Max 26xl

Grossr · Jul 19, 2017

New member looking to buy a max 26xl.
I've been shopping around for a larger sub compact tractor for my 3 wooded acres. I've been pricing tractors with fel and rotary cutter.
The max26xl shuttle comes in at 15,500 cash price or 16,500 with financing.
I've been trying to compare it to other brands in comparable models what I came up with is the Kubota B2601 with fel and rotary cutter Wich comes in at 16,800. And for the **** of it I went and looked at a JD, I looked at the 3025e with fel and rotary cutter Wich came in at 17,600.

I know they are all capable machines but was expecting the Mahindra to be considerably less expensive then the others with larger followings.
I have two dealers nearby one in Columbus GA and one in Montgomery AL.
What advice do y'all have for me. Is it possible to get a bit more knocked off the price of the max which would make this an easier decision.

tracydj · Jul 19, 2017

Grossr said:
New member looking to buy a max 26xl.
I've been shopping around for a larger sub compact tractor for my 3 wooded acres. I've been pricing tractors with fel and rotary cutter.
The max26xl shuttle comes in at 15,500 cash price or 16,500 with financing.
I've been trying to compare it to other brands in comparable models what I came up with is the Kubota B2601 with fel and rotary cutter Wich comes in at 16,800. And for the **** of it I went and looked at a JD, I looked at the 3025e with fel and rotary cutter Wich came in at 17,600.

I know they are all capable machines but was expecting the Mahindra to be considerably less expensive then the others with larger followings.
I have two dealers nearby one in Columbus GA and one in Montgomery AL.
What advice do y'all have for me. Is it possible to get a bit more knocked off the price of the max which would make this an easier decision.

Price isn't everything. You need to compare weight, lifting capacity, pto outputs, stability, and warranty of the machines. I would do a side by side on all and see how they compare.

Grossr · Jul 19, 2017

tracydj said:
Price isn't everything. You need to compare weight, lifting capacity, pto outputs, stability, and warranty of the machines. I would do a side by side on all and see how they compare.

Tracydj- thank you for your response. I have been looking at weight, lifting capacity, and warranties and am truly open to choosing any machine at this point. I am looking for opinions and reviews I have not been able to find too much on this tractor.

Firemanbuck82 · Jul 19, 2017

I recently purchased a Max 26 xl and it does everything I've asked it to do on my 5 acres. Brush hogging, box blade leveling, ripping.... The only thing I haven't yet done is attach and run my yanmar tiller. For me the smallish size allows me to get into areas that are landscaped for mulch deliveries which was a plus.

Grossr · Jul 19, 2017

Firemanbuck82 said:
I recently purchased a Max 26 xl and it does everything I've asked it to do on my 5 acres. Brush hogging, box blade leveling, ripping.... The only thing I haven't yet done is attach and run my yanmar tiller. For me the smallish size allows me to get into areas that are landscaped for mulch deliveries which was a plus.

Thanks firemanbuck, do you mind if I asked what you got it for and what you got with it.

Firemanbuck82 · Jul 19, 2017

Grossr said:
Thanks firemanbuck, do you mind if I asked what you got it for and what you got with it.

Well, I mostly got it for a tax write off....on the advice of my tax person. But, I have 5 acres and there's nothing but projects around. I have "pasture" with no livestock that I mow a few times a year with the brush hog, we are expanding our landscaped areas around the house, so I use it to move top soil to the beds and the rotary tiller to break up the ground and till in the top soil, we have a gravel driveway that I drag with the box blade to fill in potholes, etc.

Grossr · Jul 19, 2017

Sorry Firemanbuck, I. Was asking how much you got it for. Trying to decide how much room I have to negotiate with the dealer here. But if you need another tax write off let me know know.

Firemanbuck82 · Jul 19, 2017

Grossr said:
Sorry Firemanbuck, I. Was asking how much you got it for. Trying to decide how much room I have to negotiate with the dealer here. But if you need another tax write off let me know know.

Got it. The final price was $17,000 including tax. Less $1500 trade in for my old Misubishi and a couple of discounts (including first responder) and a $500 rebate.

Grossr · Jul 19, 2017

Just went and drove it. I definitely like the shuttle shift over the HST of the Kubota. It just feels more like a tractor. Tried to get the dealer to come down a but more to make this an easy decision. I was able to get them to come down another 500 on the cash price bringing it to 15000 but the finance price is still at 16500. I'm having trouble understanding the upcharge for the finance if they are already making there money in interest for the financing. If anyone has some insight on that it would be great.

Tractor felt great, still having trouble bitting that bullet though. Anyone with some reviews or experience on the max26xl care to share there pros and cons?

oldpilgrim · Jul 19, 2017

The Max is a Mitsubishi built tractor and the Mitsubishi line is generally considered a top of the line product.

You will have no regrets buying it.

nosurprise · Jul 19, 2017

Your finance quote is 300 less than what I paid. The price included a 48" brush cutter. Performance wise the 26xl works hard for it's size. The only knock I have on them is a weak curl in the FEL, no offering of under belly protection, there's a few things under there suseptible to snags and punctures also jerky control valve makes being smooth very difficult. Take a look at the 1526 Mahindra it's more like a real tractor. I am ok with the 26xl but if I had it to do over I would have went with the 1526. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Good luck and don't rush it......

tmcj · Jul 19, 2017

It really depends on what you are going to do with it. I have the FEL, 60" mower, backhoe and 7' blade with mine. Like others have mentioned, there is very little protection underneath and there are several sensitive components that are exposed, but than can be addressed if needed. Otherwise, everything else works pretty impressively for its size. The backhoe curl is a little frustrating if you get into large tree roots, but then again it is the only BH I have used and tree roots are awfully **** strong. Otherwise it has done well for me. For typical small jobs around the house, farm, etc it is awesome. It's done fine with everything I have thrown at it, within reason of a compact tractor. The 1526 is the exact same engine on a scaled up tractor. If I wasn't using mine for mowing the yard where the 26xl is a nice size and the 1526 is simply too big, I would have gotten the 1526. I was told that the mower is not easily swapped out with the BH without changing mounting hardware. The 26XL easily transitions from one thing to another quickly. Basically for the slight price difference, the 1526 is a lot more machine but may be too much for small jobs where the 26xl shines. I have no regrets whatsoever with my 26xl.

I'm not sure if the new models are standard with a mid pto, but it was an option when I got mine. Some implements run off of a mid pto like mower deck, snow blower, etc. That might be something to keep in mind since it is complicated and expensive to add later. Personally, I think it was much better to roll all of the equipment I have into the initial cost and financing rather than add things as you need later. If you think you are going to use or need it frequently, add it to start with.

I have had some minor issues involving safety switches, and the spindle/castor set up on the mower deck. But in the scheme of things they are little issues with normal wear and tear.

mike69440 · Jul 19, 2017

tmcj said:
It really depends on what you are going to do with it. I have the FEL, 60" mower, backhoe and 7' blade with mine. Like others have mentioned, there is very little protection underneath and there are several sensitive components that are exposed, but than can be addressed if needed. Otherwise, everything else works pretty impressively for its size. The backhoe curl is a little frustrating if you get into large tree roots, but then again it is the only BH I have used and tree roots are awfully **** strong. Otherwise it has done well for me. For typical small jobs around the house, farm, etc it is awesome. It's done fine with everything I have thrown at it, within reason of a compact tractor. The 1526 is the exact same engine on a scaled up tractor. If I wasn't using mine for mowing the yard where the 26xl is a nice size and the 1526 is simply too big, I would have gotten the 1526. I was told that the mower is not easily swapped out with the BH without changing mounting hardware. The 26XL easily transitions from one thing to another quickly. Basically for the slight price difference, the 1526 is a lot more machine but may be too much for small jobs where the 26xl shines. I have no regrets whatsoever with my 26xl.

I'm not sure if the new models are standard with a mid pto, but it was an option when I got mine. Some implements run off of a mid pto like mower deck, snow blower, etc. That might be something to keep in mind since it is complicated and expensive to add later. Personally, I think it was much better to roll all of the equipment I have into the initial cost and financing rather than add things as you need later. If you think you are going to use or need it frequently, add it to start with.

I have had some minor issues involving safety switches, and the spindle/castor set up on the mower deck. But in the scheme of things they are little issues with normal wear and tear.

I would not be afraid to recommenced low hour used, where the seller is trading up to a larger tractor.

My Max28XL will do a good 90% of what a larger Kubota L3901 can. I love it for small size, as it fights above its weight. But if comparing to Kubota, the Kubota's controls are generally Nicer and smoother, Ergonomic are better, Paint Plastic and Fasteners are top notch, etc.

Search my posts if you want, I provide a lot of info.

The Mitsubishi is Japanese, good quality, but Kubota's are like a Honda and Toyota, and the Max is a Mitsubishi.

Grossr · Jul 20, 2017

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think I've set my mind on the max 26. It's mostly going to be used for thining out woods and I think a bigger tractor wouldn't be able to manuver around the trees I want to keep. I also need it to fix my ditch and stream situation and build a back stop for some shooting.

My concerns now are the dealer in Columbus GA which is about 30 mins away. They are fairly new been in buissness for a year and I believe have given me some miss information. The numbers lady seems to think that the 7 year warranty is bumper to bumper. We discussed this and even pulled it up, to me it reads that items listed are never covered then it says all aggregates 2 years and then power train is 7 years. She said that they have done warranty work and billed it to the warranty dept and it got paid she also said they do service calls and bill it and it gets paid contrary to what the warranty publication says.

My next concern is the rebate situation. Per the website it says only one pride rebate but she was telling me that they submit them and recently submitted one for a paramedic who is also military and it worked. Which would be great for me but I don't want to bank on that money which could affect my decision.

On top of all of this they are saying since I am out of state (dealer is in GA and I live in AL) that they do not need to charge me tax. Well from what I know about the government is that they always get their piece of the pie.

I just don't want to be surprised later when the overall deal is not what I was told it would be.

Also looking into a skid plate setup mostly for keeping sticks from puncturing or snagging anything. It doesn't need to be thick just strong enough to keep things from breaking.

Thanks again guys. The forum has been pulled up on my phone since I've found it.

nosurprise · Jul 20, 2017

Yeah, good luck on the skid plate. If you find something or figure something out, please post it up. I have not found one person willing to Fab something up. I feel like one tractor dealer tried to over price it to scare me away instead of saying no. I called their bluff and said ok I'll pay the 1000 dollars, since then I have heard nothing but "crickets"

blueredboy · Jul 20, 2017

You may want to consider the Yanmar 424. The factory is in Adairsville Georgia and the quality of that machine outperforms the other "larger" 24hp models on the market. You should be right in the same ballpark price with a hydro unit. And Yanmar has one of the lowest warranty returns in the industry.

Grossr · Jul 21, 2017

Well, I did the thing and the tractor will be delivered Monday. Thanks again for everyone's advice and input.

Grossr · Jul 24, 2017

Taking delivery today! Anything I should know? Things they should go over with me? Questions to ask? Things to check?

nosurprise · Jul 24, 2017

As long as you know how everything works. 3ph hookup, pto hookup etc. Just get them to go over it with you, ask questions. Dipstick location is kinda hiding in there. You'll learn alot in the first 50 hrs of use. Congratulations, post pics when you can.