Buying Advice Kubota B2920 or Mahindra Max 28XL HST

[mattoct3003]

Guys, Im kinda torn between a Kubota B2920 with an FEL and MMM or a Mahindra Max 28XL HST with FEL and MMM. I was leaning Mahindra but the only thing holding me back is the mid mount mower. The dealer is dead set against me buying a mid mount mower due to difficulty of on/off capabilities. Anyone have any experience as to why he is trying to guide me away from the MMM? I have also looked at the 1026R with the 7iron but im just not sure thats enough tractor for me. The Mahindra. outspecs the Kubota in everything except what I am going to be using it for alot which is mowing my field/lawn. I just dont see anything out there about the MMM Mahindra is putting out there. I posted this same thing on the mahindra board and havnt gotten a response so I may have inadvertently had my answer given by no response. I may be wearing orange under my rear shortly!

 

[Ductape]

My guess is, that the MMM takes more effort to install and remove than a rear finish mower. Any time you want to do loader or backhoe work, you are going to want the mower off, since it greatly decreases your ground clearance.

 

[s219]

Well, until we know what the Mahindra dealer is talking about, it's all a mystery. There is a parallel thread where someone else is considering both tractors, and I think there are good points for each choice. Maybe the MMM is the reason to go with Kubota in your case.

I have a 2920, and it's been an excellent tractor -- I am really pleased with it. The Max was not on the market when I was shopping, but I sure would have checked it out if it was. It has great specs and pricing.

I also looked at the Deere 1026, and it's nice too. That would be a great choice for mowing if that was a priority. The downsides are less ground clearance, and it's lighter duty than the 2920 or Max. But it has a great MMM and is easy to attach.

 

[Martian]

I thought I read somewhere that the MAX series has a drive over deck? Maybe not. Anyway, though the ideal way, for me, to mow is with a MMM, unless I had a drive over deck option, I would go with a rear finish mower (RFM). You will get about the same cut quality, but will be a lot faster to take it on and off, especially if you get a quick hitch for the rear. You do NOT want a MMM on while using a FEL.

 

[mattoct3003]

S219- The reason the dealer seemed to think I didn't want the MMM was what was mentioned. The fact that it was difficult to take on and off. I was just wondering if anyone else had any real life experience taking it on and off as to how difficult it really is. Looking at the Kubota and its MMM it looks like basically the same idea as far as on/off. The reason I am asking I guess is do you think he was turning me away from it because of quality of the mower. The reason I thought I wanted the MMM was the ease of lawn use as far as turning radius.

 

[Martian]

Yes - most all will be the same basic thing for on/off. I'm not saying this because of my like of JD, but the only way I would be getting a MMM is if it had the auto connect system that JD had where you don't leave the seat.

How much are they looking to charge you for the MMM? Sometimes they can be as expensive as a low end lawn tractor and you might look at getting a small lawn mower and subtracting the MMM for the tractor. Just food for thought...

 

[mattoct3003]

Martian- I really haven't thought about the mower costing that much. That is a good point. The other reason I think I wanted it for the bigger tractor is I have some pretty steep hills on my property that my lawn tractor hates and they take so long to cut.

 

[mattoct3003]

Is it true that a MMM does a better job due to PTO speeds being so much faster at the mid pto?

 

[Martian]

Hills are a killer - I'd stick with just a tractor then. Any economy lawn tractor will be torn to shreds by a lot of hills, they just aren't made for it.

As far as a MMM vs RFM, they are relatively equal IMO. I mowed with a JD 790 and a RFM for a little while. It worked fine and the grass looked good. There are benefits to the RFM as well, such as being able to back up and get right in to a corner that you wouldn't be able to with a MMM.

Your best option is to go and try taking both the MMM on and off the tractor and see if you'd like doing it every time you want to switch from mowing to loader work. Then consider getting a quick hitch and a RFM and just hooking up a PTO shaft.

 

[DK35vince]

Is it true that a MMM does a better job due to PTO speeds being so much faster at the mid pto?

No.
The blade tip speeds of the MMM or Rear finish mower are close to the same.
The MMM may have a very slight edge on cut, because it only has the front tires of the tractor are running over the grasss before the cut, VS all 4 with the RFM.