Buying Advice Any opinions on 1533?

[eflyersteve]

I'm researching a first tractor purchase and was looking at LS L3038 and an XR4046. Then I stopped by the local Mahindra dealer and they were really pushing the 4540 which is a bit large for brush clearing around trees I think and it is at the upper end of my budget. I see they have the new 1533 model in a shuttle shift and it looks a lot like the old 3016/3616 but with a tad more HP and weight. Anyone have any experience or opinion with this model? I feel that the 1533 is about 90% of the LS XR4046 with the benefit of having the dealer close buy (on the way to work). 5ft implements will be plenty adequate for what I plan for it. Thoughts and opinions appreciated!

 

[eflyersteve]

Just drove one. Dealer said that they were the 3016 replacement but they do produce more hp I think - more like a 3616. Was happy with the layout and the new 4 cyl tier 4 engine was very smooth and quiet.

 

[Sysop]

Not sure what your plans are for it, but it appears to be a really nice unit. :thumbsup:

 

[eflyersteve]

The plan started innocently enough - to rough cut a few acres of land, do some light box blade work, spread much, maintain a rural driveway, mow the ditches, etc. hope to maintain a wildlife feed plot a few months out of the year. Maintain a fence line (installing and pulling posts), some small auger work. We don't own a lot of land, just need something to help maintain it. Started looking a year ago at Kubota and now Mahindra and LS.

 

[Sysop]

Sound like a smart shopper to me. Seems your choices are properly lining up with your needs. Kubotas generally weigh less and are better for mowing and moving items around and they're generally a quicker machine. Mahindras of the same class are generally heavier with a lower center of gravity, making them better for ground engaging work. LS is a typically somewhere in between. All three are great units, and all three have their points they excel at. You're doing the right thing in looking around with a task list in mind.

 

[eflyersteve]

Dealer quoted me a price of just at $24k out the door with FEL, box blade, cutter and 18ft trailer with brakes. Kind of hard to turn down considering about anything else prices out at $28k or more. I'll let yall know if I end up with it since info on the new model is pretty sparse.

 

[George2615]

Since you looked at an LS 3038 and XR4047 check out the XR3037 and XR4040. I think they'll also be in your price range.

 

[eflyersteve]

I did like the LS tractors, but I think we have decided to go with the 1533. If LS had a dealer and service center that was more convenient, I would likely be getting that XR4046. It sure looks like more tractor for the money. Comparing the specifications, the 1533 will be down on HP a little but not much on weight. I'll lose a good amount on the loader too. In the end, it comes down to the location of the dealers that has made me willing to give up some grunt for convenience and the dealer/customer relationship.

I so very much appreciate everyone's input and really did take it all to heart. I hope I've made the right decision and can eventually give back to this community after some experience.

 

[Sysop]

Locally our only LS dealer picked them up as a side gig and sells them off his used car lot. Loved the tractors but was scared of the local "dealer network". He does seem to go through several though, I drive past about once a month and the lot seems to change often. Most he generally has in stock at a time is about 8 tractors, I don't think he carries much in parts, it is a small place but growing. If I wasn't so happy with my purchase and dealer and I were shopping again, he'd get a harder look.

 

[arrow]

Good luck with your new tractor Eflyer. Personally, I wish Mahindra would better organize their model numbers. They go all over the place. I didn't know what tractor you were talking about until I read further. What in tarnation was wrong to call their new 1533 a 3116 or something akin to what they used to call them?

 

[eflyersteve]

I know right? There is zero info about the 1533 model out there. It is basically a 3616 with the new 4 cyl tier 4 engine. Made my Mitsubishi just like the old one.

We picked up the new tractor this evening. Need to take the rotary cutter back tomorrow because of some poor welds. Not off to a great start but we will see how the dealer handles things. The seemed like pretty good guys when they were trying to make a sale at least.

 

[eflyersteve]

Dealer was awesome! I was in and out in 15 min. They were on the phone with the implement manufacturer giving them an ear full. I'm very happy with how they handled this.

PS - the replacement was welded well.

 

[DavesTractor]

Good luck with your new tractor Eflyer. Personally, I wish Mahindra would better organize their model numbers. They go all over the place. I didn't know what tractor you were talking about until I read further. What in tarnation was wrong to call their new 1533 a 3116 or something akin to what they used to call them?

Their model numbers were a mess before, we just were used to them, and we don't like change much. The 10 series were bigger than the 16 series, the 7520 was much bigger than a 25 series, etc. It made no sense. With the changeover to Tier IV, they are trying to go from little to big 15xx series, 25xx series, 35xx series, 45xx series, 55xx series, etc. The xx is the approx. HP. But we feel your pain, all the numbers, including the loader and backhoe numbers have changed and it takes a while to get used to it. I still get confused, and we are a DC for MUSA!

Interesting that the 1533/38 uses the same engine that is in the 3550. Just turned way down. Talk about an under-stressed engine. That engine ought to live forever with that sort of ECM imposed limit on HP.

 

[eflyersteve]

Interesting that the 1533/38 uses the same engine that is in the 3550. Just turned way down. Talk about an under-stressed engine. That engine ought to live forever with that sort of ECM imposed limit on HP.

Keep in mind this is my first tractor, but I've been pretty happy with it so far. Very quiet, easy starting and seems to sip fuel. Only thing I wish I had was more weight as I can easily spin the tires when trying to push a lot of weight. One odd thing so far is the temperature gauge always runs cold, even when working it pretty hard. Maybe a by-product of turning down the hp?

 

[Sysop]

Only thing I wish I had was more weight as I can easily spin the tires when trying to push a lot of weight.

Did you have the tires loaded with fluid? Are the tires R1 or R4? When trying to push and pull, R1 AG tires loaded with fluid are the way to build the best traction. The fluid doesn't affect the ability to spin the tires when put against too much weight to be able to push, but it does allow you to build better traction to more fully utilize the horsepower and push or pull more in line with the machine's ability.

 

[DavesTractor]

For the last couple of years we have been selling Rim Guard and we really push it on certain models when equipped with loaders. The 15/16 series, the old 10 series, and the new 1500/2500 series all can really use more weight in the rear. It makes the tractor feel like a different machine. Fill both rear tires to 75% capacity, and it adds over 300 lbs/tire.

When you bring it in for the first service, have them check the thermostat. It should not run cold all the time. Cool maybe under light usage, but not cold.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Keep in mind this is my first tractor, but I've been pretty happy with it so far. Very quiet, easy starting and seems to sip fuel. Only thing I wish I had was more weight as I can easily spin the tires when trying to push a lot of weight. One odd thing so far is the temperature gauge always runs cold, even when working it pretty hard. Maybe a by-product of turning down the hp?

All of these tractors need more weight if you want to get 100% maximum out of them for all around use. I have a 3215,(32hp) weighs in at about 5000lbs with loader and ballast, pretty much useless for my uses with zero ballast IMO. My 7520 (75hp) weighed about 9300lbs stock, worked ok, but I had to add over 3000lbs of ballast to be able to make full use of the power that is available.

So if you are thinking that it seems light, it's because it is, load the tires and you won't believe the difference. Trust all of us when it comes to THIS.

 

[oldpilgrim]

It makes the tractor feel like a different machine.

this is not just words.

It really does feel like you're driving something different.

 

[eflyersteve]

Thanks Sysop, Dave, Brian and Pilgrim, I'll look for Rim Guard when I have it done. I know I've learned to keep the bucket close to the ground and move slow when picking up a heaping helping of soil as the back end does get a little bouncy at that point.

Dave - I'll ask the dealer about the temperature issue. I do run the tractor pretty light - most of my work is either rough cutting very slowly (PTO set to 540) or running the loader with the engine at 1500 rpm or less. Perhaps I should be running the engine a little harder. Most of our work with it is an hour or less at a time so far. My son was doing about 45 minutes of ground leveling with the FEL and Box blade the other day and the temperature gauge had at least moved about 1/8 way up.

Sysop - Tires are R4 Industrial.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I know I've learned to keep the bucket close to the ground and move slow when picking up a heaping helping of soil as the back end does get a little bouncy at that point.

This doesn't change with loaded tires. You should always keep the load as low as possible.

Loaded tires gives you that little extra room for error when you make a mistake with a load. They make your machine feel more like a bulldozer when you push the bucket into pile and reduce the bounce when traveling.