Comparison Mahindra 2538 or Kubota 3901 anyone have experience with both.

[mike35549]

I have narrowed down my search to these two machines. Have dealers for both that are close and both are good. So that is really not a concern. I know the Mahindra specs out a little better. And is a little cheaper I guess the question is which one is the most reliable and will still be running 20-30 years from now. And which one will cost less to own for those 20-30 years.

 

[prichard]

I don't want to stir up a hornets nest but it seems Mahindra has the highest complaint rate on this site. I am not a big believer that color matters, just an observation.

If it were me I'd compare to the other orange tractor. Kioti owners seem to be the most pleased with their tractors.

 

[DavesTractor]

I don't want to stir up a hornets nest but it seems Mahindra has the highest complaint rate on this site. I am not a big believer that color matters, just an observation.

If it were me I'd compare to the other orange tractor. Kioti owners seem to be the most pleased with their tractors.

I think we can find many threads in each section of TBN to build a case for quality issues with any brand. It's a pretty big stretch to say Mahindra has the highest complaint rate. We do have a couple of vocal members with some real issues, but I think it is mostly poor dealer response that has got them to that point. No doubt there was an initial issue that brought on a complaint, there always is, but it seems that most of these escalated problems would have never gotten to that point if the dealer was really on top of things. All colors will have some issues here and there, but a good dealer jumps on it and keeps his customer happy.

And at least one complaint was really just buyers remorse as he bought the wrong tractor for the job and the dealer said "too bad". Even then, the dealer could do better. For example, we sold a new Mahindra Friday. The guy called first thing this morning and said he wants a bigger one. We could tell him to pound sand legally, but instead we understood his situation and tomorrow we are delivering the next size up and picking up the smaller unit. And probably bringing him a coffee cup, hat and t-shirt. This is a hassle for us and comes at some expense, but it will help us sell more tractors. The dealer makes a difference.

 

[prichard]

You may well be correct. Again, just an observation that makes me leary of the brand. I have no factual data and don't wish to bash any brand, just looks bad to me. In fact, if you were local to me I would have no issue at all buying any brand from you. You have been nothing but great at supporting members of this forum regardless of brand.

 

[mdcar]

I don't know much about the Mahindra, but I was considering a Branson and ended up with the L3901 earlier this year. I chose the Kubota based on brand reputation and haven't regretted it at all. I don't doubt both the Branson and Mahindra are great tractors, but this was a big purchase for me and I figured if for some reason I wasn't happy then I would be able to sell the Kubota much easier. It's been great so far. Good luck with you decision.

 

[Fallon]

I've been happy with my L3200. The L3901 is the same machine with more HP & tier 4 emissions junk on it. I've been satisfied with my HP 75% of the time. Tilling & roading it with hills show the lack of HP that won't be an issue with the L3901.

No real issues with mine. Ground cable issue at one point & a loader hoses got replaced under warranty.

If you are looking 20 years down the road it's pretty much a guarantee Kubota support will be there. Who knows about Mahindra. The same could have been said about Kubota 20-30 years ago though.

The only reason I'm looking at upgrading is I want a factory cab & maybe some of the other bells & whistles of a premium unit. I'm looking at Kubota & Kioti mostly if I'm going to end up upgrading.

 

[DavesTractor]

If you are looking 20 years down the road it's pretty much a guarantee Kubota support will be there. Who knows about Mahindra. The same could have been said about Kubota 20-30 years ago though.

It is true that we really do not know, but as the number one tractor seller (under 80 HP) by brand in the world and #3 in the USA and growing, the risk of Mahindra fleeing the USA is pretty slim.

We recently bought out a farm that had a bunch of Kubota tractors, rather someone else bought the ranch and we bought all of the equipment from the original owners. Included was a couple of L series and a couple of Grand L series tractors. There is a huge difference between the two. The Grand L being bigger and heavier and having nice modern features. The L being very simple honestly. I had not known the differences were so significant. The GST transmission is pretty sweet. I sell against Kubota, but I can still appreciate that they are fine machines. But if you are looking at a regular L model, you owe it to yourself to test drive a Grand L.

 

[dickfoster]

I have narrowed down my search to these two machines. Have dealers for both that are close and both are good. So that is really not a concern. I know the Mahindra specs out a little better. And is a little cheaper I guess the question is which one is the most reliable and will still be running 20-30 years from now. And which one will cost less to own for those 20-30 years.

For me it was one has a DPF and the other does not.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I was just at my Kubota dealer yesterday where I bought my l3301, I am looking at a smaller b2320 for my cabin. Anyway, he's telling me his yearly sales are up over 50% over last year, and the local Mahindra dealer is barely keeping the doors open. That should say something. Go for the 3901, you don't want to beat yourself up for going cheap. That includes the other orange tractor, too. :2cents:

 

[DavesTractor]

I was just at my Kubota dealer yesterday where I bought my l3301, I am looking at a smaller b2320 for my cabin. Anyway, he's telling me his yearly sales are up over 50% over last year, and the local Mahindra dealer is barely keeping the doors open. That should say something. Go for the 3901, you don't want to beat yourself up for going cheap. That includes the other orange tractor, too. :2cents:

You say it says something...what does it say? Because if it says something really special I want to claim it as well. Our sales are up over 50%, with record sales for 10 months straight now. And we are a volume dealer and have been at it 15 years.

I think the fact that one Mahindra dealer is not doing well and one Kubota dealer is doing great doesn't say all that much. You would need a larger set of data to make much of it. Market share gain or loss year over year nationally would be a decent indicator. And for that Mahindra is healthy.

However I will agree with anyone that Kubota has a more developed dealer network, and probably has less mom and pop stores or new dealers. Over the years they have added strong dealers or seen dealers become strong and weeded out weak dealers. As Mahindra grows, we see the same thing happening. The better dealers get bigger, the weaker dealers eventually fail and/or get replaced.

Again, not beating up the Kubota brand - which I respect, just wanting to not get a big anti-Mahindra spin going with no basis for it.

 

[Fallon]

There is a huge difference between the two. The Grand L being bigger and heavier and having nice modern features. The L being very simple honestly. I had not known the differences were so significant. The GST transmission is pretty sweet. I sell against Kubota, but I can still appreciate that they are fine machines. But if you are looking at a regular L model, you owe it to yourself to test drive a Grand L.

A Grand L (Lxx60) is also 50-100% more expensive than the base model. I don't regret getting the base model when I got it, but I want a cab now, which isn't avaliable on a base model. HST+ and other features will be nice as well, but not required for proper operation.

 

[DK35vince]

I was just at my Kubota dealer yesterday where I bought my l3301, I am looking at a smaller b2320 for my cabin. Anyway, he's telling me his yearly sales are up over 50% over last year, and the local Mahindra dealer is barely keeping the doors open. That should say something. Go for the 3901, you don't want to beat yourself up for going cheap. That includes the other orange tractor, too. :2cents:

I think you seriously underestimate the competition.
My 2 cents.

 

[dickfoster]

You say it says something...what does it say? Because if it says something really special I want to claim it as well. Our sales are up over 50%, with record sales for 10 months straight now. And we are a volume dealer and have been at it 15 years.

I think the fact that one Mahindra dealer is not doing well and one Kubota dealer is doing great doesn't say all that much. You would need a larger set of data to make much of it. Market share gain or loss year over year nationally would be a decent indicator. And for that Mahindra is healthy.

However I will agree with anyone that Kubota has a more developed dealer network, and probably has less mom and pop stores or new dealers. Over the years they have added strong dealers or seen dealers become strong and weeded out weak dealers. As Mahindra grows, we see the same thing happening. The better dealers get bigger, the weaker dealers eventually fail and/or get replaced.

Again, not beating up the Kubota brand - which I respect, just wanting to not get a big anti-Mahindra spin going with no basis for it.

Having recently bought a tractor I'll can tell ya that if the dealership tells the whole story, then all Kubotas are junk. The Kubota dealers I saw (two of em) just weren't interested and neither one offered so much as a test drive on the lot. One didn't even display the common courtesy to get off of his backside and out from behind his desk. I bought a Mahindra.

 

[varmint]

Taking the dealer out of the equation sort of helps. Not owning a Mahindra, I will stick my 2 cents in and say that I think the Kubota may be a slightly better tractor, simply because Kubota makes some pretty good tractors, and sells a lot, and the used ones seem to sell for a good portion of their cost. Mahindra may offer a bit more tractor for a given price point, since they have more to gain in terms of market share by doing so. Not enough around here to form an opinion on resale value. I know the ones I looked at 10 years ago were pretty rough, but I gather that was then, now they are much improved. Probably either tractor will give you good service, so perhaps buying the one that "feels" best when you test drive it and kick the tires is a logical way to make up your mind. Everything equal, I'd choose Kubota.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I think you seriously underestimate the competition.
My 2 cents.

We are not in competition, Vince...

 

[Steppenwolfe]

You say it says something...what does it say? Because if it says something really special I want to claim it as well. Our sales are up over 50%, with record sales for 10 months straight now. And we are a volume dealer and have been at it 15 years.

I think the fact that one Mahindra dealer is not doing well and one Kubota dealer is doing great doesn't say all that much. You would need a larger set of data to make much of it. Market share gain or loss year over year nationally would be a decent indicator. And for that Mahindra is healthy.

However I will agree with anyone that Kubota has a more developed dealer network, and probably has less mom and pop stores or new dealers. Over the years they have added strong dealers or seen dealers become strong and weeded out weak dealers. As Mahindra grows, we see the same thing happening. The better dealers get bigger, the weaker dealers eventually fail and/or get replaced.

Again, not beating up the Kubota brand - which I respect, just wanting to not get a big anti-Mahindra spin going with no basis for it.

I am not anti Mahindra, but these are not apples to apples comparisons. If you know your competition, then you know that. Every tractor is a good tractor if you like it. Good luck in your business, I hope you are very successful.

 

[Garandman]

OP, how are you going to use the tractor? What implements?

I think we can find many threads in each section of TBN to build a case for quality issues with any brand. It's a pretty big stretch to say Mahindra has the highest complaint rate.

It's an equally big stretch for a Mahindra-branded tractor to claim the same quality as Kubota. For one thing it would depend on which of three different manufacturers built it.

 

[ProjectKing]

I would go with the Kubota. What are your plans for the tractor? The L2501 doesn't have any emission gadgets on it. Maybe worth looking into. Same frame size as the L3901.

Kubota build good small tractors. Good resale and good dealer network. Some of their stuff has become cheaper built in my opinion especially the B series machines. But the L3301 and L3901 are nice machines. I drove a couple a few days ago and had no complaints.

Do you want gear shift or HST?

 

[mike35549]

It will be an HST. I had thought about a 2501. But I felt like it would be underpowered for running a 5' cutter or even pulling a set of disk. Maybe not since I never ran one. Maybe someone that has one can chime in.

 

[ProjectKing]

It will be an HST. I had thought about a 2501. But I felt like it would be underpowered for running a 5' cutter or even pulling a set of disk. Maybe not since I never ran one. Maybe someone that has one can chime in.

I'm not so sure it would be. Apparently it has a big cubic inch engine. So may have quite a lot of torque. Maybe someone will chime in on it.

You could always post a question.