TSO
Elite Member
... like the title says, I have her all loaded up, and I'm trading her in. It came down to me HATING the shuttle shift. Well, to clarify, I really like it for some things: plowing, grading the driveway, brush cutting, etc. But, with the amount of loader work I do, having the shuttle vs Hydrostat is awful! After only an hour or so, my left (clutch) foot is aching, my left knee is sore, and my left hand is sick of shifting Forward to Backward. So, I figured since I only have around 50 hrs, and a couple payments on her, I should look into trading her in and getting a HST.
The nice thing about this is that it gave me the opportunity to shop-around again, and compare the other brands based on my local dealers, and my criteria. Basically, I tried to find the biggest HST Compact tractors with the best loader specs. I did not bother with John Deere or Massey, as their pricing is way too high, and their loaders are underpowered compared with the other brands. I did not include New Holland for obvious reasons. I did not include TYM or McCormick, mainly because of lack of dealer support.
In the end, I narrowed it down to the following: LS R4041/47, Kioti DK40/50se, Mahindra 4035/5035, Kubota MX5100, and Yanmar LX4500. All of these tractors are pretty close spec-wise. The Mahindra 5035 was the biggest & strongest by far, but as you'll see below, wasn't cheap!
- Clearly, the biggest drawback for the LS is the loader LIFT height and Dump Clearance. It averages about a foot shorter than the other tractors. But, the price point is drastically cheaper than the others.
- My closest dealer (less than 3 miles) is Kubota, and I got some time sitting on the MX5100. In case you're wondering, I didn't bother comparing the MX4700, because it doesn't come standard with telescoping 3pt arms, and uses the same loader as the 5100. I liked that the operators area was more spacious than the LS. But, I didn't like the location of some of the controls, and seemed like they weren't very well thought out at all. It also didn't come standard with remotes, and the dealer quoted $700/installed per remote.
- I've already had seat time comparing the Kioti models and they are also more comfortable in the operators area.
- The Yanmar dealer is close by also, and there were some things I liked about the layout of the LX series tractors, especially when it comes to built-in storage, and a 12-v outlet. But, the fit & finish wasn't that great, and it honestly didn't feel as well-built as the rest of the tractors.
- The Mahindra's are definitely more beefy tractors. The 5035 is a beast, but consequently weights nearly 2000lbs more than the LS!
Of course, another big factor was what they were all willing to give me on trade-in price. Being that I've only had her for a few months and 50ish hours, I knew I'd be taking a big hit. I paid $19,200 for mine... and the average trade-in they were willing to give was around $15-16k. The common response was "I know it's a nice tractor, but most people don't know about LS yet, and because of name recognition, I would have a hard time selling it used." (paraphrased).
I tried, once again, calling the LS/Kioti dealer that I originally tried to shop with, to give them another chance to make a sale if I was going with Kioti or LS... they LITERALLY would not return my phone calls. I don't know how they (Aeschliman's equipment) stay in business.
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So anyhow, after lots of phone calls I made my decision, loaded up my tractor, and am heading to the dealership. I will post back later in the appropriate forum-section with the new tractor. It's been fun! See y'all!