My brother bought a small JD a few years ago, not sure of the model number but it's 55 hp. One of the mechanics at the local JD dealer is a neighbor and told him it's a Mahindra with green paint. Said the part numbers matches mahindra's right down the line. It's been abused, but has had no problems.
A small compact Bobcat tractor he uses to scrape manure in the free stall barn is a totally different story. That thing is always broke down.
There is a John Deere R&D plant a few miles from me, build transmissions and trans-axles. The shop I worked for several years ago contracted to build some assembly fixtures for a new assembly plant John Deere was building in Mexico. The fixtures we made would be used for tractors from 75-105 hp in that plant. I was told at that time that there were no tractors of any brand under 100 hp made in the US.
