Ls tractors

[seijirou]

I'll start by saying that I really like the LS tractors. There is no such thing as a perfect or flawless tractor, and even the best designs will have have failures when you make enough of them.
Anyway, one of the things that helps LS with price is that they have good vertical access internally for manufacturing. LS is part of LG group, same people that make TV's and phones, and 10's of thousands of other things. They're kind of similar to Mitsubishi. They do everything from mining and refining ore to designing and making engines, to designing making electronics and integrated circuits. It helps when department A can buy materials from department B rather than from the global market.

That said...

Hey everybody thank you for the responses, I have done some research and reading and like you guys said I have found nothing negative, with the price and all the good things everyone is saying they seem almost to good to be true. The only negative I see is the only ls dealer is 300 miles from me. I have never seen a Ls tractor in person. The only thing I have not found in my reading is a rear diff lock, do they have one?

If you can't find anything negative you're not looking hard enough.

On that 4000 series in particular do a test before you bring it home. Pick up 800lbs or so in the loader and then see how the front tires turn while sitting still. There's another guy with a 4155 who found that with no more than like 400lbs the front tires won't turn when sitting still. After fighting with the dealer they finally fixed it by replacing the pistons used in the steering with larger bore pistons, which means it's a design defect and not a one-off defect. To LS's credit they made it right for him, perhaps not without a fight, but it's done and he's happy now.

What I can say from personal experience is their tractors do not fit tall people at all, the seat is way too low and the pedals are way too close. I don't understand why, but if I sit on a 3000/3100 series my knees are in my chin trying to work the HST pedals. The 4000/4100's are better but not great. I'm 6'4" so YMMV.

All that said there's a good chance I'll be bringing an LS home in the coming months.

 

[jdom84]

Hey everybody thank you for the responses, I have done some research and reading and like you guys said I have found nothing negative, with the price and all the good things everyone is saying they seem almost to good to be true. The only negative I see is the only ls dealer is 300 miles from me. I have never seen a Ls tractor in person. The only thing I have not found in my reading is a rear diff lock, do they have one?

are you talking about Yellowstone tractor co? That's where I got my little xj2025. They are really friendly people, a no pressure to buying experience. I wouldn't worry to much about them being 300 miles away, Im sure they would take care of you no matter what! I was just over there a few weeks ago, it looked like they just took delivery of a bunch more tractors. Give them a call, then go down and test one out!

 

[AWSubie]

When I bought my tractor it was a toss up between LS and Kioti. The Kioti was heavier, the FEL had a slightly deeper digging depth and the 3 point had slightly increased capacity. The LS had two remotes compared to Kioti's one. In the end the LS was about $550 less expensive than the Kioti but the Kioti dealer was 60 miles closer to me, so I bought the Kioti. If you can find a dealer of any tractor closer to you than 300 miles you should give them some consideration.

 

[George2615]

What I can say from personal experience is their tractors do not fit tall people at all, the seat is way too low and the pedals are way too close. I don't understand why, but if I sit on a 3000/3100 series my knees are in my chin trying to work the HST pedals. The 4000/4100's are better but not great. I'm 6'4" so YMMV.

All that said there's a good chance I'll be bringing an LS home in the coming months.

I'm 6' and have a 3000 series cabbed tractor. I found LS was one of the few tractor brands that fit me with my longer legs and size 13 shoe. To me, the cab seems very roomy and the suspension seat is not too low, and is very comfortable. I did feel cramped and low in the first LS cabbed tractor I sat in but only because the seat was all the way forward. Once I slid it back there was plenty of room. I've never sat on an open station LS so can't speak about comfort on them but would think the seats are adjustable.

 

[Bocephous]

I bought my R4047H 6 years ago and have had no major problems with it in just under 400 hours of use. Tier III tractor, mind you, with the Mitsubishi designed engine.

 

[seijirou]

I'm 6' and have a 3000 series cabbed tractor. I found LS was one of the few tractor brands that fit me with my longer legs and size 13 shoe. To me, the cab seems very roomy and the suspension seat is not too low, and is very comfortable. I did feel cramped and low in the first LS cabbed tractor I sat in but only because the seat was all the way forward. Once I slid it back there was plenty of room. I've never sat on an open station LS so can't speak about comfort on them but would think the seats are adjustable.

That's interesting. I know the seat is a little different on the cabbed tractor, I wonder if maybe it can go farther back or maybe the suspension seat sits up a bit higher, or perhaps a little of both. Is the gas tank still behind the seat on your cab model? I only sat in the open station models. The seat was definitely back, believe me the dealer tried everything to make room and even suggested he could make some stilts to get it up some, lol.

Also is yours a hydrostatic or gear transmission? I ask because it was mainly the hydrostatic pedals that were so close. I wear a 14 shoe but that isn't going to be an appreciable difference from a 13 but there was no way I could run the hydrostatic pedals with my heel on the deck. I didn't sit on a gear tractor but the different pedal arrangement might make all the difference.

Go figure, I didn't sit in any of the cabbed tractors. :confused2:

 

[George2615]

That's interesting. I know the seat is a little different on the cabbed tractor, I wonder if maybe it can go farther back or maybe the suspension seat sits up a bit higher, or perhaps a little of both. Is the gas tank still behind the seat on your cab model? I only sat in the open station models. The seat was definitely back, believe me the dealer tried everything to make room and even suggested he could make some stilts to get it up some, lol.

Also is yours a hydrostatic or gear transmission? I ask because it was mainly the hydrostatic pedals that were so close. I wear a 14 shoe but that isn't going to be an appreciable difference from a 13 but there was no way I could run the hydrostatic pedals with my heel on the deck. I didn't sit on a gear tractor but the different pedal arrangement might make all the difference.

Go figure, I didn't sit in any of the cabbed tractors. :confused2:

Fuel tank on my cabbed tractor is NOT behind the seat. It is behind the left front tire and just under the cab and holds 12 gallons. I have a hydrostatic trans with separate forward and reverse pedals that are spaced apart an inch or so. You don't use your heel to press them. My shoes are 13 by my Lacrosse boots are size 14 wide width and have plenty of room. Never accidentally pressed both pedals at the same time. The pictures on the LS site show the fuel tanks on the XR3XXX-4XXX series under the drivers side step as mine is. Maybe the one you looked at was an older model with the tank behind the seat or an XG series which seem to have the tank behind the seat. If that is the case I could see the seat not going back far enough.

 

[cford36]

If you can't find anything negative you're not looking hard enough.

On that 4000 series in particular do a test before you bring it home. Pick up 800lbs or so in the loader and then see how the front tires turn while sitting still. There's another guy with a 4155 who found that with no more than like 400lbs the front tires won't turn when sitting still. After fighting with the dealer they finally fixed it by replacing the pistons used in the steering with larger bore pistons, which means it's a design defect and not a one-off defect. To LS's credit they made it right for him, perhaps not without a fight, but it's done and he's happy now.

What I can say from personal experience is their tractors do not fit tall people at all, the seat is way too low and the pedals are way too close. I don't understand why, but if I sit on a 3000/3100 series my knees are in my chin trying to work the HST pedals. The 4000/4100's are better but not great. I'm 6'4" so YMMV.

All that said there's a good chance I'll be bringing an LS home in the coming months.

In regards to the guy that had the turning issue, that was 1 tractor that had that issue. Not a series but 1 individuals tractor. There were plenty of other LS owners with that model and others that viewed that thread and not one had the same problem. In my opinion that was an issue specific with that person's tractor and also in my opinion there is another cause than what the dealer "fixed". The dealer took the easy way out and just increased the size of the actuator, compensating for some other issue. But again, IF this was an issue at least one other person would have said that they also have had or heard of this and that was not the case.

In regards to seat and pedals, I have a XR3135HC, I'm 5'10" and have the seat about half way back. I can't see how it can't go far enough back. The seat height is also adjustable and calibrated to a person's weight. To my knowledge the 3000/4000 and 3100/4100 series tractors are basically set up the same whether cab or open station. In these models the fuel tank is by the left step. The XG and XJ series have the fuel filler on the hood. The only series that looks like it has the tank in the back is the MT125 series. (Smallest, sub-compact LS builds) I'm curious what model you were testing that had the tank behind the seat.

To the OP, in any case, I would highly recommend looking at LS (from a former JD owner). Find out what models fit your needs and then take a drive and sit on and drive them. I would not be concerned with the distance to the dealer.

 

[cford36]

I stand corrected on the tank on the XG. Looking at more pictures it looks like the XG3000/3100 series have the tank behind the seat. I could see where this might limit travel. In that case I would suggest looking at the XJ or XR models. There have been several people that purchased the MT series that said they were over 6' and said it was comfortable.

 

[lostcreekranch]

My new XR4155HC has a different seat from the seat on my prior XR4046HC. The XR4155HC seat goes back further, has a reclining seat back, and adjustable arm rests. The adjustable seat suspension is also improved.

Overall better “space” than the XR4046HC IMHO.