i like that rule of thumb about the 5 pto for every foot of mower. i use a 6ft mower so that will be just fine i think. i just ran up to the LS dealer and he quoted me a price of $22400 for the LS SR4040H...does that jive with what u are seeing in ur area? he said its exactly the same machine as the 4046h just 6 les hp. i really like it but i haven't drove it yet due to the fact that it was buried in snow and it's currently around 10 degrees at the moment. my friend is concerned with me buying an "off brand" due to the fact that he watched the same dealership that i just went to sell "montana's" and "mccormick's" and he said that he wonders if u can even get parts for them anymore since they've went out of business. would that need to be any concern for buying a LS since a previous poster said that LS makes the boomer and the case?
Yes, the LS XR4040H is the same machine as the XR4046H with a bit less power (same engine, different tuning), and the price sounds about right. That will be more than enough to run a 6' brush hog.
Right now the fact that LS makes the same machines for Case and NH, is a positive thing...or at least it seems that way to me. The more machines sold (total), the more parts will be required, so there's a market to be served, and profited from. It will be in LS' interest to stick around and supply those parts over time. Further, if they weren't serious about the SCUT/CUT tractor market in the U.S. they wouldn't have started selling under their own name.
I wasn't concerned with the McCormick and Montana history, because those companies had problems, not LS. I don't the same thing will happen to CaseIH, or LS, and LS has been one of, if not the fastest growing tractor brand the last few years. One thing to consider is that LS is a spinoff of LG, which is a massive company, and is controlled by the same family....they have very deep pockets. Some people have suggested they're keeping their tractors at rock bottom prices to gain market share, and then they'll crank the prices up. This is the model that Hyundai, and Kia, followed....you can now buy a $75K Hyundai! There is actually some family history common between Hyundai and LS if my memory is correct. The Korean companies are being very aggressive, and this seems like more proof of that.
In all fairness, my LS wasn't perfect (no tractor is) and I always wished that it had a bit more FEL lift height, but I don't think that would bother many people. It could have had a bit more foot room, and a seat that went farther back, but those two things seem to be improved on the XR series. Other than that, I can't see many machines offering as much in the value department.
