Buying Advice LS vs TYM vs Kioti

[Blue Mule]

Reason I throw the Deere in the mix, besides having 2 close dealers..and a 3rd dealer about an hour away..and the fact that you'll always get parts for them is I have a buddy, actually 2 different friends that have 3038e models. 1 friend uses it for his business...bush hogging...grading driveways...spreading gravel....and he borderline abuses the thing! Only busted each front loader hydraulic cylinder 2 different times. One under warranty replaced...and the 2nd was his fault he admits as he was attempting to pick up more than he should.
Other friend is clearing his 20 acres getting ready to build his house. The logs that his machine move with the grapple is impressive to say the least.


I get it. JD has a cult following almost..lol. Spec sheet...I can decimate most Jds with the competition. Ls, kioti, Tym lift more...weigh more...cost less etc etc. But with all that said...Jds get the job done. Period.
I think theybhave a promotion for the 3025D..gear drive for 19,999. The 3025e is 22k I believe. I want a hydrostat so kids and wife can drive it much easier. Both prices include front end loader.

LS MT225HE I can get for about 19k that is a hydrostat..so 3k less that 3025e and it lifts more..1600 v 1200 approx. A 25HP tractor is better than no tractor....and no emission crap to deal with.
However, I am my worst own enemy as I don't want buyers remorse and will go back and forth over this and that. Really good price for 25hp...vs wanting more PTO Hp for tilling etc.

Not having a kioti dealer close is hurting my decision..cause their CK line look to be the best bang for the buck by a long shot. So here comes LS..which is thousands less expensive.....but I still have reservations about them for some reason. I don't know why....my pastor has an LS...buddy at work...another friend has LS...all of them love them.

Sorry for the long post....

I went through the same thing. Looked at every tractor on the market. Was focused on 25 HP class mainly for price, secondly for lack of emissions. Well, in the end it cost me MORE because I had to take the 25 HP tractor back and get the 35/40 HP class. A compact tractor with attachments on it and 25 HP to move it all around is a miserable experience. It sucked. I couldn't envision it turning a 5' brush hog and climbing a small grade. It would barely climb a grade with the PTO off. I had to run it at full RPM all the time, which used more diesel. High range was useless, so effectively it was a 2-range transmission. I wasn't happy with it at all. It might have been slightly better if it were a gear drive, but I wanted a hydro. I learned a hard, expensive lesson.

Get more horsepower now. Buy once, cry once.

 

[yubh8tn]

I went through the same thing. Looked at every tractor on the market. Was focused on 25 HP class mainly for price, secondly for lack of emissions. Well, in the end it cost me MORE because I had to take the 25 HP tractor back and get the 35/40 HP class. A compact tractor with attachments on it and 25 HP to move it all around is a miserable experience. It sucked. I couldn't envision it turning a 5' brush hog and climbing a small grade. It would barely climb a grade with the PTO off. I had to run it at full RPM all the time, which used more diesel. High range was useless, so effectively it was a 2-range transmission. I wasn't happy with it at all. It might have been slightly better if it were a gear drive, but I wanted a hydro. I learned a hard, expensive lesson.

Get more horsepower now. Buy once, cry once.

Agree, I first looked at the 25hp tractors for the same reasonss as you. I had a limit on tractor size due to the area I want to work my tractor and store it (tight woods and smaller garage) but I ended up getting the most hp I could get in the CK model line. Happy I went that route as it has done great on my steep hills and has done everything I have asked of it.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, kinda on the topic of TYM prices, dealer here has 2023 T574 HST with loader, open station for $31k. That's a lot of tractor for $31k

 

[tacticalturnip]

TYM seems real serious about the North American market.

 

[2manyrocks]

The big Kioti/TYM dealer in Murfreesboro had some promotional sales on T474s and T494s in August. Very tempted, but they wouldn't take my Mahindra 3525 (needs time consuming repair) in trade and so I ended up trading it to a used tractor dealer for a MX5200 that was delivered today. I don't blame them for not wanting the Mahindra in trade. Their salesman has been a good communicator. It just didn't work out with the cards I had to play this time.

 

[Jstpssng]

I understand that for sure. But basically I don’t even consider having a dealer for my Kioti anymore. At least one I like doing business with. So an hour is not bad for me.

An HOUR? I have to drive half that long just to get diesel!!!

 

[DrAsus]

I traded in another brand for an MT 225S with loader and QD buckets, spears, and pallet forks. They really have the operator in mind when they designed this little work horse. I use mine every day for something....working alone it's a 3rd hand....how many 25 hp tractors have a tilt wheel so that you can enter and exit easily yet have the wheel in your lap for ease of use when required...to name one I really like...no competing with the seat and wheel when mounting-dismounting....big deal when you are using it for close in work and have frequent reasons to dismount.

Yeah...I just learned of this model. I thought the "s" model was a gear drive and not hydro......

Just learned that it's a tiny bit smaller than MT225e and is Hydrostat and has its engine by Yanmar instead of the Mitsubishi the MT225e has.

Personally, I love Yanmar and think they are the best engine manufacturer....every JD compact has one! Like I said...my buddy nearly abuses his 3038e JD and it's a workhorse!

It still aggervates me to no end that the "American" tractor doesn't lift as much as the Korean ones.

 

[Torvy]

So, kinda on the topic of TYM prices, dealer here has 2023 T574 HST with loader, open station for $31k. That's a lot of tractor for $31kView attachment 816373

Pretty close to what I paid a few months ago. Mine also had the lights like you see on the ROPS next to that one. I also had the 3rd function added.

 

[Rich_Z]

??????? That TN price doesn't sound right. Onedia Equipment in TN has the T474HC with the cab and loader advertised for $33,100. 2023 TYM T474HC For Sale in Oneida, Tennessee

Well, sounding right on not, those are the facts. Perhaps the salesman was trying to convince me to buy a Kioti instead?

 

[tacticalturnip]

Yeah...I just learned of this model. I thought the "s" model was a gear drive and not hydro......

Just learned that it's a tiny bit smaller than MT225e and is Hydrostat and has its engine by Yanmar instead of the Mitsubishi the MT225e has.

Personally, I love Yanmar and think they are the best engine manufacturer....every JD compact has one! Like I said...my buddy nearly abuses his 3038e JD and it's a workhorse!

It still aggervates me to no end that the "American" tractor doesn't lift as much as the Korean ones.

The LS naming convention is real odd, lol; that said, the MT225S feels like it was designed for the North American market, and is really comfortable and well laid out.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have no issues with my F150 pulling a 20’ trailer with the tractor loaded on it. I do have trailer brakes and it is the max towing package with the 3.5 Ecoboost. It is rated to tow 15,000 lbs.

Honestly, I have never even looked at the specs of my F-150, I towed a buddies trailer home for him right after I bought it, it was loaded down with a skid steer, with an auger on it, his truck broke down….

My truck handled it amazingly, so when I bought my 18 foot trailer I didn’t even think about the specs….

I do have trailer brakes and trailer brake controller.

I only haul my ct235 once in a blue moon, mostly use the trailer for my zero turn or my Polaris ranger

 

[tacticalturnip]

One thing I really appreciate about a subcompact tractor is that almost anything can tow one; they're never going to get anything done fast, but I can tow a 1025R with my wife's Kia. That's real convenient for a lot of folks.

 

[arrow]

So today, I went over to the local Kioti place near my second home we just moved into last January.
I was seeing if they needed any help similar to what I do at the Mahindra place I work at near my first home.
I checked out the Kioti 2620. What a nice machine.

Plenty beefy enough to do a lot of work the typical homeowner confronts. Comes with the new R14 tires.
The step up tractor (CK 3520), looks to be on the same frame size but I guess w the more hp.

All in all a nice machine and fully capable of doing a lot of stuff.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have not heard much about the R14 tires, otherwise than one thread stating they puncture easily

 

[paulsharvey]

I have not heard much about the R14 tires, otherwise than one thread stating they puncture easily

I have R-14s, and I like them. I came from Ag/R1s and R-14s don't have the grip they do, but they have better grip then R4s, and don't tear up grass. Note; I'm dealing with sand form a traction stand point, clay/snow/mud, I dont know. My tires are also not loaded.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I've got loaded R14's and overall I've been thrilled with them; where they seem to really shine though is in the snow. I first had a hybrid tire on my 1025R, Carlisle Versa-Turfs, replacing the R4's that were on it. The night and day difference in performance in the snow was enough to convince me to go with the similar R14 on the Kioti. Unsurprisingly they outperform the R4 in mud as well.

Now I'm sure that Ags would trounce the R14, but it'll do the same to my property.

 

[lilranch2001]

That’s always been a bugaboo to me…. R4 traction that is….

I’ve only had two tractors. An old 8N with decent R1’s and my ct 235with R 4s, I’ve never had traction issues with the R4s other than when I first got it and was foolish enough to think that 4wd would take me through a mud bog

 

[tacticalturnip]

My trouble with R4's come down to mud and in particular, snow; they quickly fill with material, and essentially become slicks.

This is a problem I could solve with chains, but if I'm going to run chains anyhow I'd run turf tires. I want to avoid chains, I'm on level ground and know how to operate my equipment properly, I should not need them for what I do.

Now, my animosity with R4's actually goes waaaay back to the Kubota my stepfather purchased 20 years ago, but that's a real emotional roller-coaster.

 

[lilranch2001]

I plow my 1000 foot, My secondary driveway, my barnyard, and sometimes my neighbors driveways and so far never had it stock more what it could get itself out of…

I do have filled tires with beet juice, and the driveway is mostly flat with a 3-4 foot incline at the entrance on the road

 

[tacticalturnip]