New Max 26xl

[Derrell]

Just a follow up on the Thumb.
After checking the parts that came, I discovered that the thumb was out of square and the holes didn't line up for the pins.
Contacted the distributor and sent pictures. He looked at them and agreed that it was defective. He sent a new replacement right out and I sent the bad one back. Used a 1" pin laid across the bucket hinge brackets and that worked out for a level and a spacer. Tacked the base on the dipper arm and ran it through it's motions. Welded it as required and it works great. Very pleased with the device for it's strength and usefulness.

Thanks, Derrell. I wish I were able to attach this myself. Thank God I have a very competent mobile welding service.

 

[vietvetharry]

Well I had my first little problem with my max today. I had been digging out stumps and leveling ground when I decided I needed something to drink. Drove up next to the house went to set the parking brake and it died. I didn't think too much about it. Went in got some water and went back out. Tried to start it up and...nothing. Figured it had to be a safety switch or something simple. Checked the PTO lever put it in neutral etc. and tried again. Still nothing. Popped the hood and started checking fuses. Ended up being the ETR solenoid fuse. Replaced it and it cranked right up. Don't know what caused it to blow. Anyone else have this fuse blow regularly?

This sounds like it might be my problem. I will try this as soon as I get back home tomorrow. This is why I love this blog. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[vietvetharry]

hello, newbie here, 1st post
just bought a brand new 2015 Mahindra max 26xl shuttle w/bh... put about 5 hrs on it fri and sat... ran great!
Sunday started it up and moved it up to where I'm working, when it shuts off... went to restart and nothing
after some troubleshooting and fuse checking, found the ETR solenoid had blown
I used 23 of a box of 25 fuses before it would start... called the dealership and they are going to send a tech down wed
tried it today and it ran perfectly for 3 hrs? no clue to what's going on... does anyone know what the wire the connects to the bottom of the seat is for? awful place for it with that swivel seat setup... thanks

Hi RJI, was the tech able to determine why the fuse kept blowing?

 

[RJI]

he replaced the solenoid just n case, but thinks it was due to a bare wire on the safety switch under the seat...
he jumped that out and it has run perfectly ever since...
just did my 100hr service... Mach has been great and has lots of grunt for a small machine... good luck

 

[mike69440]

he replaced the solenoid just n case, but thinks it was due to a bare wire on the safety switch under the seat...
he jumped that out and it has run perfectly ever since...
just did my 100hr service... Mach has been great and has lots of grunt for a small machine... good luck

In my Max28, I elevated the seat 1" and swapped out the spring suspension hardware before I sold my old Kubota. Max28 rides much nicer and is more comfortable with some give in the seat, plus I made sure the hokey wiring on the seat switch was secured, grommet to protect the wire pas thru and has plenty of relief to flex.

 

[mike69440]

he replaced the solenoid just n case, but thinks it was due to a bare wire on the safety switch under the seat...
he jumped that out and it has run perfectly ever since...
just did my 100hr service... Mach has been great and has lots of grunt for a small machine... good luck

In my Max28, I elevated the seat 1" and swapped out the spring suspension hardware before I sold my old Kubota. Max28 rides much nicer and is more comfortable with some give in the seat, plus I made sure the hokey wiring on the seat switch was secured, grommet to protect the wire pas thru and has plenty of relief to flex.

 

[Usmc68]

Greeting folks,

I am in the market for a SCUT/CUT and was looking at the Mahindra 26XL as well as several different Kubota's (BX25 and other's). Any longevity updates/regrets/ on these Mahindra's? Quality Vs. Kubota?

Thanks,
Semper Fi

 

[RJI]

No regrets yet... max 26xl shuttle performing perfectly...

 

[Harry Christopher]

I note that you have a 520XI. I used a 522 XI with a Kwik-Way front end loader for 17 years and 1200 hours before I sold it and bought a 2017 Max 26 XL Shuttle with a 26L FEL this past august. At the moment I have a little over 70 hours on the Max so my opinions are not predicated upon hundreds of hours of experienced usage. The tractor is used on 3.2 acres of heavily wooded property that is more or less vertical in nature. The driveway is trap rock construction that is 1/10 of a mile in length and the first half of it runs uphill at about a 45 degree angle.

The 522 XI was really not designed for what I needed it to do but I tried to make up for its lack of inherent capability by employment of operator technique. I bought the Max with the agriculture tires because I wanted the maximum traction capability for what I needed this tractor to do on this specific property. I chose the shuttle shift because I have spent somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 hours on commercial mowers and small snow plows using HST and while HST does work well in a mowing application I prefer the overall operation of the shuttle shift for general usage. The salesman will tell you that a shuttle shift puts more power to the ground than does a HST but frankly I seriously doubt that most normal operators would be able to discern the horse power difference which is small in any event. The advantage to me beside operational preference is there is less maintenance on a shuttle compared to a HST set up.

I bought this tractor because I wanted a basic machine devoid of a lot of electronic pieces and parts that I would need to deal with and because it does not have a DPF filter. The Kubota commercial grade machines that I have plowed and mowed with do have a DPF filter and at $45,000 a shot for the 5 that we have in operation they have been an unmitigated disaster in actual field usage. When you are working 16 hours trying to keep a 1500 acre university campus open in the midst of a serious snow storm one does not appreciate having to fight the DPF situation. These particular Kubotas run so cold that in 90 degree outside temperatures we still have to cover 1/2 of the radiator intake area with a piece of cardboard so that they will run hot enough for the emissions system to work. Of the millions of dollars this department spends on construction and grounds maintenance equipment these machines have not generated an especially positive return on investment.

The biggest choice you have to make is the dealer that you buy from. The lowest purchase price means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. The honesty and integrity of the dealer is eons more important in the long run than bragging that you saved a few hundred dollars by arguing with a salesman. They will get that money you brag about back very easily in future service chargers and more importantly you want a positive supportive relationship with the selling dealer so if anything major happens that you can't fix yourself at home then you have a resource to go to.

I based my decision to buy the Max on my experience with various brands of commercial equipment at work as well as from discussing the potential choices with a equipment repair tech that is a friend of mine. My choices of brands were Mahindra, Kubota, Yannmar, Massey Ferguson and John Deere in the local area. My friend asked me what I wanted to use the tractor for and then upon his analysis of my needs coupled with his actual hands on experience repairing all sorts of diesel and gas equipment he suggested Mahindra and a dealer that is a 2 hour round trip from my home. Ironically I live less than 10 minutes from a business that sells Mahindra tractors but have chosen to make the 2 hour drive because of the perceived quality of the folks at the dealer that I did business with. I plan to try to keep this tractor for as long as I kept the XI and a solid dealer support is critical to trying to do that.

So what have I learned in 70 hours of actual operation so far?

1. The front axle takes 4 liters of UTF fluid. When you go to replace this fluid at the 50 hour service you will find that the first 2 liters pour into the axle easily but the 3rd and 4th will start to spill out because of an air lock in the axle. This is something to be aware of and plan for. Make sure that the selling dealer has checked the fluid level in the axle by removing the front level plug with the filler cap still in place to control the rate of fluid discharge. I run my machine in 4wd all the time and it is important to have sufficient fluid in the front axle.

2. Check that the battery caps on the Exide oem battery are fully pushed down in place on the battery. If one is a bit loose the battery acid will cause fumes that lead to corrosion on the plated metal hold down strap and then require cleaning and painting of the affected area. I read that felt washers on each battery post help to mitigate fumes from the post area. As part of the remedial process I added them to the battery to see over the long term how they work.

3. You will note that on the right side of the Max there are hydraulic hoses that sit next to the removable side engine bay panel. Over time they will rub on the cover and while the paint removal from the cover is minor I also saw the beginnings of a wear mark on the outside of the hydraulic hose itself. If you take pieces of regular garden hose you can then split the hose and cover each hydraulic hose to keep them from rubbing against each other as well as from against the engine bay cover. Nylon electrical wire ties hold the garden hose pieces in place on the hydraulic hoses. When I first took delivery of the 522 XI the mechanic who brought it pointed out doing this to that tractor and I did. The result was I experienced no hose issues over the 17 years that I ran that tractor.

4. Should you be desirous of improving the headlight and tail light brightness while at the same time reducing the electrical draw on the battery take a look at the SuperBrightLEDs.com site. The 1156 LED with stock cover replacement bulbs fit the Max headlight assembly and give a better quality of light to my eye. The red 67 LED replacement bulbs fit the taillights perfectly and again I see some light improvement. Both these bulbs are simple plug and play installation.

5. If you want to add additional work light capability use LED lights. I installed a front light on a stand alone circuit with a LED I bought at Tractor Supply. I liked the additional light output so well that I bought the same light and mounted it as a rear work light again with positive results. To avoid having to run wiring all over the tractor on the rear LED installation lower the 3 point hitch and on the left side of the tractor you will see a brown wire with a red tracer and a black wire with a yellow tracer. The brown wire is hot when the ignition is on and the black wire is the ground. I wired a fuse holder and switch right to the rear of the tractor and avoided having to snake wires all over the length of the machine.

6. Think about whether or not you plan to use fuel additives. Some folks believe strongly that they are not necessary and others firmly believe in their use. I have had very positive experience with the gas additive Ethanol Shield and I saw at the tractor dealer that the same company, B3C Fuel Solutions, also make Diesel Mechanic in a Bottle so I went with this particular brand of additive. There are a wide number of choices in this field available so should you decide to employ an additive do some research to see what you feel the most comfortable with.

7. Your choice of diesel fuel supplier is hugely important to the overall life and operation of whatever brand of tractor you buy. My neighbor has a 30 HP Massey TLB and I asked him what experience he has had buying diesel fuel locally. He said that in the last 10 years he has had absolutely no fuel issue after buying fuel from the two stations in our small town that sell it. I buy from one of the stations closest to me as a matter of convenience. Talk to people who run diesel equipment in your local area and listen to their opinions on this important matter. The forum has numerous entries saying that the Mr. Funnel will help get rid of trash and water in diesel fuel but I prefer to avoid having to clean up fuel that I just bought so I try to buy decent quality fuel in the first place.

8. You may wish to think about the purchase of a battery tender for your tractor battery. There are numerous forum discussions about whether they are worth it and what brands to consider. I think that a battery tender has merit and after researching the matter I bought a Battery Tender Plus made by Deltran which I installed yesterday afternoon. Tonight's forecast of -7 degrees windchill helped to concentrate my thought process in this area.

9. A common complaint about the supporting peripherals is that both the operator manual and the factory workshop manual are less than helpful at times. I think that having a technical writer actually siting in front of the tractor while recording how to repair or maintain it it would be a better approach as opposed to whatever they are using at the moment. Even with the outright mistakes and incorrect information the operator manual is usable to do the regular maintenance on the Max and the factory manual does in fact have some solid information of value. I paid $100 for the factory manual and have written (3) technical manuals on computer driven manufacturing equipment myself during a different lifetime so perhaps I am being a bit unfair in my criticism of these two publications, but at the moment they are what we have to work with. The XI manuals were excellent as you may know if you purchased them.

10. I informed She Who Must Be Obeyed that the purchase of the Max was a serious investment on our part given that we are not part of the fabled 1% you read so much about. I said that the parts would cost more and the regular maintenance would require more time and effort on my part and trailering to the dealer for anything that I could not repair myself would cost $300 round trip. The trade off is that the Max has much more actual practical ability for employment on our specific property as opposed to what the 522XI had to offer. I have had no problem moving about the property because the 4wd is a massive improvement over what the XI was able to do.

Do the research and decide what brand and model of tractor will work the best for your particular circumstances. For us the Max 26XL is working out well and I hope that it continues to do so. Good Luck on your decision to upgrade. My only regret is that we could not afford to do so earlier but at least we finally were able to.

Harry

 

[Usmc68]

Awesome response Harry, much appreciated! After work today I will head over to my local Mahindra dealer to check them and the equipment out. I keep watching comparisson videos on Youtube of how the Mahindra is better built than the Kubota compacts in terms of materials, location of engine, etc. I had a B7800 for years and never had an issue with it.

Thanks again!

Semper Fi

 

[Harry Christopher]

Having made the same upgrade from a XI as you are doing I think the inherent Max capabilities will delight you no end. I am on call 24/7 when it snows because it costs the university $5 million dollars for each day they close the campus in staff pay. It takes my wife 5 hours to clear the drive with a 8HP snow blower when I am gone essentially living out of my car during these storms. I told her that the Max could make 2 passes on the drive and I could get the car up to the house without her having to spend all day out in the storm. That was part of my sales pitch to the President of the Bank of Colleen pursuant to this purchase.

I can't emphasize how important a solid dealer is to this whole purchase. If either one of us lived in California Dave's Tractor would be the best dealer choice to spend money at, but at the moment I live in the People's Republic of Massachusetts so Dave's is not a realistic choice for me until he opens a New England branch office. My insurance company screwed up the insurance binder on the tractor and the dealer owner personally had to get on the phone to straighten them out which he did because that is the way this family owned operation does business. After I paid for the tractor to be hauled home I fired the insurance company and am now dealing with a new business than understands one does not fool around with a man's tractor under any circumstances.

I wanted a tractor that I could reasonably maintain myself at home. The dealer service manager has been extremely helpful on the phone answering my many technical questions and the people on this forum have decades of actual experience that they freely share and which I have found invaluable. I used to look upon maintaining the XI as a chore but with the Max I actually enjoy the process. I am glad that I spent the time with the Toro because it provides me with a solid point of reference when evaluating just what I can do with the Max. I hope that you find both a brand and dealer that you can believe in and be happy doing business with.

Harry

 

[Usmc68]

Thanks again Harry! Good points made. I only have like 3 local 'hindra dealers to choose from in the PR of Maryland so I hope I like the one I am about to visit! We have tons of Kubota folks so that is why I am still considering going back to Orange. I love my 520 but with 5 acres, steep driveway (need 4x4) and the increasing "need" for a FEL I feel it is time to sell the old faithful horse.

Semper Fi

 

[Harry Christopher]

You will discover that after you upgrade all of a sudden all sorts of projects become available due to the increased tractor capabilities. I have not gotten out of 4wd pretty much since The Max arrived. I used to struggle maintaining the trap rock drive and York raking the sand riding ring due to the XI not really being designed for that sort of endeavor but the Max so far has not missed a beat. I was surprised that I seem to only use approximately 1/2 gallon an hour of diesel fuel which is economical given that I am running in 4wd and low range on the transmission.

I sold the 522 for $1800 cash which I felt was a fair price and hope that the new owner enjoys using it. So far I have the same positive feeling of ownership of the Max that I found when owning a BMW motorcycle, Sig Sauer pistols and Snap On hand tools. This particular Max is made by Mitsubishi in Japan and that company seems to have developed a good reputation in the agriculture machinery field. As a point of reference a Max 26XL with FEL and a coolant heater in the lower radiator hose cost me under $18,000 at a dealer that I like very much so far. I would be interested in what you end up with at the end of this journey. Remember if you finance any part of this deal there is NO 0% as a rate as they just up the overall initial cost of the tractor. The 1.99% rate is reasonable.

Harry

 

[mike69440]

You will discover that after you upgrade all of a sudden all sorts of projects become available due to the increased tractor capabilities. I have not gotten out of 4wd pretty much since The Max arrived. I used to struggle maintaining the trap rock drive and York raking the sand riding ring due to the XI not really being designed for that sort of endeavor but the Max so far has not missed a beat. I was surprised that I seem to only use approximately 1/2 gallon an hour of diesel fuel which is economical given that I am running in 4wd and low range on the transmission.

I sold the 522 for $1800 cash which I felt was a fair price and hope that the new owner enjoys using it. So far I have the same positive feeling of ownership of the Max that I found when owning a BMW motorcycle, Sig Sauer pistols and Snap On hand tools. This particular Max is made by Mitsubishi in Japan and that company seems to have developed a good reputation in the agriculture machinery field. As a point of reference a Max 26XL with FEL and a coolant heater in the lower radiator hose cost me under $18,000 at a dealer that I like very much so far. I would be interested in what you end up with at the end of this journey. Remember if you finance any part of this deal there is NO 0% as a rate as they just up the overall initial cost of the tractor. The 1.99% rate is reasonable.

Harry

Harry, you have me feeling quite guilty for having the factory gear oil in my Max 28 for near 300 hours. Regardless of what they recommend, when I do change it it will be Lucas 80W-140 synthetic. Front end of my L39 has gone last 1000 hrs of 2,300 total with that, no issues. I keep at least 700 pounds of ballast on the Max28 rear end and with the stronger 1526 curl cylinders I do not use 4WD much. I use AWD more down hill than up, and carrying heavy loads in the bucket up hill. I can push and scoop out of a pile like no little tractor should. What a difference. Now the curl matches or is stronger than the lift. Great with forks also. The 8x8 shuttle puts way more power to ground than the 2 speed HST. you made correct choice, at least for 70%-80% of the things you may do with the tractor.
I suggest to anyone thinking of the Max, if they can live with a larger machine, get the 1526 3 Speed HST. Me I needed Mighty Mouse.

 

[Harry Christopher]

I have read a lot of opinions regarding the 1526 model being considered an excellent model in its own right but we felt that for our particular property the smaller Max would work out better for us. I try to follow the factory guidelines because I really am enjoying this Max and would like it to last as long as is humanly possible. At age 65 I don't expect to outlive this tractor but hopefully it will still be in solid operating shape for the Mrs. As in all things in life there are multiple opinions regarding what is the best thing to do for the care and feeding of a tractor. In the final analysis in the cold surgical light of dawn the best opinion is the one that you freely choose of your own volition and believe in whole heartedly. All the other opinions are just background clutter of mean value.

Harry

 

[Usmc68]

Well I stopped by the closest dealer and lets just say customer service was not their strength. I went in asking to look at the Max26XL and he said lets go look at the Massey Ferguson GC1705. I looked at it and it was nothing compared to the Max in terms of thickness metals, etc. It looked nice and less expensive by 4K so I might look at it later but not from this guy. I went to the next closet dealer 30 miles away and they had a 2014 Max26 with 60" MMM and nice FEL with 319hrs for $13,900 + taxes. Took it for a drive and it is Nice It sure is heavy duty or at least heavy gauge steel is used.
I will check out the Kubotas tomorrow

Semper Fi

 

[Harry Christopher]

Sounds like the first Mahindra dealer learned his trade by working at a sleazy used car dealer. You definitely don't want to do business with that guy. The only decision and opinion that really matters is your own. I will be interested to hear what you think of the Kubota. The combination of my experience at work with that brand and the local dealer being less than responsive when problems arise in a commercial use setting put me off that brand when I was originally researching buying a diesel tractor. Whatever you end up buying is the best choice because it was made by you and you are paying the bill.

Harry

 

[s219]

Awesome response Harry, much appreciated! After work today I will head over to my local Mahindra dealer to check them and the equipment out. I keep watching comparisson videos on Youtube of how the Mahindra is better built than the Kubota compacts in terms of materials, location of engine, etc. I had a B7800 for years and never had an issue with it.

Thanks again!

Semper Fi

I think those videos are probably fibbing a bit. Mahindra makes a solid tractor that should be reliable, and often is heavier/stronger than competing models, but where they fall behind is fit and finish. Paintwork not as good. Seats not as good. Cheaper materials here and there. Some sloppy assembly. I wouldn't necessarily shy away from a Mahindra, but I would seriously be skeptical of any source/videos claiming they are better built with better materials. That's just not the case in my experience -- it's the exact opposite.

 

[s219]

BTW, my experience is only with the Mitsubishi-built models.

 

[s219]

Well I stopped by the closest dealer and lets just say customer service was not their strength. I went in asking to look at the Max26XL and he said lets go look at the Massey Ferguson GC1705. I looked at it and it was nothing compared to the Max in terms of thickness metals, etc. It looked nice and less expensive by 4K so I might look at it later but not from this guy. I went to the next closet dealer 30 miles away and they had a 2014 Max26 with 60" MMM and nice FEL with 319hrs for $13,900 + taxes. Took it for a drive and it is Nice It sure is heavy duty or at least heavy gauge steel is used.
I will check out the Kubotas tomorrow

Semper Fi

Massey makes some slightly larger models that would be a better comparison to the Max, and they have very good quality.

BTW, the various brands are all over the place when it comes to comparing models. The Max, while classified as a subcompact by Mahindra, is closer in comparison to small compacts from the other brands. For example, the comparable Kubota would be a B2601 (small compact), not a BX (sub-compact). So don't be afraid to cross-shop different categories. In general, compare HP, size, capability, and cost.