Comparison Help Me Decide Narrowed Down to LS or Kioti

[paulfun9]

I would think that if all you did was PTO implement work, that the location would be of some importance, other wise I agree with you, wouldn't make much difference.

I use my PTO regularly. Problem is that even when running it for hours on end, lets say cutting the grass with a rear mower or cutting the field with a bush hog I still use everything else much more. When I start a field I turn it on and in most cases don't shut it off till I am out of fuel and need to refuel or the job is done which ever comes first. In winter time with a blower on I use the on off once per driveway and the loader, gears and diff lock will see more use by me than the PTO switch for that as well. I am however inclined to agree that if I was using a wood chipper, splitter or an auger I would be using the switch much more often but then being that its on the dash I would assume its better placed for that use as I would much rather reach in to the dash from the outside as opposed to reaching around to the side of the seat. But again most times I use the auger I have a helper so even that becomes a wash.

No matter how I slice it In my mind its like being worried over weather or not your next car will have controls for the radio built into the steering wheel. Its just not a concern because the radio is so close and easy to reach it wouldn't bother me unless I was to change the station every second and had to keep my hand out there for hours at a time.

Maybe its just me but I don't think anyone will be using the ON/OFF for the PTO nearly as much as say a loader valve that is mounted out there on the loader or maybe a range shifter that is oddly placed or gets in your way .

Based on his first post I would be more concerned about the back hoe specs being less on one opposed to the other but Defiantely not the PTO switch placement or if it has an auto on off. My questions were there to help him look at it from a more realistic perspective rather than just a specification on a sheet of paper. When I purchased my last tractor it had to be able to reach up over and dump cleanly into my truck so it was a real need for me to pay attention but for many others the height they will envision will be much lower like a construction dumpster or a much smaller dump truck.

Overall I like both tractors and brands. Right now I would give the edge to the LS if I was buying because the lag time on the HST pedal of the NX would drive me absolutely insane and override the fact that the XR range shifter makes me move my leg slightly inward when in High range. I would ask if its possible to get the next size up backhoe on the LS if I was concerned about the specs of that. For most of my work the standard fit would be more than adequate but then again I have a much bigger hoe for bigger jobs.

 

[blb078]

Loader specs aside, are the dealers you are shopping worthy of your business?

So far yes, both have been very helpful and neither been pushy trying to make a sale.

 

[kromc5]

When I was looking I went to the dealer in Wendell NC who had both LS and Kioti. For the me the kioti was an easy choice, cab was bigger and I preferred the control layout.

 

[rgr33]

rgr33, if you had the kioti would the height still be an issue? Specs only show it about a foot difference but looking at the pics in the link even though it's not a kioti you can see a pretty big difference in height.[/QUOTE]

Yes the Kioti would have a higher reach, but I Only use the top shelf for rarely used small items, the substantial discount I received was worth putting up with the inconvenience a couple times a year. I don't do much bucket work, probably 90% pallet fork use.

 

[N2DFire]

Here is where I'm hung up though. Obviously the LS is cheaper and has a longer warranty. What I like about the kioti is the loader lifts higher and I do like the ergonomics of the cab layout with the pto switch and throttle being on the right side, it also has auto pto. The LS I like the instrument panel better and the seat has 2 armrests vs 1 in the Kioti. But the loader doesn't lift as high by a little over a foot. The pto switch is also to the right of the steering wheel along with the throttle which is common on a lot but not as ergonomically nice as the kioti, and no auto pto.

Hey Brian,

A lot of folks seem to be tracking on your loader height issue so I'm going to take a different approach. You picked out some pretty specific points about ergonomics & control location so that indicates these are important to you as well.

Some things you can acclimate to easily, some will frustrate you forever. Decide which tractor feels best / most natural to you. Now think about how much seat time you plan to have over the life of this tractor. Is any potential cost savings (factored over the life of the tractor) worth not being as comfortable as possible while operating?

When my father and I were tractor shopping back in late 2014 we tossed out 2 or 3 brands before we ever even talked price with the dealer because they just weren't comfortable for my father (He's over 6 ft and Compact Utility Tractors are nothing if not compact), we tossed out certain models / lines because we wanted a fender mounted loader control because that's what we were "used to"

It's your money & your comfort, you have to find the balance point that suits you best.

Best of luck in your decision & future projects.

 

[realhunter]

That's strange... My 2016 LS XR4150 has auto PTO :thumbsup:

 

[blb078]

That's strange... My 2016 LS XR4150 has auto PTO :thumbsup:

Was it an option or standard?

 

[realhunter]

Was it an option or standard?

STANDARD

 

[DK35vince]

My Kioti DK has the auto PTO and I never use it.
Don't really see the point of it myself, when its so easy to simply flip the switch manually.