Kioti vs Mahindra

Anonymous Poster · Jun 6, 2002

I am interested in buying a new 35hp tractor. Considering the price and local dealerships I am trying to decide between a Mahindra and a Kioti. The tractors are priced about the same but the Mahindra has better financing (1%). What are the difference between the two that would make a better value than another? Also, I read on the message board that the Mahindra 3510 is made in Korea...is this correct? Is that good or bad? Does anyone know who builds the diesel for Mahindra?
Thanks;
David

buppy69 · Jun 6, 2002

It is my understanding that International Harvester owned the Mahindra factory in India and sold all of the tooling. They are mostly International clones and if you look at a front 3/4 view, they look exactly like the older Internationals. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Eugene

Tractors4u · Jun 6, 2002

The larger Mahindras are built in India and are based on an old International Harvestor design. The Mahindra compact utility tractors are built in Korea and I think they have Mitsubishi engines in them. I maybe wrong on that. There are a lot of different tractors coming out of Korea these days. The Long compact utility tractors which I believe are called "Longtrac" are built in Korea as well. I have seen a number of Korean built tractors that are using Yanmar and Kubota engines, so the engines should be great.

EdKing · Jun 6, 2002

The Long compact utility tractors which I believe are called "Longtrac" are built in Korea as well. 

The Longtracs are larger ag/utility tractors and are made in India. The Landtracs are the CUTs and are made in Korea. Very nicely made machines.

DK35vince · Jun 6, 2002

David,
I have a kioti DK 35 with around 40 hours and it is great.
Kioti is mfg. by daedong in korea.With daedong engines.
Mahindra compact utilitys i believe are also made in korea and some models may use daedong engines.
Landtracs made in korea,the models i looked at used Mitsubishi engines.

OkieNCognito · Jun 7, 2002

David,
I also compared the Kioti and Mahindra except I was looking at the 28 - 30 hp range. The Mahindra dealer did show me the 35 hp model which had a 4 cylinder Mitsubishi engine, but the tractor was just too big for my needs. These smaller Mahindras are made in Korea.

I believe the specifications on Kioti and Mahindra are very similar and I felt either tractor was a good value. My decision to go with Mahindra came down to four things, and the first two are subjective: 1) The gear shift lever on the 30 hp Kioti seemed tightly fit between the seat and the left fender (I actually scraped my knuckles the first time I used it). The Mahindra really appealed to me from the seat. All the controls and levers seemed easier to access with plenty of operating space. 2) I liked the over-all appearance of the Mahindra better. 3) Mahindra had electo-hydraulic independant PTO. 4) Mahindra offered 0% financing for 2 years.

Have fun shopping /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.....

ByuBill · Jun 8, 2002

What are the difference between the two that would make a better value than another?

For info on the kioti's you can check here

For info on the longtrac, Landtrac & Farmtrac, go here <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.longagri.com/>here</A>

Happy hunting.... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

OkieNCognito · Jun 8, 2002

The Mahindra dealer did show me the 35 hp model which had a 4 cylinder Mitsubishi engine, but the tractor was just too big for my needs. 

Let me retract that statement....I've looked at so many tractors lately they seemed to flow together./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif The 35 hp I looked at with a Mitsubishi engine was a Century, which is another brand you might consider. The Century is also very comprable to the Mahindra, with a very similar look.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 9, 2002

I bought a Mahindra 35 HP (Model 3505) about 3 months ago. I have been please with it. Only one problem--a power steering leak; the dealership send a mechanic who did the repair on the spot. let me know if you have other questions.

Soundguy · Jun 11, 2002

A while back i had (1999) been looking at a 20hp mahindar at a local case dealer. He indicated that they were made in india. Has this sale of tooling to Korea just recently happened?

Soundguy

Tractors4u · Jun 11, 2002

I think the dealer was probably mistaken about the 20hp. The Mahindra utility tractors, their larger models are made in India, but their compact diesel tractor are made in Korea.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 11, 2002

mahindra's compact line is made in korea, they have dae dong engines, built under licensce of kubota, which is what i was told by the mahindra rep. the old ih looking models 3505 etc and the 4500, 5500 and 6000 are built in india, i have been looking at becoming a dealer mahindra and i have done a lot of research on the compact lines, and been involved with farming most all of my life, i think mahindra has a better product and the support from the company is very good. but kioti is not a bad tractor i just think mahindra is better laid out and has some nice features over the kioti.

Scott

RanchMan · Jun 11, 2002

I bought a Mahindra 4110. I had compared Mahindra, Kioti, & Branson (the "Big 3" were simply not a viable option due to their price range for what I needed.)

As far as the engines are concerned, the Mahindra 4110 has the same Daedong engine as the Kioti DK40 (4A200 & 4A200b respectively) - so engine wise, there's really no difference. I hadn't researched the other versions much, so I can't say for sure that the DK35 has the same engine as the 3510, etc, but it wouldn't surprise me.

All of the Mahindra 4wd tractors (2310-4110) are made in Korea except the new 6000, which is made in India. Mahindra 2wd's are the ones that are made in India and are like the old IH's.

Both the Kioti and Mahindra have +'s and -'s, so I personally don't think you'd go wrong with either of them, but for me the Mahindra seemed to fit my needs/likes a little better.

I've put a few links to past posts I've made on TBN regarding opinions/observations/experiences below. If you have other questions or want me to elaborate on any of them, let me know. Hope this helps!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genbuy&Number=108504&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post108504>Kioti vs. Branson - impressions</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genbuy&Number=114513&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post114513>My Decision - why Mahindra</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=genoperating&Number=151219&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=ranchman&Match=Username&Searchpage=0&Limit=250&Old=allposts&Main=147274>Mahindra Problems</A>

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=other&Number=136439&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post136439>Other Questions & Answers</A>

Anonymous Poster · Jun 11, 2002

Thanks for all the info. So far all of it has been useful.
Based on the info. I am leaning towards the Mahindra. The Mahindra price is better and the quality is comparable to the Kioti. Finally, the Mahindra dealer is about 20miles closer than the Kioti. I do have some additional questions if someone out there has some answers or experiences:

1. How does the turning radius compare with other tractors?
2. Same question for stability?
3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power. He did not explain, and at the time I was just toying with the idea of buying so I did not pursue the discussion. I think he might have had a 2wd, or maybe he was talking about power at the PTO. Any idea what he might have been referring to? Is there a significant power difference at the PTO?
4. Another man I met said that he had actually bent the frame on his "Big" Mahindra while working it. The little bit of experience with this guy makes me suspect he was trying to do more than the tractor was rated for. Even so, what is your experience with durability? How good is the steel?

RanchMan · Jun 11, 2002

Here are a few more opinions regarding some of your questions...

1. How does the turning radius compare with other tractors?

Compared to the Kioti, my perception was that the Mahindra turned tighter, however, I did not measure. If it was any tighter than the Kioti, it was not by much. Of course, using the brake pedal, I could have made it a much tighter turn, although I've never had to do this while working as I find its turning capabilities more than adequate.

2. Same question for stability?

The 4110 sits a little higher than the DK40. The hood is definitely higher and doesn't slope quite as much as the DK, which cuts down visibility some, but I'm not sure how much higher the real C.G. would be. (e.g. if it is simply "light" sheet metal that is higher and not the "heavy" guts, C.G. may not be shifted upwards much).

When I picked mine up, I had them flip the dishes/wheels so that it would be wider and more stable (but you can do this with any tractor) (I didn't go as wide as possible - didn't feel it was necessary.)

I'd say that initially the DK seemed more stable, but I think that was mainly due to it being shorter overall. To date I've felt really comfortable with the stability of the Mahindra - of course, I don't zoom around and do a bunch of "risky" maneuvers either.

3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power. 

This comment seems really weird - I actually bought the Mahindra because it was heavy because that helps with traction and stability - i.e. a heavy tractor with X HP and all else being equal will "out pull" a light tractor with the same X HP. Although the 4110 is a little bigger physically than the DK, I'd not characterize it as something like comparing a Surburban to a Geo by any means. Got to admit that I really don't understand what he was meaning by this.

...maybe he was talking about power at the PTO. Any idea what he might have been referring to? Is there a significant power difference at the PTO?

As far as PTO HP, the Mahindra has .2 HP more on the 4110 over the DK40 @ the PTO, so basically, they are the same in this department.

4. ...makes me suspect he was trying to do more than the tractor was rated for. Even so, what is your experience with durability? How good is the steel? 

I haven't noticed any soft steel or propensity to "bend" anything yet. I personally don't think that there is anything inherently weak in the design or metal, but I'm not a mechanical engineer and haven't done any rockwell tests either - /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I'd agree with your feeling though in that any tractor can be abused to the point of breaking something, regardless of brand.

BTW, here's a link to Kioti's corporate web site with info on the DK40. I've found the Kioti web site MUCH better than Mahindra's.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kiotitractor.com/products/dk40[1].html>http://www.kiotitractor.com/products/dk40[1].html</A>

Woodbeef · Jun 12, 2002

Hey David

The guy probably meant,that for the size of the old IH design the tractor is not all that powerful. Remember that when that design was new it was a small utility tractor of the ag type where weight meant a lot more than it does on compacts of today.

As for the other guy,hhmm..... there is no seperate frame on the old IH designed tractors to bend. The engine block is structural on them and many other tractors.

TBone · Jun 13, 2002

David,

I had looked at the Kioti tractors around here before I bought my Kubota and I thought they had a lot going for them and were a good value. The dealers, though, left a lot to be desired.

A few weeks ago a Mahindra dealership opened just down the street from where I work. They have a good selection of tractors but they are back off the road a ways and I couldn't tell a lot about them.

It seemed like every day I passed there were more and more used tractors on the lot that had been traded in. Older Fords, Massey Fergusons, Longs, Yanmars and others were being traded in like crazy.

Well, I needed a couple of lift pins and I stopped in there yesterday and bought some. They had a very nice inventory of "tractor stuff" and those new Mahindras were fine looking tractors.

I couldn't help but crawl on a couple of them and I explained to the guy that I had bought a new tractor back in February but I wish they had been in business then - I might be driving red!

From what I saw in features and fit/finish, they are ahead of the Kiotis right out of the gate. Time will tell if they will be around for a long time. I hope so.

TBone

Soundguy · Jun 13, 2002

You probably hit the nail on the head. The guy wanted that x horsepower in a smaller, lighter frame. I personally like the heavier frame tractors.... tractor work = weight x traction x hp
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif The larger frame/weight per similar hp is fairly representative of nearly all asian and import tractors. Jinmas are similar, and have 'larger' castings, etc, for the same hp tractor say a small masseyf 20 hp unit.

Again... big frames/ casting / weight don't bother me... after all... it's a tractor.. not a porche...

Soundguy

"3. A man I met had a "Big" Mahindra said that he would have gotten a smaller tractor of another brand and ended up with the same power.

This comment seems really weird - I actually bought the Mahindra because it was heavy because that helps with traction and stability - i.e. a heavy tractor with X HP and all else being equal will "out pull" a light tractor with the same X HP. Although the 4110 is a little bigger physically than the DK, I'd not characterize it as something like comparing a Surburban to a Geo by any means. Got to admit that I really don't understand what he was meaning by this."

RanchMan · Jun 13, 2002

Soundguy-
I agree - I'd HATE for my tractor to be lighter. There are times I've "dug in" as it is. I'm wanting to add more weight to it (i.e. fill the tires), just haven't gotten 'round to it yet.

I know I wouldn't get things done nearly as quickly if it didn't have the weight it does have (i.e smaller "bites" would be required). Of course, 4wd has made a BIG impact in the traction department too, but that's another conversation..../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Anonymous Poster · Jun 14, 2002

"From what I saw in features and fit/finish, they are ahead of the Kiotis right out of the gate." HUH!!! Maybe on the LK-LB series but not comparing a DK40 to a 4110. They are pretty much tied in fit and finish.