MsBehave
New member
I have been lurking here for a long time and now I need to ask for specific help.
A few months ago, I purchased a new 2015 Mahindra 5570 4WD w/FEL. I love my tractor. It does everything I need and is the first new tractor on this farm in decades. However....
My 35 year old son (not a tractor noob) was cutting brush with our wonderful, old JD brush hog. He was trying to maneuver around a small, felled tree that a windstorm had taken out a few weeks earlier when he managed to puncture the oil filter with a broken limb/stump/whatever. He was unaware until the oil pressure light came on. He immediately shut down the tractor and walked back to the house.
Since it was a Saturday afternoon and we didn't have a spare filter at the house (I know, I know), we let it sit a few days before picking up another filter. Drained the oil (there was still about half left) and filtered it thru very fine mesh (as always). Since the machine had only 99 hrs on it, we were still looking for bits and pieces from wear - found a couple of teeny bits, nothing more or unusual.
Finished the unscheduled oil change, hopped on the tractor and nothing - wouldn't start. WTH? We immediately thought there is no way we seized this motor...right?? It did not overheat, it made no strange noises nor did it shut down on its own. We checked everything -pulled the starter and had it tested, jacked up one side and tried turning the rear wheel, you name it. We have no good tractor mechanics near us, so we had a friend that's a cracker-jack diesel mechanic come out to have a look. He is just as baffled.
I began to accept the fact that maybe the motor was indeed seized so I called my dealer for a repair quote - I knew this would not be cheap, but I was in no way prepared for the answer. According to the Service Writer, this is definitely not covered by warranty and they don't repair these new ones anyway - they just replace the motor and that will be $26,000, please
I only paid $29K for the whole, **** tractor!! I was and still am in shock. I can now buy the exact same machine at another dealer for $28K!
Has anyone had this experience? How in the world can they diagnose the issue over the phone AND insist it is unfixable? If this is indeed the case, I will be parting out my almost new lawn ornament and buying anything but a Mahindra.
OK - enough with the venting. If anyone has a suggestion, I am all ears. My son and I are not tractor mechanics, but we do know a lot about motors and are very good about maintenance/general repair. Because this is a 4WD, the only way to access the oil pan is removal of the drive shaft and frankly, we are sick of messing with this. We are aware that is best way to diagnose just exactly what's "seized". However, we are of a mind to take this to a different dealer in the area just to get another opinion.
A few months ago, I purchased a new 2015 Mahindra 5570 4WD w/FEL. I love my tractor. It does everything I need and is the first new tractor on this farm in decades. However....
My 35 year old son (not a tractor noob) was cutting brush with our wonderful, old JD brush hog. He was trying to maneuver around a small, felled tree that a windstorm had taken out a few weeks earlier when he managed to puncture the oil filter with a broken limb/stump/whatever. He was unaware until the oil pressure light came on. He immediately shut down the tractor and walked back to the house.
Since it was a Saturday afternoon and we didn't have a spare filter at the house (I know, I know), we let it sit a few days before picking up another filter. Drained the oil (there was still about half left) and filtered it thru very fine mesh (as always). Since the machine had only 99 hrs on it, we were still looking for bits and pieces from wear - found a couple of teeny bits, nothing more or unusual.
Finished the unscheduled oil change, hopped on the tractor and nothing - wouldn't start. WTH? We immediately thought there is no way we seized this motor...right?? It did not overheat, it made no strange noises nor did it shut down on its own. We checked everything -pulled the starter and had it tested, jacked up one side and tried turning the rear wheel, you name it. We have no good tractor mechanics near us, so we had a friend that's a cracker-jack diesel mechanic come out to have a look. He is just as baffled.
I began to accept the fact that maybe the motor was indeed seized so I called my dealer for a repair quote - I knew this would not be cheap, but I was in no way prepared for the answer. According to the Service Writer, this is definitely not covered by warranty and they don't repair these new ones anyway - they just replace the motor and that will be $26,000, please
I only paid $29K for the whole, **** tractor!! I was and still am in shock. I can now buy the exact same machine at another dealer for $28K!Has anyone had this experience? How in the world can they diagnose the issue over the phone AND insist it is unfixable? If this is indeed the case, I will be parting out my almost new lawn ornament and buying anything but a Mahindra.
OK - enough with the venting. If anyone has a suggestion, I am all ears. My son and I are not tractor mechanics, but we do know a lot about motors and are very good about maintenance/general repair. Because this is a 4WD, the only way to access the oil pan is removal of the drive shaft and frankly, we are sick of messing with this. We are aware that is best way to diagnose just exactly what's "seized". However, we are of a mind to take this to a different dealer in the area just to get another opinion.
