New here - Should I care about written specs?

[madmax12]

I would not expect to pickup a ton or more on the Mahindra Max 28 and expect the tractor to last. Be careful what you ask of your new tractor, I'd take it a little easier on it. This tractor and fel combination is about 2500lbs IIRC, I wouldn't recommend carrying loads over half of the tractors weight and at a very slow speed at that. A sled or old car hood would be a better way to transport large boulders imo.

What u say, is wise.

The rear lift specs for the Max28XL are 2200+lbs.

My point was more for those who have stated that all the specs are conservative for JD or Kubota, but are overstated for mahindra. Clearly, the mahindra specs are very conservative, as the machines can do far more than claimed.

However, u r right. If I do that often... That would be foolish. And your suggestions are excellent. I hope to have full use of this machine for decades, and your advice will make that a reality. Thank you.

 

[meburdick]

While it would SEEM reasonable to not have to take the tractor back to the dealer, you HAVE to consider that as a possibility. If the dealer does not drop off or pick up for free, does that include the initial delivery?

Every guaranteed drop off / pick up charge from the dealer (including whether they charge for initial delivery) has to be added to the cost of the tractor for total price comparison. You should probably "count" on one trip to the dealer being required in the first few years of ownership and add that cost as well. Again, you're trying to have your cost comparison be fair.

Do plenty of us buy things that never need an adjustment or repair? Sure. But there are plenty of us that have had their tractors back at the dealer for one reason or another within the warranty period. Mine was back there on two separate occasions and it isn't even a year old. One time was because they needed to "modify" the FEL so that it wouldn't scratch itself up when being parked and the other was to swap poor quality rims that JD opted to provide with the tractor initially (it had never been left outside or used in the rain / snow, yet the rims were showing signs of rusting from under the paint within three months).

Disregarding the possible costs of transport is irresponsible when trying to understand the "true cost" of a machine.

 

[madmax12]

While it would SEEM reasonable to not have to take the tractor back to the dealer, you HAVE to consider that as a possibility. If the dealer does not drop off or pick up for free, does that include the initial delivery?

Every guaranteed drop off / pick up charge from the dealer (including whether they charge for initial delivery) has to be added to the cost of the tractor for total price comparison. You should probably "count" on one trip to the dealer being required in the first few years of ownership and add that cost as well. Again, you're trying to have your cost comparison be fair.

Do plenty of us buy things that never need an adjustment or repair? Sure. But there are plenty of us that have had their tractors back at the dealer for one reason or another within the warranty period. Mine was back there on two separate occasions and it isn't even a year old. One time was because they needed to "modify" the FEL so that it wouldn't scratch itself up when being parked and the other was to swap poor quality rims that JD opted to provide with the tractor initially (it had never been left outside or used in the rain / snow, yet the rims were showing signs of rusting from under the paint within three months).

Disregarding the possible costs of transport is irresponsible when trying to understand the "true cost" of a machine.

Good perspective. I agree with what u said. It is certainly a factor in considering various options. Some options/considerations have different levels of importance for different people. In his situation, it would not be a deal breaker for me, to get the machine I wanted/needed. In his shoes, if I wanted the capabilities of the Max28XL, the annoying travel would not eliminate the Max as a potential choice.

The OP may really not even like the Max28XL... But I dont think he sat on that one yet. He only reported on the Max22/25. And I didn't like them either, in comfort.

And if he lived near me and owned more than a few acres...I'd direct him to the LS G3033, for consideration... as I've written on several threads over the last few months.

I'm not a mahindra koolaid drinker...

I could throw a rock from my house to the bobcat dealer.

I didn't buy a bobcat.

 

[radrock]

Well, I have looked a little further. I have contacted the one and only Massey Ferguson dealer within a 50 mile radius about the MF 1526 and GC2400. They have NEITHER in stock and really do not have much else that is not Kubota orange. They referred me to another dealer further away who had one of the two in stock to kick it's tires and if I liked it, let them know and they could get one. This does not really give me a great warm and fuzzy feeling.

I have also stopped in to look at the the 1023E and 1026R. Both can do autoconnect if I want to use MMM. 1026 has a little more HP, position control, NOT the self parking FEL but then again, I really do not plan on taking this off too much, so that seems to be a wash for me. Non-haggled price for the 1026 was 13,800.

The JD dealer will do free pick up/drop off for ALL service, warranty or not. Kioti dealer would do the same. They will also be a sponsor of the county farm fair NEXT WEEK. I asked if they ever do better pricing at the fair and was told yes.

So ... if it were to come down to the CK20 and the 1026R, which would you recommend, price not withstanding? If I could get even a better deal at the fair next week, would that sway your recommendation? I would certainly be ready to pull the trigger at the fair if that is the way to go.

Thanks!

That is the problem I had with Massey. I drove 180 miles just to look at one and then two days later drove back with my trailer and bought it. There is a dealer here as well that is about 50 miles but they didn't keep anything in stock. I already had a small Massey but wanted to replace it and I had such good luck with it that. The Dealer gave me a good price (or so I think) and I really liked it. I checked our Kioti, Kubota, Deere and Mahindra, and I still really liked the Massey. They all were good tractors I just had a preference. One thing to keep in mind is if you have a MMM and a FEL When you are using the FEL you need balast on the back. That is one reason I use a three point hitch finish mower. I can use the FEL without adding the balast. I don't know about the other tractors but I do take the FEL off when mowing. It is a very simple process on mine and I think most of the others do too. You can mow with it on still but it is a lot easier to mow without it. Depends on you property too. Good luck on your decision..

 

[Don87]

I would not expect to pickup a ton or more on the Mahindra Max 28 and expect the tractor to last. Be careful what you ask of your new tractor, I'd take it a little easier on it. This tractor and fel combination is about 2500lbs IIRC, I wouldn't recommend carrying loads over half of the tractors weight and at a very slow speed at that. A sled or old car hood would be a better way to transport large boulders imo.

What you just cited, is the other reason that some of us have been 'bashing' Mahindra as you call it.
The Max25 weighs in at 1693, but can lift 1400 at the rear. That's quite a bit over your 50% mark, and is possibly risking someone getting hurt. The FEL lifts 900 lbs.......on a 1693 lb. tractor, to a height of 75 inches. That's a tad higher than the cometition who appear to be keeping operator safety in mind.

I have an idea that the court system is going to have a field day with the dealers, and the manufacturer, in a relatively short period of time. As has been stated on this forum on numerous occassions....................although the current subcompacts are capable of doing so much more, the manufacturers cut them back for safety reasons.

There is thread after thread on this forum on how to increase the hydraulic output of these subcompacts, but, it's operator beware on every one.

And with what I and jenkinsph have written above, are why specs are important.


While I'm at it...........I'm going to disagree with Messick's (unless I read the post wrong). If one reads the specs on the Mahindra 1816, and the 2216( I have not physically compared the tractors), it appears that they used the same basic tractor..........added smaller tires and a larger enigine ........and called it a MAX series subcompact.

I personally feel comfortable lifting evey ounce my Massey is capable of in it's original, factory settings. I would not consider altering it to lift more, bacause after using it for 2 years now............I can see where it could become extremely unsafe very quickly, with alterations.

 

[tkappeler]

As a follow up to my original questions here, I have been reading other threads on ballast. When a manufacturer puts the specs on how much it can lift, is this WITHOUT ballast or does it represent the amount it can lift when it DOES HAVE proper ballast? Is it ever safe to use a FEL without ballast?

 

[jenkinsph]

Tom,
When you buy a tractor and read the owners manual the proper ballast for loader work and 3PH attachments is usually noted and specified. I haven't seen a tractor where you can utilize the full capabilities of a fel without having some form of ballast. On a tlb the backhoe provides counterweight or ballast for the fel so on most of these loading the rear wheels isn't necessary. Most CUT's need rear wheel weights or liquid ballast on the wheels and aballast box or heavy implement to act as a counter weight when looking to get maximum lift using the fel.

 

[tkappeler]

Thanks. That's what I thought.

 

[radrock]

As a follow up to my original questions here, I have been reading other threads on ballast. When a manufacturer puts the specs on how much it can lift, is this WITHOUT ballast or does it represent the amount it can lift when it DOES HAVE proper ballast? Is it ever safe to use a FEL without ballast?

I couldn't tell you if that figure is with or without ballast. I would think it would be with. If you were on level ground loading mulch. Yeah it would probably be safe. What are the chances of that? I am a heavy equipment operator by trade and 40 years experience doing it. Counter weights or ballast (however you want to call it) plays an important role on equipment. The specs they put on equipment should be the specs to (safely) lift an object. My tractor is rated for 823 lbs at the pivot pins. I loaded 80 lb concrete mix in the bucket just to test it. I lifted 12 bags fine but that was 960 lbs and it was past the pivot point. I put two more bags on an it then lifted the rear axles off the ground. That's 1120 lbs that the hydraulic was still working but not safely this is with my 3 point hitch finish mower on the back. The mower is 583 lbs. imagine if I tried to lift that concrete without it!!

 

[jenkinsph]

Don,
In post #85 when I said "trashing" I was referring to sidetracking the threads, it seems everytime the Max28 is mentioned lately there is a ongoing debate about whether this tractor is a sub compact or compact tractor.

About the lift specs well I can buy a bottle jack that is light weight and can lift 10 tons rather easily, but if you were to put wheels under it and drive it around then stability would be a more important consideration than lift capacity.