3540 vs 4530

tbzep · Oct 25, 2015

I posted for help in the general buying/pricing subforum before noticing the Mahindra specific one.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/347012-mahindra-3540-vs-4530-a.html

As noted in the above thread, there seems to be several pluses for the 3540 over the 4530 such as a low fuel tank for fueling with gas cans, larger AG tires, etc. The 4530 has some weight advantage according to the dealer, but the Mahindra website lists 4,367 lbs for all the utility tractors, so I don't know how much. It has about a $1500 price advantage also. Can you folks help me with other pluses and minuses to help me make a better decision? Also, are there other models in the same range that might be a better decision? I've read a few posts here and there about the 4530, but the 3540 doesn't have much written about it except for cut-n-paste stuff from the Mahindra website.

DavesTractor · Oct 26, 2015

The 3540 would be a good size deluxe version of a compact tractor. The 4530 is a low HP full size utility tractor. It is bigger and heavier and a little simpler. They are apples and oranges. I'd suggest you drive both, people quickly gravitate to one or the other as soon as they sit on one and drive them. We never know which way they will go, but almost always one is perceived as the clear winner.

If you have hilly terrain, I don't really like the 4530 (now called 5545) brakes. They can be a little grabby and not super powerful. If you go up to the 5555 (old 5530), you get wet brakes and a much heavier front axle. The 3540 has wet brakes, and they are pretty good. The 4530/5545 is more old school and handles heavy chores easily, but also has a larger turning radius and I think it is less comfortable to operate.

Certainly test drive one of each. I hope this helps.

tbzep · Oct 27, 2015

I talked with another dealer yesterday over the phone about the 3540. He said they don't carry the 35 series because they have "problems", but he had plenty of 25 series models. I searched last night and didn't notice anything unusual about the 35 series having problems.

The dealer also said that the 3540 probably wasn't big enough for large round bales. It's FEL is rated higher than the 4530, so that isn't an issue. I would think it is heavy enough at over 4,000 lbs and the axle looked fairly robust to me.

tbzep · Oct 27, 2015

Mahindra has too many choices. I'm leaning away from the 4530 and looking at the TYM built 2555 to compare with the M&M built 3540. The engine is rated at 55 HP and PTO at 44.5 HP, which is quite a bit higher than the 3540's 31 PTO HP. The FEL is rated more than 400 lbs higher and the lift a little more than 200 lbs. However, the 2555 weighs nearly 300 lbs less than the 3540. It isn't supposed to be as fancy as the 3500 series, but it has pretty much everything on it that the 3540 has such as tilt steer, adjustable seat, rear remote.
Can anyone comment on the reliability of the 3540's 4cyl normally aspirated engine vs the 2555's 3cyl turbo engine?

DavesTractor · Oct 27, 2015

I've not seen any reliability differences between those two engines. They are both reliable. A turbo has advantages at altitude of course, not so much at sea level. Not sure where you are located. The 2555 specs out really well. Just make sure you load the rear tires and haul around an implement on the back if you plan to use the loader to near capacity. Otherwise you will be doing back wheelies or worse.

tbzep · Oct 27, 2015

DavesTractor said:
I've not seen any reliability differences between those two engines. They are both reliable. A turbo has advantages at altitude of course, not so much at sea level. Not sure where you are located. The 2555 specs out really well. Just make sure you load the rear tires and haul around an implement on the back if you plan to use the loader to near capacity. Otherwise you will be doing back wheelies or worse.

I'm only about 430 ft above sea level. Hopefully the rain is over for a while and I can make it to the two dealerships. I've seen the 3540 but the 2555 is at another dealership not too far away. The dealers said they would include filling the tires and delivering at no extra cost. I don't know if they use CaCl2 or beet juice. Either way at 75% filled it should add around 700-750 lbs in R1 tires. I'm still not 100% sure I'll go with R1 over R4. I'll cross that bridge when I decide what tractor they will go on!

hugh01 · Oct 28, 2015

Haven't seen many issues with 3500 series tractors. As Dave said, the 4530 is a utility tractor, 2-range transmission (8F/8R), taller frame, tires, etc. 3540 is a large "super compact" utility tractor. 3-range transmission for 12 speeds, with a power shuttle option which is pretty slick as well. If you are looking at 50hp+, check out a 3550 or 2555, both are very good machines. At your altitude, an N/A tractor is a fair match to a turbo tractor.

tbzep · Oct 28, 2015

I looked at the 2555 today. Seemed to be a nice machine. I'm fairly tall and decided that just like Japanese motorcycles, Asian built tractors are designed for shorter people. I could scoot the seat back decently, but my knees were up pretty high. I cranked and cranked on the seat preload and still felt like I was sitting on a small stool. Reach to the FEL controls was pretty long too. Other than that, it looked really nice. I'll have to go back and look at the 3540 again to see if the seating and controls are similar. I may not have noticed it last time because it was the first time to sit on a new tractor rather than the antiques I own.

tbzep · Oct 29, 2015

I went back to the original dealership today where the 3540 and the 4530 are located. Turns out they have a 2555 there also. I drove both around in the lot, played with the loaders, and decided I like the 3540 better for ergonomics. The 3540 gives away about 300 lbs rated lifting capacity on both ends, but gains about 300 lbs in weight. It sits a little lower but the COPS doesn't break down as low. Both seemed to turn about the same and the specs show that they are close. I didn't do anything to load the engines so I didn't really notice anything different about the two other than the sound of 3cyl turbo vs 4cyl regular engine, and that wasn't even very noticeable because both were running side by side at the same time and were pretty quiet at low RPM.

The 3540's PST shuttle lever was positioned better for me and was easier to use. I found myself using the clutch even though it isn't needed. Tilt steer was nice to have on both models. It would be nice if they telescoped a few inches. The FEL control was located much better on the 3540, allowing me to keep my elbow on the arm rest, where I have to completely extend my arm or lean foward a bit to use it on the 2555.

Both dealers said that they expect the incentives to change for the worse Monday so I need to sit down tonight and decide on the model and then work out R1 vs R4 tires. If I didn't feed hay, I'd go with R4 hands down.