Max 28 HST questions

[cj11363]

I'm going to buy a tractor with loader in the next week or so ( perhaps in the next few days if I find the right price ). I need something to fill in my swimming pool with, and a few other "heavy lifting" type chores, and have recently concluded that a tractor is probably a tool that I should have purchased years ago. Been sorting through an information overload for the last month or so, from this site, other sites, dealers, input from friends with tractors, etc...; and think that I've managed to narrow it down to a Mahindra Max 28 HST or a Kubota B2920 ( gave up on John Deere, primarily because their product line and website are to confusing for me to make heads or tails of ).

For a tractor and loader, the Max 28 and the B2920 are priced pretty close. All other things being equal, I'd probably choose the Kubota over the Max 28 for resale value, and because the Kubota has 3 ranges on the HST and the Mahindra has only 2. So my first question to any Max owners is "do you wish that you had a 3rd speed range on the HST ?" I really have no idea how important the number of speed ranges is.

This gets a little more complicated because I've almost convinced myself to get a backhoe with the tractor. Got a price of about $19K ( before tax ) for a MAX 28, loader and hoe. I've read arguments for and against getting a backhoe, and I agree that for as often as I'll probably wind up using the hoe, it could be cheaper to rent. It really boils down to (a) convenience and (b) not having to pick up a shovel. With respect to "(a) convenience"; there are numerous little things in the yard that I could use a hoe for, but aren't important enough to warrant going to the hassle of renting something. As for "(b) not having to pick up a shovel"; in my youth I spent a fair amount of time on the end of a shovel, and none of that turned out to be what I would call "quality time" ( never did find one of those jobs where they pay you just to "lean" on the shovel...). I'm at a point in my life where I can afford the $4.5K that Mahindra wants for the MB63 hoe, but for some reason the $6.5K that Kubota wants to put a hoe on the B2920 gives me a little heartburn. ( but did I mention how much I really dislike shovels... )

I *thought* that a mechanical thumb was available as an option for the Max 28 backhoe ( aka MB63 ) , but my dealer says that he can't find the thumb in his price book. I recently found a parts diagram at OEM Parts that shows the mechanical thumb, so I think that this thing may actually exist, but can't figure out how to buy a Mahindra Max 28 TLB with the thumb.

Whilst I'm kinda leaning towards the Max 28 TLB right now, I'm still considering a Kubota 2920 without a hoe. In addition to filling in the pool, other uses for the tractor would be light gardening, landscaping and occasional loader work. Might get a pull behind finish mower for it down the road, but for now I've got a Toro commercial walk-behind mower that more than meets my needs. All insights welcomed!


thanks,

--Charlie Jordan
Brenwood, TN

 

[gumshu]

I love my hoe and would not be without one... $4,500 for a hoe is very reasonable in comparison to others. You'll always find a use for it. My hoe is on a Kubota BX23 and I've thought of selling it to buy the more powerful Max 28. The BX has been an excellent machine, but not quite powerful enough.

I think that either of those two tractors will serve you well, but if you're anything like me, you'll kick yourself later for not buying a more powerful tractor. However, that all depends on what your needs are... smaller may work well for you. The Max 28 has nice specs and I'd love to add one to my collection with a hoe.

BTW, my BX has only two speed ranges and that has never really been an issue.

Good luck! It's nice to go shopping for new toys.

 

[indianaEPH]

I would agree that most of the time you need more tractor than initially anticipated. Though, I have seen some tractors for sale because the owner wanted a smaller rig.

Anyway, both other machines are nice. I really like the Mahindra specs for that size machine but the Bota is also nice. The Max seems top have better 3 pt lift capacity but the Bota has higher pump flow. Probably not going to be a critical factor in either case.

 

[Gator6x4]

Got a price of about $19K ( before tax ) for a MAX 28, loader and hoe. I've read arguments for and against getting a backhoe.Charlie Jordan
Brenwood, TN

Both, the Max and Kubota are good tractors. If a dealer has priced a Max 28 with loader and backhoe at $19,000 plus tax I think you should be asking him when he can deliver. I don't think the Kubota will be any where near that price.

 

[jcdogfish]

I had it narrowed down between the Kubota 2920 and the JD 2520/2320. Long story short the Kubota dealer is also a Mahindra dealer. The JD seemed to be the most refined but the most expensive by far. I was very surprised how well the Mahindra compared. The Mahindra seemed more stable than the Kubota and just felt better to me. All things compared I ended up with a Mahindra 2516 which is pretty much the same tractor as the Max 28. I could not be happier with my decision. The 2 speed hst is not an issue at all. The 2520 JD 2 speed was fine too but the 2320 2 speed seemed lacking for some reason. Like said above you probably won't notice a difference in performance as they are all close. I just cleaned up the mess from hurricane issac, lots of big limbs from 14 oak trees and never lacked power. I also mow 7 acres with a 5 foot finishing mower and sometimes I let it go a little. Never had a problem mowing in high, even in wet grass. I am very impressed with this little tractor. I think the bucket on the kubota and deere was a little bigger. Also, remember when trying them out you can adjust the loader control to the place you like it.

 

[cj11363]

Bought the Max 28 last Monday. Didn't notice that the loader control was adjustable, thanks for that info. Seemed comfortable where it was, but I'll take another look at my options. First tractor, so I don't really have a clue, but thought I'd add to the story and possibly answer a couple of my earlier questions.

You *can* order a "factory" mechanical thumb for the Max 28 backhoe ( aka MB63 ), though neither my "local" dealer ( Highland Rim Tractor in Goodletsville, TN ) nor the Mahindra rep he called had ever heard of it. I had with me a copy of the parts diagram for the thumb ( from OEM Parts ), and a picture of a Max 28 w/ MB63 & thumb, and that was enough to convince the dealer that such a thing existed. He said that the only way that they could find to order the thumb was through "parts" ( as opposed to "sales", I suppose ), and he charged me almost $500 for it.

The best price I received on the tractor ( about $19K before tax, sans thumb ) was from a dealer 150 miles away, and that price was contingent on me picking up the tractor. I wound up paying almost $850 more than that to buy the tractor from Highland Rim Tractor. HRT is 30 miles away and will deliver the tractor. I had figured that not having to borrow a friend's trailer and drive 300 miles round-trip would be worth $400 - $500 to me, and supporting the "local" dealer was worth another few hundred dollars to me.

I had found PDF versions of the operator's manuals for the various versions of Mahindra tractors, loaders and backhoes that I was considering, and I'm sure that contributed something to my decision to purchase a Mahindra tractor. In this day of "open source" projects and computer savvy customers, I can't understand why all manufacturers don't freely offer PDF version of their manuals. Having the operator's manuals freely available ( even it they appear to have been on a 3rd party website in Canada or BC ) certainly made me more comfortable with purchasing a Mahindra tractor. The cost of publishing those manuals on the Internet is so negligible as to approach zero. I believe that a strong case could be made that Mahindra should freely publish most of their manuals, including the service manuals.

The operator's manual for the Max 28 shows that between the HST and Gear models, there is only about a 1 mph difference in top speed. From that I concluded that having only 2 speed ranges on the HST would not be a problem for me ( having much more time than money ).

I *really* want a quick attach on the loader, but am already over budget. I'm thinking about trying to build something like this http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/170638-my-attempt-ssqa-kubota.html#post1953403 , and would very much like to hear from anyone who has fabricated a quick attach adapter for their tractor. I think that I have most of the tools required to make something similar, including a small wire-feed welder ( Lincoln 175 ). I have no idea how "countrybumbkin" cut the brackets off the loader so that he was able to re-use them ( torch, saw, plasma cutter or grinder ? ), but that seems to me to be a key part of the fabrication. I'm not real confident in my welding skills, but figure that I could tack it all together and then take it to a machine shop for the critical load-bearing welds. Most likely I would try to come up with something really simple for the QA pins, even if it means just using a hammer to knock those pins in and out of the bottom of the QA adapter.

Dealer is a third generation family operation. The Dad says that they starting selling Mahindra tractors in 1995 and that they are the second oldest Mahindra dealer in the US. They had the tractor in stock, but had to order the hoe and thumb from Chattanooga ( about 180 miles from their shop ). Their website indicates that Father is parts/service manager, Son handles mostly Bad Boy and Dixon mower sales, and Mom does tractor sales and finance. The son "wrote up" my transaction. Cash deal, so there really wasn't very much "writing" involved. He asked me if I needed the tractor now, saying that they could probably come get it to put the hoe on. I told him that I could wait a week, and that I would install the thumb myself if delivery of the thumb started to hold things up.

I've read through the instructions for installing a Mahindra rear remote, and have read the instructions for installing the backhoe, and feel that those installations are within my skill set. Installation of the thumb should be significantly less complex. Compared to some of the incredibly convoluted "Jenglish" ( Japanese to English traslations ) I used to deal with whilst installing, configuring and maintaining some large Hitachi IT systems, I find the Mahindra manuals and instructions to be, for the most part, clear and concise ( the instruction on engine break-in being the only notable exception so far ).

Probably need to touch base with the dad tomorrow afternoon, or Friday morning, just to make sure that things are in order. Since I don't understand *exactly* what the operator's manual is telling me wrt engine break-in, if Friday is a nice day I may just drive the Miata out there to chat with him.


Thanks TBN!

--Charlie Jordan
Brentwood, TN

 

[DavesTractor]

The thumb is in the whole goods pricebook, item MHB1637, and it is about $500, and is ultimately ordered through parts unless the dealer ordered it with the tractor initially.

The dealer that quoted you $4500 for the backhoe was in the wrong pricebook, since that is well under his actual true cost and that does not include freight or assembly. We can all advocate slim margins, but negative margins do not work. The guy that you bought from locally for a little more was probably reading his prices correctly.

 

[madmax12]

Congrats! You got an amazing price!!! My quote for TLB was 21,600. I skipped the hoe, and got 5'rfm and kodiak forks. U made a great choice in machine.

One of my friends with a Kubota B 2320 asked me what my lift capacity is (he has asked before, but forgets)...and his face just drops when I say...slowly...with a big smile... 1400+ pounds.

 

[cj11363]

Thanks for the info Dave! Was hoping to hear you chime in

For the record, I'm not necessarily advocating *small* margins, but like most everyone else, I'm trying to get the most bang for my hard earned dollars. Which is what put Mahindra on my radar to begin with. I thought that the package price I got was reasonable, but perhaps I didn't leave enough $ on the table for the dealer ? But then again, maybe I did. I never haggled with any of the tractor dealers that I shopped with. I'm more of a "what's your best price" kind of guy, and if I don't like the price, I just keep shopping. But it does seem to me that it's a lot harder to determine "what's a fair price" for a new tractor than it is for a new truck or car.

For what it's worth, there are 2 Kubota dealers much closer to me. In fact, I drive past one of the Kubota dealers about half way between my house and the Mahindra dealer. If the MAX 28 had cost very much more , it would have put it close enough in price to the B2920 that I probably would have bought a B2920 w/o the hoe instead. Even at the same price, *I* *think* that the Max 28 *might* be a better value than the B2920, but for this first time tractor buyer it was still hard to overcome an "orange bias". All of which makes me think that Mahindra dealers have a "tough row to hoe", no pun intended. However, posts on this forum from guys like you and Wallace Tractor have helped me to overcome my initial bias.

Actually, it turned out that the guy I bought from ( locally ) quoted me the wrong price on the tractor, but the total package price turned out to be the same that I got from the dealer in Chattanooga. The local price was lower than what I was expecting, but I was too caught up in the euphoria of buying a tractor to pay enough attention to that. Later that afternoon Linda called to tell me that I was going to have to pay more. At that point I had already started pondering their freight costs and overhead, so I was OK with the sudden ( and significant to me ) price increase ( though it did crush my dream of buying a QA for the loader ).


thanks again,

--Charlie Jordan
Brentwood, TN

 

[cj11363]

Congrats! You got an amazing price!!! My quote for TLB was 21,600. I skipped the hoe, and got 5'rfm and kodiak forks. U made a great choice in machine.

I've read that tractor prices in the Southeast are lower than elsewhere in the US, but then again, I don't believe *everything* I read on the Internet.

Actually, my before tax price was close to what you were quoted for a TLB. Sales tax in TN is north of 9%, so I paid more than what you were quoted. Suppose I could have purchased in AL or KY to avoid the sales tax, but even if I was comfortable with doing that sort of thing ( and I'm not ), I wanted to support the local dealer.

Thought I'd done enough research, but perhaps not. What's a 5'rfm and what are Kodiak forks ?


thanks,

-- Charlie Jordan
Brentwood, TN