LS vs. Mahindra

[Gary Fowler]

Very true, price comparisons should be based on exactly the same equipment if offered. My comparisons on the Mahindras were based on the sizes that the dealer had on the lot. Model for model the LS was much more well equipped and the quality and styling just looked more impressive. He didnt have a big Mahindra to compare to the 7010 cab. Actually he didnt have any cab Mahindras and I believe that they just recently started putting cabs on some of their smaller tractors that previously were not available. Since that was the only thing I was interested in was a cab model, there really was no comparison at that time. I did do several hundred miles of driving around looking and pricing all the major (and minor) brands and found nothing to compare to the LS in price or equipment.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Very true, price comparisons should be based on exactly the same equipment if offered. My comparisons on the Mahindras were based on the sizes that the dealer had on the lot. Model for model the LS was much more well equipped and the quality and styling just looked more impressive. He didnt have a big Mahindra to compare to the 7010 cab. Actually he didnt have any cab Mahindras and I believe that they just recently started putting cabs on some of their smaller tractors that previously were not available. Since that was the only thing I was interested in was a cab model, there really was no comparison at that time. I did do several hundred miles of driving around looking and pricing all the major (and minor) brands and found nothing to compare to the LS in price or equipment.

Just wondering, which Mahindra models did you compare too when you were looking? I'm pretty sure that with your model vs the 60 series the differences are minor, with some of the Mahindra specs just a bit higher. The biggest difference that I see that would be the biggest difference is the 20x20 trans vs the 12x12 trans of the Mahindra. If a person needs those gears, the 12x12 trans just doesn't work.

 

[timebak]

Brian (MtnViewRanch): Go back to the OP and you'll see that I DID state that the Mahindra model that I was looking at was the 4035 4wd Shuttle with FEL. This was the closest thing on the lot that they have to the LS R4020.

I would have preferred to have looked at the Mahindra 4530, but they didn't have one. But after studying the brochures for the 4530, most of my comments apply to this model also.


[*]Anyway, the LS has 16 fwd & rev gears, and the Mahindra 4035 only 12 each.

[*]The grill guard is standard on the LS, optional on the Mahindra.

[*]The FEL on the Mahindra IS quick detach, but the SS quick detach for the bucket was an option, so said the salesman at the Mahindra dealership.

[*]No tilt steering wheel on the Mahindra.

[*]The LS has 47hp vs. only 40 for the Mahindra.

[*]The Mahindra is heavier than the LS: 4367 vs. 3813. Good for Mahindra.

[*]LS has little bit bigger hydraulic pump: 12.3 gpm vs. 11 gpm for Mahindra.

[*]LS has a little wider rear tires than Mahindra: 17.5" vs. 16.9". LS dealer (who used to sell Mahindra) says that LS standard Industrial tires are a heavier duty than the Mahindra tires.

[*]LS engine is 4 cyl and larger displacement: 152.9 cu. in. vs. 115.4 cu. in. for the 3 cyl in the Mahindra. And remember, for torque output (important in a tractor), there's no substitute for cubic inches ("There's no replacement for displacement.")

[*]3pt hitch lift capacity: LS 2755lbs vs. 3090lbs for Mahindra. Advantage to Mahindra.

[*]The wheelbase and length of the LS is a little more than the Mahindra, but the Mahindra is a little over a foot (almost 14") wider than the LS, and this is a big thing to me, because I'm going to be using the LS in the woods a lot cutting underbrush in the woods surrounding my home. But the Mahindra will be a lot harder to turn over on a side-hill. And the turning radii are about the same between the two.

[*]And the big difference is the price: the LS is around $6000 less expensive.

But I STILL think the Mahindra is the best deal out there when compared to all of the other big brands (JD, Case IH, NH, Massey, etc.).

 

[MtnViewRanch]

timebak, sorry for my lack of clarifying that I was talking about the post from rocknrod and what a chore it was to put a loader back onto the tractor and how his buddy's Mahindra is pretty stark. I was wanting to know what Mahindra model that his buddy had that his LS tractor was so much better. Just like to see fair comparisons is all.

If you were to go to the Mahindra 5035, then you would be closer in hp ratings and that Mahindra is a whole nother beast.

 

[timebak]

Brian, I agree that the 5035 might be a closer comparison, but there was none on the dealer's lot. The closest he had was the 4035, which is closer in size to the R4020 than the 5035. But you are right, the specs on the motors are nearly identical.

Anyway, if the 4035 was over 6 grand more expensive than the R4020, the 5035 would certainly be way more than I can afford at this time.

I saw that I was wrong about the 4035 not having tilt steering. According to the online brochure, it does have it, but the sales guy at the Mahindra dealership here said that it didn't. He was mistaken.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont recall the model numbers of any of the models that I looked at. They had both Mahindra and LS from about 20 Hp to 50 in the Mahindra. The LS went on up to the 70 HP and were the only ones with cabs. I just gave the small tractors a once over (no pricing as I wasnt interest in them) but comparing the looks and fit and finish of each one and the extras. All the LS models had at least one remote hydraulic and at around 40hp they started with 2, the 70series has 3. There was just so much more standard equipment on the LS and the styling was more modern looking which doesnt account much for actual working, but it never hurts to look good either. I suspect more compact tractors are sold on styling looks than functionality anyway. The one thing that I wish LS had on them is a lever for lifting the 3 ph from behind the tractor like the Kiotis have, that would be handy. Not sure that I couldnt rig up something for that if I tried hard enough.

 

[rocknrod]

The end result is - no matter what (name brand) tractor you put next to the LS - You may get the same options/standard equipment - BUT you will pay way more for it. Much More!
And if you get the price to match an LS you get a whole lot less tractor. Prove me wrong.

I searched for 6 months until I bought the LS. Drove many tractors, talked to many sales people, visited many cities in my quest.

And I am not the one who is talking trash about other peoples tractors - My Mahindra owner neighbor was.

 

[timebak]

Got to see a Mahindra 5035 4WD Shuttle w/FEL this morning. What a tractor. It's a hoss. Quite a bit larger and 1000 lbs heavier than the LS R4020, but with 3 more horsepower.

There were several large piles of snow still around so I layed into one of them with the 5035 to see how well it could move it: push, scoop, etc. Have to say that it handled that heavy, wet snow noticeably easier than the R4020 did. And the FEL had quite a bit more lift capacity both in weight and height of lift than the LS.

We talked turkey. He got to within $6500 of the LS R4020.

To me, the most noticeable differences were:
- The 5035 is quite a bit wider (14+ inches) than the 4020 and taller too. This concerns me because one of the prime uses I have is cutting the underbrush in the woods around my house and building and maintaining walking trails there.
- The 5035 is much more stable on uneven ground (especially sidehills) because of the extra width and weight.
- The ergonomics of the 5035 aren't as good as the R4020, for me.
- The 5035 has greater weight lift capacity in both the 3PH and FEL.
- The shuttle (fwd/neut/rev) system on the 5035 requires clutching, whereas the R4020 doesn't.
- 12 gears fwd & rev vs. 16 each for the LS, but not sure I'd need the extra 4 on the LS.
- To get the front bumper and extra hyd port that comes std with LS, will cost me almost another grand on the Mahindra. But not sure I even need the extra port.
- Because of the rotten ground, I couldn't get a good feel for the difference in the turning radii between the two but it felt like the LS could turn a little tighter than the 5035, but I don't know if that is true or not.
- My wife liked the Mahindra better because she thought it would be safer for me on the rough and steep terrain around our house, but she does NOT like the higher price for the Mahindra.
- We had to admit, the Mahindra looked like a beast compared to the LS. She made negative comments about the blue paint on the LS. She thought the 5035 was a much better looking tractor. I told her I didn't give a rip if they were painted hot pink, with purple polka-dots, all I cared about was which tractor would do the best work for us within our budget.

Now I'm REALLY confused. Decisions, decisions, decisions................

But I have to agree with rocknrod: for the money the LS is terrific. Quality is super, no doubt about it. But do I want to pay $7,500 more for a larger, heavier tractor that's not quite as comfortable or as convenient, but might be a little safer for my application?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The end result is - no matter what tractor you put next to the LS - You may get the same options/standard equipment - BUT you will pay way more for it. Much More!
And if you get the price to match an LS you get a whole lot less tractor. Prove me wrong.

I searched for 6 months until I bought the LS. Drove many tractors, talked to many sales people, visited many cities in my quest.

And I am not the one who is talking trash about other peoples tractors - My Mahindra owner neighbor was.

I'm glad that you did some extensive research, that way you have no doubts and you will be happy with what you bought, good for you.:thumbsup:I'm not saying that LS isn't the best bang for the buck right now, IT IS! But for some of you guys to say that another make is junk is not realistic. Pretty much all the tractor makes are fairly equal, especially the Korean manufacturers, all pretty much equal. Sure one company has something that the other doesn't, but for the most part they are all pretty close.

Right now LS is the new retailer on the block and to get into the market they sell their product for a very reasonable price. Nothing wrong with that, seems like they all do it. Bobcat just a few years ago is a good example. In a few years you guys that bought LS tractors now will be glade that you did, because the price will go up and level off with the other companies.

I didn't say that you were talking trash about your buddies Mahindra. What I was and am asking for is what model of Mahindra is it? It's not real hard to talk bad about something that is a bare bones machine when there is a nice piece of machinery right next to it. Just want to know the model so that I can understand what and why the guy doesn't like it.

The main reason for even posting is that in several threads going, it seems like people are not comparing apples to apples. Not putting LS down in anyway. I almost bought one a couple of years ago in a Montana, but I could see that Montana was in trouble so I went elsewhere.

 

[rocknrod]

...The main reason for even posting is that in several threads going, it seems like people are not comparing apples to apples. Not putting LS down in anyway. I almost bought one a couple of years ago in a Montana, but I could see that Montana was in trouble so I went elsewhere.

You can compare all the apples to apples you want - You Pay More for another brand to get the same thing!
Case closed!