Jake Nichols
New member
I want to do a full review on my 2016 2538 hst cab. I bought the tractor new this spring (2016). When I was buying there wasn't a whole lot of info on this particular tractor or I couldn't find much anyway. I'm going to be 100% honest I'm not one who thinks since I am making payments on something that means it's the best. So here it goes..
First off my main purpose of buying a tractor was for brush hogging around 10 acres at my place, and small jobs for hire around town. I wanted a cab bc most of my mowing is very sandy and dusty and around a ton of trees. So I had narrowed it down to a new kubota 26 horse cab with fel. I priced it with a 3rd function and rear remote from the dealer. Total was right around 28k. I had looked at the mahindra tractors a few years ago when I was looking at selling my 01 36 horse open station John Deere. I liked the mahindra but ended up keeping my old Deere a little longer. This time around I didn't even price them I was dead set on orange. The day before I was suppose to buy the kubota I passed the local mahindra dealer and they had the 2538 sitting out front so I stopped and looked. Priced it at just under 28k so was immediately interested. I liked the fact it was roughly 10 more horse power, no dpf and would still just barely fit in my garage. A friend from church was also a salesman there and until then I didn't know that. I decided on the 2538 with fel then added a 6' finish mower and 5' standard duty slip clutch hog. I did not have them add 3rd function or remote. I immediately begin using the tractor mostly mowing. First thing I noticed was the A/C did not cool near what I hoped for (no window tint which didn't help any) but nevertheless I spent several thousand extra to be comfortable. I wrote it off on not having window tint and continued using tractor. It was really nice not having dust and grass all over me when I mowed. And yes I kept the screens clean and washed radiators and entire tractor after each use. So the next thing I noticed was the pedals for forward and reverse would wear your foot out holding them down. Way too stiff. The company I work for has a 2015 52 horse JD hst and it's pedals are way softer and much more comfortable. And speaking of the hst my 2538 whines more than any tractor I've ever been on. So after 2 weeks of use and roughly 20 hours on machine it developed a hydro leak at the loader quick disconnect port. Took it in a few days later got it back they had to replace the port where your disconnects are. The night I brought it home after it was parked in shop I noticed a puddle under it again. Had to take it back once again and they had to tighten everything up. Next day went to pick it up, loaded it up on trailer and it was STILL leaking. Mechanic came out and tightened a fitting up some more and since has not leaked. So back to the ac problem. I had my little brother mow 5 acres. I left a blower with him to keep the screens blown out incase they clogged. About 2 in the afternoon I went and checked on him. When I walked up to tractor first thing I noticed was he was drenched in sweat. I asked have you not blown everything out any today?? He said yes several times. I was instantly pissed. There was no way I was going to make payments on a cab tractor that was hotter inside than out. I went to dealer and expressed how mad I was and at that point would rather them just buy the tractor back. They asked me to bring the tractor to them so they could check everything. So after a few days they found out from other complaints and investigating the problem they had misinformed me when they told me to keep the rear cab vents closed. This causes the system to pull outside air in to cool. If they are open that acts as the recirculating switch. So after that it did seem to help some but to this day I'm not impressed with the ac in my tractor. The cab itself is not sealed well you can actually see the ground through the floor where hydro pedals go through floor. You would think they could put boots around the pedals. So now with all that said I will say the good things I like about it. First off it is very stout I'm impressed with its lifting and pushing abilities. It honestly will compete with the 52 horse Deere we have. I had them fill the rear tires when I bought it which I strongly recommend on any tractor with a fel. Next I do like the no dpf to worry about. Not sure if their injection system is the answer only time will tell. So far so good but only at 75 hours to the date. I really wanted a 3rd function and grapple but did not want to pay the 2k my dealer charges. So ended up finding a valve from orchelns for $199 got lucky it was on sale 1/2 off... it came with valve and wiring kit. I had to buy all fittings and hoses separate which proved to be a challenge for someone who hasn't messed with hydraulics much. One of the hardest things was figuring out where to put the actual valve. There just isn't much room on these little tractors. I finally decided to mount to the outside of tractor on the loader base so I could still easily remove loader if needed. I ended up spending with valve, hoses and fittings around $500. Beats the **** out of 2k. Bought a grapple and have worked it pretty hard. Haven't been disappointed. I did think it was funny I installed the valve and out of all the fittings have not had one leak on my work yet the tractor leaked before I made first payment.. lol as of right now I can say I will not own another mahindra unless I put a couple thousand major trouble free hours on this one. I will spend the extra on orange or green. But I did save a ton of money buying this tractor over a Deere or bota. So I'm not going to say mahindra sucks you get what you pay for. As I said only 75 hours so far so can't judge a tractor in general off such short hours. I just installed the led cab lights last night and plan on installing a few more since I will b tinting the windows out soon for next year mowing. I would be happy to answer any questions for a person looking to buy this tractor I sure would have liked to had someone or known about this site sooner.
