Comparison Kubota L3301 vs Mahindra 1533/2538

[Blackgreyhounds]

I got my Mahindra 1533 HST last summer and have about 70 hours on it. Love it, love it, love it. Was like you about the 3901 or 1533. I choose the 1533 because of the overall weight and lift capacity. Which is much higher than the 3901. Use mine for lifting logs, dirt work, mowing, and numerous other jobs around my 22 acres. Even though a Kubota dealer is closer I'm ok driving the extra time. And I have only had to go back one time. That was for that 50 hour oil change which I did myself. But like everyone is saying. Go to the dealer and drive them. Then go back and drive them again. They are both great tractors. Sometimes it just comes down to what you look the best on. I think I look pretty **** good on that Mahindra.

If you like the lift cap. of the 1533, you should see the 2538. It's got a much bigger FEL and bucket and handles it with ease.

 

[s219]

Comparing the loader ratings might be tough unless they both use the same location and height reference. Kubota usually gives you the rating at the pin with the bucket at full height. Down lower, the capacity goes up. Shifting the load forward of the pin drives it down.

For the LA525, the capacity using Kubota specs is 520 kg, or 1146 lbs. That would be at the pin at full height.

I am guessing the Mahindra will have a stronger loader. But as you note, both fit/finish and control refinement are sometimes lacking on the Mahindras. One thing I have noticed on several Mahindra models over the years is that the front loader control valve lacks the finesse I am used to on Deere and Kubota machines. I think they just spec a more basic valve with less progressive control.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

I have the Mahindra but through default. Yes, I thought there are better built machines but none of these suited me. 1. Kubota has their fel control in the way for a both side exit/entry tractor. This was important to me as I need egress from all sides as I log mostly with the tractor. My woods are tight so I need to be able to get on and off from left or right. Also, I did not like the way Kubota L3 series exposes their tie rods in front of the axle. With all the stick ups and ground obstructions in these woods, I would have made a shamble of these in short order if I did not construct some type of guard. 2. I traded in an old JD 750. The John Deere dealership was showing me $1800 because the thing was in showroom shape even after 28years. The Mahindra dealer was giving me $7000K.

Will the Mahindra 3016 hold up? Who knows but it has done everything I've asked and more. I think the gear selector is kind of clunky and I have seen thicker metal on other machines but this shuttle is easy to operate and provides great traction and strength for what it is so I'm tickled about that. The last thing is that the Mahindra can lift a lot for its size which comes in handy for how I use a tractor.

Sweet tractor! Thanks for reminding me to look at protecting/armoring the underside, front tie rods, etc. for woods work. That will be an important consideration. I wish that logging was my primary usage ( love it!) but to be honest my priorities are landscaping and lane maint. > firewooding > logging. If logging were my primary usage, I'd be looking at alot bigger units.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

Comparing the loader ratings might be tough unless they both use the same location and height reference. Kubota usually gives you the rating at the pin with the bucket at full height. Down lower, the capacity goes up. Shifting the load forward of the pin drives it down.

For the LA525, the capacity using Kubota specs is 520 kg, or 1146 lbs. That would be at the pin at full height.

I am guessing the Mahindra will have a stronger loader. But as you note, both fit/finish and control refinement are sometimes lacking on the Mahindras. One thing I have noticed on several Mahindra models over the years is that the front loader control valve lacks the finesse I am used to on Deere and Kubota machines. I think they just spec a more basic valve with less progressive control.

Thanks, looks like the Mahindra 2538 lists 1634# max hgt at the pin. At least this gives a ball-park comparison. You are absolutely correct that the controls are not nearly as sophisticated. Even the salesman had a hard time getting the lift/lower and curl/dump to work at the same time.:duh: JD and Kubota are smooth and effortless.

 

[arrow]

I gave the Mahindras some good test drives today. 1533HST is a really nice tractor but too expensive for a value brand (pretty similar in price, fit and finish to the Kubota but more comparable to the B series).

Not sure what you are using to compare but I would hardly call the 1533 comparable to the B series Kubota. The Mahindra weighs in almost 500 lbs heavier, has an over 50 cu.in larger 4 cyl. engine, has a gallon more pump capacity, is wider by 8 in and almost a foot and a half longer than the L3301.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

Not sure what you are using to compare but I would hardly call the 1533 comparable to the B series Kubota. The Mahindra weighs in almost 500 lbs heavier, has an over 50 cu.in larger 4 cyl. engine, has a gallon more pump capacity, is wider by 8 in and almost a foot and a half longer than the L3301.

Fine. Whatever. No insults implied. I was just using the Mahindra 15xx and 25xx to roughly compare to Kubota B and L. By the naked eye, the 1533 is not as bulky as the 2538, even though the "operating weights" are almost the same - just like the B "looks" less bulky than the L. So sue me if you don't like that. I'm just a complete novice who is trying to learn a little bit and trying to get the best value for my hard earned $'s. If you want to compare the 1533 to an L series, that's fine by me. Both are really nice tractors that anyone could be proud to own. The 2538 is a REALLY impressive specimen, too.

 

[arrow]

Fine. Whatever. No insults implied. I was just using the Mahindra 15xx and 25xx to roughly compare to Kubota B and L. By the naked eye, the 1533 is not as bulky as the 2538, even though the "operating weights" are almost the same - just like the B "looks" less bulky than the L. So sue me if you don't like that. I'm just a complete novice who is trying to learn a little bit and trying to get the best value for my hard earned $'s. If you want to compare the 1533 to an L series, that's fine by me. Both are really nice tractors that anyone could be proud to own. The 2538 is a REALLY impressive specimen, too.

Im not understanding your take as if I'm accusing you of something that I have to "sue' you for? As a "complete novice", i would think you would appreciate getting a truer scope of your comparisons than what you have demonstrated. After all, it was the title of your original post. The 1533 costs more than the L3301 because it is more tractor and should not be placed in the realms of Kubotas B series. That is all I am saying in case you were misrepresenting yourself and buying more tractor than you need.

I think it wise that you take any advice from here "with a grain of salt". It is why I provided you pictures of a tractor even smaller than the 1533 so you can get a truer handle on what the Mahindra was capable of. As it is not my desire to be treated antagonistically as if this is some type of contest, I guess I'm done here.
Good luck with your new tractor.

 

[otherpinz]

Full disclosure - Mahindra owner here.

I was looking at the same tractors and knew very little about tractors and still don't.

I asked some tractor owners for advice, they had different things to look for, but here was what they said is most important.

Owner 1- has a Case but is a Kubota fan " Get the highest fel and three point capacity you can afford"
Owner 2 - has a Ford/New Holland " Get the one with the highest fel capacity with a shuttle or hst"
Owner 3- has a Mahindra (4110 similar to the 2540) " Get the heaviest, strongest one you can"
Owner 4 -is actually tractorless now, but has owned a Case and Kubota " Get one with a hst"

All but #4 stressed that there is nothing worse than having not enough tractor to do a job you need it for.
I think hitting your foot with the nail gun is worse, but to each his own.

I hope that helps, and good luck.

Scott.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

Full disclosure - Mahindra owner here.

I was looking at the same tractors and knew very little about tractors and still don't.

I asked some tractor owners for advice, they had different things to look for, but here was what they said is most important.

Owner 1- has a Case but is a Kubota fan " Get the highest fel and three point capacity you can afford"
Owner 2 - has a Ford/New Holland " Get the one with the highest fel capacity with a shuttle or hst"
Owner 3- has a Mahindra (4110 similar to the 2540) " Get the heaviest, strongest one you can"
Owner 4 -is actually tractorless now, but has owned a Case and Kubota " Get one with a hst"

All but #4 stressed that there is nothing worse than having not enough tractor to do a job you need it for.
I think hitting your foot with the nail gun is worse, but to each his own.

I hope that helps, and good luck.

Scott.

Thanks. That sounds helpful.

 

[mike69440]

Comparing the loader ratings might be tough unless they both use the same location and height reference. Kubota usually gives you the rating at the pin with the bucket at full height. Down lower, the capacity goes up. Shifting the load forward of the pin drives it down.

For the LA525, the capacity using Kubota specs is 520 kg, or 1146 lbs. That would be at the pin at full height.

I am guessing the Mahindra will have a stronger loader. But as you note, both fit/finish and control refinement are sometimes lacking on the Mahindras. One thing I have noticed on several Mahindra models over the years is that the front loader control valve lacks the finesse I am used to on Deere and Kubota machines. I think they just spec a more basic valve with less progressive control.

I second What S219 says.

For what I do I bought the best tractors for the Job, One is red other is orange.

 

[paulfun9]

Yeah, I saw that. However, the JD is really not a consideration.

I see your like me and not really impressed with the single rocker pedal. I also see your only looking at Mahindra and Kubota is there a reason that you haven't looked at LS or Kioti?

I see you live right there in Palmyra and know BHM equipment is just a couple Miles north up RTE 934 from you. They sell Kioti and seem to treat their customers right, as well when I drove by there on FRI they actually had a delivery of some new machines so it might be a good time to check them out.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

I see your like me and not really impressed with the single rocker pedal. I also see your only looking at Mahindra and Kubota is there a reason that you haven't looked at LS or Kioti?

I see you live right there in Palmyra and know BHM equipment is just a couple Miles north up RTE 934 from you. They sell Kioti and seem to treat their customers right, as well when I drove by there on FRI they actually had a delivery of some new machines so it might be a good time to check them out.

That's a thought. Thanks for reminding me that they are up there. I'll be honest, I started looking at JD/Kubota based on reputation and resale value.

 

[paulfun9]

That's a thought. Thanks for reminding me that they are up there. I'll be honest, I started looking at JD/Kubota based on reputation and resale value.

You said you wanted the most for your dollar in one of your posts so I would suggest looking hard at Kioti and LS. I chose the Kioti DK over everything else not because of its price but because it was the best tractor in the size I wanted over everything else I looked at. This statement is coming from a long time JD and Kubota owner so you know I wasn't a beginner when I purchased and their machine had to be good for me to go with it.
The offerings have changed since I purchased mine but from everything here that I see posted LS and Kioti still offer a lot of bang for the dollar and I would have no hesitation going with an other Kioti or even trying an LS.
Resale? Are you really sure its going to be better? I just haven't seen it around these parts lately. Maybe at one time it was and maybe at the dealers lot it might be but I watch private sales very close and just don't see the support to even bother with thinking about resale as a condition of buying. Looking at the offerings for sale I watch the percentage rather than the dollar amount because many of those Kubotas and JD's cost the same amount more when new as people are asking for them used.
Take your time and look at everything out there and buy the best machine for you with the least amount of compromise and don't be fooled by the name or color of the paint because they all make good machines and will all carry their resale very well.

 

[Blackgreyhounds]

Thank you. I'm not planning to resell anyways. I would like it to last 20+ yrs. So resale is not really so important I guess.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Thank you. I'm not planning to resell anyways. I would like it to last 20+ yrs. So resale is not really so important I guess.

If you really want it to last 20 + years, Kubota. Superior engineering, and proven track record. The others, maybe not so much, AS A COMPARISON. Anyway, absolutely try out the other brands, you'll never know if you don't look. Good luck.

 

[murphy1244]

"The others, maybe not so much,"

Where does this come from as I have heard my share of broken down Bota's on here.

 

[DK35vince]

If you really want it to last 20 + years, Kubota. Superior engineering, and proven track record. The others, maybe not so much, AS A COMPARISON. Anyway, absolutely try out the other brands, you'll never know if you don't look. Good luck.

20+ years for a home owner should be no problem with most brands if properly maintained.
My Kioti DK is at 15 years and 2000 hours now, still working like new. I have little doubt it will still be going strong well, past 20-30 years.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

20+ years for a home owner should be no problem with most brands if properly maintained.
My Kioti DK is at 15 years and 2000 hours now, still working like new. I have little doubt it will still be going strong well, well past 20 years.

Good point... properly maintained, that goes for pretty much everything.

 

[paulfun9]

If you really want it to last 20 + years, Kubota. Superior engineering, and proven track record. The others, maybe not so much, AS A COMPARISON. Anyway, absolutely try out the other brands, you'll never know if you don't look. Good luck.

Not one of the Kubota tractors I owned lasted 20 years! I also have to question the superior engineering thing as I just didn't see it when I looked and knowing a former Kubota mechanic who also doesn't call it that way I have to wonder what is superior?
Not trying to bust your bubble but so far I just don't have anything that supports the claim and doubt I ever will.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Not one of the Kubota tractors I owned lasted 20 years! I also have to question the superior engineering thing as I just didn't see it when I looked and knowing a former Kubota mechanic who also doesn't call it that way I have to wonder what is superior?
Not trying to bust your bubble but so far I just don't have anything that supports the claim and doubt I ever will.

Your two cents are noted. You haven't busted my bubble, I am secure in what I have purchased. Peace of mind, it's a wonderful thing...