LS vs New Holland vs Kioti vs Mahindra

[blb078]

I have been looking at getting my first tractor. Looked at Deere and Kubota and almost had my mind made up until I found out about Kioti, LS, and Mahindra. All 3 where cheaper than the orange/green tractors by a lot. I'm leaning towards an LS because the dealer is only about 15 minutes aways vs 90 minutes for the Kioti dealer. The Kubota dealer also deals with NH tractors. My concern with the LS the dealer has only been selling them for about a year. I'm looking at the xr3135hc or xr4140hc. With the dealer only selling them for about a year and LS not being as popular as Kubota or Deere another concern is getting part if this dealer decides to stop selling them or something happens with LS all together. It doesn't look like NH has a comparable to the 3100 and 4100 series yet as their Boomer's where more comparable to the 3000 and 4000 series LS tractors. So do you think NH will eventually have a LS equivalent to the 3100 and 4100 series tractors? Like I said, my main thing is thinking down the road 5-10+ years and getting parts if LS is re branded, no longer around, or something else. Thanks

Brian

 

[blb078]

PARAGRAPH.

Use Edit Post.

No offense but if you can't read that w/o needing paragraph breaks you should probably stay of the net. It's not a large paragraph to begin with. That or maybe you should spend the few hours posting the same thing in hundreds of other threads that have longer paragraphs than mine. So if you can't contribute to the answers I'm looking for or provide constructive info, don't post in the thread please. No need to reply as I already know your answer.

 

[paulfun9]

I am not one to keep track of all the models from each manufacture BUT my understanding is that LS builds tractors for NH. When I was last shopping I was able to find a NH that was basically the same as each of the LS models I looked at. Slight difference on some cosmetic parts and a different blue color but the same tractor under the cosmetics.

 

[chim]

The last part of your first post regarding the staying power would be a concern for me as well. A couple guys in our company decided to go tractor shopping about 8 years ago and bought a Montana (LS) because it was green sorta like a JD and they misread the specs. We had some electrical trouble. The loader is terrible to remove /reinstall and can't lift and curl at the same time. One numbskull broke the dash and it took months to get a replacement because parts weren't available in the continental US.

The dealer who is at least an hour away never seemed very professional nor helpful. I have never been to the dealership but get the impression it's a real shoestring operation. There are plenty of real dealers of various colored tractors much closer to us and they stock or can get parts quickly.

I've seen posts by LS owners who are very satisfied with their tractors so I assume the tractors bearing the LS badge are a cut above the Montana we have.

 

[coobie]

I have been looking at getting my first tractor. Looked at Deere and Kubota and almost had my mind made up until I found out about Kioti, LS, and Mahindra. All 3 where cheaper than the orange/green tractors by a lot. I'm leaning towards an LS because the dealer is only about 15 minutes aways vs 90 minutes for the Kioti dealer. The Kubota dealer also deals with NH tractors. My concern with the LS the dealer has only been selling them for about a year. I'm looking at the xr3135hc or xr4140hc. With the dealer only selling them for about a year and LS not being as popular as Kubota or Deere another concern is getting part if this dealer decides to stop selling them or something happens with LS all together. It doesn't look like NH has a comparable to the 3100 and 4100 series yet as their Boomer's where more comparable to the 3000 and 4000 series LS tractors. So do you think NH will eventually have a LS equivalent to the 3100 and 4100 series tractors? Like I said, my main thing is thinking down the road 5-10+ years and getting parts if LS is re branded, no longer around, or something else. Thanks

Brian

Out of those 4 tractors you have listed my choice would be Mahindra or Kioti.They seem to be doing well and have been established now for quite sometime.As someone else pointed out I think New holland & LS are somewhat the same tractor..

 

[Turbys_1700]

Your concerns are legitimate. LS is not going anywhere IMHO but dealership stability may be problematic. Kubota, Deere, New Holland, are the gold standard concerning dealerships and part support. Kioti and Mahindra are right there too. LS is a fine product and I would have no qualms in buying one if I had solid dealership close by. My local dealership took Kubota when the local Kubota-Massey-LS dealership closed shop. They did not take LS. They had added Mahindra several years earlier and did not need a 4th manufacturer to support.

It's you call. My personal preference would be Kubota and Deere. If I was set on a New Holland I would get the LS equivalent and save some $$$.

 

[CreekyB]

The machines you listed are all good machines, some have longer running good reputations than others. Either dealership proximity and reputation matters to you or it does not. Seems to be a personal choice.

My method since I was having trouble making up my mind is to get package quotes from all the dealers with financing and what my payments would be.

I added up the payments and chose the cheapest one

Was Kubota for me due to the 0% financing.

 

[skidsareforkids]

I was worried about LS longevity when I bought my XR4040, however I still bought it. I'm glad I did it's a very capable machine and I'm happy with the dealer I bought it from. He is over an hour away, but I wasn't planning to need him that much and his shipping rates on parts is very good. Since then another dealer closer to me has started carrying LS. It's nice to see their dealer line growing.

LS and NH are the same tractor, I would assume the XR41** and XR31** series might have different engines than the comparable NH. The difference between the XR41** and XR40** is simply the engine. My 4040 has a shibaura engine. The 4140 has a new design LS engine. Be interesting to see if NH picks those up. My dealer had been to Korea on a factory tour. He's got a really neat picture of a NH coming down the line right after a LS.

 

[N2DFire]

As others have stated already - LS builds tractors for other manufacturers, including New Holland. Therefore even if you lost direct dealer support - parts should still be available via NH.

When we were tractor shopping, one of the big issues we ran into with both NH and Massey (and I can only assume it would be the same with LS) was that the operator station size & geometry was such that my father (over 6 Ft tall & neuropathy in his lower legs & feet) was unable to operate the clutch pedal without a good bit of struggling. Both Kioti & Mahindra were much more comfortable to him( So be sure to seat test & test drive if possible before you decide).

Subsequently those were our final two picks & Kioti won on price.

 

[Piston]

I wouldn't let the proximity of the dealership sway your decision on which make to go with. A lot of people stress the importance of the relationship with your dealer, or rather "over stress" the relationship.

There are always exceptions, but it is highly unlikely that you will need to visit the dealer very often.

I wouldn't hesitate to go with any of the brands you mentioned, and I don't think there is any better/worse chance of not being able to find parts for Kioti or LS.

Buying a tractor today is a tough decision, mostly because any new tractor is going to be a great one, and you really have to split hairs and study/research the heck out of all of them just to find nit picks and reasons not to choose one over the other.

I think the easiest way to rule out a manufacturer, is to use the dealer excuse of not being close enough. It's an easy excuse, but more of a justification verse actual importance.