New Holland Boomer 35 or 40 good tractors or too early to tell

[xtn]

I have no doubt that the LS tractors are good even if I think the Shibaura Boomers were more refined. The folks in the LS Forum here on TBN seem to love their machines. What I am curious about is if you want an LS tractor, why don't you buy from an LS dealer instead of buying a NH version that may be orphaned?

The answer has two parts:
1. Because there is a NH dealer around here, and
2. Because I'm a moron who didn't do enough research to know the things you have just taught me.

xtn (now trying to decide if he would have rather remained ignorant)

 

[jinman]

The answer has two parts:
1. Because there is a NH dealer around here, and
2. Because I'm a moron who didn't do enough research to know the things you have just taught me.

xtn (now trying to decide if he would have rather remained ignorant)

Well, I think you are being a little hard on yourself. If you have a NH dealer close and they seem to have good service, then that reason can override having the same tractor at a smaller LS dealer. Making you feel bad is not why I posted my question. I was just curious if you actually made a comparison and thought about what might happen in the future. New Holland has been struggling for a source for tractors since it seems their relationship with Shibaura has soured. Those of us who have Shibaura based tractors have to wonder what our future with NH is also.

 

[Reg]

Appreciate the comments. Will be looking hard at a Boomer 35 tomorrow and will probably end up in the same boat as you.

Thought a lot about the 40/50 platform but that would mean larger implements which of course means money and the bleeding has to stop somewhere.....:confused2:

WHOA !!!
Don't rush too quickly to the conclusion that larger implements cost more.
There are homeowner fold over price points to consider, i.e. "Agriculture scale" implements are sometimes cheaper than their much smaller "Homeowner" wannabees simply because "Farmers" (whoever THEY are) are more price/value conscious than homeowners (whoever THEY may be).

There is generally more margin in the homeowner stuff, although SOME of it has been sacrificed in the current economic climate.

BTW, you can DO MORE with the larger implements - so the value proposition is SO much better (-:

 

[I have no memory]

Personally, I would buy an NH LS model before I bought a NH Shibaura model beause they truly are orphaned now.

#1 Unlike LS, they have no dealer network of there own.
#2 New Holland is moving away from them because their expensive. So, IF you can get parts there still going to be expensive.
#3 It's my understanding that Shibaura was sold to Daedong and it's production, (if it continues), could possibly move to Korea. What's that mean for parts availability?
#4 Shibaura has a Shibaura engine while LS has a Mitsubishi. The Mitsubishi engines in the LS tractors are all over the place in generators, excavators, welders, etc. They are good engines and parts can be had at any number of places for them.

BTW - I believe the engine in the Model 40-50 is a Mitsubishi engine made by LS but I'm not sure. In the 30-35 it's a true Mitsubishi.

I think you did just fine XTN.

 

[barbqranch]

I don't know what will happen to parts for a NH Shibaura, but just because something is orphaned doesn't mean it isn't supported by someone. I can still buy almost any part I want for my Nash Metropolitan. Having a resource like TractorByNet will make it much easier, as knowledge is so easily spread throughout the owners.

 

[I have no memory]

I would hope that you should still be able to buy parts. My response was to jinman who said don't buy an NH made by LS because it could be orphaned. Didn't make much sense whne Shibaura is in essence already orphaned.

History generally repeats itself and it is one fear I have with all these compact/utility tractors. In the 80's Allis Chalmers imported Japanese compact tractors and small utility tractors. I can't recall the manufacturer but they were superior to anything on the market at the time and were extremely reliable. Unfortunately that company went out of business and parts for those tractors are now extremely difficult to find and have been for some time.

Shibaura being bought by Daedong and being released by NH has some not so good vibes IMO.

I think the LS tractors are good and have some good features and are being supported by a company with lots of capital, (LG). They have been around for at least 20 years maybe more and they are getting more and more refined. Are they as refined as a Shibaura...nope. But, they are close enough to consider IMO and as I said I like the engines better.

 

[houstonscott]

"These are the new LS built machines and based on some previous posts here I have concerns about these tractors."

What posts are you talking about? Frankly from what I see from TBN posts the most problem tractors are Kobota's, just my observation. I see the least with LS and Iseki, and MF 1600's. I know this will spark some talk but when I went looking for a tractor to buy, I too thought KUBOTA, KUBOTA, I was floored to find all the posts of problems. Frankly I rate LS above both Kubota and NH, in the compact sizes. I would rate a Yanmar above both also.

HS

HS

 

[Radiater]

"These are the new LS built machines and based on some previous posts here I have concerns about these tractors."

What posts are you talking about? Frankly from what I see from TBN posts the most problem tractors are Kobota's, just my observation. I see the least with LS and Iseki, and MF 1600's. I know this will spark some talk but when I went looking for a tractor to buy, I too thought KUBOTA, KUBOTA, I was floored to find all the posts of problems. Frankly I rate LS above both Kubota and NH, in the compact sizes. I would rate a Yanmar above both also.

HSHS

I did a search and found some NH owners expressing concerns about the perceived "cheapness" of the LS tractors and a perception that this was a short contract deal for NH and that LS may not be a long term supplier leading to parts shortages/repair issues.

 

[houstonscott]

Looked at Kubota and LS looks like a higher quality build to me than Kubota. Seem welds, fit, finish, design, quality of materials all same or better on LS than Kubota. I also think the two main engines use by LS, Mitsubishi S4QL, and S4S are superior to any Kubota engine. You sure Kubota is not just a name now, and LS is where Kubota was in the 80's. S. Korea is eclipsing Japanese products on all fronts, just like Samsung and Sony. It's just hard for the die hards to admit. Turns their worlds upside down. Never though I would own anything but a Sony TV years ago but that plasma Samsung blow Sony away. Thought I would own a Kubota when the time came for a tractor, but LS smokes them. New design, new factory and modern robotic assembly and LS is out front. Kubota is like Chev was just resting on loyalty and dealer network to carry them while competition just passed them by. I think Kubota is over priced, old design, quality has suffered, and dealers are fat bloated and arrogant.

HS

 

[jinman]

What I am curious about is if you want an LS tractor, why don't you buy from an LS dealer instead of buying a NH version that may be orphaned? If NH elects to change suppliers again, will support for the LS machines be up to par? . . .anybody's guess. Will you have to seek support from an LS dealer? I just think if I were buying a new tractor and liked the LS models, I'd want to see if I could not find a better deal and long-term support in a dedicated LS dealer.

My response was to jinman who said don't buy an NH made by LS because it could be orphaned.

Please quote me correctly. What I said was that a better deal and better support might come from a dedicated LS dealer. Asking "why buy" is not saying "don't buy." If you feel the service department and people at a nearby NH dealership are superior to the small LS dealer down the road, then by all means buy at the NH dealership. That doesn't mean you can't go down the road and see what kind of deal you could get at the LS dealer. It's always good to shop around.:thumbsup: