Compact tractor options

[LS Tractor Owner]

Junk blue tractors? you better think again.....
I remember everyone calling Kubota "Junk orange tractors".....

Look at some of the parts on JD...."made in China" is stamped on a bunch....

This is a global economy..... they ALL must be junk then....

 

[WinterDeere]

Junk blue tractors? you better think again.....
I remember everyone calling Kubota "Junk orange tractors".....

Look at some of the parts on JD...."made in China" is stamped on a bunch....

This is a global economy..... they ALL must be junk then....

Good point, but in fairness, there's a factor of time we all tend to forget. The first Honda and Toyota cars sold in America were junk... then they got better. The first Korean cars from Hyundai and Kia sold in America were junk, then they got better. I know very little about Kubota history, and almost nothing about Kioti and TYM, but could imagine similar trajectories for each.

 

[Bill_B]

Hey everyone thanks for your replies and advice.
I looked at tractors today. I had a great experience at a Mahindra/Kioti dealership. It is down to a Kioti 3520SE Cab, 4020 SE, or a Mahindra 2638 Cab.
The pricing is as follows:
$36,500 0% APR or $34,800 if buying outright
$38,500 0% APR or $36,500 if buying outright
$39,900 2.99% APR or $38,400 if buying outright
Prices don't include tax.

Mahindra pros-
Brand loyalty
Silly but I like the color better
No emissions regen bs
SUBFRAME FROM LOADER TO REAR AXLE
Nice seat
Stereo with Bluetooth hands free
Left-right brake control

Mahindra cons-
Lousy placement of three point hitch lever
NO REAR HYDRO OUTPUTS
Hydro lines snd fittings hang down exposed under the floor on the right side of the cab
No built in third function switches on FEL controller
Lousy placement of Triangle on back of tractor (in the middle of the rear window)
No rear window defroster (no electric type)
$3,000 more than Kioti
High APR (if doing payments)

I am leaning towards the Kioti option.
For a price difference of around $2000 more I think I should go with the 40HP for more power to run a 72" snow blower.
The biggest hang up I am having is the head of the service department was telling me how much stronger the FEL mounting was on the M. than the K. Basically there are rugged tubes running from the FEL mount all the way to the back of the tractor.

 

[tacticalturnip]

LS makes great tractors, and the higher end models have exceptional ergonomics. The problem with LS is that when things go wrong it's almost always electrical and it almost always puts the tractor in limp mode. When an LS breaks it's almost always debilitating.

 

[aesanders]

Hey everyone thanks for your replies and advice.
I looked at tractors today. I had a great experience at a Mahindra/Kioti dealership. It is down to a Kioti 3520SE Cab, 4020 SE, or a Mahindra 2638 Cab.
The pricing is as follows:
$36,500 0% APR or $34,800 if buying outright
$38,500 0% APR or $36,500 if buying outright
$39,900 2.99% APR or $38,400 if buying outright
Prices don't include tax.

Mahindra pros-
Brand loyalty
Silly but I like the color better
No emissions regen bs
SUBFRAME FROM LOADER TO REAR AXLE
Nice seat
Stereo with Bluetooth hands free
Left-right brake control

Mahindra cons-
Lousy placement of three point hitch lever
NO REAR HYDRO OUTPUTS
Hydro lines snd fittings hang down exposed under the floor on the right side of the cab
No built in third function switches on FEL controller
Lousy placement of Triangle on back of tractor (in the middle of the rear window)
No rear window defroster (no electric type)
$3,000 more than Kioti
High APR (if doing payments)

I am leaning towards the Kioti option.
For a price difference of around $2000 more I think I should go with the 40HP for more power to run a 72" snow blower.
The biggest hang up I am having is the head of the service department was telling me how much stronger the FEL mounting was on the M. than the K. Basically there are rugged tubes running from the FEL mount all the way to the back of the tractor.

View attachment 823454View attachment 823455

The Kioti also has a loader subframe.

 

[arrow]

Hey everyone thanks for your replies and advice.
I looked at tractors today. I had a great experience at a Mahindra/Kioti dealership. It is down to a Kioti 3520SE Cab, 4020 SE, or a Mahindra 2638 Cab.
The pricing is as follows:
$36,500 0% APR or $34,800 if buying outright
$38,500 0% APR or $36,500 if buying outright
$39,900 2.99% APR or $38,400 if buying outright
Prices don't include tax.

Mahindra pros-
Brand loyalty
Silly but I like the color better
No emissions regen bs
SUBFRAME FROM LOADER TO REAR AXLE
Nice seat
Stereo with Bluetooth hands free
Left-right brake control

Mahindra cons-
Lousy placement of three point hitch lever
NO REAR HYDRO OUTPUTS
Hydro lines snd fittings hang down exposed under the floor on the right side of the cab
No built in third function switches on FEL controller
Lousy placement of Triangle on back of tractor (in the middle of the rear window)
No rear window defroster (no electric type)
$3,000 more than Kioti
High APR (if doing payments)

I am leaning towards the Kioti option.
For a price difference of around $2000 more I think I should go with the 40HP for more power to run a 72" snow blower.
The biggest hang up I am having is the head of the service department was telling me how much stronger the FEL mounting was on the M. than the K. Basically there are rugged tubes running from the FEL mount all the way to the back of the tractor.

View attachment 823454View attachment 823455

Well, that's not the greatest weld I've seen. The 2600 series are nice tractors made by TYM which Mahindra has dissolved its union with.
You also have the option to wait out for the all new Mahindras which will be a collaboration with Mitsubishi. Those will be of the new K2 line which was supposed to come out last spring but have been pushed to this January. The wait being mostly for dealerships to sell their old stock. These will include 40 models going from sub compact to full utility.
You can use your old gal till then and if not liking the new Mahindra's, can always rely on the Kioti.

 

[airbiscuit]

I'd like to better understand the Mahindra/Mitsubishi relationship. Is Mahindra in it to improve their quality? Is Mitsubishio in it to sell more engines?

 

[arrow]

I'd like to better understand the Mahindra/Mitsubishi relationship. Is Mahindra in it to improve their quality? Is Mitsubishio in it to sell more engines?

So Mahindra has had a long standing relationship with Mitsubishi. The current Max and 1600 series Mahindras are made in Japan and purportedly have the least issues of the 3 branding types. The Mahindra branded TYMS for us have also been very reliable.
Mahindra wanted a tractor for the world market and because of the successful previous relationship with Mitsubishi, decided on a 50/50 union with them to help produce and design their new line. They and TYM got into a "scuffle" having to do with parts availability during covid and thus, Mahindra decided to part ways.
These tractors will be made in India at one of the largest new facilities in the world.
I think this union is to produce the best tractor they can and reach viable world wide sales as a result. It will incorporate the quality of Japanese made products while enhancing Mitsu sales with the wide dispersion and dealer base of Mahindra products. Mahindra now gets to consolidate their product line with "one" type machine instead of the 3 iterations they previously carried.
It is my understanding that remotes will be standard issue on the new Mahindras.

 

[rScotty]

SNIP


The biggest hang up I am having is the head of the service department was telling me how much stronger the FEL mounting was on the M. than the K. Basically there are rugged tubes running from the FEL mount all the way to the back of the tractor.

I don't know the details of those particular tractors, but I do agree that the head of your service dept has a right to be concerned. A frame can be made strong enough for a loader to be mounted in the center - but there is a good reason why many imports are not made that way.

The reason is that most imported tractors were designed to be used in other places than the USA - and in most of the world compact tractors are used for small farms and and for pulling implements. They are rarely fitted with loaders and used as miniature dirt moving machines like we do in the USA. So to the manufacturer, there is not point in going to a fairly large expense of making a frame stressed for loaders. They could do it, but generally don't. Instead, they leave that up to the loader manufacturers.

When that tractors comes to the USA where loaders are popular and aftermarket loaders are a big industry, your service dept head is just saying that he feels most compact tractors should have a full length subframe to handle the loader stress. Most of us mechanical guys would agree.

It's not a matter of one brand versus another, just a matter of how certain models are designed.

rScotty

 

[airbiscuit]

That might be a good plan. The made in India Mahindras were perfectly functional tractors, but a little crude (like they had a Belarus father) and sometimes lacking in quality (e.g.rough castings, leaks and hoses). If they can get the quality up and keep the cost down, it would be good for the CUT market.