So I went this morning and got my first look at,,, and a good close look it was,,, at the Max 25. Finding a perfect tractor is a lot like trying to build the perfect tank. Seems like everything is based on trade offs. And that is unfortunate because there is a whole heap of things that I like about the mahindra over any of the other SCUT's. chief among the likes is the fact that everything is just beefier. There are some who disapprove of even calling the max 25 a SCUT, preferring to call it a small CUT. And that is a debate for another time. But regardless of what you want to call the Max 25, it unquestionably has more power, more weight, and more girth. All of which is not so big as to discount it for doing the work I want to do with it. In a nut shell, in this case, more is not a bad thing.
But while there is much to be liked about the Max, it comes with a lot of what I consider, Again I speak only for myself, baggage. The best way to describe the fit and finish of the tractor is to say, it's as if many "Design Phase" aspects made it's way into final production. So here is my example. At some point, the design team wanted to test the hydraulic power of the FEL. But we are still in the "Design Phase" here and since this is a total redesign, there is no off the shelf FEL equipment, so they mocked up some control apparatus quick like in order to simply test the new FEL frame. But It seems like that mocked up apparatus they used during the design phase made its way all the way to the final product. They used flexible hose all over the FEL where nearly every other FEL on the market used ridged line. The control lever and valve is mounted off a metal stand off. Nothing fancy about it. It's a valve with a metal lever coming off it,,, and some hoses sticking out the back. It's functional certainly. But there is no Refinement about it what so ever.
And this pretty much describes the fit and finish of the whole tractor. Functional, but just about as rough as it can get. You will find no real creature comforts on the Mahindra. And I have to say, the Hydro static foot pedal arrangement is absolutely abysmal. A heal to toe arrangement with a solid 12 inches between them. The, what can only be described as flimsy, bit of wire rod they used for the forward foot pedal control screams Design Mock up. As a matter of fact, compared to how beefy every other component is, I was left scratching my head where the heck that foot pedal came from. And the double brake, mind you they give you a double brake, is right above the forward foot pedal. How on earth are you supposed to use the advantage of a double brake pedal if you cant move the tractor forward at the same time? In order to brake either left or right while moving ahead, you have to swing both feet to the right side, and even then it would be insanely awkward. Putting double break pedals in on the same side as the forward foot pedal is just about the most pointless thing I can think of. But the dealer pointed out that the tractor did have cruise control that would keep the tractor moving for you while you worked the separate break pedals. Uh huh. Maybe some of you ok with that. I think it's awkward and pointless, and they should have spent the extra money they used putting this feature in on giving you a proper forward/reverse pedal arrangement that does not look like it was designed in a preschool CAD class.
The gas fill cap is in an awkward place just behind the instrument panel. The fenders are pointless. Maybe some of you like the fact that 95% of the rear tire is exposed. I however do not. The lights attached to the fender are flimsy to the point of being laughable and they are in a prime position to be broken off in any of a dozen different ways. There is no boom float control on the hoe. And the dealer had, no joke, NO IDEA how to mount or dismount a backhoe on this thing. He was unclear if it could be done without taking off the three point hitch arms. He had no Idea how easy or not easy it was to mount or dismount the hoe. Nothing on the Mahindra website or in the literature speaks of installing or uninstalling the hoe. Why is that do you suppose? Being able to quickly and easily mount and dismount the FEL and hoe are hallmarks of the SCUT class as most people know them, as a SCUT is supposed to be all things to all homeowners. If you can't quickly swap out a major implement on the tractor, that's kind of a huge problem. But I would not know one way or the other because there is no information to be found, and the one person that SHOULD know, the dealer, has never mounted or dismounted one. This mind you after claiming to have sold 50 of these tractors in 2012. The Diff lock foot lever was in an awkward place. The PTO requires the use of yet another clutch pedal on the left foot side, where the brake should be, in order to engage. The three point hitch flow control knob is rough engineering to say the least. And the MMM height adjustment is a mechanical stop based on a pin setting that requires the use of the rear draw bar. On a side note, if any of you ever read the 34 page tread over at Tractor By Net regrading the Max classification as a SCUT, DavesTractor, a dealer out in California made a point to say that the cooling fan blade on the BX, JD, and GC are all plastic. Well I have seen with my own eyes that the Max has a plastic fan blade as well, though it is much more protected in its positioning.
I am going to be spending a whole lot of seat time on this tractor. From mowing to clearing 2 acres of land, to landscaping to erecting the foundation of a barn. Overall comfort to me is at least as important as how much power and capacity the tractor has. I know I can do what I want to do with the GC1720. It would be wonderful to have more grunt that the Max 25 offers. But the overall fit and finish of the Max is not just disappointing, it's depressing. I am not saying that the Max is or is not an overall good performer. For the most part the Max is built like Sherman tank. And I mean that in nearly every respect. I am simply saying that the fit and finish is a real turn off to me. In fact, if Mahindra wanted to invest in refining the Max into a proper SCUT Styled tractor, I think it would be a real hit. If they could offer a larger platform that's not too large, more power and capacity and all the creature comforts that the smaller tractors already offer, then they would be on to something. But they could not do all of that and keep the price down. In fact, that's the real trade off. Bota and Massey and John Deere already offer a larger platform tractor with all the bells and whistles. But they are on average another 10k. And I suspect that if Mahindra tried to refine the Max further, they would soon be bumping an additional 10k as well.
My conclusion is, if you require more power and capacity, but you don't want to spend the money to move up a series level with the other brands, then the mahindra Max is for you. However, if you do not require more tractor, but do want all the creature comforts and intend to spend a lot of seat time with your SCUT, the Max is going to be very disappointing. Because the trade of for the extra power and capacity is pretty much all refinements.