Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss My New Tractor

Well, let me try to respond to all of the posts here.

First, Sunil, it wasn't so girly-man because it was about 40 feet long and probably a good 25 feet wide by about six or seven feet high. Plus, there was lots of operator learning curve!

The tractor is a Mahindra 4035, 40 engine HP and PTO of 31.5 per the specs. My tractor friends have all told me consistently that the PTO rating is usually low by 2 - 3 HP and that PTO horsepower increases as the tractor gets broken in, so perhaps it's realistic to call it 33 or so. I call it plenty for what I will do with this machine.

I got a hydrostatic drive because of the simplicity of use. I know there are tons of back and forth views on HST v. geared, but the HST fits my mission profile the best. The HST costs a couple of horsepower at the PTO, but it's also about 500 pounds heavier than the geared version of the 4035. It has a live PTO, 540 rpm at the rear with no mid-PTO.

It's 2wd/4wd with a level to change between the two, plus it has the differential lock for getting myself into even bigger jams than the 4wd will get me into! I got it with industrial tires so I don't totally tear up my fields where we hang out since they are becoming yard quality. I'll pick up some chains for winter and really muddy weather.

As for the fuel, I'm not sure, but I think it may be a self-purging deal because of something the sales guy told me about the cap and an insert in the cap. Guess I'll have to ask about that so I don't find out the hard way!

It has a Cat I hitch, but has the ability to also use some Cat II implements by rotating the ball in the link ends and getting to the different size holes in the ball. Kind of a cool feature.

The FEL has the skidsteer quick attach feature, so it's easy on/off for FEL attachments. At this point, I only have the standard square back 72" bucket, but some other implements are no doubt in my future! I also picked up a 6 foot Mahindra standard duty brush hog with a slip clutch. That's the entire package I bought. I may add a post hole digger and a rake in the near-ish future.

I may flip my rear tires this weekend as a buddy suggested it after measuring and showing me how I could add about 10" to the rear width, pushing it out from roughly 75" to 85". I figure width and weight = safety margin. The rear tires are filled and, per the dealer, it added between 300 and 400 pounds per side.

Ultimately, the pricing was pretty good compared to everything other than our high-volume Kubota dealer, but comparing the two side by side, the Mahindra won hands down against the Kubota, largely because of weight and some nice standard features on the Mahindra that cost extra to get on the Kubota (i.e., rear work light, one set of rear hydraulic remotes).

As compared to the other brands I looked at, listed in the bulging eye BG thread, I believe, I chose the Mahindra primarily because of the weight and features. The price was competitive with a few other brands - LS and Kioti in particular. I had narrowed my choice to the Mahindra and Kioti, largely based on standard features. The Manindra ended up winning in my mind because of the weight. Of all the brands I looked at, it was 900 pounds heavier than the closest comparable competitor. Again, I may be obsessing on it, but tractor weight is a huge safety factor for me. Deere was never really an option because their pricing was substantially higher at the dealership near me - to the tune of $3000 - $4000 more, so they didn't get any consideration after my first visit there.

I believe this particular model has a Mitsubishi engine and drive train and was assembled here in the US. Don't know for sure about the origin of all the parts. I got a standard 3 year bumper to bumper and 5 year power train warranty.

Fortunately, it didn't break the bank for me, but it's a big expense for sure. Insurance was only $75 per year through Erie, so that seemed like a real bargain.

All in all, I'm really happy and have not had any buyer's remorse. Going to start brush hogging tomorrow after I knock off work a little early. Fortunately my boss is understanding of my new obsession - I just hope my clients have the same enlightened outlook!

I don't know if that is enough in the way of details, so I'll be happy to answer any other questions. You can also check out the full spec sheet here.