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!