LS or Massey

[rScotty]

John Deere and Kubota are two that I know of using aluminum rear ends

Some of the new JD 3 series use aluminum and I know the older 4300 was aluminum. The sub-compact Kubotas also use aluminum

I'll have to look next time I see one. Aluminum axles and housings seem unlikely in compact or utility size tractors.
rScotty

 

[Diggin It]

At the homeowner/consumer level, MTD = practical, functional, affordable, disposable. But I'm not sure I'd call them junk. On any level where you need to make money with a tool, that may be a different matter.

 

[daugen]

the fit and finish of my new Chinese built MF 4707 is the equal to or better than the Kubota I traded in on it.
No I would not have bought a tractor built in China without a very good local dealer, who I already had experience with.
Older little MF I own is an Iseki, runs like a top after 20 years. Iseki is a high spec company. Apparently LS is also, as everyone seems
to like their tractors.

Ford builds tiny subcompacts which aren't overly well thought of in car circles, and they also build $100k Lincoln Black Label Navigators, which are very well thought of. And not just because of the price, it's about the spec and engineering.
Agco provides trickle down engineering from some of the finest brands in the world.
Current day Farmalls aren't built in the US either...those days are long over.

and yes, I own a fairly new Cub Cadet riding mower I bought to lend to an elderly friend. Comparing that to my JD X750 is a joke because one costs six times what the other did. But something has to sit out in front of Lowes along with the JD L130's and the Murrays and the other MTD's.
People want a riding mower for a thousand bucks and they get what they pay for. That hasn't changed. In my case I bought the highest spec CC I could find for $2k, with a fabricated deck and a Kawasaki engine, but I bet the mower spindles don't last 500 hours. The JD dealer said they get older versions of my JD garden tractor in with 3000 hours and more on the oem spindles. Just a different spec...

I was very disappointed I didn't have a local LS dealer, wanted to compare their tractor to MF. LS Customer Service is touted to be, per the industry ratings, the best in the industry. But that's in general, you still have to make a decision on the local shop. In my case, the local Kubota dealer had come on hard times and lost their mechanics, could not fix my equipment. You wouldn't think that about Kubota would you?...but it happens, this is still a people business.

I've owned two Japanese tractors, a MF built in India, and now a Chinese built Massey. And of course my Farmall.
Hard to do but today you need to study the tractor and not where it's from.

 

[Diggin It]

LS Customer Service is touted to be, per the industry ratings, the best in the industry.

That seems to be to the dealers. I'm not sure they provide end user level CS at all. I've tried to email them a couple of times and got no reply. I've also seen a few posts here about unhappy dealers dropping the line or at least certain models due to problems with warranty payments.

 

[Turbys_1700]

MTD provides a value to the conusmer in a lower prices alternative. Most folks can't afford the luxuries that many of us on here have. I worked in the furniture industry for many years in manufacturing. Different levels of quality are defined by different by levels of labor, materials, and expertise. A good solid engineered tractor just like anything else can be made anywhere in the world. A badly engineered tractor or anything else can be made anywhere in the world. I've driven and farmed with tractors made in the US, Japan, Germany, India, and now Turkey. To this day all of them have been good. It's all about what you like and where can you get parts and support. The new Masseys are very impressive.

 

[daugen]

MTD provides a value to the consumer in a lower prices alternative.

I agree, well said.
My Cub Cadet has 37 hours on it after two years. Good light duty machine for light duty.
We are all just used to heavy duty.
Hard to imagine a light duty tractor.

So many good options if you have a qualified dealer nearby.
I don't have a trailer or a truck capable of hauling my five ton tractor so my choices were among
who can come pick up and return my tractor for a very small cost.

The air ride seat in my new Massey is exceptionally comfortable. Newer models often have improved ergonomics, quieter cabs, etc.
Made in Georgia John Deere btw was $20k minimum more expensive for comparable equipment. Beautiful tractor but I couldn't afford it.
We all have some kind of cut off we just can't, or shouldn't..., go above. Thankfully I think today there are a whole bunch of similarly excellent tractors out there to choose from.

Massey Ferguson/Agco got in bed with Iseki a long time ago. I see their giant tractors in the service bay of my dealer, sometimes cracked in half which always brings me in for a look. Iseki is, IMHO, comparable to Honda. Engineering driven company, been building small tractors a long time, and now building larger ones. Whereas another similar top quality company, Yanmar, stopped at a certain size tractor, Iseki built larger. Who exactly builds MF's larger tractors I don't know. I do know my three cylinder engine is built by or to a Finnish Sisu spec. No question in my mind the four cylinder Kubota I had before was smoother sounding. But cab sound deadening is better in new MF so net is an improvement.

Diggin it, yes, it's how dealers rate their companies, including parts availability that always is a primary concern.
I don't think there is any consumer rating authority out there other than these blogs.
Google your model number and put problems after it, can be interesting.

It's been mentioned that Agco is a conglomerate owning many tractor brands. Problem is other than Kubota, you really have to ask what tractor is under the label.
Until you get to higher 5 series and above for John Deere. Which are tractors built for the professionals with a price tag to match.

 

[daugen]

LS Tractors - Wikipedia

AGCO - Wikipedia

Massey Ferguson - Wikipedia

Iseki - Wikipedia

Interesting to read that Massey is now making their largest tractors here in the US to compete with US built Deeres.

what we need are higher farm crop prices. I live among the small farmers and not a lot of smiles here.
OP was originally concerned about loader capacity, some loaders you can sacrifice reach of loader and pick up more down low, two different mounting points for loader. But I hear the OP, when I bought my L Kubota I was immediately disappointed in its FEL lift capability and thought to myself, should have bought an M. If I had I still might have it...
I personally don't have a lot of faith in those loader ratings. Turns out my loader is a Quicke apparently and have second means of
confirming ratings. It handles my Long grapple just fine, about twice as fast as prior loader.

You sure don't want a super strong loader on a moderate weight tractor without lots of counterbalance though...

 

[Bigpuddie]

I agree with Daugen. I have a new MF4707. Fit and finish is top shelf. Air seat is as nice as a 200 hp tractor. This thing is built like a tank, weighing 10,000 plus with 936x self leveling loader. It's a global tractor: Norwegian tires, Finnish engine, Italian transmission, US built loader and front axle, French designed cab, and final assembled in China at an AGCO owned and managed plant. I am extremely happy with the design, value, and build quality. It's as nice as tractors costing $25k more in every way.

 

[Trillium Farm]

The MFs made in China still have to meet the MF specs & standards so not a worry.
LS is a good enough tractor, the only problem I see is that the dealers are mainly mom & pop shops with very limited technical/mechanical experience, so OK if nothing goes wrong, but what if/when it does?!

 

[Tennsawdust]

I'll have to look next time I see one. Aluminum axles and housings seem unlikely in compact or utility size tractors.
rScotty

Aluminum axle housings are not that uncommon in compact and subcompact tractors, particularly among the Japanese tractors and those (like some of the John Deeres) using Japanese supplied components. Strength-wise I'm sure they are equal to cast iron (many, many hours are being racked up on aluminum axle housings including in commercial operations), but you do give up some weight. I would imagine the Japanese use them because they are better set-up to cast aluminum than pour cast iron, plus it would require less machining since all but the most critical dimensions could be die-cast to net shape. In total cost, it is probably the less expensive option for them. For my needs I would prefer the extra weight of the cast iron, but if I were dragging it and a truckload of equipment from jobsite to jobsite every day I might not feel the same way.