Wow! Finally an area for those of us who have Cat Challengers and feel a bit guilty posting in areas dedicated to the more common tractors.
I purchased an MT-295 late last year and have used it enough to find it's strong and weak points. The MT-295 (and other tractors in this series) is mostly made by Iseki and is practically identical to the new Massys. These are all well built tractors meant for serious use. The price reflects this.
This MT-295 is a 44 HP diesel tractor standard with 4WD and available with Hydrostatic drive or a Power Shuttle gear drive. I got the 16 speed Power Shuttle drive version. Mine came standard with a FEL.
This particular tractor has been problem-free even though it has been worked hard. Basically it works like you expect a tractor to work.
Strong points:
-Well built. Heavy duty construction throughout.
-Very strong engine and drive train. I've done a lot of work with a rear blade widening and leveling a dirt road and the tractor has demonstrated it's ability.
-Well designed and laid out. Controls are where you expect them to be and work like you want them to. The FEL came with a float feature built in (very handy).
-The 3-point hitch is set up with enough adjustments to allow easy installation and removal of rear implements. Position control and draft control are standard.
Weak points:
-Parts availble only through the Cat dealer. I'll bet that a Massey dealer would also have what was needed if they had a cross reference. So far, the only parts I've needed have been fuel, oil and hydraulic filters.
-The FEL is *very* powerful. It will lift the rear wheels off the ground in an instant. When moving some boulders, or when doing heavy FEL work, I needed to keep the heavy rear blade installed. It might be time to look at a rear weight rack and weights!
In short, a decent tractor. A worthy alternative to the green types.
Lou Braun