LS or Kubota

[Tony H]

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.

Also the Kubotas front axles and trani, on the 3000 series has issues. If you use the FEL to haul some weight, often, the front bearings explode without warning.. At about 300-400 hours. Sometimes it takes out other internal parts by the knuckle. I've had the tractor split twice now because of a faulty gasket in the trani. The new designed part failed at about same time frame. These areas see new Kubota brand fluids every Fall.

 

[Typhoon]

I would vote for the LS. They are a somewhat "new kid on the block" when compared to Kubota. Right now, they are a heck of a value. I believe the prices will go up in the future. This happened with Kioti, I experienced it firsthand. LS Mtron is out of South Korea, like many of the other tractor builders (like Kioti). They have been building tractors for a VERY long time. They have built the New Holland Boomer series tractors for as long as I can remember. I just rolled over 50 hours on my LS MT3 57, zero issues. I am sure something will break in the future. I use it heavily for logging around my sawmill. I have tried, but failed to find a weakness thus far. In my experience, problems with tractors are "usually" operator induced. Obviously, not always.. there are the rare cases of flawed workmanship or a weak piece of steel... but overall, tractors get abused and they break. My Kioti was an awesome machine for me, made me a lot of money. But with that said, I had at least 3 front wheel bearing failures (from hauling heavy logs constantly, through rough terrain), had a head gasket blow at 40 hours (Kioti said it was a bad run of gaskets, replaced under warranty), went through 3 ignition switches, several leaking lift cylinders, rear hitch had a leak in the cylinder, seat broke and I had to replace it, cruise control broke at 50 hours, im sure there are more things. But I will still claim it was a great tractor because I used and abused it for 1,300 hours. Almost all of those problems were my fault. Sorry for the long post.. I guess what I am trying to say is, you can have 2 guys with Kubota's. 1 of them will make it to 2,000 hours with zero problems. The other one might have 20 or 30 problems by the time it hits 2,000 hours. Same exact tractors, but the operators use them differently. 1 guy just uses a finish mower behind his, and the other guy uses his in a logging operation. So the first guy might say "Kubota is the best tractor in the world... zero problems in 2,000 hours". And the 2nd guy might say.. "stay away from Kubota, I have had problem after problem". I believe just about every tractor manufacturer out there right now makes a good tractor. It all boils down to how you treat it, and how mechanically inclined you are. Best of luck in your choice, both are great tractors!

 

[charles todd]

I agree ! These second tier tractors never have the support of the major brands . The dealer goes out of business or switches brands and then you’re stuck trying to find parts and support. The tractor itself may not be all that bad but there isn’t enough dealer support or vise versa.

Noticed a fuel leak on my LS P7010C. Split in fuel tank. 770 hrs and 8 years old. Called dealer I bought it from 30+ miles away, not the local ding dong. Part is ordered, it is in stock in NC and should have it next week. Pretty solid service IMHO. Tank is about $750.

Price sucks, but equipment isn't cheap either.

CT

 

[blee03]

After seeing my friends brand new, New Holland Boomer 55 (LS made) have to go into the dealership for an oil leak… I’d get the Kubota.

We thought it was a rear main seal,
Dealership that did the work said most of the main bolts connecting the engine to the rear end/transmission were coming out. (They had to split the tractor to fix)

The tractor would have eventually split itself if the oil leak was brushed off and not fixed.

 

[orezok]

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.

Oldsmobile was around for 106 years. Seen an Olds dealer lately?

 

[charles todd]

Oldsmobile was around for 106 years. Seen an Olds dealer lately?

Or Pontiac?
Or Saturn?

Deere has been around 150+ years. Farmers have to bootleg Russian software to work on them.

CT

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Funny, I counted 14 Kubota problems in the first 2 most recent pages of the "parts and repair" forum.... Then there were a bunch of JD's, followed by MF.
Only one LS problem, that was a question about a battery.....

I'm not saying they are bad tractors, just that because they are a certain color or brand, they are not exempt from breakdowns. I expect to see more repairs on those brands because there have been more of them sold over the years.

There have been "nightmare stories" about every brand. There are many different uses, operators, maintenance, and other factors that play a major roll in the dependability of any tractor.

YOU need to sit on them, try them out (if possible), and get the features that are important to you. Price, attachments needed, and desired use will be important for YOUR situation .

 

[Torvy]

Too many people make decisions based on anecdotal evidence and often using a single point of data. "My buddy (neighbor, cousin, etc.) had a problem with brand X, so no one else should ever buy brand X, they are junk.". Does not matter if it is tractors, toasters, or toenail clippers.

 

[RSR]

Too many people make decisions based on anecdotal evidence and often using a single point of data. "My buddy (neighbor, cousin, etc.) had a problem with brand X, so no one else should ever buy brand X, they are junk.". Does not matter if it is tractors, toasters, or toenail clippers.

Well, I mean, seriously, who wants to repeat ingrown toenail-gate of 2014?

 

[blee03]

Too many people make decisions based on anecdotal evidence and often using a single point of data. "My buddy (neighbor, cousin, etc.) had a problem with brand X, so no one else should ever buy brand X, they are junk.". Does not matter if it is tractors, toasters, or toenail clippers.

Yeah, I would agree with that.
Definitely need to do your homework before buying.

My friend is definitely not selling his 55 boomer anytime soon, the work was covered under warranty ($0 out of pocket) and it’s been a great machine for him otherwise.