Buying Advice It's come down to Mahindra 3616 and Kubota L3800

[redsox1]

Mahindra was by far closer than any other brand and I was excited to go check them out. When I looked them over I was shocked at how cobbled together they looked. Never considered them after that. Everyone has different tastes and the best advice has been given, compare them all and decide which is the best fit for you. If I had I it to do over I'd probably stick with Kubota with Kioti a close second choice but again, everybody is different. Sorry if I offended the satisfied Mahindra owners out there.

 

[chvfrk98]

I also compared a mahindra and a kubota. Max28xl vs b3200. A stated before for the reason of usage and and the ways the units were over built I went with manindra. The kubota was beautiful and capable. The only thing that's not pretty on mine is the loader controls, but what does that really matter. It certainly is more serviceable than being more intergrated!
Manindra had a more traditional tractor frame, was heavier, outer 3pt arm restraint (for some reason that just made a lot more sense), and the the attachments were more heavy duty. The drive over MMM is actually drive over. The kubota you had to get the bigger deck, detach the FEL, and still be very careful where you were. The mahindra deck is like a tank! Way heavy.
The parts and pieces that I'll bang up are more robust, plus I really like the extra FEL capacity. I am always still left wondering but I have not been disappointed. I'm sure which ever way you go you will probably not be either.

 

[arrow]

Great advise/comments from everyone. I sure wish I could have them side by side and spend a few hours driving both. Now gonna make a run down south to drive the Mahindra again. I drove both tractors briefly. Not more than 5/10 minutes.

But you know if you ask google what is the number one selling tractor...it says Mahindra. Isn't there a reason behind that??

Mahindra USA Tops 4Categories in NAEDA Dealer Survey - See more at: Mahindra USA Tops 4 Categories in NAEDA Dealer Survey - Farm Equipment
Isn't there a reason for this??

Of course but the answer here may have nothing to do with you. I logged for a living. I used all makes of chainsaws. Which chainsaws did I like the most? The ones that worked. Which chainsaws did I buy the most? The one's that were available for the best price. Statistics can be toyed with such as which pickup sells the most: the Fords. If you add the Chevies with the GMC's, this statistic is no longer true. I feel you are barking up the wrong tree trying to discern which tractor to buy. Every tractor is going to do the job and as redsox 1 stated "the best advice has been given" is dead on correct. Here is something else that may seem arrogant of me but you already know what tractor you want. As with all the rest of us buying for the first time, one wants all the assurances they can get to justify their decision. When you own a tractor for a while, it makes no difference what you bought as long as it DOES THE JOBS YOU WANT IT TO DO. A person just gets used to stuff. I had the most difficult time going from my JD to Mahindra why? Because I was so used to the JD way of things. So much so I almost brought the Mahindra back after two weeks. Its been 6 months and I'm still not totally used to the Mahindra but it does things faster than the JD could. I will never be enamored to the shift linkage of the Mahindra as it looks like "just put that there, it'll work" type of design but if I hadn't said that, you'd be tickled pink with it because there is nothing for you to compare it to. You'll see what we are all trying for you to arrive at when you own the tractor.

 

[jeff9366]

ARROW: Sage words.

 

[nova3930]

Have you actually looked at both tractors and driven them? If not, you really need to. That will likely make the decision for you, in combination with the dealership.

Tractor comparisons on paper are fine, but do not base a purchasing decision on that alone. You'd be missing some of the most important considerations and factors to tractor ownership and operation.

I wouldn't play checkers with the paper specs any longer. Go drive the tractors and see for yourself.

This. I paper compared tractors up down left and right, looking at the same models you are. Then I went and drove them all and decided I wanted and needed a bigger tractor. Paper told me I needed a 3616/L3800 size tractor, driving told me I needed a 4035/Grand L size tractor.

Yes. There are a lot of small farmers in India, where Mahindra is based.

The number one selling tractor brand by revenue is John Deere.

When the base MSRP is north of $400k, it doesn't take selling many of these monsters in the plains states to drive up revenue numbers.

John*Deere 9560R Tractor 9R/9RT Series Four Wheel Drive Tractors JohnDeere.com

Which those types of machines are the difference between the big boys of Deere, CNH and Agco and everybody else. As a friend of mine's father likes to say, there's farming and then there's farming....

 

[Haymaker1]

Well the final two. The Mahindra comes in at $27,300 and the Kubota L3800 at $28,400.

Mahindra has 5 year no deductible warranty. Kubota has 2 year bumper to bumper and 3 years engine power train.

Mahindra is 29hp at the pto. Kubota is 30.

Mahindra comes with a quick release loader bucket. Kubota wants another $600.

Mahindra says loader lifting capacity is higher.

Mahindra says they are cheaper for maintenance and better on fuel usage. Which they say will save significant $$$ over the years.

I'm really struggling with this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi there, First effort with this form and here is my two cents and a lot of people have good ideas, hope I can help. If you are doing your own mechanical work and not relying on your dealer, get the shoe that fits you! I have owned two new kubota's and abused them to no end. Used them for a bulldozer, backhoe, and general digging in the dirt. I had to re-enforce the loader frames as I would back-drag with them," they will tell you not to back-drag if you ask". I have had the motors out cause they do not like to swim in a pond. Had to replace the connecting rods as the were bent...... Love them for what they are, they are for home owner use. I took them far beyond what they were made for and would recomend them to anyone. If you do not do your own, then the best dealership is the one that has the best mechanics on their payroll. If you have someone in the neighborhood that turns a good wrench can save you money. You can buy any part online you want and it does not have to be from a dealer. Which one you like driving and sitting on will make you the best tractor. Haymaker1

 

[camshawn]

We went through the same process 18 months ago. Started with Kabota, checked out Case, and New Holland and by chance came across Mahindra while reading all the spec sheets. We test drove the first 3 and then drove a few miles more to the Mahindra dealer. At the end of the process, Mahindra specs are a little better, the 3016 seemed a perfect fit for layout and the price a little lower. My wife could reach everything without modifying the seat. We came home with the 3616 parked beside the 3016 we were looking at. It "sounded" right and had a quick change bucket( best thing since sliced bread).
Irrationally yours, Cam and Shawn

 

[flusher]

My first tractor was a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, 4WD, power steering) with the LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket, 800 lift to about 7 ft height). Cost: $12.6K

I traded it in after 3 years for a new 2008 Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, power steering, gear tranny 8F/2R, triple rear hydraulic remotes) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft wide bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft, skid steer quick attach). Cost: about $19K.

I've had no problems with either brand. Both are well made, mechanically sound.

Good luck with your new tractor.

 

[LostintheNW]

Well the game changed yesterday. One of the BIGGGG favors for Kubota was a dealership close by, within an hour. Yesterday I called Mahindra becuz the salesman was telling me there was going to be a new dealership in Newberg, a little over an hour away. So I put the Kubota on hold tell I could go back to both dealerships and relook, reride, retalk both tractor packages. Went by both dealerships today.

and

The winner....dah tah tah dah....Kubota. The Mahindra just didn't have the spit and polish. The arms of the loader and the backhoe structure looked so, I don't know, as RedSox1 said "cobbled" together. Where the Kubota was solid, welded, monstrous, strong looking design. The hydraulic cylinders were larger and beefier than the Mahindra. The Mahindra was smallish, the Kubota big cockpit big engine box.

$677 more for the SSQA loader. Salesman says if I don't get the SSQA you can knock the pins out of the bucket and pin back in whatever implement you want. Any opinions on that are greatly requested!!!!

I think they'd like me to stay with the loader that's on now because to get a SSQA would require them to find it and bring it in and install it.

He says don't do the telescoping hitch arms...just do a quick connect coupling set. I think he said approx. $600

 

[murphy1244]

I would not accept a FEL with out SSQA. You can get a Quick Hitch for less than 600 bucks.