bulldog9
Member
I have been a loyal "blue" tractor customer for years, but disappointed with their current offerings in the 50hp CUT line (anyone listening there New Holland??). Had the opportunity this last weekend to demo a new Mahindra 5035 PST with R1's. Had a lot of fun this past Saturday putting two fine machines through their paces. Here are the results of a comparison that will probably give the folks at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab a few laughs.
First order of business was to weigh both machines. Luckily, I had access to a nearby truck scale.
New Holland TC55DA w/ loader: 7260 lbs (loaded tires and rear wheel weights)
Mahindra 5035 PST w/ loader : 7600 lbs (loaded tires, no wheel weights)
Pulling Test: 4 bottom plow hitch pins too big to fit the Mahindra's lift arms, so I had to improvise on this one. Had a few "mafia block" on the property, so I hitched on to one of them with a clevice pinned to each tractor's factory drawbar. Mafia block weighed 4000 lbs. Both tractors would drag the block around in 4wd, even with the 1500 - 2000 lbs of dirt that accumulated in front of the block. No detectable difference between the tractors in this mode. Shifted each tractor to 2wd to see if I could find a winner. Here's where the Mahindra's slight weight advantage and wider rear tires made the difference. Pulled the block with the NH as far as I could in 2wd until forward movement stopped. Then hooked up with Mahindra in 2wd and pulled the block another 12 feet or so before the Mahindra gave up.
Winner: Mahindra
Loader Test:
Had very wet pile of old horse manure I had been wind rowing with the NH for the past couple of weeks. Takes a lot of finesse not to "lawn jart" the NH loader into the pile and overwhelm the loader with too much weight. Not a problem with the Mahindra - I could consistently enter the pile more aggressively with the Mahindra and the loader would rarely get overwhelmed. (Was using similar gear speeds with both tractors - 2nd gear, Medium range)
Winner: Mahindra
Engine Power/Torque Rise
Where the NH fell short in the loader department, it shined in the delivery of engine power and the ability of the engine to really lug "down low" and keep going without stalling. In the same manure pile, the NH would consistently push through a larger pile of manure and "lug" better that the Mahindra (both machines in 2nd gear, Medium range). Had to drop the Mahindra to 1st gear, Medium range (noticeably slower ground speed than the NH) to achieve the same result. Mahindra felt like it needed a gear somewhere between 1st and 2nd in Medium range. Not a dramatic difference between the machines, but noticeable nonetheless. The NH runs out of loader capability before motor, the Mahindra runs out of motor before loader. That said, the Mahindra is no slouch and is a real tank. Had I not had the NH there for comparison, I would have no idea what I was missing. Later, hooked up my 72" rotary cutter to the Mahindra and knocked down some moderate to thick brush and saplings. Could not tell any appreciable difference from the NH.
Winner: New Holland
Ergonomics/"Feel"
Much prefer the spacious platform of the Mahindra to the NH. Truly feels like you are sitting "on" the tractor, and have a great, commanding view of your surroundings - tons of room too.
NH is not uncomfortable by any means, but feels more like you are sitting "in" the tractor and not "on" it.
Mahindra feels like the more substantial unit of the two (see "tank" reference - as a former M1A1 tanker, I know.)
QA plate and attachment arms much more substantial and beefier on Mahindra, but where is the leveling rod for bucket? Do they offer one? "Level" sticker on top of bucket is awkward and inconvenient.
Love the bigger tires on the Mahindra - looks mean and gives it great traction.
Winner: Mahindra
Lots of fun, two very well-made tractors. Though a loyal "blue" owner for years, I would have to give the Mahindra the win here. If only Mahindra could get Shibaura to sell them the motor from the old TC 55 series, wow, that would be one scary tractor.
I have pics from the "event" last weekend, but not sure how to post them here. If anyone can shed any light on how to do that, I'll be happy to post them.
First order of business was to weigh both machines. Luckily, I had access to a nearby truck scale.
New Holland TC55DA w/ loader: 7260 lbs (loaded tires and rear wheel weights)
Mahindra 5035 PST w/ loader : 7600 lbs (loaded tires, no wheel weights)
Pulling Test: 4 bottom plow hitch pins too big to fit the Mahindra's lift arms, so I had to improvise on this one. Had a few "mafia block" on the property, so I hitched on to one of them with a clevice pinned to each tractor's factory drawbar. Mafia block weighed 4000 lbs. Both tractors would drag the block around in 4wd, even with the 1500 - 2000 lbs of dirt that accumulated in front of the block. No detectable difference between the tractors in this mode. Shifted each tractor to 2wd to see if I could find a winner. Here's where the Mahindra's slight weight advantage and wider rear tires made the difference. Pulled the block with the NH as far as I could in 2wd until forward movement stopped. Then hooked up with Mahindra in 2wd and pulled the block another 12 feet or so before the Mahindra gave up.
Winner: Mahindra
Loader Test:
Had very wet pile of old horse manure I had been wind rowing with the NH for the past couple of weeks. Takes a lot of finesse not to "lawn jart" the NH loader into the pile and overwhelm the loader with too much weight. Not a problem with the Mahindra - I could consistently enter the pile more aggressively with the Mahindra and the loader would rarely get overwhelmed. (Was using similar gear speeds with both tractors - 2nd gear, Medium range)
Winner: Mahindra
Engine Power/Torque Rise
Where the NH fell short in the loader department, it shined in the delivery of engine power and the ability of the engine to really lug "down low" and keep going without stalling. In the same manure pile, the NH would consistently push through a larger pile of manure and "lug" better that the Mahindra (both machines in 2nd gear, Medium range). Had to drop the Mahindra to 1st gear, Medium range (noticeably slower ground speed than the NH) to achieve the same result. Mahindra felt like it needed a gear somewhere between 1st and 2nd in Medium range. Not a dramatic difference between the machines, but noticeable nonetheless. The NH runs out of loader capability before motor, the Mahindra runs out of motor before loader. That said, the Mahindra is no slouch and is a real tank. Had I not had the NH there for comparison, I would have no idea what I was missing. Later, hooked up my 72" rotary cutter to the Mahindra and knocked down some moderate to thick brush and saplings. Could not tell any appreciable difference from the NH.
Winner: New Holland
Ergonomics/"Feel"
Much prefer the spacious platform of the Mahindra to the NH. Truly feels like you are sitting "on" the tractor, and have a great, commanding view of your surroundings - tons of room too.
NH is not uncomfortable by any means, but feels more like you are sitting "in" the tractor and not "on" it.
Mahindra feels like the more substantial unit of the two (see "tank" reference - as a former M1A1 tanker, I know.)
QA plate and attachment arms much more substantial and beefier on Mahindra, but where is the leveling rod for bucket? Do they offer one? "Level" sticker on top of bucket is awkward and inconvenient.
Love the bigger tires on the Mahindra - looks mean and gives it great traction.
Winner: Mahindra
Lots of fun, two very well-made tractors. Though a loyal "blue" owner for years, I would have to give the Mahindra the win here. If only Mahindra could get Shibaura to sell them the motor from the old TC 55 series, wow, that would be one scary tractor.
I have pics from the "event" last weekend, but not sure how to post them here. If anyone can shed any light on how to do that, I'll be happy to post them.
