Buying Advice Mahindra 3650 discontinued, what next?

[nkurz]

Hello! I'm a new poster from Southern Vermont looking to buy a tractor for the first time. I thought I'd decided on a new Mahindra 3650 OS HST with Loader and Backhoe, but the dealer I'd placed a deposit with got back to me to say the factory had rejected the order because no more are going to be made. For those unfamiliar, the 3650 is/was a 4WD 50HP compact utility tractor. I liked that it was heavy and wide, and thought it would have good stability for my hilly slopes. I also liked that the front tires were relatively large, for traction on uneven terrain.

I'd mostly been considering Mahindra because there's a seemingly good dealer about 30 minutes from me, whereas almost all the other brands are 1-2 hours away. The dealer is suggesting that I switch to a Mahindra 2660 that he can offer me for the same price (~$42K for ROPS HST TLB). Spec-wise, the 2660 seems fine (slightly more HP, slightly more rated lift capacity) but in person I didn't like the details of the 2600 series as much as the 3600's. I'm also concerned that it's a little taller and narrower than the 3650, with smaller front tires. I liked the build of the 1640, and it was probably powerful enough, but I concluded it was physically too small.

I thought this might be a good time to ask for suggestions of comparable models from other brands that I might consider, and to see if anyone had thoughts on the Mahindra 2660.

Details: I own about 10 acres of open field, and 100+ acres of woodland. Uses will be a mixture of everything: field mowing, landscaping, trenching, digging, chipping, trail making, maybe a little cultivating or plowing, some (light) logging and clearing, gathering firewood for personal use. I'm just shy of 50, and hoping to find something that will last for the next 30 years. I usually buy things used off Craigslist, but given my lack of knowledge of tractors I thought this might be a time to buy new. I generally do my own maintenance on things, but pay for dealer service for the first few checkups. Lawn mowing (about 1 acre) is currently done with an aging Deere 425 riding mower that I'll probably keep repairing.

My timing is flexible: I'm hoping to have something by next spring. I'm cost conscious, but willing to pay more for quality if it makes a difference. I don't have any strong brand or color preferences, and am planning to keep this long enough that I'm more concerned with durability and maintainability than resale value. What other models of 4WD squat and heavy 40+HP compact utility tractors with loader and backhoe should I be considering? Or should I just go ahead with the suggested 2660 (which I'm told currently has a 1 month lead time)?

Thanks!

 

[3gunr]

The 3600 series is a beast of a tractor . Very heavy and wide . But i think you will be happy with the 2600 series as well , I have the 2538 which is an older 2600 series tractor and it is a good rig .I do wish i had gone with the larger model that you are looking at. I dont think any other brands have a model that is similar to the 3600 mahindra .but some come close. possibly branson or kioti.

 

[fried1765]

Hello! I'm a new poster from Southern Vermont looking to buy a tractor for the first time. I thought I'd decided on a new Mahindra 3650 OS HST with Loader and Backhoe, but the dealer I'd placed a deposit with got back to me to say the factory had rejected the order because no more are going to be made. For those unfamiliar, the 3650 is/was a 4WD 50HP compact utility tractor. I liked that it was heavy and wide, and thought it would have good stability for my hilly slopes. I also liked that the front tires were relatively large, for traction on uneven terrain.

I'd mostly been considering Mahindra because there's a seemingly good dealer about 30 minutes from me, whereas almost all the other brands are 1-2 hours away. The dealer is suggesting that I switch to a Mahindra 2660 that he can offer me for the same price (~$42K for ROPS HST TLB). Spec-wise, the 2660 seems fine (slightly more HP, slightly more rated lift capacity) but in person I didn't like the details of the 2600 series as much as the 3600's. I'm also concerned that it's a little taller and narrower than the 3650, with smaller front tires. I liked the build of the 1640, and it was probably powerful enough, but I concluded it was physically too small.

I thought this might be a good time to ask for suggestions of comparable models from other brands that I might consider, and to see if anyone had thoughts on the Mahindra 2660.

Details: I own about 10 acres of open field, and 100+ acres of woodland. Uses will be a mixture of everything: field mowing, landscaping, trenching, digging, chipping, trail making, maybe a little cultivating or plowing, some (light) logging and clearing, gathering firewood for personal use. I'm just shy of 50, and hoping to find something that will last for the next 30 years. I usually buy things used off Craigslist, but given my lack of knowledge of tractors I thought this might be a time to buy new. I generally do my own maintenance on things, but pay for dealer service for the first few checkups. Lawn mowing (about 1 acre) is currently done with an aging Deere 425 riding mower that I'll probably keep repairing.

My timing is flexible: I'm hoping to have something by next spring. I'm cost conscious, but willing to pay more for quality if it makes a difference. I don't have any strong brand or color preferences, and am planning to keep this long enough that I'm more concerned with durability and maintainability than resale value. What other models of 4WD squat and heavy 40+HP compact utility tractors with loader and backhoe should I be considering? Or should I just go ahead with the suggested 2660 (which I'm told currently has a 1 month lead time)?

Thanks!

You should probably consider talking with the folks at Orchard Hill Farm Equipment, in Belchertown, MA.
They are Kioti dealers as well as Mahindra, and also sell used equipment.
I have never bought from them, but they have excellent reviews.

 

[rademamj1]

Take a look at the Kioti DK series tractors. The DK5010 HS is a direct competitor to the Mahindra 3650. And welcome to the tractor forum.

 

[3gunr]

According to tractor data . com the mahindra outweighs the kioti by over 1000 lbs ,But they are close in size. either would be a great tractor.

 

[rademamj1]

According to tractor data . com the mahindra outweighs the kioti by over 1000 lbs ,But they are close in size. either would be a great tractor.

Yes, Mahindra tractors are definitely heavyweights. But I could not find the Mahindra 3650 listed on Tractordata.com website. Its quite the useful resource site for tractors.

 

[nkurz]

Thanks for the thoughts so far!

I have previously talked to Orchard Hill by email. My impression is that they were opinionated and very competent. They're about 1.5 hours from me.
Perhaps I'll try to see if they have a Kioti DK5010 that I can go down and look at.

The 3650 was very heavy, and that was something I liked about it. The 2660 is also about 500 lbs less. But if I were to have the tires loaded for either that or the Kioti, they would probably end up weighing enough too.