Branson 3520H vs Mahindra 2638HST vs TYM 394

[boostmg]

OK at this point I believe i pretty much want the branson 3520H TLB my local dealer quoted me $28k with 0% financing.

Some things that worry me right now about the branson are - the potential issues with the parent company, clogged radiator filters, clogged DPFs, seals on wheel hub leaking oil, different specs found on their site, some sections say ground clearance is 15in others say 12.7 .. I dunno.

What I like about the branson - the motor, the "stoutness", it's claimed lifting capacities beat all others, the good things i've heard online about them.

For the Mahindra I can get it cash right now with TLB for $28.5 I believe. I didn't drive it but i sat in it. The machine certainly seems nice. The things that seemed nice were the cockpit, seat, tilt wheel, i like the 4pt hitch backhoe for it's ground clearance. The motor not having a DPF is nice but I'm not sure how reliable that motor is? There's really nothing I don't like about the mahindra except for maybe the hood opening procedure, however it's lilfting capabilities and weight are just less than the branson.

For the TYM 394 .. I think I was quoted $28.5k for TLB as well. I didn't go look at it. But I essentially believe its the same as the mahindra just with a different motor.

I guess I just can't shake the branson. the mahindra and TYM are basically the same machine, all the other machines in the class have similar stats. The branson isn't made by anyone else, and there's no other "copies" out there. The motor basically being a cummins is appealing, it's "old school ness" of more analog, less digital ECM is appealing, it's weight is appealing, and it's lifting capacities are appealing.

My local dealer for branson is small, he's an diesel repair shop i believe, we stopped by he was very nice, lots of people stopping by (farmers), in the bay he had a huge massey ferguson and behind it an 18wheeler.

My local mahindra dealer is on a busy road, they have lots of machines, don't know how it is dealing with them but the salesman didn't seem very enthusiastic.

Others I haven't went to look at in person are LS and Kioti. Nothing against either of them I just haven't had anything "move" me about either brands.

So what say y'all? Anything I'm missing here?

 

[Granthol]

I own a Branson and have 0 regrets. Since the buyout of Branson the parent company has actually incorporated many of the Branson features in there other offerings. Korean companies typically don’t do away with brands. You are right in the fact that no other brand will compete with weight, lifting capacity and as you say old schoolness of the Branson. It was what drew me to them and then made me a believer.

 

[attract her]

Thanks for introducing this topic, and many thanks for all the valuable insights shared here.

I've got a 30 year old compact Ford tractor, and need to upgrade, for snow removal. I might have otherwise gone Kubota, but have had bad luck at each of the two different Kubota dealers here. Looks like that means New Holland for me, unless I can find a Kioti dealer hiding in the weeds or something.

 

[ericm979]

Doesn't the Mahindra have a Mahindra engine? While the TYM has a Yanmar engine.

The Branson ground clearance probably depends on the wheels. Not only R1 vs R4 but there are different size R4s for different Bransons. The 3520 has the IND10 set which is slightly smaller than the IND20 and 25 on the larger machines. I had IND10s put on my 3725 to get a lower center of gravity for stability on slopes. It's not too low, but I try to be aware of what I'm driving over. IND10 rears are not adjustable while the others are. I had the dealer add 2" spacers on my rears also for stability. Our place is steep so that's a big concern for me.

The Branson DPF works fine as long as you work the tractor periodically. It clogs if you idle around all the time. If that's how you're going to operate it consider something that does regens or has some other emissions tech like the Mahindra's DOC. Branson uses a licensed copy of the common Bosch VE injector pump. Parts are readily available.

Mounting the Branson backhoe requires removing the 3pt lower links and putting the bolts back in. It adds some time to the process. It's not a big deal to most people but a few have not liked it.

I've been pretty happy with my Branson.

If the dealer lets you, check out the workshop.

The Bransons sold now have A series engines. The original design came from Onan, then passed to Cummins. It's now made by Kukje, Branson's parent company, under a deal with Cummins. They made a few changes from the Cummins era design which modernize it- most notably a parent bore block instead of wet liners. It's not exactly a Cummins design but since it passed through their hands presumeably they'd have fixed any serious problems. The engine in my 3725 is smooth and quiet. The 3520 is a little less smooth being a triple and has a different engine sound.

 

[boostmg]

Doesn't the Mahindra have a Mahindra engine? While the TYM has a Yanmar engine.

The Branson ground clearance probably depends on the wheels. Not only R1 vs R4 but there are different size R4s for different Bransons. The 3520 has the IND10 set which is slightly smaller than the IND20 and 25 on the larger machines. I had IND10s put on my 3725 to get a lower center of gravity for stability on slopes. It's not too low, but I try to be aware of what I'm driving over. IND10 rears are not adjustable while the others are. I had the dealer add 2" spacers on my rears also for stability. Our place is steep so that's a big concern for me.

The Branson DPF works fine as long as you work the tractor periodically. It clogs if you idle around all the time. If that's how you're going to operate it consider something that does regens or has some other emissions tech like the Mahindra's DOC. Branson uses a licensed copy of the common Bosch VE injector pump. Parts are readily available.

Mounting the Branson backhoe requires removing the 3pt lower links and putting the bolts back in. It adds some time to the process. It's not a big deal to most people but a few have not liked it.

I've been pretty happy with my Branson.

If the dealer lets you, check out the workshop.

The Bransons sold now have A series engines. The original design came from Onan, then passed to Cummins. It's now made by Kukje, Branson's parent company, under a deal with Cummins. They made a few changes from the Cummins era design which modernize it- most notably a parent bore block instead of wet liners. It's not exactly a Cummins design but since it passed through their hands presumeably they'd have fixed any serious problems. The engine in my 3725 is smooth and quiet. The 3520 is a little less smooth being a triple and has a different engine sound.

Great info .. and yes the Mahindra has a mahindra motor (no DPF) and the TYM has the yanmar. Google the branson motor .. it's model is A1700N2 .. you'll see cummins parts pop up.

The backhoe thing I don't think will bother me, having it take away ground clearance may a little bit but i'll get over it. The branson doesn't have arm rests or tilt wheel, armrests maybe i can buy .. and when i drove the branson i liked the feel of it. The mahindra actually felt like i was leaning back in a recliner and steering wheel was further away.

For the branson ... i'll most likely gut the filter ... problem solved there.

As far as tires ... i'll likely get Ag tires due to my environment. not getting stuck is a major priority, and the slight increase in ground clearance is an added benefit.

 

[ericm979]

There's no permanent BH subframe to reduce ground clearance- the parts that the BH connects to are tucked up. The subframe stays attached to the BH. When it's on, the ground clearance isn't reduced by much. Mostly at the back when you drop into a dip and even then it's not bad. I have some implements that are worse for that.

I'd leave the DPF as is- wait until you have a problem and enjoy clean air in the mean time. You'll have already paid for the DPF. It's been a problem for only a few people. The DPF data recorder will tell you if it's starting to clog by blinking a light on the dash. If that happens you can go work it, which heats up the DPF and burns off the soot. One way is to run it up and down the road in high range. If it does fully clog there's a plug on the exhaust manifold that you can remove to get the tractor back to the barn. If you do have to remove the DPF, consider replacing it with a muffler rather than gutting it. That way if you ever sell it you can put it back to stock.

 

[ptsg]

Regarding the BH subframe, and sorry if this is slightly off topic, but I was watching some videos about Branson tractors and the F42R Review video from Midwaysales show a full 4 point frame for the backhoe like some Kubota's use.

The F series is the EU/AU version of the 15 series in the US.

You can see it on minute 1:54 and again on 2:12 of this video:

However it looks like it makes it quite a task to put the 3 pt arms on again.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I'm still very happy with my Branson after 2 years. I'm also one of the few (very few) that have had problems with my exhaust filter plugging up in winter. There is a simple and permanent fix to that issue, which I have done to mine, and I did a write up on the mod here:

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/century-branson/409434-exhaust-mod-my-3725-a.html

I like that there is now NO electronics or emissions ANYTHING on my tractor. I like the stats, weight, lift, power and features and I'm glad I didn't spend $20K more just to get one that was green.

I highly recommend you drive/operate each tractor you're considering buying. The features that came standard on my Branson have to be purchased separately on the high dollar color tractors.

After 2 years and nearly 200 hours of run time, I don't regret anything about my purchase.

Good luck to you in your search for yours.

 

[boostmg]

I'm still very happy with my Branson after 2 years. I'm also one of the few (very few) that have had problems with my exhaust filter plugging up in winter. There is a simple and permanent fix to that issue, which I have done to mine, and I did a write up on the mod here:

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/century-branson/409434-exhaust-mod-my-3725-a.html

I like that there is now NO electronics or emissions ANYTHING on my tractor. I like the stats, weight, lift, power and features and I'm glad I didn't spend $20K more just to get one that was green.

I highly recommend you drive/operate each tractor you're considering buying. The features that came standard on my Branson have to be purchased separately on the high dollar color tractors.

After 2 years and nearly 200 hours of run time, I don't regret anything about my purchase.

Good luck to you in your search for yours.

this write up is awesome and thanks for sharing. how has the machine been holding up since? any issues?

to me ... i will probably 100% have to do the mod. it's asking too much to have to go rip your machine to get it not clogged, and the winter situation i will likely be in the same one as you.

all that would be nice is to know if there's a way to quiet it down. i will have to do some research

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

this write up is awesome and thanks for sharing. how has the machine been holding up since? any issues?

to me ... i will probably 100% have to do the mod. it's asking too much to have to go rip your machine to get it not clogged, and the winter situation i will likely be in the same one as you.

all that would be nice is to know if there's a way to quiet it down. i will have to do some research

I have not had any further issues at all. I did go back and remove the data logger from it's bracket on the battery hold down. The idiot light on the dash stays off now (it stays off when you unplug the harness from the data logger). I have no ill effects from the mod. I can leave the tractor engine idling while I change implements, load it and tie it down to a trailer, or go through a gate without worrying about the idle time.

To be fair, my environmental conditions are different than most users on the TBN board. My tractor does sit outside all year around. And winters here do get to -40F, and stay there for extended periods of time. The block, oil pan and hydro sump heaters that I use for winter use make it easy to start, run and use my tractor anytime I want in winter. But I personally think the issue I have had stemmed from the exhaust filter itself has to start operating from a -40F temperature (in winter), and when it starts off at that cold a temp, it takes too long for the internal temp of the filter to get to the +1100-1200 F temp it needs to do it's job. So incrementally, I think each time I used it in that environment, it steadily added more clogging to the filter. This is just me speculating now, and I really have no way to confirm that was the cause of my issue.

But someone in southern California or any other "warm" climate, would likely never see the same issues that I was having up here.

I can say that my tractor runs normally now. No constant smoke or tuning issues. The only smoke I get is on initial startup, and it clears and runs clean in less than a minute. And I get no smoke at all during operation. Whether it's just driving it to the next project location, mowing, grading or using the FEL. So I don't believe my tractor had or has a tuning or fuel system issue.