Looking to buy a 45+ hp Hydrostatic tractor

[1gr8bldr]

Looking for a 45+ hp hydrostatic tractor. No front end loader. I have a skidsteer. Any opinions on Mahindra tractors. I can get alot more for my money.... probably why they are the best selling tractor. Money talks. Resale would say go with a Kubota or JD... but I will likely never buy another. Opinions?

 

[TSO]

Looking for a 45+ hp hydrostatic tractor. No front end loader. I have a skidsteer. Any opinions on Mahindra tractors. I can get alot more for my money.... probably why they are the best selling tractor. Money talks. Resale would say go with a Kubota or JD... but I will likely never buy another. Opinions?

Budget?
Uses?
Dealers in your area (which brands)?
Favorite color?

 

[1gr8bldr]

Budget?
Uses?
Dealers in your area (which brands)?
Favorite color?

As far as budget, Too much... and I'll just hire my landscaping jobs out. Fact is that this is what I should do. Yet, I like to do my own work. A less costly tractor gets me closer. LOL, just trying to justify another toy. Uses would be seed prep for yards and small food plots, bush hogging firelanes on hunting property. We have a dealer 10 minutes away and the store manager is a friend of the family. Worked on his house and been hunting together. I don't have a favorite color. I really need someone whom has operated several different brands, similar size in order to cut through the "favorite color" bias.

 

[TSO]

I really need someone whom has operated several different brands, similar size in order to cut through the "favorite color" bias.

well... I've owned Kioti, LS, Massey, and have had personal experience with my uncles John Deere and my buddies Kubota. however, my experience with Mahindra is limited to playing with them on dealership lots, as I have a dealer now within a few miles of my house and I have played on the tractors. I'm not a huge fan of the majority of the mahindra tractors. The TYM ones I feel are unrefined and maybe have some quality shortcomings... the mitsubishi ones are okay but also feel less refined, and the true mahindra builds do seem stout but also leave something to be desired in my opinion. I have read both good and bad reviews and opinions by owners on this forum, much like any other brand.

and while I do have a personal opinion on which tractors I feel are better overall than others, ultimately I feel that they are close enough in overall specification and quality, for the most part, that you can safely choose based on personal preference and availability.

if you have a trusted dealer near you, and you like the Mahindra tractors, then I'd say go pick one out. You will probably find that the best value right now will likely be found with LS or Kioti. so if you are trying to stay within a certain budget, they would be worth checking into.

 

[1gr8bldr]

well... I've owned Kioti, LS, Massey, and have had personal experience with my uncles John Deere and my buddies Kubota. however, my experience with Mahindra is limited to playing with them on dealership lots, as I have a dealer now within a few miles of my house and I have played on the tractors. I'm not a huge fan of the majority of the mahindra tractors. The TYM ones I feel are unrefined and maybe have some quality shortcomings... the mitsubishi ones are okay but also feel less refined, and the true mahindra builds do seem stout but also leave something to be desired in my opinion. I have read both good and bad reviews and opinions by owners on this forum, much like any other brand.

and while I do have a personal opinion on which tractors I feel are better overall than others, ultimately I feel that they are close enough in overall specification and quality, for the most part, that you can safely choose based on personal preference and availability.

if you have a trusted dealer near you, and you like the Mahindra tractors, then I'd say go pick one out. You will probably find that the best value right now will likely be found with LS or Kioti. so if you are trying to stay within a certain budget, they would be worth checking into.

Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience. What is the LS? Are Kubota and Kioto the same? I have always heard this... like chevy and GMC? In your opinion, which tractor is your best quality pick? Which tractor best value? If you were going to buy only one tractor and hope it to last you the remainder of your life?

 

[jenkinsph]

Looking for a 45+ hp hydrostatic tractor. No front end loader. I have a skidsteer. Any opinions on Mahindra tractors. I can get alot more for my money.... probably why they are the best selling tractor. Money talks. Resale would say go with a Kubota or JD... but I will likely never buy another. Opinions?

I suggest you forget all the preconceived notions above as a starting point. Go to all the dealers near you and try all the brands out to see which ones you like the best. Look carefully at all the options as these can add up quickly to the cost, but some of these options can be very nice to have. Once you have narrowed the field to a few specific tractors then get quotes on them in a face to face meeting. Take these quotes home and think about, compare them for a few days to decide which one is best for you.

 

[TSO]

Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience. What is the LS? Are Kubota and Kioto the same? I have always heard this... like chevy and GMC? In your opinion, which tractor is your best quality pick? Which tractor best value? If you were going to buy only one tractor and hope it to last you the remainder of your life?

LS (formerly part of the LG corporation of Korea, still has ties to LG) has been building tractors for a long time, and in the US they have been sold as FarmTrac, Montana, McCormick, and LS currently builds the majority of New Holland compact tractors. For the last maybe 5 years, they began selling here under their own name and they are selling a bunch... They have a business plan that includes earning major marketshare in the US. Their prices have been steadily rising, but they still offer great specs and extra features for entry level pricing.

Kioti and Kubota are separate. Kioti is the US trade name for Daedong steel, another Korean company. They have also been in the game for awhile, and also make good tractors with great specs and options, for a good price. There was some past collaboration between Kubota and Daedong back in the day.

My Massey is actually built to order by Iseki of Japan. Iseki has been been supplying tractors to AGCO (owners of Massey, and many other brands of AG equip) for a couple decades. There are very few problems reported here regarding the Iseki built Massey's. And in my personal experience, my Iseki-built Massey has provided a better ownership experience than the other brands that I've had experience with...in relation to quality, and I would choose Massey again.

The last question is tough to answer... Choosing one tractor to last me the rest of my life. I really can't answer, the future is too uncertain.

But again... Go play on some and choose which one you personally like the best. They are close enough overall that you can do that.

 

[Beltman60]

I found that a test drive with some seat time on each helps
as with any test as you're moving operate fel, 3 pt while looking back, dif lock, any other things and see how they feel to you
all tractors are not made for everybody

 

[jb1390]

Looking for a 45+ hp hydrostatic tractor. No front end loader. I have a skidsteer. Any opinions on Mahindra tractors. I can get alot more for my money.... probably why they are the best selling tractor. Money talks. Resale would say go with a Kubota or JD... but I will likely never buy another. Opinions?

I have a Mahindra 3550, 50 HP hydrostatic. I use it primarily for loader work, and it's a nice machine for that. It's heavy, which is a positive or negative depending on what you use to haul it, and what you're doing with it. For loader work it's great, for PTO work, probably not as good since more HP is used moving the machine around.

There have been a few issues that I attribute to "new model" bugs, but Mahindra has been pretty decent about taking care of me so far. I have around 350 hours on my machine in the past year or so.

 

[oldpilgrim]

If you were going to buy only one tractor and hope it to last you the remainder of your life?

That is the question I asked my self as well.

Any of the top 4-5 brands will probably fill that bill.

I stepped over Deere when I discovered their pricing. I looked at Kubota. Nice but still a small premium for the name, and the sizes I looked at didn't impress me with their hydo capabilities.

I checked out LS, but there were things that just didn't suit my pickiness.

I was nearly going to buy a Kioti, based on what I saw in my brother's tractor. Nice machine. I had negotiated a price with a dealer but for some reason just couldn't immediately pull the trigger.

Then I discovered Mahindra. I read all I could and visited 3 different dealers. Two of which must have gotten sick of seeing me, I was there so often looking, measuring and asking questions.

I just plain liked what I saw, more and more, each time I went.

I took my brother with me when I bought the Mahindra. While I was talking with the dealer, my bro really gave the unit a once over. Later he said that if he had known about Mahindra, he would have bought it instead of the Kioti.

I've had it for 11 months, approaching 100 hours, worked it's butt off this winter with record snow and used it all over my property. It's performed admirably. I love it and have no regrets.

I'll probably never buy another being that I'm months away from 70 years old.