Discontinued Sub Compact Mahindra

[Torvy]

Thanks for the official Mahindra take on the reason.

 

[2manyrocks]

I just wish one or the other of these brands would become stronger competitors to JD and Kubota by offering reliable tractors with good parts support and a strong dealer network.

Bringing all brand tractor manufacturing in house and concentrating on making those tractors while building up stronger product offerings and dealer networks may be a positive step in that direction.

 

[arrow]

I just wish one or the other of these brands would become stronger competitors to JD and Kubota by offering reliable tractors with good parts support and a strong dealer network.

Bringing all brand tractor manufacturing in house and concentrating on making those tractors while building up stronger product offerings and dealer networks may be a positive step in that direction.

So it's like this: that will never happen.
There are 436 Mahindra dealerships in the USA selling just sub, compact and utility tractors. They are in 50 countries as opposed to JD's 30.
There are over 2100 JD dealerships in the USA and these are mostly compromised of tractors, agricultural, forestry and construction equipment.
The JD network is simply too vast.
Kubota also sells more than just tractors.
This type of expansion necessitates exceptional cash flow which is articulated by complexity.
You measure the amount of time it took for these companies to become the size they are in the U.S along with their product expansion and you can see the enormous mountain Mahindra would have to climb to attain equity.
I don't think they're interested.

 

[2manyrocks]

Speaking of not being interested......

My nearest Mahindra dealer that sold me my tractor was too busy to take my call about a parts order for a seal today, so I started looking for another dealer. The next closest dealer has Mahindra listed on their website and sells Mahindra tractors, but they aren't even listed on the Mahindra USA website. Their parts guy took my call, but I think he's given me the wrong part number. I'm not sure which seal I need, but the seal I suspect I need may be no longer available for a model 3525 that's about 20 years old at this point and has less than 1,000 hours on it. That killed my interest in buying another Mahindra.

 

[arrow]

Speaking of not being interested......

My nearest Mahindra dealer that sold me my tractor was too busy to take my call about a parts order for a seal today, so I started looking for another dealer. The next closest dealer has Mahindra listed on their website and sells Mahindra tractors, but they aren't even listed on the Mahindra USA website. Their parts guy took my call, but I think he's given me the wrong part number. I'm not sure which seal I need, but the seal I suspect I need may be no longer available for a model 3525 that's about 20 years old at this point and has less than 1,000 hours on it. That killed my interest in buying another Mahindra.

What type of seal?
I ran into parts problems with my JD 750 when it was about that age.
A cast steering knuckle which could fit in one hand was $400 and was nla. Had to find a used one and that was $200
Then I figured I'd be dead in another 20 years so it didn't matter to me what I bought next.

 

[K5lwq]

Speaking of not being interested......

My nearest Mahindra dealer that sold me my tractor was too busy to take my call about a parts order for a seal today, so I started looking for another dealer. The next closest dealer has Mahindra listed on their website and sells Mahindra tractors, but they aren't even listed on the Mahindra USA website. Their parts guy took my call, but I think he's given me the wrong part number. I'm not sure which seal I need, but the seal I suspect I need may be no longer available for a model 3525 that's about 20 years old at this point and has less than 1,000 hours on it. That killed my interest in buying another Mahindra.

Not sure what seal you need but you should be able to get one from a local bearing supply company. We have several to choose from around here.

 

[Emainiac]

Over a year ago, I traded my model 2015 tractor (new in 2006) and I bought new model 1626. I loved my 2015 and it never failed me. Only real complaint was the quality of the powder coat paint on the loader. Tractor was great but I believe that came from Japan and the loader was made in Texas. Too bad they didn't do a bit better surface prep.

I chose a Mahindra because when I compared price, features, weight and lift capacities, that 2015 beat the green and orange model in the 21HP market. It was heavier, and it was a great tractor.

Then I moved up to the 1626, and again, looked at all major brands out there. Many dealers within 75 miles. Again, I looked at the same criteria and it was hands down the best buy for the money. The FEL rating is 40% higher than the other two. Same with the 3PH. It is heavy and well designed. I love this tractor.

Don't get me wrong, Mahindra had real problems early on with the "pink" color they morph into when left outside, or the fit-and-finish being poor. But from what I see of the new models, it is encouraging.

 

[Clayak]

The backhoe requires factory reinforcements of the frame (aftermarket backhoes will snap the tractor in half, in front of the driver's seat, eventually).

The above ('snap the tractor in half') was news to me and I feel I need to find out more. I bought a used 2016 eMax 22S with 146 hrs on it, no backhoe, bucket only. Of course I love the tractor. Reminds me of a Farmall B model my father had in the 1960's on our South Dakota farm. Anyway, I needed ('wanted' per my wife) to dig/install a french drain for my back yard so .... about a year ago I bought a 600 lb. Betstco BHM 5 backhoe unit. It attached easily and is good weight on the rear of the tractor. The backhoe has the usual stabilizer arms. Am I correct in thinking that besides stabilizing lateral/back and forth backhoe motion, the stabilizers also help minimize strain on the frame of the tractor by moving SOME of the bucket lifting force away from the rear tires/mid tractor frame and transferring that force or weight to the stabilizers.

 

[Sgt Slag]

The above ('snap the tractor in half') was news to me and I feel I need to find out more. I bought a used 2016 eMax 22S with 146 hrs on it, no backhoe, bucket only. Of course I love the tractor. Reminds me of a Farmall B model my father had in the 1960's on our South Dakota farm. Anyway, I needed ('wanted' per my wife) to dig/install a french drain for my back yard so .... about a year ago I bought a 600 lb. Betstco BHM 5 backhoe unit. It attached easily and is good weight on the rear of the tractor. The backhoe has the usual stabilizer arms. Am I correct in thinking that besides stabilizing lateral/back and forth backhoe motion, the stabilizers also help minimize strain on the frame of the tractor by moving SOME of the bucket lifting force away from the rear tires/mid tractor frame and transferring that force or weight to the stabilizers.

Your best bet is to call up a Mahindra dealership, or a trusted independent mechanic, to get the story.

As I said, the 20S is configured with a different chassis, at the factory, depending upon which options you choose. If all options were on the table, with the same basic chassis, they would only make one chassis for the 20S, not three. I realize there is the possibility that it is only the PTO setup which varies, but I would want to get the truth from a dealer, to be certain.

If I am totally wrong, please come back and share! There are times when I would love to rent a 3-point hitch backhoe to get some work done... I need to check this, as well, for my own sake. Cheers!

 

[California]

The above ('snap the tractor in half') was news to me and I feel I need to find out more.

In addition to stresses in operation, the inertia of bouncing that much weight while driving over rough ground can be severe.

A subframe from the rear axle forward and connected rigid with the loader subframe, can reduce some of the stress on the bellhousing, lessening the chance of breaking the tractor in half.

I looked through the manual for that Betstco BHM 5 and noted it disclaims responsibility for the upper link ripping out the back of the transmission. From time to time we've seen photos here of this, I think due to a cast aluminum transmission housing.

This backhoe seems small enough to not be a danger to the tractor, but the general advice is 3-point hoes will damage a tractor. That said, I've used one for 15 years now on my 24 hp Yanmar with no issues.

At one time I considered buying a smaller hoe for my smaller 18hp Yanmar, (see sig photo below) so I could get by with only one tractor, but its lesser digging depth seems insufficient for my application, digging out the stumps of fallen apple orchard trees. (photo)

In summary, I think driving cautiously when the hoe is attached is the most important thing you can do to avoid damage.