LS or Massey sub and small compacts

[Raines]

The first 6' that I had was the County Line from TSC. I liked that they stocked the spindles, belts, pulleys, and wheels right in the store. Never needed any, but nice to know the wear parts were easily available. They were not cheap though.

The one I have now is from "Betsco". I like it a little bit better. They ship anywhere to your door for free. They stock parts, and are about half price. Here is a link:
FH-FM Finish Mower | Betstco Sales, Parts, and Service:

They run great sales, a 10% off sale just ended. In the spring, they run a 20% off sale. My neighbor purchased a 60" for his 225-S this past spring for $1099 during the sale. I got my 72" for $1200. So far they have been really good.

They also have brush mowers, but I don't have any experience with them. Check out their site. My other neighbor has one of their flail mowers, he likes it a lot.

Ok thanks. That is a great price for a 72 inch mower!

 

[Raines]

I have a GC 1720 and love it so far. Done dozens of stumps and trenches with the Backhoe. With the toothbar on the FEL have done some land clearing.
Pallet forks to move chipper, wood rounds and lift trees to cut them up and split.
Small enough to get in between buildings and trees.
I added 2" spacers to each rear wheel to get stability on the hills here, have 6 acres, 2 acres of fields and 4 forest.
Fits in my garage with the rops down.
Moved 10 tons of gravel and lots of dirt to fill in sunken areas in my lower fields.

Sit on the tractors you are looking at, list all you want to do and make sure whatever you buy is big enough for your needs.
How much land, food plots, driveway to fix , woods to tame - these are all the things you need to think about- and go as large as you can.

The SCUTS are small and I know people who have 30 Acres and it's enough, but 1-7 acres is about the limit before you think of a CUT from what I see in my area. So your area and needs are important to get into the shopping equation.

I forgot to say I have 3 acres mowable, 2 acres of woods which is mostly along a tree line with a creek inside that I want to clear underbrush and gave accessibility to the creek and incorporate it into the yard . I don't want to get rid of the trees as I like having that. Just maybe trim them up and clear out underneath . I have a 250 foot long gravel driveway approximately. I actually want to dig it out and install cobblestone pavers eventually as I have a wholesale place I can buy leftover/discontinued pavers for really cheap. And I love the look of pavers. This is the one project I was a little concerned about that might be too much for a scut as I don't know if I can use a box blade to dig out the gravel or just try to loosen it up with the backhoe and then use front loader to remove. My driveway is pretty solid gravel. Other than that everything I plan on doing I am positive a scut can handle.

 

[kenmbz]

They will handle dismantling the driveway, but it will be slow going.

 

[Raines]

I purchased an MT125 TLB early 2017. I used it for 2 years, 220 hours, no problems. I used the tractor for installing a complete septic system, footers for the new house, grading, installation of a driveway, trenches for electric and water lines, etc.... it did everything I asked of it. I also ran a 6' finish mower on it without any problems. The biggest drawback is you are not going to do anything fast.... you will be able to get it done, just a little longer...

I sold the 125 just after two years of use, for the same as I purchased it for, to the first person that looked at it.

I then purchased a 2019 XG3025 (the same tractor as the MT225E). My XG actually has the same new loader and backhoe as the 225E. It was one of the last XG's off the line before they changed it to the MT225E designation. It is at least 2 sizes bigger than the 125, over 3x the weight. I am extremely pleased with the 3025/225E. Much more capable in the lifting / digging/ loader capabilities. The 125 had a 50" bucket, the 225E has a 66" bucket.

I now have 185 hours on the XG3025 in 18 months, no problems whatsoever! Again, working it hard.... foundation for an oversized 2 car garage / shop, spread / moved / graded almost 200 tons of crushed gravel road base, and mowing duty (this year was very light due to the drought we're having). I just put on a hydraulic toplink, a sidelink will be in the near future, making the tractor even more capable. (Whatever tractor you choose, you may want to get the rear remotes installed at time of purchase, if you have a future need for them)

My neighbor purchased a new MT225-S a few months ago and he loves it. Definitely more maneuverable than mine, gets into tighter spaces for sure. His BH has almost identical specs as mine, but the loader is basically the same specs as the 125, with just a little more reach / height than the 125. His bucket is also the 50". He has not had any problems with it, we just did his 50 hour service.

You will need to sit on, maybe drive them around, get the "feel" of each tractor. YOU need to be comfortable on which one you choose! I am definitely more comfortable on my 3025, more than the others.

All of them are good tractors, you have a hard decision ahead of you, good luck!

Well I got to sit on a MT225he and a XJ2025 yesterday. They had just came in to the dealer, both with backhoes but not installed yet. I drove them around and was very impressed with them. I really liked the sizing on both of them. I didn't think the XJ would be as big as it was, So it gives me a good idea what to expect from the mt225s as they are supposed to be similar in size.

I was excited to think I might get a good deal on the XJ as they were not expecting to receive it. But a no go with me on the pricing. I understand why they have it priced liked that though as I guarantee you those tractors do not last a week before somebody buys them. They already had multiple people getting quotes as I was there. Great people and great business, so no complaints from me. Good to see them doing well. But I will have to look elsewhere unfortunately. I can't justify spending $4k extra.

I did get 2 great quotes from 2 other LS dealers that are about 3 hours farther away. $21,500 for the mt225eh with backhoe and $24k for the mt225s with backhoe and mmm. Both prices from different places. Both places said tractors are inbound in about 2 weeks.

So I just need to decide on which 225 model I would prefer. I definitely like both. I only have the seat time on the XJ to compare the 225s to but I know I would get the 3 range hydro with it instead of the high/low on the XJ and I know the 225s comes with a different backhoe. I noticed the backhoe on the XJ had a float feature. Do you know if the mt225s has the float feature? I didn't get to see the 225e backhoe so I was wondering if it has that function as well. Was also wondering if you have to remove the 3 point on the 225s to install the backhoe.

Well I have to say I enjoyed my LS test drive. Much bigger tractors than I was looking at but I still felt comfortable.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Well I got to sit on a MT225he and a XJ2025 yesterday. They had just came in to the dealer, both with backhoes but not installed yet. I drove them around and was very impressed with them. I really liked the sizing on both of them. I didn't think the XJ would be as big as it was, So it gives me a good idea what to expect from the mt225s as they are supposed to be similar in size.

I was excited to think I might get a good deal on the XJ as they were not expecting to receive it. But a no go with me on the pricing. I understand why they have it priced liked that though as I guarantee you those tractors do not last a week before somebody buys them. They already had multiple people getting quotes as I was there. Great people and great business, so no complaints from me. Good to see them doing well. But I will have to look elsewhere unfortunately. I can't justify spending $4k extra.

I did get 2 great quotes from 2 other LS dealers that are about 3 hours farther away. $21,500 for the mt225eh with backhoe and $24k for the mt225s with backhoe and mmm. Both prices from different places. Both places said tractors are inbound in about 2 weeks.

So I just need to decide on which 225 model I would prefer. I definitely like both. I only have the seat time on the XJ to compare the 225s to but I know I would get the 3 range hydro with it instead of the high/low on the XJ and I know the 225s comes with a different backhoe. I noticed the backhoe on the XJ had a float feature. Do you know if the mt225s has the float feature? I didn't get to see the 225e backhoe so I was wondering if it has that function as well. Was also wondering if you have to remove the 3 point on the 225s to install the backhoe.

Well I have to say I enjoyed my LS test drive. Much bigger tractors than I was looking at but I still felt comfortable.

To answer your question on removing the 3 point, on both the 225-S and the 225E, the 3 point stuff does NOT have to be removed to have the BH on.

As far as the "float" feature, the 225E BH definitely has it.
I cannot remember for sure, (I only used the neighbors BH once), and I don't think the 225-S has it. Problem is, now I remember showing my neighbor the float feature.... just can't remember if it was mine or his......

If you liked the size of the XJ2025, you'll really like the 225-S. Basically the same size / footprint, but the 225-S is "beefier", it feels like a much bigger tractor.

I still find it odd that the 225-S costs more than the 225E. For me, I would get the bigger, more capable tractor for less money! The 225-S has a lot of great features of the bigger tractors, (like the 3 range), just in a smaller package.
I spoke with the dealer about this price difference, and he confirmed that LS will be raising the prices for the 225E and similar sized tractors in the near future.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I forgot to mention... that price for the 225EH is great! I would make certain that is for the HE.... not just the plain gear tractor "E". That price is just a little less than what I paid for my gear version.

 

[Raines]

well if I didn't get the mmm, the 225s would be just a little cheaper as they want 3,200 for that mmm I think. I will definitely be double checking to make sure the 225e is a hydro version. I agree, I might as well go with the bigger version for the same amount of money. I can get a cheaper rear mower with it and go with a 6 footer too instead of a 5 foot mmm.