So far this tractor is exceeding all my expectations! It is just phenomenal!
As for the new Boomer or Farmall B series (LS) tractors, this is a sore subject for me. I feel this will be the last compact tractor I purchase from New Holland, unless they really do something to refine these tractors. The LS tractors might be good, but they are just too rough around the edges to compete against John Deere and Kubota. The operators platform on these new tractors is total garbage compared to the old Boomer style. Unfortunately, to me New Holland/Case is now on par with Kioti (not to offend anyone, Kioti is a good tractor).
What I cannot understand is how close the LS dealers are opening to the New Holland and Case dealers. We have one LS dealer now, another one opening further north and from what I am hearing another opening more east. These dealers are within 20 miles of the New Holland and Case dealers. The other thing that floors me is the LS Rio series tractor (equivalent to the new Boomer and Farmall B series tractors) has more standard features than what New Holland and Case offers. One of my friends was at a fair and both New Holland and LS were both there. The LS's FEL was not as refine as the Boomer's FEL, but the LS Rio tractor was cheaper than the new Boomer tractors. In addition, three landscapers I know just bought new LS tractors (longtime NH owners), because they did not see any reason to purchase a New Holland for more money when LS is the same tractor and the LS dealer is a few miles closer to them.
I really hope CNH has plans to refine these tractors soon. If not, then all CNH has achieved to do is alienate its longtime customers base, stifled dealers' input when they demonstrated these new tractors (two or three larger CNH dealers I spoke to expressed their concerns to CNH about these new tractors well before they were released into the consumer market - CNH's new management did not seem to care) and have now hurt their dealers competitiveness by not doing the due diligence to investigate LS's US dealer expansion plans before signing the LS build contract. Sorry for the soap box. I am just a longtime NH customer who has owned a number of Ford and NH compact tractors and I am frustrated from what I see this company is doing to itself; it use to be top tier contender in this market!