Buying Advice Mahindra Quality questions

[Surgeon]

I am in the market for a new 50ish hp tractor. I drove two hours to go look at a Mahindra 5035 largely because what I have read here. I drove all three models of the 5035. I found the HST fairly unresponsive but I loved the PST...what a great driving tractor. I liked the dealer even though he is two hours away and he has a great reputation. I am literally ready to buy a tractor any day but three things are holding me back: First, the Mahindra tractors that I saw had Rust. Rust everywhere. Rust spots from the loader stanchions to the grill to the parking brake lever where it meets the orange rubberized cap. I am not talking pinpoint spots but dime size areas where the paint is beginning to release. The dealer tells me that these 50 hp tractors have a high turnover rate and I have no reason to doubt him...which makes me worry that there is so much rust present in tractors that are not just sitting around. (I thought maybe I was being critical so I went and looked at my my 2004 MF 1428 and my neighbors 2005 Kubota 3400 and neither are showing that much rust.) Anybody else have this problem? Secondly, everyone talks about the cast iron in the Mahindra which makes it heavier and that heavier is good but the Kubota dealer pointed out that as you cannot weld cast iron easily but you can steel. Is that a valid issue or sour grapes? Third: The Mahindra is supposedly a great tractor for a really good price. In what I think are comparable tractors the Mahindra is actually about the same cost as the John Deere 5055E and just slightly less than the Kubota MX5100. Thanks in advance for any input. -Rob

 

[JerryK]

My 5035 does not have any rust on it. It is only about 6 months old, and I rinse it off each time I get the thing covered in dirt and clay. Mahindra undercoats most of their metal before the red top coat is put on. Maybe the tractors you looked at spent some time near the coast or in some other salt spray area. The loader and stanchions are U.S. sourced...not from Mahindra. As far as the welding comment, it is true about cast iron vs. steel when welding....but I don't know what it has to do with tractor construction. Weight is king when trying to horse a load around.... Cheaper to stamp something out of steel vs. casting and machining something. There can be bad steel as well as poor castings. I would be concerned about the rust, but you have to relize that competing dealers are 'salesmen'...and they will always junk the competition whilst holding their stuff as golden.

 

[Fixemall]

That much rust would concern me too, my 4510 is a 2007 and has spent one winter outside, as well as plow duty every year since and does not have the rust you described, I would look to find a mahindra elsewhere for comparison.

 

[jonyyuma]

Our dealer has a new line and they do not show rust, I did not look at the 50hp and larger versions. I did not see any on the FEL units either?Some were mfr. in 2010.

 

[Bascom]

Yikes, I'd run from a new tractor if it had dime-sized rusty spots and peeling paint! As JerryK said, maybe they were exposed to a corrosive environment? What does the dealer have to say about it???

No rust on my 2010 5035 like you've described. I get minor surface corrosion on bare metal areas (and where I've scratched/nicked the coatings/paint) once in a while. That's to be expected on anything on the coastal plain of Georgia. I keep mine clean, dry and treated with corrosion preventives.

The cast iron vs. steel welding dilemma is a non-issue IMO.

 

[bp fick]

I drove an hour to check out the Mahindras a few years back. I was open minded and knew nothing about them. My first impressions were pretty much as yours. Rust and faded paint. Frankly, it turned me off.

I had no explanation, but guessed a few things. Old stock? Improper spraying of the tractor with shipping wax? Perhaps shipped on open truck and sprayed with road salts? I didn't know. Too bad. It honestly prevented me from giving them a fair shake. Hard for me to know if this was a freak thing or something more wide spread.

 

[Zork]

Check the side-to-side sway of the loader arms with the loader raised and empty. I test drove a very nice model that nearly caused me to lose control on a slope due to the side sway of the loader when empty. I was traveling slowly and the terrain was not smooth and the arms started rocking left and right and I thought heavens forbid this happen with a load.

 

[kolkmeyer]

Six months ago I purchased a 2004 2015 with 400 contractor hours on it. It had spent its entire life outside at construction sites on or near coastal hwy 98 running adjacent to the beach in northwest Florida. The tractor paint is a little faded, but not as bad as you would have expected with the sun and salt exposure. Virtually no rust. The loader was obviously painted at a different factory, and is a nice pinkish color. But again the only rust is where the paint has suffered some impact and has been knocked off. From year to year and factory to factory it's hard to say what you might get. With the abuse my tractor has gotten, I'm very impressed with its general condition. Very impressive little 20 hp workhorse. I can see why the Mahindra reviews are so good. I would almost think that the paint issue may be limited, and am not sure that it is a widespread ongoing Mahindra flaw.

 

[George2615]

I don't have a 5035 but have a 2615HST. It is kept in the garage in winter for easier start up for plowing snow. Summer it is outdoors. Its a 2004 and shows minimal signs of rust. Mainly under the rear fenders where the rain, snow, slush gets thrown off the tires. Front axle has surface rust but that will clean up. Next spring I'll clean up and repaint the front axle. I've already cleaned and repainted the wheels once as well. Red paint is starting to fade a little from being outside, mainly on the loader arms. I may repaint them next spring too. I do however think that any color paint on a tractor is going to fade if it is left outside.

 

[JerryK]

The Kabota you mentioned is a good tractor, but not in the same class as a 5035. The 5035 weights about a ton more...and is a size bigger than that Kabota. The John Deere you mentioned is a lot closer to the weight of the 5035 and has a little better hydralic flow plus five more HP. The John Deere is made in the same province in India, but I don't know if Mahindra makes it. So it is not all apples to apples. Take some time to check out each brand, they are all fine tractors. Just as much fun looking as owning sometimes......