe he was talking about power at the PTO. Any idea what he might have been referring to? Is there a significant power difference at the PTO?</font color=blue>

As far as PTO HP, the Mahindra has .2 HP more on the 4110 over the DK40 @ the PTO, so basically, they are the same in this department.

<font color=blue>4. ...makes me suspect he was trying to do more than the tractor was rated for. Even so, what is your experience with durability? How good is the steel? </font color=blue>

I haven't noticed any soft steel or propensity to "bend" anything yet. I personally don't think that there is anything inherently weak in the design or metal, but I'm not a mechanical engineer and haven't done any rockwell tests either - /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I'd agree with your feeling though in that any tractor can be abused to the point of breaking something, regardless of brand.


BTW, here's a link to Kioti's corporate web site with info on the DK40. I've found the Kioti web site MUCH better than Mahindra's.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kiotitractor.com/products/dk40[1].html>http://www.kiotitractor.com/products/dk40[1].html</A>

 

[Woodbeef]

Hey David

The guy probably meant,that for the size of the old IH design the tractor is not all that powerful. Remember that when that design was new it was a small utility tractor of the ag type where weight meant a lot more than it does on compacts of today.

As for the other guy,hhmm..... there is no seperate frame on the old IH designed tractors to bend. The engine block is structural on them and many other tractors.

 

[TBone]

David,

I had looked at the Kioti tractors around here before I bought my Kubota and I thought they had a lot going for them and were a good value. The dealers, though, left a lot to be desired.

A few weeks ago a Mahindra dealership opened just down the street from where I work. They have a good selection of tractors but they are back off the road a ways and I couldn't tell a lot about them.

It seemed like every day I passed there were more and more used tractors on the lot that had been traded in. Older Fords, Massey Fergusons, Longs, Yanmars and others were being traded in like crazy.

Well, I needed a couple of lift pins and I stopped in there yesterday and bought some. They had a very nice inventory of "tractor stuff" and those new Mahindras were fine looking tractors.

I couldn't help but crawl on a couple of them and I explained to the guy that I had bought a new tractor back in February but I wish they had been in business then - I might be driving red!

From what I saw in features and fit/finish, they are ahead of the Kiotis right out of the gate. Time will tell if they will be around for a long time. I hope so.

TBone

 

[Soundguy]

You probably hit the nail on the head. The guy wanted that x horsepower in a smaller, lighter frame. I personally like the heavier frame tractors.... tractor work = weight x traction x hp
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif The larger frame/weight per similar hp is fairly representative of nearly all asian and import tractors. Jinmas are similar, and have 'larger' castings, etc, for the same hp tractor say a small masseyf 20 hp unit.

Again... big frames/ casting / weight don't bother me... after all... it's a tractor.. not a porche...

Soundguy

<font color=blue>"3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power.

This comment seems really weird - I actually bought the Mahindra because it was heavy because that helps with traction and stability - i.e. a heavy tractor with X HP and all else being equal will "out pull" a light tractor with the same X HP. Although the 4110 is a little bigger physically than the DK, I'd not characterize it as something like comparing a Surburban to a Geo by any means. Got to admit that I really don't understand what he was meaning by this."

 

[RanchMan]

Soundguy-
I agree - I'd HATE for my tractor to be lighter. There are times I've "dug in" as it is. I'm wanting to add more weight to it (i.e. fill the tires), just haven't gotten 'round to it yet.

I know I wouldn't get things done nearly as quickly if it didn't have the weight it does have (i.e smaller "bites" would be required). Of course, 4wd has made a BIG impact in the traction department too, but that's another conversation..../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

"From what I saw in features and fit/finish, they are ahead of the Kiotis right out of the gate." HUH!!! Maybe on the LK-LB series but not comparing a DK40 to a 4110. They are pretty much tied in fit and finish.