A Merry Christmas to all!
I would like to thank everyone for their input. Definitely gave me a lot of points to consider in my purchase. My decision came down to these criteria: Brand reputation / reliability, Dealer reputation / proximity, machine specs, personal feel, and pricing. No one I spoke w/ had any experience w/ Kioti or LS. While both may be great machines, I wasn't comfortable considering something that I couldn't get personal feedback on. Also, neither brand had a dealer within a comfortable distance. I checked w/ 2 Deere dealers and wasn't happy w/ the pricing. Spoke w/ and visited a Mahindra dealer, and 2 Kubota dealers. (Also spoke by phone w/ 2 other Kubota dealers) All 3 dealers I visited were within about an hour's drive, were very helpful, knowledgeable, and let me operate different machines. I spoke w/ several friends, and friends of friends regarding brands and models. One runs a landscaping / contracting business. He's owned several brands and multiple models of each, and dealt w/ various dealers. I even got to operate some of his equipment. As for seat time, I operated 2 Mahindra Max and 4 Kubota's Bs, all in the 23 -29 HP range. Specs on comparable machines were pretty much a wash, as both brands are quite capable. From a personal point of view, I preferred the way the Kubota felt. As stated elsewhere, it felt more refined, more ergonomic. Again, just a personal feeling. Based on the information I gathered, I narrowed my selection to a Kubota B2620 w/ the LA364 and BH65. Highly recommended, proven machine w/ well established dealers nearby. I requested and received quotes from 4 separate dealers. I made it clear, I didn't intend to nickel and dime anyone, I understand everyone needs to make a living. I'm getting multiple quotes, so please make your best offer. Based on the 15% below list advice I received here, I chose the dealer that came closest to that number. Over $1000 less than the next best offer. Not sure if it helped but the friend w/ the Landscape business buys all his equipment there. (Number was actually over $1000 lower than the price originally quoted for the Max24!) I picked my new tractor up last Saturday!:dance1: With the holidays and the rainy weather we've had I haven't had more than about ten minutes of seat time, but hope to change that soon!
Again, "Thank You!" to all who took the time to offer advice. I'm looking forward to many hours of hard work w/ my new tractor. Also looking forward to future posts on TBN in the owning operating, attachments, and customization forums to name a few. I've already got LED lights and rocker switches ordered, but that's for another thread!