Crate Mahindra?

[davep]

I am attracted to the idea of a crate tractor -- something that it simple enough to fix myself and to being able to assemble it to learn how is put together.

Mahindras seem to have a good reputation for reliability and value for money.

Can I put these two thoughts together? Does anyone sell, or has anyone bought, a Mahindra as a crate tractor?

Dave

 

[zekeman]

NO , Mahindra does not sell crate tractors. Crate tractors are usually chinese tractors that you can import yourself or thru a middleman- most chinese tractors you can import yourself are also availiable from dealers in this country. If you choose to import yourself any problems that come with the tractor are solely your headache. You will find tons of info in the Chinese Tractor
Forum

Ron

 

[davep]

Thanks, Ron, I have read chinese create tractor forum -- I'm trying to decide between a Jinma ond a Mahindra. If I could get a crate Mahindra, that would favor the Mahindra.

I like the idea of a tractor that is simple ... my local Mahindra dealer says that Mahindra's are simple and that I could fix anything myself on a Mahindra that I could fix on a Jinma (But I would get more practice on the Jinma /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ). Is it true that a Mahindra is just as simple to fix?

btw the deal he is offering is $17,300 for 3510 with ML112 FEL. I'm comparing this to a 35HP crate Jinma with FEL from tractor connection for $9990. I have no doubt that the 3510 is a better tractor -- but it needs to be a LOT better to justify that extra cost. Is $17,300 a reasonable deal?

 

[Bluecheck546]

"I like the idea of a tractor that is simple ... my local Mahindra dealer says that Mahindra's are simple and that I could fix anything myself on a Mahindra that I could fix on a Jinma (But I would get more practice on the Jinma ). Is it true that a Mahindra is just as simple to fix?"


Simple........ it's all relative.... I wouldn't say, my Mitsubishi build 2015 is simple. Dealing with the aircraft for past 20+ years, lots of things on the aircraft are simple as well , then again......... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Varmintmist]

17300 is about right now that the steel surcharges are here. Thats the quote I got for mine, except mine was already on the lot and I was 3 days ahead of the surcharge.

I think you are comparing apples to oranges here. The Jimna isnt a moderen design, the Mahindra is. There isnt a comparison other than they are both tractors.

If you are trying to just compare forien tractors at 35 HP, then you can look at ALL of the colors. None of them are made in the US.

 

[davep]

It's hard to choose between two varieties of apples, if you cant decide between an apple or an orange.
The reason for narrowing down to this apple and this orange, is that ..

Both tractors seem like they will do the job for me, according to their specs, which are quite similar. The Mahindra has a slight edge, but nothing that is overwhelming.

My closest tractor dealer is, by far, a Mahindra dealer - he's just down the road. Mahindra seem like a good tractor, and he seems like a good dealer. The Mahindra seems to be better value than the big names - and at least as good as the other 'small' names in the same class. So the Mahindra seems the best choice in my situation if buy normally through a dealer.

A Jinma is to only tractor I can get as a crate, assemble myself (which is a fun challenge) and learn enough to fix myself. I know the Jinma isn't as well finished, and that some parts will break, but I'm buying a tractor to work not to show off, and I can buy a lot of replacement parts for $7000 especially if I can fix it myself. I can replace the tractor for $6995!

So it comes down to "Is the traditional dealer, warranty, and a few bells and whistles, etc. worth $7000?" I'm having a hard time justifying it to myself.

Dave

 

[BobG_in_VA]

If you're looking for a 3510 with R4s, FEL, etc, I know where a "relatively new" one is for sale (just a few hours on it) for about $13.5 to 14K in VA. Since you are in NC you might save a bunch for this one including shipping it to your place. EMail me offline if you are interested. BobG in VA

 

[zekeman]

Dave
Before I bought my Mahindra I seriously looked into the
Chinese tractors because of the huge price differences. But there were too many ifs about parts,and warranty work, where do you go. Tractor Connection, are they solely a importer, will they back the warranty, do they stock parts, do they have mechanics who work on the Jimma if you are unable to fix it yourself. When you were surfing the Chinese forum, how many calls by owners for help in trying to locate a part for their tractor did you see, when I was looking in the forum, it seems like there were a lot of "calls for help". With Mahindra I don't have those problems or questions. Mahindra is like Kubota was 15-20 years ago when they were establishing their tractors in the U.S. , Mahindra is well on their way, getting closer and closer to the big three tractor companies in the U.S.. Chinese tractors have worked for a lot of people, but at that time I did not want to take the chance of it not working for me. My Mahindra (2002) has over 435 hrs., It starts every day I need it , does what I ask it to do, and it does it day after day after day. Since this is the only tractor I have ever owned I cannot say it is A LOT better than any other tractor but I can say it has worked well for me. As far as it being easy to fix, I do all of the preventive maintenance and the only warranty work was for the PTO. it does not breakdown that often.

Ron

 

[DavesTractor]

Dave,

You'll find the crate Mahindra right next to the crate John Deere and crate Kubota. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

This is the class they are in. While not as well known in the USA, Mahindra is among the largest tractor manufacturers in the world, selling a top quality product.

Many people convince themselves to buy Chinese. They are cheap, and with care will do a lot of work, but they do not compare to the Mahindra, New Holland, Kioti, Branson, etc., level of tractor in quality, features, ergonomics or dealer support. That is not to say they are not worth the small amount charged for them, but don't fool yourself into thinking the the differences are only minor cosmetic ones.

 

[davep]

But why not a crate John Deere or crate Kubota? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

The attributes I saw in "crate" were not associated with the quality of the tractor; they were associated with ...

1. be your own dealer ... Take care of the simple things, the simple problems, simple assembly of a tractor that's simple enough for me to do it.

2. ship the tractor in a form that's cheap to ship.

These seem like good and useful things. The reason for starting this thread was the the thought that if I can "be my own dealer" for a cheap low quality chinese tractor, could I get the same benefits but with a higher quality tractor. Obviously I'd expect to pay more for crate with a better tractor inside - but I'd be paying for the quality I'd be getting, not for someone to do a job I'd prefer to do myself, or an unnecessarily expensive way of doing something.

I was hoping that Mahindra, or some enterprising dealer/importer, would want to service customers willing to put some "sweat equity" into their tractor investment!

Dave