Help me decide on the LS I need.

[LightningCamaroGuy]

First off great choice thinking LS. Great series of motors. Maybe the best ever. I think the best way to decide on what LS you are wanting is ask yourself what do you want out of it. If you were to say I want high HP, low cost to build, and high reliability, I would tell you to pick 2 of those options.

If you want to build a powerful motor for not too much $ while keeping it very streetable and reliable I would recommend going boosted. Probably a smaller displacement, iron block truck motor like a 4.8L or 5.3L. If you're wanting to stick with a factory block these are the strongest by nature as they have the smallest bore diameter and the 4.8L being a little stronger than a 5.3 due to the shorter stroke. Still both motors are very strong and are great platforms to build a good budget boosted motor off of.

If you're like me on what you want from a LS motor, and money is no option then build you a large displacement, aluminum GEN4 motor. Any GEN4 block will work. LS2/LS3, LS7 is generally pretty pricey, any aluminum GEN4 truck block regardless of displacement is fine. Send the block off to get it re-sleeved to use some large diameter pistons. Maybe a 4.200" stroke with say a 4.25" stroke and that right there will give you a 471ci SBC that weighs less and is physically smaller than many of these modern V6's with under 4 liters. Combine that with some aftermarket LS7 based heads that flow 440+ CFM's, a good intake manifold/TB setup, large headers with 2"+ primaries, etc. Good stuff.

One of the beauties of the LS platform is it's versatility. There's so many different things in different applications that they excel at, and many different ways of going about modding big power out of them. Few if any motors can match their versatility.

Good luck with whatever route you go.

 

[Trikejay]

I have the LS XG3135. I started out with the XG3025H. It seemed to be a great tractor(lots of power) but I just didn't like the Hydro transmission. In the past I have only used gear tractors and shuttle shift tractors. So I traded up to the 35hp shuttle shift and haven't looked back. It has been an awesome tractor. Have had zero issues. I would recommend the XG3135 or the XG3140. For the money they are the best deal out there. I looked at nearly all brands when I bought mine. If you have any questions let me know.

 

[Ffphil]

I have the LS XG3135. I started out with the XG3025H. It seemed to be a great tractor(lots of power) but I just didn't like the Hydro transmission. In the past I have only used gear tractors and shuttle shift tractors. So I traded up to the 35hp shuttle shift and haven't looked back. It has been an awesome tractor. Have had zero issues. I would recommend the XG3135 or the XG3140. For the money they are the best deal out there. I looked at nearly all brands when I bought mine. If you have any questions let me know.

When I was looking at tractors the 40-60hp we're all the same size. So buy the most HP you can afford. I also looked at LS and liked them very much. Can't weigh in on hydro vs shuttle as this is my first tractor. But so far the hydro seems to work great.

 

[searcyfarms]

I have a 6 cyl diesel running a 78 inch tiller with forward rotating tines and if I sink it, it will flat kill that engine in nothing flat in 1st gear so running a tiller takes some guts......a 5 foot tiller on 25pto hp would be a handful for sure no matter which way the tines were rotating if you had it deep - kind of like saying a 70hp tractor is enough for a 15 foot batwing mower - REALLY !!!! what are you mowing ? yards? put 70HP on a 15 ft batwing in CRP that has been growing for 2 yrs and see how much you like that LOL - as with any wise person here, get the most hp you can afford in the size you want to turn around and drive in the tightest area you have - there is never a perfect tractor for everything so test a lot of them and try lots before you pull the trigger

 

[chas0218]

I have a 6 cyl diesel running a 78 inch tiller with forward rotating tines and if I sink it, it will flat kill that engine in nothing flat in 1st gear so running a tiller takes some guts......a 5 foot tiller on 25pto hp would be a handful for sure no matter which way the tines were rotating if you had it deep - kind of like saying a 70hp tractor is enough for a 15 foot batwing mower - REALLY !!!! what are you mowing ? yards? put 70HP on a 15 ft batwing in CRP that has been growing for 2 yrs and see how much you like that LOL - as with any wise person here, get the most hp you can afford in the size you want to turn around and drive in the tightest area you have - there is never a perfect tractor for everything so test a lot of them and try lots before you pull the trigger

Yeah I'm thinking the xg3025 might be a little small hp wise but it should do everything i need it to. Might struggle with a 5' brush hog and tiller i'll have to look into it more.

When I was looking at tractors the 40-60hp we're all the same size. So buy the most HP you can afford. I also looked at LS and liked them very much. Can't weigh in on hydro vs shuttle as this is my first tractor. But so far the hydro seems to work great.

Yes the tractor i get will have gear shift, i grew up on gear tractors and don't enjoy pressing a pedal all the time.

 

[George2615]

I've looked at other brands but no one compares when it comes to the capabilities of the machine. I looked into Kioti and around me there is only 1 dealer that is close and want 2k-3k more for a tractor that has the same capabilities as the LS. I'm not partial to any single brand but looking to get the most bang for my buck. I like Kubota and JD but they want a lot more for a machine that will do all the stuff the LS will do.

Instead of an XG look at the XR series if you want the most bang for your buck. They come with more features such as rear remotes, extendable lower links, cruise etc. Probably cheaper to buy an XR than to add features to an XG.

I also grew up on gear tractors but since I went HST 14 years ago I'll never go back to gear.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I can't think of one reason to go gear over a shuttle shift. If you can live with the power drain and fluid changes, the hydro is better still. If you want to sell or trade. A gear tractor is frequently a deal killer.

 

[chas0218]

Looking like I might be getting a blue tractor but in the form of a ford if it is as nice as the owner says i might be a new owner of a ford tomorrow.

 

[Tractorable]

Give us the details man! What Ford are you looking at?

 

[chas0218]

Give us the details man! What Ford are you looking at?

Looking at an old Ford 3000 diesel. I grew up on the 4000 gas and 9N. I have a soft spot for those Fords. Has a loader and almost double the hp of the LS I was looking at but only 2wd. For me the 2wd isn't a deal breaker as I can get some chains and just use good judgement. Really hoping the tractor is in good mechanical shape I can make her look good.