Is the Mahindra Max really a SCUT

[LD1]

Well, they say the proof is in the pudding



Weight:
L3400.....................................2600
LA463 frame..............................900
Bucket.....................................261
25 gal WW fluid per rear tire.........400
KK 7' HD rear blade.....................700
TOTAL.....................................4861lbs

So with that weigh and ballast, you guys be the judge if this loader can only lift 860lbs at the cutting edge??? A stronger loader would gain be NOTHING in terms of breakout or lifting capacity without additional ballast of some kind. And I can do this with my 1100lb bushhog too, but dont feel like swapping implements.

Actually awhile back, when playing with some scales in another thread (I believe had to do with the mahindra max also), I WAS using the bushhog. And had to add about another 100lbs to the bery back of the BH to keep it planted and get a true MAX reading.

 

[mguitas]

Mahindra max only weighs 1850 lbs. And it can lift 1400 lbs. The massey 1526 weighs the same as the max but only can lift 850 lbs. Just odd how that works.

 

[murphy1244]

Mahindra max only weighs 1850 lbs. And it can lift 1400 lbs. The massey 1526 weighs the same as the max but only can lift 850 lbs. Just odd how that works.

3200Lbs Ballasted.

 

[DavesTractor]

LD1, you just need to trade that big old tractor in for a Max and you will be good to go. :confused3:

You need to put a scale on your loader and see what sort of lift you are really getting. 800 lbs at the cutting edge won't lift the back of a 5000 lb. tractor absent some weird geometry that you obviously do not have.

 

[LD1]

LD1, you just need to trade that big old tractor in for a Max and you will be good to go. :confused3:

You need to put a scale on your loader and see what sort of lift you are really getting. 800 lbs at the cutting edge won't lift the back of a 5000 lb. tractor absent some weird geometry that you obviously do not have.

Well like I said, the proof is in the pudding. (or picture I should say). There is no doubt the L3400 is underrated a fair bit.

I did put a scale on it. It was a thread involving the max. About a year ago IIRC. But regular operators dont have scales in the field. it is impossible to weigh everything you may think about picking up. This tractor has done everything I have asked of it. It hauls dirt just fine, and has enough power to lift the rears like I just showed even with alot of ballast. Regardless of what games you want to play with the specs, These kubota L's do indeed have quite a strong loader.

 

[Sysop]

Every manual I've read on every front end loader I've ran tells you to always ballast your tractor properly for the loads you intend on working with. If you are going to be regularly moving 1000# in the FEL, you should also have an additional 1000# of ballast on the rear.

Every manual I've read on every tractor I've used tells you to properly ballast the tractor when using a FEL to prevent extra wear on front end components.

Simply adding fluid to the rears doesn't reduce FEL load stress from the front axle and steering because the rear tires are what act as the pivot point when you are properly ballasting the tractor for FEL use.

Properly ballasted, any tractor can safely move whatever the hydraulics are rated for.

 

[DavesTractor]

Well like I said, the proof is in the pudding. (or picture I should say). There is no doubt the L3400 is underrated a fair bit.

I did put a scale on it. It was a thread involving the max. About a year ago IIRC. But regular operators dont have scales in the field. it is impossible to weigh everything you may think about picking up. This tractor has done everything I have asked of it. It hauls dirt just fine, and has enough power to lift the rears like I just showed even with alot of ballast. Regardless of what games you want to play with the specs, These kubota L's do indeed have quite a strong loader.

Honestly I'm not sure just what you were trying to prove. If it is to say your L series can lift a fair bit, I think you have succeeded. I am faintly recalling the thread a year or so ago, and I think someone (might have been me, I'm really not sure) suggested your L series Kubota was rated with less lift capacity then the Max28. But as a practical matter....and this may be your point - a longer and heavier tractor will generally handle a heavier load with less drama. All physics being equal, I think that is true.

And a properly ballasted Max28 will use all of it's Max power. The key is, as Sysop has stated, to have proper ballast.

I also agree that tire ballast does not lighten the load from a front axle, so the front axle still has to deal with a bunch of weight. If you hang weight off the three-point, it lightens the load on the front axle. However tire ballast, and anything that keeps the rear tires producing traction, greatly assists the longevity of the front diff, gears and axle shafts as they are really meant to just assist in the propulsion of the unit, not do it all. We have 2 front axle stresses to be concerned about, the weight it must hold up and the power it must provide.

Great discussion.

 

[DavesTractor]

LD1,
If you do a Google search for "Mahindra Max 25 forklift", you will find where we take the little brother to the Max28, the Max25, and lift the back of our baby forklift. 1700 lbs. and the Max25 is still on the ground, no rear tires in the air. It does have a backhoe installed, and that is pretty good ballast. We do not recommend this sort of thing, 900 lbs. or so is plenty for this size of tractor, but the point is that the numbers posted by Mahindra are real and obtainable without any sort of ridiculous ballast.

The Max25. being a SCUT :dance1:, is quite a bit shorter and lighter, so it should not surprise anyone that the bigger Max28 can lift 1400 lbs. at the pins.

The proof is in the pudding, or in the video....but I am beginning to forget what I was trying to prove! The original topic is if the Max is really a SCUT. I think we still have not solved that with any sort of clear definition. I say yes for the Max22/25, no for the Max28XL.

This is such a good forum. We can go back and forth and it almost always remains friendly and informative. I just want to say that I appreciate that.

 

[Grandad4]

If a customer approaches me and feels he will be lifting 1400 lbs on a regular basis, I'd move him up to a much larger tractor. Maximum is just that, and to run a SCUT or CUT at max all day long is not the duty cycle for which they were designed.

Again, just my seat of the pants opinion, but your weight calculations are mainly helpful regarding front/rear balance, but sideways stability is the more serious issue, as you properly note. Your 700 lb FEL sits mostly on the front, plus what, maybe 40% of the base tractor weight (another 700 lbs) also on the front? Add that problematic 1,400 lb payload and there's 2,800 lbs sitting on that pivoting front axle. If you've got 3,200 total vehicle weight plus 1,400 in payload, the total is 4,600 lbs, and it's 60% up front, on a tractor with a footprint that's only 4 1/2 feet wide.

It's been my experience that you don't have to go down a hill and make a sharp turn to get in trouble with a weight distribution like that... all you have to do is have the bucket a few inches too high and the cg is changed dramatically. So I'm thinking there would have to be at least an additional 1,000 lbs on the back before the thing gets enough lateral stability to do any kind of real work with a payload like that. And that's an awful itty-bitty tractor to be going around with 5,600 lbs on its axles. If it's improving the breakout force that's the concern, well the curl cylinders seem to be pretty respectable on their own. So I'll stand by my concern about overkill.

I do respect your sensible guidance of customers. Not all dealers do that, and, considering the features in question here, I hope there's good corporate support with that message as well.

 

[aczlan]

So I'm thinking there would have to be at least an additional 1,000 lbs on the back before the thing gets enough lateral stability to do any kind of real work with a payload like that. And that's an awful itty-bitty tractor to be going around with 5,600 lbs on its axles.

Per Tractordata and the Mahindra site, the Max 28 is rated for 2200# on the 3 point, so 1000# on the 3 point should be well within its capacity.

Aaron Z