Buying Advice Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST

   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #1  

DownNotOut

New member
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Mar 28, 2010
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3
Location
Arkansas
Torn on decision to buy either the 2010 Kubota L3400 HST with FEL or 2010 Mahindra 3316 HST with FEL.

The Mahindra certainly has the better price point but I'm concerned about re-sell value, cost and availability of parts in the future, seems like every other week one tractor dealer or another is going out of business, Kubota seems the better choice in that respect but you pay for the comfort level.

I'm also a bit shocked at how unwilling the tractor dealers in this area are about negotiating a deal. Either they are fat and happy and don't care about selling their product or they feel they have a captive audience and don't have to deal. Mahindra cash price is: $16,800 or $17,800 if you use their zero down, zero interest for 60 months. Kubota on the other hand is $18,200 cash or $19,322 for their zero down 60 month financing.

I haven't seen a lot of comparisons between these two models on this forum, any comments or opinions would be welcome? By the way, Both models have quick disconnect buckets on the FEL but Kubota will fluid fill the tires in their total price and Mahindra will not, both are delivered free in the price and both have folding ROP's in the above prices. We have 16.5 acres, large creek runs the length of the property and about 12 acres are relatively flat pasture, the balance is sloped and wooded.

For the immediate future the tractor will be used to keep the property cut, haul wood from downed trees along the creek, and clear a lot of fence rows.

Any suggestions/comments would definitely be appreciated.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #2  
Can't speak for the Mahindra but the L3400HST that we own has been great. The price quoted to you sounds fair. I paid 18,900 for ours (Jan.09). We have 11 very hilly acres.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #3  
Brings back memories. I was comparing the same two tractors back in Dec '06. At that time the model # Mahindra was the 3215. Essentially same tractor. I know I would have been happy with both but ended up going with the Mahindra. The pricing was actually the same for either. Even the fact that I had Mahindra and Kubota factory facilities both within 2 hours of where I lived was kind of neat;) Some things I liked a little better on the Mahindra were the operating station was more open and had a rubber mat. Turbo on the engine. The FEL control is mounted on the fender and was more comfortable on my arm to use. The FEL specs were a little stronger. The HST foot pedals were seperate rather than one large pedal. The 3 point hitch had position control. The seating was higher and the hood a little lower so I could see the FEL bucket better. It was a combination of personal preference and functionality for me. Now having owned the Mahindra for 3 years I am still very impressed and can speak of only 3 things I'd prefer. The reverse speed in Mid and the Fel speeds could be a little faster and the paint color a better consistency (the tractor is now 4 slightly different shades of red):p. As far as dealers and their longevity I understand your concern and can only speak of my area. The economy has been effecting everyone here. In the three years since I purchased the tractor I have witnessed 1 Mahindra, 2 Kioti and 1 Kubota dealer go out of business. 1 New Holland dealer couldn't afford to carry two tractor lines and parted ways with Mahindra. 1 Kubota dealer and 1 Cub Cadet dealer picked up the Mahindra line and 1 new Kubota dealer appeared. This all within a 45 mile radius.:confused: All I can say is change is inevitable, good or bad. Hopefully you can sit in and work both tractors to help you decide for yourself. Good Luck.
 
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   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #4  
It's always a tough decision, there are many good tractors out there. I went through these same considerations when buying my first tractor 3 years ago. I looked at as many as I could - TYM, Mahindra, Montana, Kubota, New Holland, Deer, Jimna. And did lots of on-line research and reading on forums such as TBN.

I liked the features of the Mahindra/Montana/TYM set. Compared to Kubota, for the dollars spent, the others had more included features, e.g. rear remote hydraulics, and some nice ergonomics. But in the end I went with the Kubota, because I felt it was better built overall, and I simply did not want to worry about something breaking down. I concluded Kubota puts the money inside, in the mechanics, which is what gives them their reputation and high resale. Similar to a few years ago when Toyota was considered much more reliable and well built than Ford/GM, which gave the Toy's higher resale value. (I'm NOT trying to start a Toy vs US car debate here, just mentioning by analogy, based on what the majority and CR reviews concluded. Please, let's not get into the car debate here).

I bought my Kubota used, because there is money to be saved over new, and with their reputation I felt it was still a safer bet - again by anaology, as some would have said a Toy with 30k miles was a safer bet than a new GM.

Edit/Update - 3 years after getting the used 'bota, it still works just fine, no problems at all. And upon occasion it's been given some significant hard core tasks...
 
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   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #5  
Kubota does have the reputation for being well made. I don't know about Mahindra. I belive those made in east india. I'd go Kubota for a few $ more.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #6  
A few months ago I faced the exact same situation as you. My goal was a ~35HP hydro tractor with loader. I looked at J.D., Kubota, and Mahindra, as well as New Holland and a few others.

Suprisingly we have a Mahindra dealer right here in town. I looked there first. Unfortunately they did not have a 3316 in stock, they only had smaller tractors and a few bigger ones. I inquired about testing a 3316 and they were supposed to get back with me. I never heard back, subsequently I never bought a Mahindra. I think I looked at the 2816, which is supposed to be similar to the 3316. Seemed like an OK machine except it was a little small for my body (6'3, 230 lbs). I never laid eyes on the 3316. I never really liked the "look" of the Mahindra machines anyways, but looks were low on my priority list.

I started out not even really thinking about buying a Kubota. After I checked out the L3400 and compared it to the other machines the decision was easy. One thing I didn't like about the Mahindra was that you need a turbo to get those 33 horses whereas the Kubota is Naturally Aspirated and makes 35. I figure that if I don't need a turbo why mess with one? Just something else to break/maintain.

Can't speak for the Mahindra but the L3400 comes std with the following: cruise control, split brake, 3-speed hydro, drawbar, temp/fuel gauge. My other choice was the J.D. 3032/3038 series. The L3400 was the clear winner in this category.

I can't tell you how pleased I am with my tractor. Make sure you get Ag tires unless you just really need the R-4's. The Ag tires are cheaper and you get maximum traction, which is what I needed. I have had mine in the muck several times and even got stuck once before I really knew what the tractor could do but that was my fault.

You should drove both machines and report back on what you find and how the Mahindra specs out vs. the 'bota.

BTW: The bota was at least $1500 cheaper for me so that was another factor. I figured why pay more for a tractor with less H.P., especially when it is made in India. I believe the 'bota is made in Japan. Japan>India in my eyes.

I paid $18K drive out for my machine and finance at 0% with Kubota.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #7  
I just re-checked the specs on the Mahindra. They do show the Mahindra to be slightly stronger in the hydrualics than the Kubota but don't believe everything you see. The manufacturers do not rate their lift the same, there are a multitude of specs available. I can tell you that the loader for the L3400 is strong and very capable going both up and down. One thing I'm impressed with about my loader is that I can push full 4" fence posts down into the clay here and not even have to use the PHD. It saves me a lot of time and energy, and no tamping when I'm done. You can lift more than the tractor can safely handle so don't get carried away.

One other thing is that the L3400 is considered an econo-line, I'm not sure where the Mahindra would fall in this class.

Good luck.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #8  
I know that I am a Mahindra dealer, but I try to compare farely. You should try both tractors and see which one is more comfortable for you to use. I think you would really appreciat the position control 3PH on the Mahindra and the ample space of the operator platform. Good luck with what ever you purchase.
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #9  
I just wanted to ad ,since there seems to be some confusion, the Mahindra15/16 series is made in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the loader in the US by KMW. I really don't think any part of it actually touches Indian soil, not that there's anything wrong with that.:D My tractor was actually assembled in Calhoun,GA about 2 hours from where I live. My dealer then drove there to pick it up.:cool:
 
   / Kubota L3400 HST or Mahindra 3316 HST #10  
That is good to know, Mahindra should advertise to that effect. I thought only the engine was made in Japan (by mitsubishi) and the rest of the tractor in India. Not that there's anything wrong with it being made in India except for the fact that it should be cheaper if it's coming from India.
 
 
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