LS or Kubota

   / LS or Kubota #81  
"edit; your bias is showing. I just counted 10 Kubota problems in the first 80 posts. The most common threads seemed to be about Fords... how long has it been since that name changed to New Holland?"--- quote

yes, but there were a few that did NOT mention Kubota in the title, only in the first post. I am not trying to bad mouth any tractor brand. They are all 'good' these days. As others said, each individual will find what is good or bad for them.

When I first started shopping for a tractor, the first place I went was the Kubota dealer (having operated multiple different models over the years). After I had to almost BEG to get a salesman to get off his butt and out of the a/c office, he was basically rude and arrogant so bad, that the wife just said "let's go".
We went over to the JD dealer..... same thing, same attitude. But he was more intent on telling me about their big service department and how many tractors were back there. When I asked why there were so many, and so many taken apart, he couldn't answer. It would have been better if he just said for maintenance......

I'm glad they were like that.... that's the reason how I found LS. And how I saved almost $6K on a SCUT TLB setup.

When I ended up selling my first LS (SCUT), I gave them both another chance first.... nope same attitude, same arrogance.
So, back to the LS dealer.... saved me over $9K vs. the L2501 TLB.

Oh, and that LS dealer is 550 miles away.... never had to take either tractor back to them for any work, over 560 hours combined, and they are / were worked HARD!
Biased.... Yes. Over the dealers and the outrageous prices.

It has to be up to the buyer /user to see what works for them. It doesn't matter to us what color it is. I do like to hear how much somebody likes their tractor.
 
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   / LS or Kubota #82  
If you are buying by a spec sheet, you will be disappointed sooner or later. Expectations have a big impact on your satisfaction as well. I bought another Kubota because I was super familiar with the "responsiveness" of things like the loader control from my previous Kubota. When comparing Kioti's, LS, Massey, etc, it was clear which ones immediately were removed from the list for this reason. If I didn't feel I had as much finesse control with the loader, something I use a lot, it was a no go because I knew it would annoy me forever. As mentioned before, if I can't lift and roll the bucket at the same time in a very control fashion, it's a no go. If you have no real comparison for these types of things it may not be as big of deal.

That being said, and as many have said, go drive them. Use all of the functions. I immediately ruled out the LS due to the location of the hydraulic levers for the 3pt and other rear valves. There were in my opinion inconvenient. You had to reach down and couldn't see what you were grabbing. On many other brands, they are up on the right panel and easily recognizable which is which.

It's also little things like on my Kubota the cylinder lines are ran inside the loader arms and not outside like most others. Protection plates were better placed in my opinion. These are all personal decisions on what is important, but it is clear to me that there is a reason the Kubota is more expensive. I am willing to pay the extra for what I think is important.

I always laugh at the it can lift more argument. Any of these with no ballast is going to raise the backend before it reaches the max load. If you need to lift more, you need a bigger tractor would be my argument.

Many are focused solely on cost and I can understand that. Many also probably don't care if things are a bit "rougher" in finish overall. Hell, if you just want to buy the cheapest tractor with the most function, go find a Belarus. My uncle bought one in the 80's and still uses it. It's rougher than hell and I hate it, but it runs and works.
MT 573 has three rear remotes standard. They, along with other controls are right on a console within easy reach of your right hand.
I don't know what you had to reach "down" for.

I have been going nuts researching between brands for 75hp cab and have started to lean to LS. The layout of the cab console is about equal to Farmall/Powerstar/Massey.

TYM had levers down below the side of the seat.
 
   / LS or Kubota #83  
I didn't slander anyone. Yes, maybe the one I looked at wasn't exactly like the one he may be looking at, but the general points that many have made remain the same. Go sit on them, drive them, use the functions, and decide for yourself what is most important. We are simply pointing out things we decided were important to us.

As much as us Kubota fan boys are apparently bad mouthing every other brand, the other brand guys sure seem to get butthurt quick when others point out something they don't like about that brand.


Slander (verb): To make false and damaging statements.

You said:

I immediately ruled out the LS due to the location of the hydraulic levers for the 3pt and other rear valves. There were in my opinion inconvenient. You had to reach down and couldn't see what you were grabbing. On many other brands, they are up on the right panel and easily recognizable which is which.
.

You also intimated that the LS (because that is the brand the OP is discussing), like other brands, had cable routing outside the loader.

You later admitted you were looking at the MT573, not the MT3 series the OP is considering. I've attached pictures of the remote and 3 pt control locations for the MT573. Note, they are right beside the loader control, right where your arm rests. Not in a location where you have to "reach down and [can't] see what you are grabbing". The second picture shows the hose routing, inside the loader arms.

So, both of your statements about LS were factually incorrect. Combine that with your statements calling into question the quality and refinement of LS and other non Kubota tractors, and there is a clear intent to diminish/damage the reputation of LS and others. Taken as a whole, that's called slander.
ff19efc9-d068-4b82-9af6-18e7f5a530c3.jpg
MT5.jpg
 
   / LS or Kubota #84  
I have to laugh at these passive aggressive posts towards anything that is not Kubota
Let's break it down:

1) Specs are specs. An LS will lift 30-40% more than a similar sized Kubota. Period. Yes, you need proper ballast (an easy fix). That's the point. If you want to lift a certain amount, you don't have to buy the next bigger sized frame, as you suggest.

2) LS will lift/curl at the same time, same as a Kubota. When I operated both, I personally couldn't tell a difference in the "finesse". Perhaps each user is different? (i.e., blanket statements that imply one is superior/inferior are disingenuous).

3) The little things ... LS loader lines are run interior to the loader arms. 3pt and remote controls are right beside the loader. I'm not sure what you are referring to about needing to "reach down"? Maybe the LS model you looked at was the economy line (not an apples to apples comparison)?

4) Rougher finish. Please point to what, exactly, is a rougher finish? In crawling all over both Kubota and LS, I have found no noticeable differences. Some things might be slightly nicer on one, other things on the other. But, these type of derogatory, qualitative (not quantitative) statements are pointless, and do nothing other than reveal personal biases.

5) "Many are focused on cost." Yes, because as P.T. Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute." Perhaps you are just trying to justify overspending?

6) I will agree, as others have said as well, it IS crucially important to set on them and find out what you like, dislike, how the ergonomics are, etc. For example, I found the LS had a lower roof in the cab. If I was 6'4", that probably would have been a deal breaker. But, I'm nowhere near that tall, and the lower roof allows me to just fit it into my garage, which was a major bonus. Oh, and the total tractor height, which was very important to me, was on the spec sheet.
I see the lift comparison a lot with the LS/ Kubota, but when I was looking they were pretty much equal at a given height, the Kubota was actually higher in some cases.

On the models the OP is looking at the lift height is 12in lower on the LS, the lift capacity goes down as height goes up so at the lower height of the LS the capacity is about equal.

I needed as much lift height, dump clearance and reach as possible to get over the side of my dump trailer, the LS just didn't meet my needs. Something else to consider besides just the raw lift numbers.

I don't think the MT340 and L3560 is a completely direct comparison, in fact I don't think Kubota and LS actually have a directly competing model in this size but they are close.

I would suggest the OP try out the tractors he's looking at, I was surprised how much I didn't like a couple tractors I tried out for various reasons, some I really wanted to like but they just didn't fit right.

Sent from my SM-G715U1 using TractorByNet mobile app
 
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   / LS or Kubota #85  
I must have confused the LS with the TYM. Regardless, I looked at them all with an open mind and for me the Kubota won out regardless of price.

I will state it again, go look at all of them and buy what you like best. It's make zero difference to me what anyone buys for themselves.
 
   / LS or Kubota #86  
I see the lift comparison a lot with the LS Kubota, bit when I was looking they were pretty much equal at a given height, the Kubota was actually higher in some cases.

On the models the OP is looking at the lift height is 12in lower on the LS, the lift capacity goes down as height goes up so at the lower height of the LS the capacity is about equal.

I needed as much lift height, dump clearance and reach as possible to get over the side of my dump trailer, the LS just didn't meet my needs. Something else to consider besides just the raw lift numbers.

I don't think the MT340 and L3560 is a completely direct comparison, in fact I don't think Kubota and LS actually have a directly competing model in this size but they are close.

I would suggest the OP try out the tractors he's looking at, I was surprised how much I didn't like a couple tractors I tried out for various reasons, some I really wanted to like but they just didn't fit right.

Sent from my SM-G715U1 using TractorByNet mobile app
You are correct that the LS lift height is comparatively low. I know that is a deal-breaker for some, as it can limit tasks like dumping into a trailer bed, etc.

However, at the same lift height, the lift capacities are not ANYWHERE close. Back when I was shopping, I got the lift curves for the Kubota L805 loader, which is the "upgraded" option for the L3560 (what the OP is considering). You can then compare the lift capacity at the pins at the max lift height (where lift capacity is computed) for competing tractor brands. The plot is attached. The curve is the lift curve for the Kubota. The symbols are the specified data points for competing brands. That is, the symbols correspond to the maximum lift capacity at the specified maximum height.

You will note: The LS XR series (now the MT3 series) lifts 55% (!!!!) more than the Kubota does at the same height. So no, the lift capacity between the two is not "about equal".

Yes, you do have to properly ballast the rear, but that is not hard to do. I have fluid-filled rears, and a box blade on the back. With that ballast alone, I have hit the limit of my loader (couldn't lift a rock) without the rears coming off the ground.
 

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   / LS or Kubota #87  
You're comparing different loaders, the MT340 shows the lower capacity loader for it which has an 18% difference accordong to your chart, not 55% ( I calculated about 15% but the graph isn't really ment to be that accurate) I couldn't find the lift graph for the LS loaders to do a better comparison.
At least foe the models the OP is considering.




Sent from my SM-G715U1 using TractorByNet mobile app
 
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   / LS or Kubota #88  
You're comparing different loaders, the MT340 shows the lower capacity loader for it which has an 18% difference accordong to your chart, not 55% ( I calculated about 15% but the graph isn't really ment to be that accurate) I couldn't find the lift graph for the LS loaders to do a better comparison.
At least foe the models the OP is considering.




Sent from my SM-G715U1 using TractorByNet mobile app
You are correct. I'd still argue that 18'ish percent is a pretty significant difference.
 
   / LS or Kubota #89  
"edit; your bias is showing. I just counted 10 Kubota problems in the first 80 posts. The most common threads seemed to be about Fords... how long has it been since that name changed to New Holland?"--- quote

yes, but there were a few that did NOT mention Kubota in the title, only in the first post. I am not trying to bad mouth any tractor brand. They are all 'good' these days. As others said, each individual will find what is good or bad for them.

When I first started shopping for a tractor, the first place I went was the Kubota dealer (having operated multiple different models over the years). After I had to almost BEG to get a salesman to get off his butt and out of the a/c office, he was basically rude and arrogant so bad, that the wife just said "let's go".
We went over to the JD dealer..... same thing, same attitude. But he was more intent on telling me about their big service department and how many tractors were back there. When I asked why there were so many, and so many taken apart, he couldn't answer. It would have been better if he just said for maintenance......

I'm glad they were like that.... that's the reason how I found LS. And how I saved almost $6K on a SCUT TLB setup.

When I ended up selling my first LS (SCUT), I gave them both another chance first.... nope same attitude, same arrogance.
So, back to the LS dealer.... saved me over $9K vs. the L2501 TLB.

Oh, and that LS dealer is 550 miles away.... never had to take either tractor back to them for any work, over 560 hours combined, and they are / were worked HARD!
Biased.... Yes. Over the dealers and the outrageous prices.

It has to be up to the buyer /user to see what works for them. It doesn't matter to us what color it is. I do like to hear how much somebody likes their tractor.
I know what Kubota dealer you are talking about; you no doubt tried to get information from Jed. He was probably troubled that you interrupted him feeding his face and wanted him to leave his office. He is the reason I bought from an out of state dealer. And the local JD dealer folks are worse. When I asked the salesman why JD was so much higher priced than a comparable Kubota, he couldn’t answer me with specifics, basically just saying because it’s JD.
 
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   / LS or Kubota #90  
^ the jd pricing answer doesn’t strike me as untruthful or misinformed
( and I chose a jd)
 
 
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