Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal

[radios1]

you have to remember, it can kill you quick if you are not careful!.. also, this kind of work WILL make you look like a mechanic at the end of the day!. it's dirty, and heavy work..

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

you have to remember, it can kill you quick if you are not careful!.. also, this kind of work WILL make you look like a mechanic at the end of the day!. it's dirty, and heavy work..

Yes I get that; I am very intimidated by this beast, even though it's smaller than many of yours, sometimes I think I should have gone smaller.....?

As for getting dirty, that makes me happy.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Day 16. Mastering the tilt-n-angle blade.

Having finally figured out how to give the tilt-blade enough clearance when raised to be able to travel, plus leg feeling better, plus finally managing to get the side-link broken loose and greased so I could adjust it, today I was ready for some blading on the driveway. Using the built-in tilt with only three positions, tilted is very tilted. Really only useful for ditches. Had a few areas where the ditches needed to be deepened or smoothed or just weeds scraped out. Blade was also angled of course.

I don't want deep ditches; instead, I slant the driveway to the side I want it to drain, then there's just either a small channel, or if it abuts higher ground, it just ends there. That way once it's shaped right I can maintain it with a box blade easy. Was able to finally get there. Tractor makes it easy-peasy. Continue to be surprised by the power of this thing. Cut through heavy clay full of rocks with no problema (a perfect soil moisture level helps).

Continue to find it's usually best to take things in stages. Drop the blade so that the tip of the lower end is digging in just a couple inches, then another pass deeper, and another if needed. Not for lack of power, just I can sculpt it just the way I want. In one part where I was making a new drainage ditch off to the side, dug in deep and tore through, including big roots, easily.

Once I was done digging the heavier bits, wanted to smooth out the transitions. So set the blade level, no tilt, and used the side link to drop the right side until I had a much subtler tilt. Did a very nice job and also threw a lot of gravel back onto the driveway from the edges.

For me, the blade is a much longer learning curve than a box-blade. I think almost anyone can drive a box-blade up and down and get a pretty good result. I love them. But for seriously changing the grade, the blade is great. Think I'll go all the way and finally get the driveway graded perfect. Then a couple passes with the BB to re-spread the gravel and I'll be ready to call it done. Pics will ensue at that point if anyone's interested.

(Non-pro tip for driveways: decide exactly where you want the outer edge of the blade to hit, then spend the time to get your tractor lined up straight and exact, adjust the blade depth with a delicate touch, and note where your tire lines up to the edge, so you can watch that instead of the blade to keep it straight. Then once you're committed keep going. Turns and sudden adjustments to blade height will create sloppy edges that will need to be fixed.) Yes I'm fussy about neat edges on my driveway.

No accidents today, just a sore neck. Any recommendations on a big mirror?

 

[Wagtail]

Any recommendations on a big mirror?

Many TBN members, with an open station tractor, have had success mounting a 'van' type mirror(s) to the top of the FEL arm(s). Mine is mounted on the right arm because we drive on the left side of the road; for the odd occasion that I'm on a public road/highway.

There are threads about this... aren't there always! :thumbsup:

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Many TBN members, with an open station tractor, have had success mounting a 'van' type mirror(s) to the top of the FEL arm(s). Mine is mounted on the right arm because we drive on the left side of the road; for the odd occasion that I'm on a public road/highway.

There are threads about this... aren't there always! :thumbsup:

That's nice! I did look for threads. Will look for van mirrors on google. Thanks!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Day 15. More driveway action, and a small accident.

Got a good rain yesterday, so the driveway was moist enough to finish up. So. First, unhook the landscape rake. Then hook up the box blade. Box blade the driveway a few times to re-loosen things up (the fun part; I would almost pay people to let me box blade). Then unhook the box blade. Then I needed to use the tilt-blade to adjust some ditches. Previously, I discovered I couldn't raise it high enough when tilted to get more than an inch of clearance when traveling. Turns out the arms that come down to support the lower links have two holes, and it was set in the lower ones. So pulled the pins out and used the higher holes, gaining me almost 2" in height. Also, finally worked the adjustable side-link loose, greased it up, and now it works like a charm.

So, getting a little tired at this point (here comes the "I love Lucy" moment), I get one of the sidelinks hooked up to the tilt-blade and turn to run around to the other side....and somehow the blade catches me in the shin, flips me over into the ditch, and I land on my chest knocking the wind clean out of me and the blade has apparently nicked the large vein in the front of my shin. Kinda cool, as I haven't had the wind knocked out of me in a couple decades, so made me feel like a kid again, after a few minutes on all fours catching my breath. A little pressure bandage on the shin and all was good. But luckily by this time it was happy hour again.

Sheesh, everything on a tractor is so darn heavy (not to mention greasy). In between muscle spasms, my back, shoulder, and arm muscles are getting stronger. My nails are broken and my favorite work shirt and jeans are grimy. All in all a good day, because of figuring out the tilt-blade thing.

If you decide that you would like to have the rear blade lift even higher, (really more for transport) put the top link in a lower pin location on the tractor.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

If you decide that you would like to have the rear blade lift even higher, (really more for transport) put the top link in a lower pin location on the tractor.

Did not see that the top link had this type of adjustment (will look tomorrow). Was able to raise the two lower lift arms though. The red arrow shows the two holes for adjusting the height of the lower lift arms. Probably all tractors have this:

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Did not see that the top link had this type of adjustment (will look tomorrow). Was able to raise the two lower lift arms though. The red arrow shows the two holes for adjusting the height of the lower lift arms. Probably all tractors have this:
View attachment 561821

I'm pretty sure that there are 3 separate pin locations. :thumbsup:

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Week 5.

Driveway done, which looks beautiful, and I'm fussy about the driveway. I like neat edges too. So onto the next job.....

...which is reworking the steep "road" down to the bottom of the ravine where the ponds are (40% grade with steep drop-offs). Unfortunately, for the last year I hadn't been keeping up with even the minimal maintenance of clearing the small ditches of leaves (my bad; was busy with the business; good excuse, right?) and a lot of the road (the parts where the grass didn't take) has simply washed away. This means I need more dirt. On steep property you always need more dirt--mostly for leveling--and in the rural mountains dirt can be hard to come by, not always available to buy, and our soil is often very thin. If you live here you understand this. Decided the 5-foot-high banks that were left when the excavator dug in to create a level parking area could be carved back another foot or so, yielding lots of precious dirt.

So this was some real FEL work. The FEL has been a much steeper learning curve for me. Jerky, and if I make the wrong move I panic a bit and overcompensate. But practice makes perfect, or at least *better.* (Note, I have a Piranha bar installed) So FEL at ground level, approach the bank slowly, let it dig in a couple inches, move the FEL up a few inches, inch forward again, lift FEL again, basically following the slant of the bank, then at the top, curl, and I've got a decent bucket full. Dump it on the road, back-drag, and go back for another load.

I can't help but think of the labor involved to do this with a shovel, which is the way I have ALWAYS done it until now. This was a pure pleasure, believe me. And as the day went on there were times when I seemed to have the "touch" to do it smoothly. It came and went, but progress for sure.

This will sound dumb to many, but today I also drove the tractor all the way down to the ravine and back for the first time. This is a scary road; it's kind of a wild ride on the riding mowers and I wasn't sure how I would feel on this *to me* enormous machine. Amazingly it was much easier, much more stable. Even made it around the hairpin turn at the bottom, no problem. Going up is always worse but there is NO WAY this thing is getting stuck. Slow but sure. Stable. Powerful. I'm very happy. This means I can do everything I want to do on this ridiculously steep property.

Today was the first day I felt like I bought the correct size tractor (was worried I bought too big). Now it seems just perfect.:thumbsup:

 

[mike69440]

Re: Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal FEL work

The Joystick on the MAX series, if the same one as on my Max28 is not so joyous, but jerky. One's reflexes adapt, but these are not as nice as a loader valve put in premium tractors. If you really want to hate you Max, try a construction class machine with pilot controls.

The good news is the loader is powerful for the tractors size. Just don't pry with it, so as not to rack the loader arms.
I do a lot of loader work with my little tractor as it is maneuverable and good on soft ground.

I did install the bucket cylinders from a 1526, so my Max28 now has excellent breakout force for its size, at the expense of slower curl and dump. A good trade, IMHO. Digs better than it has any right to. I bet with a Piranha cutting edge, it would dig even better.