Help on new purchase

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

To avoid the trap I fell into I think everyone shopping for a tractor should read this article: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/herdinstinct.asp

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I will also add in that anytime you are looking at contenders to the established brands/investments you have to understand they will always carry more risk. In the investment world we call that a risk premium. That's why they are priced a good bit below the established companies. You are getting a break for being willing to take the risk of buying them. If you do your research and know what you're in for you can usually come out on top with value buys but like anything that carries risk sometimes you don't. And I think that is what needs to be adequately considered by buyers when they are looking in this direction. I think it's false and misleading to lead consumers to believe they are going to get the same experience with a value brand/buy that they would get with a well established company. In some areas they do but in other areas they don't. But if you can save $6K-$12K it may be more then worth it to give up some of the convivences and securities that come with the big gorillas.

 

[steig]

7K difference buys some nice implements. Go with the LS. I have a New Holland Workmaster 25S (Basically an LS), trading it for for a LS MT225S.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I think it's false and misleading to lead consumers to believe they are going to get the same experience with a value brand/buy that they would get with a well established company.

Really? I got a far better experience / treatment by your so called "value brand" than I got from the "established" brands of Kubota and JD..... and I tried 2 different dealers of both. They couldn't be bothered to sell me one of their overpriced tractors!

I didn't even know about Kioti or LS until their salesmen started bad mouthing them. I am glad they helped me .... after being frustrated by both of those established brands, I researched Branson, Kioti, and LS.

I am very glad I did! Got a two better spec'd tractors, the first one saving almost $6K, and the second saving $10K over the "established brands".

I delt with two different LS dealers, almost 1000 miles away from each other, so no competition between them. They both went above and beyond for me on both sales. Then continued to go above and beyond after the sale.

It was funny that while at the JD dealership, the sales guy was bragging about their service dept and how many tractors were there to be serviced....When I asked him WHY there were so many there, he just stuttered with his words and couldn't provide an answer....

The ones that are spreading false and misleading info are those "established" brands..... they are very afraid of their competitors.... all they can do is bad mouth them....

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I understand that some buyers need to have a reputable dealer to service whatever brand they buy.... and a lot of buyers don't.

With over 600 combined hours on both of the LS tractors, neither one has been back to the dealers. Never had a problem with either one.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Really? I got a far better experience / treatment by your so called "value brand" than I got from the "established" brands of Kubota and JD..... and I tried 2 different dealers of both. They couldn't be bothered to sell me one of their overpriced tractors!

Same here LS. What I meant by that statement is things like the ease and convenience of having a close dealer, the dealer having a mobile service truck, the longevity of the dealer, the ease of making warranty claims, contacting the manufacturer etc.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

With both of my 'value brand' tractors, the two different dealers both went above and beyond after the sale, taking care of a couple of problems.

On the first tractor, it was a new model and I got one of the first couple hundred sold. 8 months later, there was a design change to eliminate not a problem, but more of a 'convenience' issue. There was no service bulletin or recall. They didn't have to do anything for me.....there was no issue involving warranty or operation of the tractor.

The dealer understood my concern/ frustration with the issue.... He called the regional rep with my concerns. The regional rep worked with the dealer and within a couple of weeks, I had the factory retrofit kit at my door. They really didn't have to provide it.... and being over 500 miles away from them, they knew I wasn't going to show up at their door! They just did the "right thing" to maintain a customer.

So, on my second LS (purchased from a different dealer, also 500+ miles away), upon delivery, there were some large scratches on the fender and metal covers under the seat (the seat assembly had to be removed to install rear remotes). A bolt was broken on the step where it mounted. I called up the dealer and voiced my dissatisfaction with the issues. There wasn't any argument at all....

He immediately said he would send out (ship) the materials to fix it. Not only did he send 2 cans of the touch up paint, but a small paint prep kit. For the broken bolt he sent a few bolts, and a complete set of 'easy outs' tools. In addition ---- a set of filters for the first service and a set of the radiator genies, just "for my trouble". He explained that he had a new prep tech that apparently wasn't very good at his job.... which he let go.

After about 10 months of ownership, I noticed that the floorboard on the step side was flexing a bit when stepping onto the tractor. There was a bolt that came loose and apparently the flexing caused the rolled edge of the floorboard to start cracking..... definitely NOT a warranty issue (I didn't notice the loose bolt or the flexing for quite a while). I called the dealer and sent him a picture. No problem, he said, and sent me a new replacement floorboard under warranty. I just had to send the cracked one back.

On this same tractor, I crushed a hydraulic hose on the backhoe due to my own fault of not paying attention. I called the dealer and told him what I did. Again, no question, he sent a replacement hose out that day!

This is how to form a customer relationship. He will have my future business for sure! I think I surely got my "value" from LS.

I could post many more examples of how these two dealers were trying to build a dedicated customer relationship, from the initial buying process to after the sale.

In comparison, I went to the local Kubota dealer to buy some hydraulic fluid. Walked up to the counter and was waiting to pay.... and waited, and waited.... all while the guy was sitting there on the computer. He couldn't just stop for the minute to ring up the sale? ---- I left the jug sitting on the counter and left. This was the same place that couldn't be bothered to sell me a tractor. I won't go back.....

That dealer has been 'established' for over 30 years. They feel they are the only Kubota dealer in the area and have a "captive" customer..... if you don't like how they do business.... oh well....
The local JD dealer has the same attitude!

Yes, dealer attitude / reputation has a big part of the experience with ANY brand... there are good ones and bad ones out there. I have just found that the 'value brands' are far more humble and willing to do the right thing. When I was initially shopping/researching, In my experience (and opinion), the Kioti, Branson, and LS dealers were far more responsive to my inquiries than any of the big brands.

OK, I'll get off the podium now.....

 

[Buggs67]

7K difference buys some nice implements. Go with the LS. I have a New Holland Workmaster 25S (Basically an LS), trading it for for a LS MT225S.

My BIL bought an LS MT225e after looking around a lot. He said it appears the NH and LS are the same tractor (at this level), you just pay more for the NH stickers. He is very happy with his tractor which is the equivalent of my CK2510 in performance, although slightly smaller and lighter. And being 6 years newer it has all kinds of nice features like QA FEL and a better seat and power outlets (both 12V and USB) and tilt wheel.

I like my Kioti just fine but all the connection points/joints have loosened up after 850 hours combined FEL & Bh work. The floppy bucket bothers me but not enough to buy a new tractor. I believe he paid $20K out the door; TBL with Big Foot on outriggers and a QA fork set and loaded rears..

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

"......which is the equivalent of my CK2510 in performance, although slightly smaller and lighter."......

The LS 225E is the equivalent of the Kioti CK2610 .... in size and specs.

I think you were referring to the CK2510 being just slightly smaller?

Either way, the Kioti's and the LS tractors are great machines, along with the Bransons, TYM's, Masseys, and NH.

All these brands are gaining ground on "the big 2", because they have higher specs and include more features.

 

[Buggs67]

"......which is the equivalent of my CK2510 in performance, although slightly smaller and lighter."......

The LS 225E is the equivalent of the Kioti CK2610 .... in size and specs.

I think you were referring to the CK2510 being just slightly smaller?

Either way, the Kioti's and the LS tractors are great machines, along with the Bransons, TYM's, Masseys, and NH.

All these brands are gaining ground on "the big 2", because they have higher specs and include more features.

Nope. My CK2510 is larger and heavier than my BIL's LS. But the LS is a powerful machine.