How did Mahindra...

[swampvol]

..get moved to the exclusive 'Major Brand' category above Massey?

Not knocking Mahindra, but growing up Massey's were 2nd to none and JD's major competition..at least around here. Is it just the area you live in or what?

 

[froggy]

More threads and posts.

 

[73jeep]

Maybe a lot of people get on their computers and search through forums, when they're having trouble with their tractor, so this would exclude most Massey owners.
Before you "other brand owners" read this, I'm just kidding.

 

[chh]

More Mahindra dealers advertising on the site than MF dealers?

 

[GaryCrowell]

Kioti's been listed up there since I first came on this forum. Before I got here I'd never heard of Kioti. I still have only ever seen one kioti dealership and he had about three tractors displayed. I've never met anyone who has owned one and have never actually laid eyes on one outside of those three sitting on that dealer's lot yet judging by the billing they get on this forum you'd think they were bigger than a giant like massey.

My take on these forums is that most here aren't farmers who actually use a tractor as such. This forum is primarilary geared towards the homeowner with 2-5 acres who needs something a little bit bigger than a lawnmower, hence the focus on the little compact tractors. Even on the massey forum 90% of the posts are on the GC2300/2310 which are just glorified lawnmowers. This is the reason you see so much emphasis on these off brands like kioti and mahindra that have most of their lineup made up of these homeowner tractors.

 

[bobzap]

GEEZ Glorified lawnmowers over 16 grand for a lawnmower? you gotta be kidding! Best toy I ever bought! Oops did I say toy?

 

[GaryCrowell]

GEEZ Glorified lawnmowers over 16 grand for a lawnmower? you gotta be kidding! Best toy I ever bought! Oops did I say toy?

Sorry if that offends, but that's what it is.

 

[magyarbacsi]

Jeep, reading all the forums here, I'd have to agree that the least troublesome tractors are the older MFs. I have a '74 165, and except for some minor oil drips, that beast has never given me any problems and now at 3700 hrs. (I was once told you know when you're getting old when everything leaks or dries up).

I also have a new Mahindra 5525 with 7 hrs so nut much history yet. I've noticed that all newer tractors, regardless of what, seem to have a litany of problems that the older makes don't experience. Yes, the older ones are simpler in function, but more reliable. I hope my Mahindra makes it to at least 3700 as its the last tractor I'll probably by in my lifetime. And after that, I don't intend on shoveling coal in a furnace so I wont need a tractor.

I think the Chinese makes are probably the most to test one mechanical knowledge and patience.

 

[bobzap]

Not to hijack this thread but, you're right Gary. The only thing I can say is my 2310TLB does everything I ask it to do A really sweet little (emphasis on the little) workhorse!

 

[aesanders]

Sometimes it's hard to understand. To me Massey is right up their with John Deere and CNH (still Case and Ford to me though). I still think of Kubota as a newbie.

 

[tx2310]

Yes my glorified lawn mower did mow my 3 acres where I am building a 40x60 building. It also leveled where I am building. dug a 7' deep hole for a 1500 gal. septic tank, 500' of leach lines, filled in a large hole, moved large sandstone foundation blocks from a old barn, tilled the garden, dug 400' trenchs for earthtubes under the slab and moved downed trees. This year it will dig the basement, dig the foundation, dig drainage ditches around the foundation, dig a trench for gas,water,elec. dig trenches for 2000' of earth tubes for AC for the building. And yes it is a good lawn mower. No it is not a good tractor to farm with. When I am ready to tackle the other 40ac. I will be looking for a MF135,or150 maybe even a little 30 Ferguson. Right now the GC2310 glorified lawn mower that gets 2hrs to the gal is doing what I need to do and would be hard to do all of this with a larger tractor.

Doug
My neighbors lawn mower can only mow his lawn. He wants to get one like mine.

 

[IslandTractor]

Massey has a huge reputation in agriculture but not really in compact utility tractors. What they produce is great but they just don't have the line up that Kioti or Mahindra have in this particular segment of the market (CUT). I suspect that is the reason Mahindra and Kioti "jumped the queue" and got their own "major" sections on TBN.

Also, just look at the number of posts for each brand. That seems to reflect some combination of actual market share (again for CUTs, not Ag tractors) and the number of TBN posters allied with each brand. Kubota and JD clearly lead in that ranking but then NH, Kioti and Mahindra out pace MF. Of course that is an imperfect ranking system (Cub and Yanmar should be ranked above all but JD and Kubota) but it does provide some evidence as to why Mahindra recently joined the bigger group.

 

[WilliamBos]

Massey has a huge reputation in agriculture but not really in compact utility tractors. What they produce is great but they just don't have the line up that Kioti or Mahindra have in this particular segment of the market (CUT). I suspect that is the reason Mahindra and Kioti "jumped the queue" and got their own "major" sections on TBN.

Also, just look at the number of posts for each brand. That seems to reflect some combination of actual market share (again for CUTs, not Ag tractors) and the number of TBN posters allied with each brand. Kubota and JD clearly lead in that ranking but then NH, Kioti and Mahindra out pace MF. Of course that is an imperfect ranking system (Cub and Yanmar should be ranked above all but JD and Kubota) but it does provide some evidence as to why Mahindra recently joined the bigger group.

A bigger group on a website does not mean they suddenly outsold MF. People know who MF is, and the rep and history, but I cannot say the same for Mahindra. I am not taking anything away from them, but you really only have to think for a second, really, which name has more recognition world wide, Mahindra or MF?? That is in MHO why Mahindra has a sub forum, for people to ask questions about them, since they are lesser known.

JMHO.

 

[IslandTractor]

A bigger group on a website does not mean they suddenly outsold MF. People know who MF is, and the rep and history, but I cannot say the same for Mahindra. .

I agree, numbers of listings on TBN has only to do with involvement of the people on TBN who probably do not reflect the average CUT buyer. However, of the well established companies with a long and strong track record building tractors (JD, NH/Ford and MF), MF is the one with the smallest share of the CUT pie and is the one most at risk of being overtaken by Mahindra/Kioti in the CUT market. No doubt MF is the better recognized name amongst farmers and probably also in parts of the country where farming is the major enterprise but I am not sure it is so clear cut in places like the Atlantic seaboard or NW.

 

[WilliamBos]

I agree, numbers of listings on TBN has only to do with involvement of the people on TBN who probably do not reflect the average CUT buyer. However, of the well established companies with a long and strong track record building tractors (JD, NH/Ford and MF), MF is the one with the smallest share of the CUT pie and is the one most at risk of being overtaken by Mahindra/Kioti in the CUT market. No doubt MF is the better recognized name amongst farmers and probably also in parts of the country where farming is the major enterprise but I am not sure it is so clear cut in places like the Atlantic seaboard or NW.

I agree. Sales in one area do not reflect how popular a brand is in another area. I really wish there was an independant body who reported tractor sales by brand, country, state & province.

Competition is a wonderful thing, keeps prices competitive.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Well, before there were CUT's, Massey ruled the roost around here. Now, you can't find an M-F dealer around these parts.

There has to be some kind of trade paper with the stats, but in these parts, glorified lawnmowers outsell farm tractors by at least a power of 10.

And I have to say, my old M-F model 85 is a piece of junk. It recently developed it's second problem since new. The power steering is leaking. A starter 4 years ago, now this. This tractor is only about 30 years old and it had 2 problems already. Sheesh. I don't know what I'll buy next.

 

[flusher]

Jeep, reading all the forums here, I'd have to agree that the least troublesome tractors are the older MFs. I have a '74 165, and except for some minor oil drips, that beast has never given me any problems and now at 3700 hrs. (I was once told you know when you're getting old when everything leaks or dries up).

I also have a new Mahindra 5525 with 7 hrs so nut much history yet. I've noticed that all newer tractors, regardless of what, seem to have a litany of problems that the older makes don't experience. Yes, the older ones are simpler in function, but more reliable. I hope my Mahindra makes it to at least 3700 as its the last tractor I'll probably by in my lifetime. And after that, I don't intend on shoveling coal in a furnace so I wont need a tractor.

I think the Chinese makes are probably the most to test one mechanical knowledge and patience.

Me too. I have a 1964 MF-135 diesel with 4600 hours that I bought in 2006 and a brand new Mahindra 5525/ML250 FEL that I bought in March 2008. Have all of 12 hours on the 5525 so far and I really like that beastie.

Like the fact that the Mahindras trace their lineage to the old 1960 IH B-414 diesel. Gives me confidence that the 5525 has good tractor genes.

The 135 developed erratic oil pressure a few weeks ago. Today I did the ATF engine flush procedure and the oil pressure is back at its usual 60 psi. Love those Perkins diesels.

And I'm glad that the moderators took Mahindra out of the "Other" category and gave Mahindra two forums of its own on TBN. IMHO that move was overdue.

 

[agcodealer]

Massey Ferguson is the Number One Selling Brand of Tractor WorldWide since 1962! There are more Massey's in the fields than any other Brand! Massey is the Dominate Leader outside North America and a big player in North America especially when you add in it's sister companies: AGCO Brand and Challenger - BTW where's their forums?

AGCO (Parent Company of MF) Just Moved to #359 in Fortune 500 List. Bigger than Harley Davidson, Black & Decker, Brunswick and Embarq....

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't think anyone is disputing AGCO's stature in the tractor industry. It is just in the CUT market that their fortunes have not been strong in recent years when compared with Kubota, JD, NH and now Kioti and Mahindra. Again, this is all measured simply by the interest in those brands on this forum...hardly scientific or representative of the whole world but relevant to forums here on TBN.

 

[di2hunt]

Hi Fellas, This is my first post here although I have been reading for a while now. I found the thread most interesting. I have a 1956 MHF 50 thats been a work horse on my place since 1992. I had a clutch put in 3 years ago and other than that, nothing. I don't think its ever turned over more that twice before starting. I recently purchased a CK30 FEL,WBH and I am impressed with it so far. I plan to post pics as soon as I can stop work long enough to get it good and dirty. MF is a great tractor, but I didn't like the line of cuts they are offering. Anyway...