need help selecting a tractor

[jeff9366]

Fair analogy.

Mahindra's image is for sturdy equipment, with less electronic and more mechanical controls than, say, Kubota and Deere.

Some consider this an advantage.

As fewer Mahindra's are sold in the USA at present, you may not find a depth of experience for resolving Mahindra problems outside the walls of a Mahindra dealer, so I would want the Mahindra dealer to be within trailer-the-tractor distance.

Warranty service is very much up to the dealer, who knows from experience what the manufacturer will and will not reimburse. In my experience with Kubota, they are tight on warranty claims. Once or twice I had what I thought were warranty claims on my B3300SU in the first year but the dealer ruled they were plain use-related repairs.

However, Kubota is very liberal at honoring Kubota insurance claims, over the $250 deductible. Most Kubotas are financed through Kubota which requires $1 (+/-) per day for insurance. At my local dealer they have a customer who submerged the same Kubota tractor in his pond twice in fourteen months. Kubota paid for two replacement engines without a quibble, including pulling tractor out of the pond twice, which Kubota considered part of transporation for repair, which is covered.

I had one ($1,750 - $250 = $1,500) FEL repair which Kubota insurance paid immediately.

No problems with the heavier, less-stressed-at-the-same-work, L3560.

 

[binfarm]

Looking online I see the nearest Mahindra dealer is 55 miles away.

 

[jeff9366]

If the dealer transports for repair I would expect your transport cost to be minimum of $125 inbound + $125 return = $250. Not much over dealer's cost, which will be $1 per mile, large truck + heavy duty trailer, plus labor.

 

[paulfun9]

Thank you everyone for the feedback so far. Pardon my ignorance but is buying a new Mahindra comparable to buying a brand new Kia car (with a warranty) as opposed to a used, couple year old, Mercedes (comparable to a JD or Kubota tractor) car? Is this the wrong way to look at it?

I really don't think the car analogy fits todays tractors.
After spending some considerable time looking at different brands recently before purchasing my new Kioti DK40 I was actually impressed with how well most of the machines were built.

I spent a considerable amount of time looking at the Mahindra line and found I got the feeling like some of them were not built as good as the others. I really couldn't put my finger on just any one thing but the overall feel of the machine while looking at it and testing it on the lot. For instance the 3616 felt rock solid and everything worked flawlessly on it but the 3535 gave me a feeling like it wasn't built as good. Some of the other models they had also seemed to be of different quality from each other as well. While I was still researching I found that they rebadge some TYM machines with the Mahindra name and yet some others are made in japan while others are made in korea and yet others are made in india . What I found was the rebadged TYM machines and the ones that are supposedly built in Japan were the machines I felt comfortable with and didn't give me a feel of cheep.
I think what I am saying here is that the quality swing between the different models could make a real difference in my opinion of Mahindra. So be carefull to research the actual machine your looking at.

 

[binfarm]

in general i am leaning towards a low hour kubota or jd. i realize the budget needs to be increased significantly for either of those. what other brands would be of similar quality? Also, do these brands have the same issue of some models of higher quality / rebadging?

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota makes all models, however parts are manufactured and assembled worldwide. Kubota has two manufacturing and assembly plants in Georgia and a diesel engine plant in Illinois.

The Kubota 'Grand L' series chassis,engine, drive train, body are made and assembled in Japan; FELs and Backhoes are manufactured in Georgia and mated to chassis in Georgia. Grand Ls come standard with all bells and whistles------except a horn.

Smaller Deere tractors are Yanmar of Japan components manufactured worldwide, assembled in Mexico. Deere has had this relationship with Yanmar for many years. I have owned one Deere/Yanmar and two Kubotas. I consider them of equal quality.

I am sure Deere offers a competitive "loaded" line to Kubota's Grand Ls.

A low hour Kubota or JD will cost you pretty close to what a new one sells for, unless you happen upon an exceptional sale situation. Both sell at premium prices new but retain their values at resale better than competitors. A minimum of on-line used tractor research will confirm this.

Prices, new and used, are generally higher in the Spring, lower when there is snow on the ground.


GManBart is one or T-B-N's most respected contributors:

It sounds like you need a minimum of around 30hp in the smaller compact size tractors (2,500lbs before the loader), 4wd and R1 tires (much better in clay/soft/mud). I would stay away from any of the Chinese tractors (Jinma, etc), and look at LS, Kioti, or TYM as those three offer the most performance for the dollar now.

As an example, the LS G3033 is probably what I would call the minimum size/power machine you'd need, and they're nearly $16K new (a bit over if you go with an HST transmission). Luckily, LS lets dealers advertise actual prices, so you can get an idea what they really go for. I would expect a bit more if you look at a similar Kioti, or TYM, but not much...maybe $1000-1500.

LS 3033 Tractor Loader compact

This thread is worn out so I am going away.