LS or Kubota

plastikosmd · May 22, 2022

7600 probably gets u most of the way to a backhoe ( if desired.)

RSR · May 22, 2022

mikester said:
Buy the LS. You can never go wrong buying something based on a paper spec and the lowest price.

Buy the Kubota. Higher price always indicates higher quality and value.

Number15 · May 22, 2022

Raul-02 said:
Lool into the whole issue of proprietary connections.
I've read that the LS has a lot of proprietary connection points. Dunno what they are. check it out.

Are you talking about implement connections or other stuff like hoses (belts etc).

It's something I ran into on one of my tractors (implement actually) The belts were metric. A little harder to find but not impossible. My AC also uses the european style 3 pt, which I am growing to really like. Anyway that's off topic.

From what I see LS is all ssqa and 3pt so nothing seems proprietary.

Williy · May 22, 2022

With the difference in price you can purchase some nice attachments
I have checked out the LS tractors they are well made

willy

mikester · May 23, 2022

shooterdon said:
Although I ended up purchasing an LS and have no regrets, one of the things I factored in was expected hours of operation. I have 220 hours after 3 years....and that is less than I had estimated (I had figured 100-120 hours /year). If I had expected to put on 400 hours a year, I may have been able to justify the Kubota. But it was over $8000 more, and the dealer was not very good.

Many hobby tractor owners have jobs that are not reoccurring. So think about that. In my case, even the reoccurring job has not materialized. For the last three years we have had far less snow than normal. In the last two years I have had to blow out my parking area and driveway only four times. Before getting the tractor, I had to plow 10-14 times a year.

I would ignore the comment about "paper specs". That suggests LS is deceptive about its performance specifications and I know my FEL will pick up a half cord of wood without any trouble (rated at 2700 lbs). That is good enough for me as a "test".

If you have a weak dealer, the LS may not be your best option. But New Holland has most, if not all, of their smaller tractors built by LS. That was another factor in my selection as I have a good NH dealer not far away as a back up. My NH dealer could not come close enough to the LS price so I went with LS.

I need to clarify my paper spec comment. I wasn't making a comment about LS in particular.

My past experiences buying any products is that it's really important to see something "Hands On" versus buying based on a paper spec.

Example - I've bought cars in the past with a "moon roof" and I got a window that opens in the roof. When I bought our Prius I discovered that in Prius land "moon roof" meant a non-opening plastic roof. Not what I wanted or expected.

I would never buy a tractor based on a paper spec without parking my butt in the seat and testing out all the functions. For me, if I'm buying a loader tractor and discover it can't lift the boom and curl or dump at the same time it's a no go. You can't always find that out in a paper spec.

Rdrcr · May 23, 2022

^^^^
That’s why I was suggesting the OP to drive and operate both machines before making a decision. That’s what I do when it’s my money.

However, I think I can sum up this thread;

I own and operate an LS tractor…buy the LS!

I own and operate a Kubota tractor…buy the Kubota!

I hate blue paint and it’s cheap…buy the Kubota!

I hate orange paint and it’s expensive …buy the LS!

You’re welcome

Mike

HighTwelve · May 23, 2022

LS is somehow a product of the Lucky Goldstar group, one of the biggest if not THE biggest conglomerate in Korea. They likely aren’t about to go out of business.
Having said that, I own a Kubota L3010 and I have been very satisfied with parts and service availability through my long established dealer. If they don’t treat me right, there are at least three other Kubota dealers within fifty miles.

Considering that both deals come out about equal including the interest on the time payment plan, I’d go with which dealer I feel will be around for the long term and will offer the best support.

danf1739 · May 23, 2022

Xc97700 said:
Not that this is bad, but I rarely see used LS tractors for sale

The LS brand was only introduced in 2009 so not that many used ones out there. I believe they were labelled as "New Holland" before that. Kubota, OTOH, has been sold in the US under the same name for over 50 years.

Raul-02 · May 23, 2022

Number15 said:
Are you talking about implement connections or other stuff like hoses (belts etc).

As I said I don't know. Once LS was no longer on my menu (because My dealer couldn't get any) I stopped paying attention and started looking at other tractors.

FERLING · May 23, 2022

RSR said:
Don't forget you're also getting 3 more gross HP, and 4 more at the PTO with the LS.

I don't know if that matters to you, but it looks like it comes down to a difference (after tax) of $7,600 and 4 Hp at the PTO.

$7,600 is a lot of money, and can buy some really nice implements. Or, will add some financial stability in uncertain times.

I went through basically the exact same decision 2.5 years ago. I was looking at the L3560 and LS XR4140HC (predecessor to the MT3). I have a great Kubota dealer, and they did their best in price, but like you, it was a $6-7k difference. I went with the LS, moved up to a 45 Hp, and haven't regretted the decision once.

3 to 4 hp difference - you will never know the difference except when reading the specs. Weight will tell you more than picking hp difference. A tractor with three less hp but weight of 800 or more pounds will pull the most.