Considering a Mahindra 25Max HST

[atsah]

Jeff9366,

Great information for a first time tractor owner.

Bob

I agree, he takes the time to outline many valid points and the information that he posts is very helpful to a new tractor buyer..

 

[Tractorable]

Think you’re shooting way too small for 20 acres of mountain property.

What’s the budget?

Recommend looking at the Kubota L series or Korean equivalent with 2500lb+ weight. I believe the Massey Ferguson’s have turbocharged diesels which would eliminate power loss from altitude.

 

[jeff9366]

1) I was surprised by this: " It will not pull a box blade or work the FEL without weighted tires." Is that on the flat?

2) Am I expecting too much from this tractor?

1) On flat ground a Backhoe is perfect counterbalance to Front End Loader lifts. On slopes, however, a (tall) Backhoe raises the center of gravity of the tractor decreasing tractor stability.


Bare tractor weight distribution is 40% front, 60% rear.

Add a Loader and weight distributions becomes 50% front, 50% rear. (+/-)

Pick up a bucket of DRY material and weight distribution becomes 60% front, 40% rear. Rear wheels should stay on the ground but rear will probably feel light.

Pick up a bucket of WET material or a green log and weight distribution becomes 70% front, 30% rear and there is a good possibility rear wheels will lift off the ground, putting all the stress on the thin front axle which is pierced so it can pivot to steer the tractor. Front wheels/axle may not be aligned perpendicular to tractor, consequently three wheels can be in the air in an instant, rolling the tractor.

"Loading" rear tires 50% to 75% full with liquid acts as ballast on compact tractors, however on subcompact tractors the rear tires are so small "loading" with liquid does not add much weight.

On flat ground a Backhoe is perfect counterbalance to Front End Loader lifts and should return weight distribution with bucket loaded with wet material to around 40% front, 60% rear.

Box Blades are often carried as FEL counterbalance. Box Blade should balance weight distribution with FEL bucket loaded with wet material to around 55% front, 45% rear. (Box Blades vary considerably in weight.) Caution advised transporting heavy FEL loads: KEEP THE BUCKET LOW.

The farther counterbalance weight protrudes to the rear the more effective counterbalance is due to leverage. Therefore 130 pounds of loaded rear tire weight on a subcompact tractor is LESS effective as counterbalance than 130 pounds carried on the Three Point Hitch. Regardless, Max25 rear tires should be "loaded" to lower tractor center of gravity working your sloped land.



The ability to pull a Box Blade relates to tractive power. In order to use a Box Blade the Backhoe must be removed and the Three Point Hitch components installed, then the Box Blade mounted on the Three Point Hitch.

The most important factor in tractive power is tractor weight. Other factors: wheel/tire size, 2-WD or 4-WD, air or liquid in rear tires, tire type, sharpness of tire tread, Loader or no Loader, tractor horsepower; in about serial order. Tractor tires grip some types of dirt better than other dirt.

Weight of Box Blade is important, as is weight of load being transported in the Box Blade. With just 21-horsepower at 6,000' altitude, I speculate Max 25 will not have enough engine power to spin the tires = lose traction. If it does lose traction you can lift the Box Blade a tad and allow some of the load to flow out. The soils in Tulare County are pretty tough. A light Box Blade behind a light tractor will consume considerable time making multiple passes when grading.



2) Mahindra Max 25 is a subcompact tractor, the lightest category of authentic tractor.
Subcompact tractors are mostly used in low stress residential landscaping applications.

Max has minimal ground clearance to cross rough ground and downed tree debris. Expect to "high-center" regularly working uneven land. Pushing with the Loader will usually free a high-centered, 4-WD tractor.

Max 25 with 25-horsepower at sea level will produce around 21-horsepower at 6,000' altitude.

I "guesstimate" FEL lift capacity at 700 pounds with ample counterbalance. About four wheelbarrow loads.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

My first post on this forum, just joined today. I have 20 acres of mountain property in the Sierras that we lost to a forest fire about 20 years ago, including all of the structures and every single tree. My wife and I want to resurrect the property for our grandkids including planting a lot of trees, install irrigation and some out buildings. Recently a 2013 Mahindra 25 Max Hst tractor was posted for sale locally and I would appreciate some help in determining if it a good value. Never have owned a tractor. It is very clean and well cared for. It is original owner, has 280 hours, a backhoe attachment, an unused 12" post hole digger, and an unused box scraper. It also appears to have a small hydraulic leak on the right side rear that is related to the backhoe attachment. Owner claims it loses very little fluid and is likely a leaking seal. Owner is firm at $15,000 Any help is greatly appreciated. pmeyers

I think you need to clarify whether you still need to clear dead timber from your property, or if this has already been done. Clearing timber is big job that requires some size. Since the fire was 20 years ago, what's growing there now? Is there brush you need to clear? Also what is your soil like? If your tasks are what you stated--planting trees and installing irrigation--you don't need a lot of size.

I have a new Max 26XL HST and it's quite good on my steep property (40% grades), with filled tires. There's a clinometer app on smart phones that you can use to measure your slope; that might be useful for determining the best tractor for your property. IMO HST is better for slopes than gear or shuttle shift, for a few reasons. Jeff brings up a good point: backhoe attachments aren't really designed for use on hills.

I would visit a local dealer and get a quoted price to compare with the used price.

Sounds like a wonderful project, restoring land that has been devastated by fire. That will be a good feeling!

 

[Diggin It]

One of the first things I learned here (on my first day as I recall) was that scrolling past Jeffy's encyclopedias makes reading threads go much faster.

 

[majorwager]

Dig
Believe we seldom agree but we do on the encyclopedia reference. Often it is a regurgitation of tractor data or superfluous you tube videos that a 4 year old and a Google app could produce instantaneously. New owners or potential owners are not MORONS. Suspect many if not all have reviewed many relative posts before joining. They dangle a toe in the sand to solicit max response, but the listing of tasks suggests more astute awareness. How can tractor buyers become suddenly incompetent after purchasing automobiles, property, homes, investments, underware?

Simply defies logic ! Last point. How many tractors are sold annually in just the US. Thousands !!! Think new RK alone has sold more than 1000 alone. How many folks actually solicit personal forum advice?? A Virtual handfull, correct? So the rest employ the method utilized for all other purchases in life. They do research, their own research. No doubt some read these forum posts, skipping the encyclopedias, and focus upon the posts that are less verbage, more relative substance. All posts are just opinions, this one included.

Suspect new buyers don't make as many errors as the encyclopedia author would have folks believe.

 

[ZTMAN]

The concern with new tractor buyers, me included, is you don't know what you don't know. When I started shopping a few months ago there was a lot to look at and digest. Made a spread sheet with the tractor specs, prices and plus and minus, including dealer service etc. I was convinced that I needed something in the Kubota L size, but ended up with a BX and glad I did. The BX is about the perfect size for our wooded trails. A little FEL work, a lot of box blading trails and mowing with the rotary cutter.

An L could get things done a lot quicker, but would have had a hard time turning around on the trails.

I think what I found out was set your budget, get a tractor within that budget that fits you needs and have the capability of performing the tasks you want to get done. There are always options that are nice to have but not necessarily needed.

 

[jeff9366]

Are rear wheel spread widths adjustable on the Mahindra Max series, or do wheel spacers need to be installed to increase rear wheel separation?

 

[majorwager]

Jeffy,
Read the owner journal produced by Girl Who Wants a Tractor. It answers every question feasible that a MAX Series owner or curious party might wish to know about this tractor line up


And since you obviously have NO experience w/ a B H attachment, know that when traveling at grade, operators frequently lower the boom, to offset any negative gravitational forces. There are certain benefits of ownership that are countered by the inaccurate speculation of tractor experts, that simply spread misinformation. Try this: Own it, use it, then comment and DON'T believe all you tube videos are hatched through Devine revelation.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Are rear wheel spread widths adjustable on the Mahindra Max series, or do wheel spacers need to be installed to increase rear wheel separation?

Mine aren't adjustable. The wheels are already mounted to provide max spread. You can get wheel spacers after-market only, but it's not clear whether that would affect the warranty on a Mahindra.