Help me decide which Mahindra

[rdbrumfield]

there is no substitute for hp and a front end loader. if you can swing it you will be glad you did
60 acres can be done with any tractor givin time. I have had tractors from 25 to 60 hp. I liked them all and each had their place, but I run 50hp now and wouldn't think of anything less. I do brush mowing, logging, lot of loader work, and I can load a 2ton truck from one side with this size tractor. Have a 7ft tiller, ripper, 6ft bush hog, 3pt 9 inch hyd fed chipper, rock rake, man lift for the loader, and a log splitter I made to handle up to 6ft dia wood which works off the 3pt. Also I took a winch off a log skidder and mounted a 3pt frame to it for the rear. works great.
One other thing I did was mount an 8000 hyd winch in the loader frame. A very handy and usefull tool.

 

[warcat]

Thanks to all of you who posted. You've actually changed my mind. I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the 5525 with the loader, and wait on implements. My friends in Washington are just about done deciding on giving us the "economic stimulus package", and I stand to get $2100. That should go a long way to paying for the implements I want....

 

[xlr82v2]

Warcat,

I have a 3525, for my 7 acres, plus my sister in law's 95+ acres of woods and fields. I don't farm with it, but I do keep everything bushhogged down with my tractor... so I would say that your needs are very close to mine, from what you stated in your first post.

I find that my 3525 is PLENTY of tractor, and really more than I need to get things done. With my 5' brush hog, the tractor doesn't hardly know that it's even back there. A 6' hog would be perfect for it, but the 5' hog is nice when back in the woods maintaining the 4wheeler trails and paths... makes it a bit easier to maneuver between trees and such.

There's a LOT of "BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER!!" sentiment here on this website... and I'll be the FIRST to tell you that that simply isn't true. What good is 45-50 hp to get the job done, if you can't get the machine into the areas you need to work, with room to maneuver? As far as maintaining your roads, with the 3525 or the 5525, you're still going to go the same speed... you're likely going to have the same 6' hog with your 5525 as with your 3525... so where is the gain there? The 5525 will pull a disk that's 1, maybe 2 feet wider than what the 3525 will... so with the 3525, you might make 1 or 2 extra passes. Are those 2 or 3 or even 20 extra passes that you "might" have to make with the 3525 worth the extra you'll spend on the 5525?

With the amount of ground that you're taking care of, and "occasionally" seeding food plots, I think the 3525 will be PLENTY of tractor for you... I know that it is for me... really it's overkill for what I need, and I think you will come to the same conclusion if you think realistically about it. From your first post, I believe the 5525 will be WAY overkill for you. Remember, you're planning on working only 12 acres. If I were you, I'd leave the other 60 acres to the farmer to work... If you're thinking that you won't have the time to do your chores with the 3525 vs. the 5525, then you CERTAINLY don't have the time to work 60 acres of hay with ANY tractor.

See if your dealer will bring the 3525 out to your place for you to demo for a day or so, and see what 35hp can really do... I think you'll be impressed. But in the end, it's your money

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Thanks to all of you who posted. You've actually changed my mind. I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the 5525 with the loader, and wait on implements. My friends in Washington are just about done deciding on giving us the "economic stimulus package", and I stand to get $2100. That should go a long way to paying for the implements I want....

Now yer talkin!! No matter what anyone else says, you won't regret getting the HP. You will be able to yank a 7ft HD brush hog with no problem. Since you are getting the bigger unit, consider putting fluid in the rears once you have it. A number of threads on this board go into it/how to etc. (personnally, I'd ask the dealer how much per rear to have them filled before you take delievery---on my 6000 it was about $72 per rear tire. Can't go wrong at that price). Good luck and send pictures. BobG in VA

 

[RedRiver]

xlr82v2, i agree that bigger is not always better but it just depends on your situation.

A smaller unit will be easier to manuever in tight spaces while a bigger unit will be more difficult.

A bigger unit will be heavier and get better traction, 5525 is about 800 lbs. heavier than the 3525 if you include the weight of the loader.

Same 3 pt. hitch lift capacities on both units

IMO the main differences are that the 5525 is 4 cyl and has 44 pto hp while the 3525 is 3 cyl. and has 27 pto hp.

 

[Travis_R]

Thats actually the only thing that turned me away from the 3525- having only 27 P.T.O. horsepower. Other than that, the 3525 is a fine tractor in my opinion. Oh and for the record (from experience, not opinion), I have "choked down" a 3525 w/ a 5 ft. bush hog in thick grass.

If it were my decision and had your choices, there's no question. The 5525 w/ front end loader would be on my property.

Just make sure your truck and trailer can haul it, including the weight of attachments/ implements.

Travis R

 

[xlr82v2]

RedRiver,

I see that you also recommended the 3525, so we are in agreement there.

My reasoning is entirely based on what he said his intended uses were to be, and the amount of acreage he was going to be taking care of, and my experience with my 3525 and growing up on the farm with several different tractors from around 35 to 140hp. So, the rest of this post is just the way I'm looking at this decision.

Like I said, the decision is ultimately up to him and what he feels he can afford right now. At least he hasn't fallen victim to the "MUST-HAVE-4WD -OR-ELSE-TRACTOR-IS-USELESS" mentality that is so prevalent on this website. I would just prefer to see him spend his money on the tractor that will serve his needs best, with the money he has to spend on it.

But here on TBN, it often seems that at least 75% of the people on here give the advice that "if you have the money, or even if you don't, then bigger is always better". To me, part of the (dare I say...) fun of owning a tractor is getting out there and using it. What's the point for a hobby/residential user to get the biggest tractor that he can possibly afford along with the biggest implements, and then go out there, and finish your projects almost before the engine gets up to operating temperature? If you hate being on the tractor, or just absolutely have minimum time available to be using the tractor, I guess that's the way I would go. But I don't look at things that way... I rather like using my 2 tractors, and I already do enough head scratching at times finding things for them to do for me.

I say, why buy more tractor than you need? Since when is being a bull in the china shop a desirable thing? Remember, he said he's only bush hogging 2 acres around his home and then planting/maintaining deer food plots on 10 acres...which means he's likely going to be working in the woods, around the trees, etc.

To my way of thinking, if you can't expeditiously (granted, that's open for discussion) handle those chores with a 35hp tractor and appropriately sized implements, then you might need some refinement in your technique . Just my opinion, everyone has their own, just like other parts.

I'm not convinced that the 5525 will have "better traction" than the 3525 "out of the box". More "pulling power", yes, but not "better traction". By my figures, the 3525 should theoretically have better traction... Here's why:

• Mahindra 5525 w/FEL: 4800lbs tractor weight + 1865lbs Loader weight= 6665lbs tractor weight. Add an average American male operator of 200lbs, which gives an operating weight of 6865 lbs, which equates to 127 lbs per horsepower using the engine rated hp figures.

• Mahindra 3525 w/FEL: 4387lbs tractor weight + 1425lbs Loader weight (Buhler) = 5812lbs tractor weight. Add an average American male operator of 200 lbs, which gives an operating weight of 6012 lbs, which equates to 171 lbs per horsepower using the engine rated hp figures.

Which tractor do you think (assuming equal or similar front/rear balance ratios) should put the available horsepower to the ground better?

Like I said earlier, I'd just hate to see him buy a tractor that will remain underutilized. That's a lot of money sitting in a machine that isn't doing anything. Why buy a tractor with X amount of capability, and then never use but 50% of it?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Why buy a tractor with X amount of capability, and then never use but 50% of it?

Well, it will last longer, there's 1 reason.

 

[warcat]

xlr82v2, you're making alot of sense. I really don't know how much actual "seat time" I'll be getting on ANY tractor. I live 1.5 hours away from my ranch and between work, the family, the inlaws, fishing, and doing chores around my house, I only make it out there about 1-2 times a month on average. The home on the ranch belonged to my father, and hero, up until his unexpected passing in November of 2002. I miss that man everday of my life. It is a nice home, but my wife will not go there with me on overnight trips because it has no running water at this time. She won't let my kids spend the night either. It is fully plumbed for water, and was working perfectly when my dad lived there, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get it back running again...The pump works fine and supplies water to the water troughs (known as canogas where I come from) and systern, but I can't figure how in the world it gets to the house. Maybe I'm just an idiot.

Anyway, back on topic..I'd like to be able to take my family over there to spend around a week at least twice a year (on top of my normal trips). If I can get that going, I know most of my week will have some tractor fun (aka work to the wife) each day.

The ranch is a little over 260 acres with about 60 acres on 4 fields- 10 acres of which I'd plant for deer season. My father planted hay grazer himself each year, but paid to have it baled. Without any cows of my own right now, I can't see myself doing that for a good while. But it is a possibility down the road. The last tractor my Dad owned was a ~70's-80's model 75 hp International.

The last thing I want to happen is to buy the tractor and not use it. This is already happening with the boat I bought a few years ago. It gets under 6 trips a year, and the wifey doesn't like that. But this year my oldest son will be 6 and he's ready to fish, so hopefully the boat use will go up.

Well, I went off topic again... Anyway, I agree that a 3525 will do the job I need it to do right now, but I think the 5525 will cover me if I "become my dad" a few years down the road.

 

[Mike058]

**It is fully plumbed for water, and was working perfectly when my dad lived there, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get it back running again...The pump works fine and supplies water to the water troughs (known as canogas where I come from) and systern, but I can't figure how in the world it gets to the house.**

Look for a shut off valve. Someone may have just turned the water off after your dad passed away. Could be a really easy fix. Could be under the house or in a box just outside. Could be back at the source but the box should be pretty visible. You could rent a metal detector and mark the path that the pipe from the house takes. Trace it back to it's source and see what you dig up. If the pipe's in nasty shape, replumb with the newer plastic pipe. If running water was all that was standing between me and a place to really put a tractor to use, I'd be all over it.