So I looked long and hard at pretty much every tractor I could find in this size range and after much internal debate, the Mahindra 2538 HST followed me home one day. I have to say, it is a solid machine. I just thought I'd pass on some of my thoughts on it after about a dozen hours of use. First off, we all know that tractors have a bunch of options, so which ones should you go with? Here is what I went with:
Cruise control. Works well, pretty simply adds a big green push button to the dash that holds the forward HST pedal in place when engaged. Disengages when you press the brake or the green button again. Does not work in reverse, not that I can think of a reason you would want it to. I will also point out in this pic, those two bottom rocker switches did not come from the factory, I added those for my ROPS lights.
Two rear hydraulic remotes. I haven't ordered my top and tilt cylinders yet so I haven't used these yet, but they look fine. I will note that the valve bodies of the remotes are bare cast iron and pretty much start rusting instantly. I noticed this the second day I had the tractor at home, so a quick spritz with some spray paint was in order.
Trailer light jack. A complete waste. After some research it appears that this connector is not used in the US, and if there is an adapter available for it Google couldn't find it. So save your $50.
I nearly bought the FEL third function, until I realized that the Factory Mahindra third function is actually a diverter mounted up on the FEL cross arm, not a true third function. Plus it costs about $1300, too much IMO. So instead I went with the WR Long third function kit, purchased through Everything Attachments. I have to give WR Long props on this kit, they really couldn't make it's installation any easier. It has a custom bracket for the valve that mounts it on the side of the FEL joystick. It comes with all of the hoses and fittings you need, and a nice replacement handle for the joystick with a rocker switch in it. One thing to note though, the existing loader joystick handle is epoxied on so it can't be removed, and the new switch handle can't slide over it. So you can either saw off the existing joystick handle, or replace the shaft. I sawed mine off, no big deal. It still comes out to be about the same length after you put the new handle on.
So here is an interesting bit, the 2538 has this little tab here to mount a work light, and right behind it there are a couple quick slide connectors to power it off of. It is unswitched power on a 7.5 amp fuse, so your light will need to have a switch somewhere. I put my switch up on the dash, but it would be fine to mount the switch on the light itself. I put a small 10 watt LED light pod down on this mount and a couple 18 watt rear facing LED floods up on the ROPS all powereed off this circuit.
Some other random stuff...it has electric over hydraulic PTO, and it doesn't work like the manual tells you. Long story short, there is a PTO manual/off/auto dash switch, a dash push button, and a hand lever on the left side of the seat. All three of these have to be engaged in order for the PTO to run, and when in Auto the implement must be lowered. It works fine, just don't expect it to work like the manual tells you. My tractor had a block off plate installed that prevented the hand lever from being engaged. Removed blocking plate, works fine now. My idiot dealer swore that he ran the PTO before he delivered it, which was clearly a lie because the block off plate was still installed. Meh, whatever, I figured it out on my own.
Speaking of the manual, it has quite a few errors. It was clearly adapted for the 2538 from the text of the manual for some other tractor. In no fewer than 20 places it tells you to press the clutch...the 2538 doesn't have a clutch...nice work guys.
The hydrostatic range lever was very difficult to operate when I was first at the dealer lot test driving it. Hard to operate as in it felt like I was going to bend the lever. Dealer told me that they all start out tight like that and they loosen up a bit when you start using the tractor. This proved to be absolutely true. By the time 5 hours rolled around it was shifting just fine. It has a Neutral position between each of the three ranges, and sometimes it will go into neutral and not want to just slide into the next range. I small tap to the forward hydro pedal and it slides right in. I must say that its hydro shifts better than my New Holland TC30 hydro does, and that tractor had had over 400 hours to break in the shifter.
The FEL is plenty strong. Do yourself a favor and make sure you get the rear tires loaded. My idiot dealer tried to talk me out of it so I had to insist on it, and I'm glad I did. Most of the dozen or so hours I have on this tractor right now has been spent uprooting trees and fence posts, and I can tell you that in a hard pull the loader can generate enough force to lift a rear tire off the ground. So be careful. We all know it's best to do loader work with a heavy counter balance out back on the three point hitch, but reminder doesn't hurt.
I did a couple hours of bush hogging in a badly overgrown field today, lots of 1-2" sapplings. It handled the 6' bush hog like a boss, which is more than I can say for some of my older tractors. It also has enough weight and power to handle my 6' box blade well. Despite not being a suspension seat, I find the seat to be plenty comfortable even after a few hours. Ergonomics are good. I like the relatively flat floor board with no transmission hump like a lot of older machines have.
It doesn't have a seat safety switch, which just saves me the trouble of bypassing it. But I'm sure there is somebody who wants it there, so be forewarned that this tractor doesn't have one.
I like the side by side hydro pedals, although I will confess to accidentally hitting the wrong one on occasion. I'm sure that will iron itself out with time. Most of my hydro tractor experience has been on a New Holland TC30 which had an excellent heel/toe hydro pedal setup with the body of the pedal under the floor board, but unfortunately no one seems to make them like the TC30 anymore. These days everyone seems to put the whole hydro pedal on top of the floor board, which is ergonomically terrible. I do consider the 2538 to have one of the better hydro pedal setups out there today. The Kubota hurt my leg after five minutes.
I wish it had a tool box. I wish it had positive adjustable stops for the 3 point hitch height. I wish it had a step on the right side, despite the loader valve being there. That's all pretty small potatoes stuff that I'm sure I can find a remedy for myself. All in all in its first dozen hours of service it seems like it is going to be a good machine. I think I made a good choice. Let me know if you guys have any specific questions.
