LS MT 225S

[brs78660]

Every brand has model issues that is why you review and research brands before you buy. I had my share of Kubota issues in the past. I have also suffered through some Kioti issues. John Deere I could never afford the brand and the expensive service parts. As it was mentioned some model years you avoid others you invest into but only after doing your research. Remember the Ford Taurus first year out in 1986 the car was sensation and quality was on par. Then in 1994 they cheapened up the car quality issues came out of the woodwork ie head gasket issues. As my father would say you were in the right place at wrong time to buy that tractor. No doubt LS has issues and they are learning from them making better equipment overtime. John Deere had the same issues when they stepped into the compact tractor business having others build their units overseas. They were using Zetor and Belarus in early days as suppliers. Bottom line do your homework and review models along with manufacturers before investing. This TBN site is rich with experiences and or model reviews. All brands have problematic models.

I get what you are saying. And its true. When I bought my LS there just was not much info about them out there. I bought mine based on the fact that New Holland decided to use them so they must be basically ok. What I did not know was LS itself was such a bad company.

I am not as upset about the issues as I am about the lack of help from the dealer and LS. Its not the tractor, its the company. Of course there can be bad years or bad tractors, but they still need to stand behind them. They could have made this right long ago.

 

[Gr8Jeepin]

To the guys that have the mid mount mowers, how have they been working out? How's the cut? Have they been easy to take on and off?

 

[rodneyn]

The cut is exceptionally good taking off is the method as B2601 Kubota overall - drive over deck. I just used RC5 Woods bush hog behind my MT225S it handled it well. Did not dis mount MMM ran bushog with it attached you can adjust height of MMM to be off ground yet have Bushog on the ground. Using the height adjustment on the floorboard of tractor to keep MMM high allow bushog to be close to ground for close cut. Mowing 24 to 30 weed height. All went well no issues finding low range with Hydrostatic wide open is best. You don稚 feel like you are going to be bounced off tractor. No lack of horsepower finding 2450 is near 540 RPM speed. Now have 10 hours on tractor works excellent no issues. After hours fuel gage running at above 1/4 tank.

 

[Gr8Jeepin]

The cut is exceptionally good taking off is the method as B2601 Kubota overall - drive over deck. I just used RC5 Woods bush hog behind my MT225S it handled it well. Did not dis mount MMM ran bushog with it attached you can adjust height of MMM to be off ground yet have Bushog on the ground. Using the height adjustment on the floorboard of tractor to keep MMM high allow bushog to be close to ground for close cut. Mowing 24 to 30 weed height. All went well no issues finding low range with Hydrostatic wide open is best. You don稚 feel like you are going to be bounced off tractor. No lack of horsepower finding 2450 is near 540 RPM speed. Now have 10 hours on tractor works excellent no issues. After hours fuel gage running at above 1/4 tank.

Thanks for the update. I was also wondering if the work platform is large enough. I'm 6'5" so for me leg room has always been an issue with vehicles.

 

[rodneyn]

I am 6 plenty of leg room tilt wheel is accommodating. If buying as MMM only get turf tires the R4 are rough ride, that is if you Mow at a fast speed. I have to lift my bushog woods RC5 off of racking since it痴 stored above ground for space. MT225S lifted it up without issue with no ballast in tires. My LK3054 Kioti always had issues lifting it prior. The MT225S has most of its weight in the middle to rear of unit better weigh distribution. For sure more responsive hydraulics. No complaints yet but only have 10 hours on it. I will say the yanmar motor runs 100 % smoother than the Mitsubishi in the XJ. Never liked imbalanced motor tough to troubleshoot and unpleasant to ride on with resonance harmonics going through chassis of the tractor. LS could stand this up against Kubota B2601 if you were blindfolded on the seat it would be hard to tell which tractor you are on when running. They did good job benchmarking the competition on the MT225S.

 

[wraven]

A question for the folks that have taken delivery and run their new 225s...

Im getting mine without MMM and the dealer is installing the backhoe. It should be here next week. Is there anything I should be mindful of when I pick it up at the dealer?

 

[Avenger]

Is there anything I should be mindful of when I pick it up at the dealer?

Not specific to any make or model tractor, but when you take possession of the tractor from the dealer you should check the following:

-Torque on all frame bolts, wheel lugs, etc. Sometimes the factory neglects a few of these or they come loose during shipment. Not sure how, but you will likely need to tighten something.

-Check all fluid levels, just to be absolutely sure. Your dealer might do this, but I got (years ago) a brush hog new from the dealer, who forgot to put oil in the gear box. I assumed it was good, didn't check it. I got a new brush hog under warranty that week.

-Verify you have all the little extras, like manuals (including a shop manual if they have one, ask for it in PDF form. Bring a thumb drive with you!)

-If anything is being added, make sure it was installed properly. For example, I had the dealer add a windshield wiper to my rear glass. I looked it over well to make sure it was done and worked.

-"test" drive the tractor for a little bit. Look for things that might be a potential issue. For me, this was the wrong stop bolts on the steering axle. I just replaced the bolts with the correct ones and told the dealer afterward. Your machine might have other issues. Driving it around a bit may reveal them.

-Talk to your dealer about supplies, like oil, filters, oil filters, etc. Check prices with him and other local stores.

-During that same conversation, ask about warranty work and their average turn-around time. Knowing how long a tractor might need to be worked on could mean fixing the issue yourself (like stop bolts) rather than taking it into them. Right now, if I take my tractor into my dealer for anything, its about a 3 week wait before they can even look at it. Good to know.

-Then ask your dealer about service calls. It may be the case that you need them to come out to fix an issue. Even if the repair is under warranty, likely the service call will not be. I ripped a small hole in my fuel line that took the mechanic and myself a few hours to find and fix. The repair was under warranty, but the mechanics time was not. I ended up paying a few hundred for that service call. Good to know before he shows up.

-Talk to your dealer about the first (50hr) service. You might get a deal where they do the work for little money.

-If you are mechanically inclined, talk with your dealer about you doing some warranty work on your machine if needed. Here is what I mean with an example: I broke my steering control arm (see my video about it). Having an understanding with my dealer that I can preform minor repairs correctly, he felt comfortable in giving me the parts and I preformed the warranty work myself. For larger, more complicated repairs, I would have his mechanics do the work, but for minor stuff, its saves his mechanics time and I know the work was done correctly.

Thats all I can really think of. Good luck and congrats on the new tractor! :thumbsup:

 

[wraven]

Not specific to any make or model tractor, but when you take possession of the tractor from the dealer you should check the following...

...Good luck and congrats on the new tractor! :thumbsup:

Thanks for all of your suggestions. Your list will be very helpful.

 

[Gr8Jeepin]

Not specific to any make or model tractor, but when you take possession of the tractor from the dealer you should check the following:

-Torque on all frame bolts, wheel lugs, etc. Sometimes the factory neglects a few of these or they come loose during shipment. Not sure how, but you will likely need to tighten something.

-Check all fluid levels, just to be absolutely sure. Your dealer might do this, but I got (years ago) a brush hog new from the dealer, who forgot to put oil in the gear box. I assumed it was good, didn't check it. I got a new brush hog under warranty that week.

-Verify you have all the little extras, like manuals (including a shop manual if they have one, ask for it in PDF form. Bring a thumb drive with you!)

-If anything is being added, make sure it was installed properly. For example, I had the dealer add a windshield wiper to my rear glass. I looked it over well to make sure it was done and worked.

-"test" drive the tractor for a little bit. Look for things that might be a potential issue. For me, this was the wrong stop bolts on the steering axle. I just replaced the bolts with the correct ones and told the dealer afterward. Your machine might have other issues. Driving it around a bit may reveal them.

-Talk to your dealer about supplies, like oil, filters, oil filters, etc. Check prices with him and other local stores.

-During that same conversation, ask about warranty work and their average turn-around time. Knowing how long a tractor might need to be worked on could mean fixing the issue yourself (like stop bolts) rather than taking it into them. Right now, if I take my tractor into my dealer for anything, its about a 3 week wait before they can even look at it. Good to know.

-Then ask your dealer about service calls. It may be the case that you need them to come out to fix an issue. Even if the repair is under warranty, likely the service call will not be. I ripped a small hole in my fuel line that took the mechanic and myself a few hours to find and fix. The repair was under warranty, but the mechanics time was not. I ended up paying a few hundred for that service call. Good to know before he shows up.

-Talk to your dealer about the first (50hr) service. You might get a deal where they do the work for little money.

-If you are mechanically inclined, talk with your dealer about you doing some warranty work on your machine if needed. Here is what I mean with an example: I broke my steering control arm (see my video about it). Having an understanding with my dealer that I can preform minor repairs correctly, he felt comfortable in giving me the parts and I preformed the warranty work myself. For larger, more complicated repairs, I would have his mechanics do the work, but for minor stuff, its saves his mechanics time and I know the work was done correctly.

Thats all I can really think of. Good luck and congrats on the new tractor!

Wow, what a great write up. If this hasn't been stickied on the top of the buying a tractor forum it should be.

 

[wraven]

I have about 4 minutes of seat time (driving it up onto the trailer) so I can’t say how well it performs but I think I’m going to like it!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Congratulations on picking up your new toy... eerrr... I mean tool ! :thumbsup: looks good! My neighbor is taking his 225 to get the BH put on Monday.

 

[JBSlim]

Another new MT225S finding an owner this week. I am swapping a very recently acquired MT122H for it on Thursday. Loved the MT122 and it will do what I need, with one big exception. I ordered it with the LS SSQA bracket, which it turns out is not SSQA but a smaller variant of some kind. The dealer was not aware of this, and even the LS Rep had to check. They have both been great to work with and are taking the MT122 back without me losing any money on it. I applied that money plus $3500 to buy the MT225S. I now have more tractor than I need, lets see how it works out. Does anyone know how it is possible the Deere 1025R and 2025R, which use the identical Yanmar engine, rates their HP at 3,200 RPM, while the MT225S rates the same HP at 2,800 RPM.

 

[Diggin It]

If I thought I could swap mine for that ......

 

[Avenger]

More tractor than you need? No such thing! :laughing:

Nice job! Good luck and thanks for sharing!

 

[wraven]

I am still in the single digits on the hour meter but this MT225s is the “real deal.”

 

[JBSlim]

I am still in the single digits on the hour meter but this MT225s is the “real deal.”

You'll have to elaborate. I am picking mine up Thursday (no Backhoe or mower), and all my seat time in a tractor is recent and in an MT122H. I am mostly doing loader work, soil, mulch, gravel, DG, and then some scraping, leveling, raking. The MT122 was plenty to get it done. It's loader is rated 1,005 lbs, and LS does not specify, but that is likely at the pins, 59 inches high. I see the MT225S is barely stronger at 1,067 lbs. What did you come from and how is your loader experience?

 

[rodneyn]

I have been running pallet forks on my MT225S finding the forks weigh 200 lbs leaves me about Roughly 850 lbs at the pins. Further out on the forks loose curl capability at 650 lbs. with woods 4400 lb forks, but that痴 fine I don稚 have fluid in tires. Unit is balanced good enough to handle 700 lbs without fluid. I am glad the unit will not lift above 1000 lbs. the width of tractor is not wide enough to handle excessive weight, the stance is to narrow. FYI the forks were for my LS XR3135 they fit fine on the MT225S. I am 26 hours on the MT225S it has mowed most of these hours. Few hours on bucket work in dirt. It痴 handy since it痴 smaller unit over the XR. Plus few hours with pallet forks. No complaints on performance it acts much like 30 HP tractor similar to an LK3054 Kioti I owned. I do enjoy the foot room on the floorboard can stretch out legs get comfortable. I mounted a REI fender mount radio off the roll bar clamped it on with with side arm looks like it came from factory with radio. No disappointments on tractor. I am sure I would have been happy with ls mt125 too based on all posted YouTube clips. However wanted something closer in size to the Tc26da I traded in the MT225S was it. Need input from MT225S owners with fluid filled tires any issues with tracks in yard. Need your input.

 

[rodneyn]

Also need input on anyone who has BH on the MT225S how is it痴 performance . Looking for someone to share pros and cons of the BH. My understanding it痴 frame mounted BH?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Also need input on anyone who has BH on the MT225S how is it痴 performance . Looking for someone to share pros and cons of the BH. My understanding it痴 frame mounted BH?

The BH on the 25-S has a slightly better digging force than the one on my 3025! My neighbor just had his installed and I jot a chance to play with it this past weekend. Lots of leg room (more than mine), very smooth operations, sealed boots around the controls, very heavily built. It digs very well, multiple functions at once are not an issue. The seat is fantastic.... pull a lever, it raises by a gas cylinder (strut), pull another lever and the seat turns easily. It is a Grammer seat... top of the line on this tractor.

The only " con" that I noticed was no float position on the boom. My MT125 did not have it, by my 3025 does.... it is a really nice feature. I was surprised that it was not used on this BH.

To answer your question, yes it is a full subframe attached to the tractor, BH mounts with two lower fixed pins, two upper removable pins. Very similar to how the MT122/125 BH mounts. My neighbor says it really "balances the feel" of the tractor. You DON'T have to remove the 3 point to mount the BH or remove the mower. There are factory mounts for a thumb, but it has not been released for sale by LS yet.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I am not sure when he will do it, but my neighbor has purchased 40 gals of Washer fluid to fill the rears. Probably by this weekend. I can report back when he does it. I think I have more time playing on HIS tractor than he does!