Traction Mahindra 2555 Front Axle problems

[akharleyman]

Bought the tractor November 1, 2016. On June 1, 2017 the front differential broke. Also, the rear diff lock wasn't working. Also, the oil pan had a bolt loose in it and the threads to the bell housing were stripped out. I got the tractor back August 17, 2017. Hours 160
On November 14, 2017 the front differential broke again, and it was in the shop until November 29, 2017. Hours 258
On December 23, 2017, the HST cooler blew apart in the seams and oil soaked the entire tractor with hydraulic fluid. The tractor was disabled Until January 5, 2018. Hours 272
On January 7, 2018, two days after getting it back the HST cooler blew apart in the seams again and again, oil soaked the entire tractor. The tractor was down until January 21, 2018. Hours 273
On January 25, 2018 it was down again for an update kit for the HST cooler bypass. The tractor was down again for another two weeks. Hours 276
Today December 11, 2018, the starter quit and is burned out. It has a coolant leak on the front of the engine. The front differential is leaking again at the pinion seal. Hours 503.
I can't believe all the positive reviews that I see on here about the 2555's.

 

[mcfarmall]

That's quite an introductory post! Welcome to TBN!

 

[fried1765]

Bought the tractor November 1, 2016. On June 1, 2017 the front differential broke. Also, the rear diff lock wasn't working. Also, the oil pan had a bolt loose in it and the threads to the bell housing were stripped out. I got the tractor back August 17, 2017. Hours 160
On November 14, 2017 the front differential broke again, and it was in the shop until November 29, 2017. Hours 258
On December 23, 2017, the HST cooler blew apart in the seams and oil soaked the entire tractor with hydraulic fluid. The tractor was disabled Until January 5, 2018. Hours 272
On January 7, 2018, two days after getting it back the HST cooler blew apart in the seams again and again, oil soaked the entire tractor. The tractor was down until January 21, 2018. Hours 273
On January 25, 2018 it was down again for an update kit for the HST cooler bypass. The tractor was down again for another two weeks. Hours 276
Today December 11, 2018, the starter quit and is burned out. It has a coolant leak on the front of the engine. The front differential is leaking again at the pinion seal. Hours 503.
I can't believe all the positive reviews that I see on here about the 2555's.

Good for me to know!
Too MANY issues,... by far!
No Mahindra here.......EVER.....new or used....at ANY price!
The Yugo of tractors?

 

[akharleyman]

I wanted to post this to see if anyone else has had a bad experience with the Mahindra.

 

[Reb954]

I bought a 2565 a bit over a year ago and the only thing I have done beyond regular maintenance is change the battery connections due to weak starting. I also only have between 60 and 70 hrs on and it is shuttle shift, not HST.

One thing I am curious about, when you say the front differential broke, what does that mean? Did the housing break or something internally?

 

[TractorNH]

Not buying the story. I'm skeptical of a first post from a new member listing a bunch of problems like that on a tractor that generally receives such good reviews from actual owners.

 

[fried1765]

Not buying the story. I'm skeptical of a first post from a new member listing a bunch of problems like that on a tractor that generally receives such good reviews from actual owners.

"Skeptical"????
So....what you really think is that "akharleyman" probably just made up the story?
Why would you think anybody would do that?
For what purpose?

 

[3Lfarms]

OP, got any pictures of these differential or the oil cooler failure aftermath?

 

[TractorNH]

"Skeptical"????
So....what you really think is that "akharleyman" probably just made up the story?
Why would you think anybody would do that?
For what purpose?

We've seen it before, someone creates a new account just to make a post and stir up sh*t, so yes, skeptical.

 

[millsan1]

Bought the tractor November 1, 2016. On June 1, 2017 the front differential broke. Also, the rear diff lock wasn't working. Also, the oil pan had a bolt loose in it and the threads to the bell housing were stripped out. I got the tractor back August 17, 2017. Hours 160
On November 14, 2017 the front differential broke again, and it was in the shop until November 29, 2017. Hours 258
On December 23, 2017, the HST cooler blew apart in the seams and oil soaked the entire tractor with hydraulic fluid. The tractor was disabled Until January 5, 2018. Hours 272
On January 7, 2018, two days after getting it back the HST cooler blew apart in the seams again and again, oil soaked the entire tractor. The tractor was down until January 21, 2018. Hours 273
On January 25, 2018 it was down again for an update kit for the HST cooler bypass. The tractor was down again for another two weeks. Hours 276
Today December 11, 2018, the starter quit and is burned out. It has a coolant leak on the front of the engine. The front differential is leaking again at the pinion seal. Hours 503.
I can't believe all the positive reviews that I see on here about the 2555's.

Purchased my 2538 June of 2017, 0 hours
Changed my oil, filters and hydraulic fluid, August 2017, 50 hours
Changed oil and filters, August 2018, 130 hours
Sitting in my garage purring like a kitten, December 2018, 170 hours

 

[akharleyman]

The differential gears inside exploded. Took out the ring and pinion. Both times. The service manager told me that the front axle is only capable of 10% of the tractor weight; that is surprising to me because the front end loader is the heaviest thing I could be doing with the tractor.

 

[akharleyman]

Try working it in 4 wheel drive and using the front end loader. Our property is very steep and I have to use the 4 wheel drive a lot.

 

[akharleyman]

Do you want the case number from Mahindra to prove to you what I am saying is true. First off, you can tell that I am not cussing and swearing like most people with this trouble would. second, I have nothing to gain in telling anyone about these problems. I agree with you that there are a lot of great posts regarding the 2555. I am just telling of my experience. Before this tractor I had a kioti that was a 40 h.p. tractor. I used the 4 wheel drive all the time and had no problems with it. It didn't have a cab and moving snow in your neighboring state of Maine was a bit cold, so, we decided to get one with a cab.

 

[akharleyman]

No, I didn't take any pictures. Guess I should have.

 

[akharleyman]

TractorNH..sorry you have to swear about a post. I will never respond to your post in such a manor. What would I hope to gain?

 

[akharleyman]

Thank you mcfarmall. Have 1969 544 sitting in the yard as a backup for the Mahindra.

 

[Reb954]

The problems with the front axle seem to indicate the speed of the front axle doesn't match the rear axle for some reason. If you are doing much loader work, that would put extra stress on the gears in the front axle. You might check the front and rear tire sizes just to be sure they are what they are suppose to be. Stranger things have happened.

If the front axle is leaking that can be an indication the pinion gear is getting loose and the problem is going to happen again. If you haven't already, it would pay to let the dealer know.

Where Mahindra had an updated pressure relief valve for the oil cooler that indicates this has been an ongoing problem that they have figured out the solution for. Hopefully you don't have anymore problems with it.

Hopefully things get better for you.

 

[akharleyman]

The tire size and all is correct. I happen to be a master certified Ford technician and have worked heavy equipment as well as heavy trucks. If this were an automobile it would fall into the lemon laws. There is no lemon law for tractors.
The front pinion was leaking prior to the gears giving out both times before. Yes I agree, it is ready to go again. Pushing snow in 4 wheel drive the front end was growling.
Thank you for the suggestions though.

 

[millsan1]

The differential gears inside exploded. Took out the ring and pinion. Both times. The service manager told me that the front axle is only capable of 10% of the tractor weight; that is surprising to me because the front end loader is the heaviest thing I could be doing with the tractor.

He is pretty wrong here. His statement would indicate that the rear would then have 90% of the weight on it.

But he is right that the front end of a tractor is not meant to be the heavy end. This is why rear counterweight is so important. If we are picking up 1,000 lbs with the loader, ideally, we want a bunch more than that as counterweight, because the loader is further out and on a longer fulcrum that the rear arms. The more counterweight we have, the better it is for the tractor, as it will more evenly distribute the load between front and rear.

Let's say we have no counterweight and pick up our 1,000 lb load. The vast majority of that load will now be on the front axle. But if we add 1,500 lbs of counterweight, then the effective load on the tractor is pushed further back and more evenly distributed.

Additionally, re: 4x4 and tire speeds. In our machines, the front wheels spin less than the rear wheels when in 4x4 mode. If working on dirt or other loose surface, the difference is not impactful to the machine. But if working on blacktop or concrete or whatever, it is a lot harder on the machine. I'm not saying this is what happened, I am just pointing out how this works.

 

[akharleyman]

I have enough weight on the rear with a 9 foot Woods backhoe on it and loaded tires in the rear. The biggest problem with this tractor is the settup. I see the way they made the tractor so it would have a very short turning radius. They moved the front axle toward the center of the tractor. The gear settup is not strong enough to support continous use in 4 wheel drive working the loader. I see all the good reviews on this model of tractor. I just don't see why mine is breaking all the time. Very disappointing when making big payments on a new piece of equipment. I am working in loose dirt most of the time. I loosen up everything with the backhoe and then use the loader to move the dirt with. The second time the front differential let go, I was loading my one ton dump truck and slid into the side of the truck. Busted the grille in the tractor and pushed the grille guard back and bent both brackets.