Considering a Mahindra 25Max HST

[pmeyers]

I really appreciate the time that folks haven taken to help me make a decision about this tractor. At one time I had a 40x60 shop on the property that I had built from block anticipating fire danger. I assumed the worst I would have to do is replace the roof. The fire was so hot that it compromised the foundation and I had to destroy the building. We had a mobile home, a smaller trailer and some out buildings. Every single tree in our pinyon forest was destroyed. We planted about 1000 seedlings but they were eaten by range cattle, only two survived. I was heavily committed to the property so I had all of my equipment and tools there, all of which were destroyed. We haven't had the heart to really work on the property until recently, recognizing that we are stewards of the land and have a responsibility to return it to good condition. We've had considerable grading done, I put in a new well house, solar well pump and panels. Good water 5 gpm all day long. We are taking up a shipping container this week so I can lock up some tools. My wife has been nurturing about 30 pines in cans, but it is too late in the year to plant them. Irrigation not done yet. I have been considering a tractor for a while, since a day of shoveling and heavy lifting is getting to be a bigger challenge. Much of what we need done goes beyond hand work and requires equipment. Finding someone with a tractor on the mountain is very hit and miss. I considered the Mahindra Max 25 that I described because it became available, was local and seemed to come with a good range of implements in a price range that we could scrape together. I have not owned a tractor before so I was unfamiliar with many of the considerations posted above. As was pointed out above, I don't know what I don't know. But the generous responses provided about have informed me to some extent particularly about the differences tractor use in steep terrain versus flat terrain. In any case, I think that I am not going to buy the Mahindra Max 25, do some research during the winter and try to find something a little more suitable in the spring. I have a Polaris ranger to which I've added a winch and a 3pt hitch for light dragging. I can buck the down trees into smaller logs and drag them out with the polaris. We'll plant our trees in the spring and lay the irrigation above ground until we can get the lines into trenches. We'll still make good progress and eventually we'll hopefully land on the right tractor to make things easier. This site is an excellent resource populated by many very knowledgeable people. Glad I joined

 

[TJSlice]

I am not a tractor owner, but I am actively in the process of buying one.

It's a big financial commitment, but I have partially justified it by looking at the used tractor market in my area. I am certain that I could sell it a year or two down the road without taking too much of a financial hit.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I really appreciate the time that folks haven taken to help me make a decision about this tractor. At one time I had a 40x60 shop on the property that I had built from block anticipating fire danger. I assumed the worst I would have to do is replace the roof. The fire was so hot that it compromised the foundation and I had to destroy the building. We had a mobile home, a smaller trailer and some out buildings. Every single tree in our pinyon forest was destroyed. We planted about 1000 seedlings but they were eaten by range cattle, only two survived. I was heavily committed to the property so I had all of my equipment and tools there, all of which were destroyed. We haven't had the heart to really work on the property until recently, recognizing that we are stewards of the land and have a responsibility to return it to good condition. We've had considerable grading done, I put in a new well house, solar well pump and panels. Good water 5 gpm all day long. We are taking up a shipping container this week so I can lock up some tools. My wife has been nurturing about 30 pines in cans, but it is too late in the year to plant them. Irrigation not done yet. I have been considering a tractor for a while, since a day of shoveling and heavy lifting is getting to be a bigger challenge. Much of what we need done goes beyond hand work and requires equipment. Finding someone with a tractor on the mountain is very hit and miss. I considered the Mahindra Max 25 that I described because it became available, was local and seemed to come with a good range of implements in a price range that we could scrape together. I have not owned a tractor before so I was unfamiliar with many of the considerations posted above. As was pointed out above, I don't know what I don't know. But the generous responses provided about have informed me to some extent particularly about the differences tractor use in steep terrain versus flat terrain. In any case, I think that I am not going to buy the Mahindra Max 25, do some research during the winter and try to find something a little more suitable in the spring. I have a Polaris ranger to which I've added a winch and a 3pt hitch for light dragging. I can buck the down trees into smaller logs and drag them out with the polaris. We'll plant our trees in the spring and lay the irrigation above ground until we can get the lines into trenches. We'll still make good progress and eventually we'll hopefully land on the right tractor to make things easier. This site is an excellent resource populated by many very knowledgeable people. Glad I joined

I did an unbelievable amount of work on my land before I had a tractor, with just a garden tractor pulling a 40-lb 36" box blade. To this day, no one here believes it. Had fun too.

Folks here tend to focus on the "best tool for the job"; i.e., what will get 'er done the fastest, with power to spare. And that's good information to have. Some folks aren't happy unless they can tackle any job--no matter how big--in one bite. And for a lot of folks who do this stuff at least partly for a living, that's important. I don't, so I guess I have a slightly less aggressive attitude about working my land. I like to take most of my projects a little slow, enjoy the process, and do it little by little so I can adjust things as I go. I like to feel like I'm in control of my machine, not overpowered by it. My point is, listen to all of the advice but also do what feels right for YOU.

Irrigation lines can be dug with a rear attachment that's basically one big spike pointing down into the ground, I think it's called a middle-buster. Planting trees, depends on how big. A lot of all of this depends on your soil, e.g., PTO-driven post-hole diggers or any ground-engaging implements can be a bit problematic if your soil is rocky.

I strongly suggest you visit some dealers and test drive some different tractors. See what you're comfortable with.

 

[pmeyers]

Thanks GirlWhowantsTractor, I appreciate the insight. I'm not invested in getting everything done at once, will get it done as resources and tools allow. A tractor will make things a lot easier though, when I get to that point. The comments on this discussion give me a lot to think about. I would rather regret not buying the Max25 that I was looking at than regret having bought it and discovering it wasn't the right tractor for the job. Plan to spend some time reading your journal, looks like a lot of good information.