To buy MT357 Cab or not?

[Stowed4Sea]

I'm here because yall have experience and I do not. I've kinda got 4 questions I need to work out:
1. For those that have had similar experiences, do you ever get over the love for a prior brand before LS(or any brand, anyone with similar experience can answer this)?
2. The question of HP: I've heard you always buy more HP than you think you need if you can?
3. The question of Cab or not: If you even considered a cab, get one. Many I've heard say nobody has ever regretted buying a cab that thought about it, but many have came back to upgrade to cab model later.
4. Aftermarket Lighting for Cab models?

1. Regarding the first question and my background.
From all I've talked with and researched, I have a very good LS dealer in the area, about 30 minutes away. Deere and Kubota are closer, but I just cannot justify the extra $10,000+ for a similar model with less features that I need (like rear SCVs) vs what would be nice (like Deere having swivel seat, hitch assist etc). Plus the wife hates those colors and she loves the LS blue. It matters a lot to her, even though she admits it makes no sense, she wants to drive the blue one, and we really enjoy doing this life together so want her excited about driving a tractor. It seems stupid, but I'm having a very hard time with this.

I grew up on an all Deere farm in Illinois, never imagining driving anything other than green. I recall as a child spending every spare moment riding the green tractor with Dad, I feel like Deere is a part of my soul. Still to this year, I go back and spend many hours each fall driving the combine or auger wagon around, farming with my brother and Dad and when I look around it's all green. It's really hard to drive past the Deere dealer on my way to the LS tractor dealer. It's hard to explain to someone that isn't coming from a similar experience. The LS tractor blue is pretty and growing on me, but it's more than just a color, it's looking down in the middle of the wheel and seeing that running Deere as opposed to something else, for example. I don't know, I guess I'm asking, to those in similar situation, have you regretted not buying a brand of the past? Does that feeling ever go away as you grow to love you LS tractor, or do you spend your whole life in regret. Most of what the Deere does for me is cause memories, but I'll always have those, it's just hard to separate it up in my mind. What's the future look like for someone like me?

For 2,3: More about what I have planned.
I have 24 acres of beautiful Texas and it's all wooded. It's not normally super humid where I'm at, but it is a lot of long, hot summer days. It's not my full time job, but with my rotating shift work, I have 2 weeks off every 6 weeks where I can do what I want free on my property, so that's a lot of potentially long days outside.

I'm using the tractor for clearing the land from smaller trees, there's not that many huge trees in Central Texas. The soil is excellent on that plot, and I am not only clearing for a home-site, ground mount solar, and some other buildings, but also clearing 1-4 acres for some small fields of garlic and other vegetables. One of my first purchases is a woodchipper so as I clear, I can use the chips on some of the trails I'm also making...my wife and I enjoy making lots of trails. There's a lot of undergrowth at spots it's hard to walk through.

So what I'm struggling with is I really only need the extra PTO for the larger woodchipper model I want. I can get a smaller wood chipper that I think I'll still be very happy with, but that's really the only reason I need the 57 HP. Without that, I think I can do with the 47 HP model. It's not a lot of mowing, mostly around the property border where there will be fences and some open spaces and then cutting thick brush where it's too time consuming to do by hand for clearing new trails, so I think a 6' rotary cutter is plenty big, can I do that with 47 hp? Any other reason like a tiller that yall think I would need more HP if I decide to go with the smaller woodchipper? I'll be getting land plane, tiller, and some other tillage equipment, but I don't think those need more HP. I'm not sure what else I'd need extra PTO hp for.

And that leads me to the bit about the Cab. Eventually I'll be doing a fair bit of work outside of the trees after I've cleared it, and I've spent many days outside in Texas where a Cab would allow me to go longer into the evening, sometimes I cannot drink water fast enough to replenish. However, I've heard Cabs are not nice with trees. I'm telling myself I can just be careful, cut path a bit wider and clear the overhead branches so tractor will fit easy. But for those that kinda use a tractor for dual use like this, in forest and in the open, is the tradeoff of fighting the forest worth the cab comfort, or do you find you are happy to not have to deal with a cab in the forest?

Question 4, Lighting
Those that have this series or similar series with cab, how is the lighting at night? Do you think you need aftermarket options or is stock standard good enough? Anyone have any aftermarket options that they love for a cab? What have yall done? Do you add lighting like a light bar at front and rear of tractor or find upgrades to the existing lights and replace them? Just trying to make plans for my budget with what I think I'll need upfront for planning purposes.


Thanks in advance,
Daniel

I know I tend to over-explain, but I tried to give those that answer these questions what they would need upfront.

 

[Bearsixty7]

I'm here because yall have experience and I do not. I've kinda got 4 questions I need to work out:
1. For those that have had similar experiences, do you ever get over the love for a prior brand before LS(or any brand, anyone with similar experience can answer this)?
2. The question of HP: I've heard you always buy more HP than you think you need if you can?
3. The question of Cab or not: If you even considered a cab, get one. Many I've heard say nobody has ever regretted buying a cab that thought about it, but many have came back to upgrade to cab model later.
4. Aftermarket Lighting for Cab models?

1. Regarding the first question and my background.

I grew up on IH/Farmall tractors, Figured that's all I'd ever own, maybe a JD. I really like my LS, just make sure you have a good feeling about the dealer.
And as for the memories, just seeing those 2 front tractor tires (R1's) and hearing that diesel engine purr is all I need. We never had an FEL on the farm, so I love having that!

For 2,3: More about what I have planned.

As for a wood chipper, You may want to rethink that. Of the few comments I've seen on them, most say you need one much bigger than expected to get any significant chipping done. Might be something to rent or hire after you pile the limbs up.

IF a cab is in your budget, get it. Like you said, no one has ever regretted one, yeah you may break some glass initially. Either take it out until the trees are trimmed or expect to replace a couple.

A tiller doesn't really require a high HP tractor. 47 or 57hp can both handle 6' - 8' brush hogs.

Question 4, Lighting

I don't have a cabbed tractor but I don't think any have enough lights standard. Plan to had an LED light bar or two and/or some LED light pods. They aren't difficult. I added a light bar on back for implement and backhoe operation and 2 lights forward.

 

[Avenger]

1. For those that have had similar experiences, do you ever get over the love for a prior brand before LS(or any brand, anyone with similar experience can answer this)?

Yes and no. I also grew up on a farm in Central Washington called the Columbia Basin. Everything was either International Red or John Deere Green. We also drove Ford trucks, used Miller welders, Craftsman tools, and were very brand loyal. When I purchased my LS, I got a ton of criticism for buying an "off brand" tractor. Even to this day, when family comes over, they criticize my tractor, my Toyota, Snap-on tools, etc. But I'm not them, they didn't buy my tools, my truck, or my tractor. I did.

That does not mean that I don't like/love John Deere. They have some wonderful features, great resale value, awesome dealership network, etc. Their larger tractors scream quality, but their smaller, utility tractors compare with mine, in the quality realm.

My advise: you get what you want and can afford. If you like blue, buy blue. If you like yellow with purple polka dots, buy what makes you happy. Buy what you can afford.
I can tell you that I love my LS tractor. Not justifying a major purchase, but I truly love my tractor. I do miss the JD and IH machines back home, but I'd miss my LS if I lost it, more.

2. The question of HP: I've heard you always buy more HP than you think you need if you can?

Yep.
When I was looking to buy a tractor, a very good friend of mine had (still has) a little 25hp Mahindra tractor. I borrowed it on several occasions for little jobs around the place. It worked, but I knew I wanted bigger. Maybe 35hp. Of course my friend argued that all I need is a 25hp Mahindra just like his. But he lives on flat wheat fields and only uses his tractor for plowing snow in the winter. I had much bigger plans.
I went with my friend to look at tractors at the Mahindra dealership. But that dealer no longer sells Mahindra, but instead picked up this newer brand of tractor that I've never heard of before, LS. I told the dealer that I was looking for something in the 35hp range with an FEL. That was my only requirements. He showed me an LS G3033

Actual photo taken by me on that day

I wasn't in love with it, but decided to take some info on the LG...LS blue tractor brand and do some research. I found this site, lurked for a long time, reading threads, watching YT videos (there were not many) and decided that what I really wanted was the LS XR4040. It's 5 more hp, but bigger frame. But then I started hearing about issues with regen. Not many, but more that it was annoying. The XR4040 has that Shibarua 4-cylinder engine that goes into regen mode every 5 hours or so. Not a deal killer by any means.

I save up my nickels and went back to the dealership where I looked at that G3033. I spoke to him about the tractor that I wanted, having done my homework. During my homework leading up to this point, LS announced the XR41 series, with their LS brand 3-cylinder engine that goes into regen mode every 50hrs instead of 5. Besides that, everything seemed to be the same.
The dealer agreed that I should get the newer 41 series. He pushed me to get the 55hp one though. I thought that would be a bit much, but being the same frame, same engine, I should have popped for it.
I went from being told that I "need" at 25hp, to wanting a 35hp, to buying a 45hp, to wanting a 55-60hp.
That's right, if I ever sell my beloved tractor, it will be to upgrade to an even bigger tractor.

3. The question of Cab or not: If you even considered a cab, get one. Many I've heard say nobody has ever regretted buying a cab that thought about it, but many have came back to upgrade to cab model later.

I didn't want the cab. I figured, where I live, on steep hills in the forest that I'd be breaking glass and toppling over. Nope, an open platform was for me. Besides, adding a cab onto the deal means big money, right?
The dealer finally asked, "cab or no?" I said no. He said "why?" I told him the reasons I just stated above. He kind of chuckled at me. He said there is almost no way to break the glass scraping tree limbs. Even if one snaps and hits the glass. In fact, the only time he (the shop) has ever changed a panel on any cab tractor was when an operator got lazy and drove though a gate without closing the door, bending it backwards and shattering the door. The center of gravity is about the same, maybe a bit higher, but not so much that I'd notice. And filling the tires, he said "You'd probably chicken out long before the tractor tips." And he is right.
"Ok, what about the price?" I asked. He did some quick math and said that the tractor, an XR4145C (cab), with a box blade and rototiller will come out to $31,000 (roughly, It wasnt even. I dont remember how much it actually was, just the $31 thousand part)

WOW! I had budgeted $30,000 for this tractor. I looked at my wife, who has been absolutely silent this entire time, and she said "if you want it, get it." So I did. I got to say, that I do NOT regret that decision, ever, once. The heat in the winter, makes plowing snow a dream (I've done it in shorts and flip flops just because I can.) The AC alone in the summer is worth every penny. But probably the best thing about having a cab, is no bugs! No real dust either. Some dust gets in, but not much. Less engine noise... music in the cab, its just awesome! However, I cannot park the tractor in the garage (shop) to do maintenance. So I park just outside the big door and do it there, on the concrete. No big deal.

Get the cab.

4. Aftermarket Lighting for Cab models?

I ran a full year with the stock incandescent lighting on the cab. It works. But its not great. Where I'm at, it gets dark early in the winter. Much of my tractor work takes place at night, in the winter. So I decided to upgrade my lighting. I jumped on Amazon, found some LED lights, took down the stock ones and replaced them with spots in the front, and flood in the back. The tractor really lights up now, and I can see very well. They have held up for a few years now, with no issues. I'm considering adding some ditch lights, on the sides of the cab, but that is not really a priority right now.

I did a video of how I installed my lights:

I suspect you will do the same, if you end up getting a cab. LS should really get with the times, these should come standard.

In all, I don't believe you will be disappointed with a new LS MT357. It will make your wife happy, seeing the blue, and you will get more bang for your buck over some of the other brands. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably get a bigger LS cab tractor than I have now.

Also, welcome to the forum! Please let us know what you end up deciding.

 

[3Lfarms]

I was pretty agnostic when it came to tractor color. All we ever had growing up was rust colored machines.

I knew I wanted 60-70 horses, and in that range, none of the LS dealers in Utah had ever even sold one that big. Sure they were happy to order one if I paid up front, but I wanted to at least sit in one before signing anything. I called LS corporate and they had the area rep call me. He put me in touch with a dealer in Idaho about 200 miles away from me that had sold a few of the larger LS tractors. That dealer arranged for me to test drive a customers XU6168 cabbed tractor like I was seriously considering. I liked the tractor and the fact that the dealer made the effort to let me drive one, and that the farmer liked the dealer enough to let a stranger drive his 4 month old tractor spoke volumes. I ordered a 6168CPS that day.
I saved over $10k vs a similar Kubota from the dealer in my town, who I did not get a warm fuzzy feeling from walking through their “service bay”. The Deere dealers in UT are owned by the same family, and they were my first stop to look at new tractors. The vibe I got from them was they really didnt care about a small customer, their business was big AG. They couldnt even be bothered to give me pricing. It was like, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. I didnt tell them I was a cash customer and left.

Frankly, with an LS, you will save enough money you could have the tractor painted green and put JD stickers on, and still have enough to buy a couple implements. Your family wouldn’t know the difference.

Mine has been great. The dealer has sent me two parts under warranty and I installed them. First was a hydraulic hose that ruptured for some reason, then the throttle pedal went bad. Apparently that was pretty common problem, they got a bad batch from their supplier. That took all of about 3 minutes to change out. 4 years later, those are the only problems ive had.

With a cabbed LS, there are two things you will want to change. First is the horrible speakers. Buy some 5 1/4 decent quality ones and install them. You’ll have to do just a little trimming, but the results look factory and sound great.
Second is LED lights. The halogen lights are only OK and you can get your work done. It’s not like you’re moving at highway speed and need to see 1/4 mile. An LED bar up front and a couple cubes on the rear and it’s like daytime. I left the factory lights in place and added LEDs. Cheap LEDs make noise that you will hear in the radio, so being able to leave them off and use the halogens is an option like. Mine only make a faint whine when listening to FM, it I don’t hear it when listening to Bluetooth streaming from my phone.

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[Stowed4Sea]

Thanks all for taking time to write! Some of y'all write long answers, I love it! I feel right at home here!

Regarding the color, it's not so much me being worried what others think, it's that when I close my eyes or hear the word tractor I think Deere. The more I think about it, I think it's mostly nostalgia. So many good memories as a kid with Dad, and now he's older and has Parkinson's and can't really farm, my brother and I help out for a couple weeks in the fall. It's always been his dream to see his boys farm land that's been in the family for four generations. Every year, he gets worse and every year I relish it because I think it will be the last year farming like that. It's my favorite time the whole year, and it's all with John Deere tractors and combine so I don't think it's really even the brand I love, just my family and the associated memories.

Thanks for helping me work through through those feelings, I don't feel it will be as big of a deal as I originally thought.

Thanks again to all for confirming all I had thought about HP and Cab and lighting. Its a lot of money to spend, even if it is a lot cheaper than the main brands I feel a lot better after confirming those things.

Thanks again all. I think I found my new favorite forum! There's a lot of collective knowledge and wisdom here.

 

[Williy]

The LS 47 hp will be more than enough power for
that size rotary cutter. I liked the LS tractors they
are really well made and almost purchased one.
It did not have all the features the Yanmar had so
ordered a Yanmar YT235C. Now if it was an LS
VS Koiti SHOOT the Koiti and buy the LS

willy

 

[Stowed4Sea]

Now if it was an LS VS Koiti SHOOT the Koiti and buy the LS

Lol, I take it you had a bad experience.

I have more time off work next week and plan on stopping by LS dealer again. I'm really excited about the cab, it's just a shame there aren't more used LS tractors on the market. I'm looking at a used 5 series Deere as an option, it's open station, and not hydrostatic, two huge negatives but the price difference means I could build a small shed for my tractor or start off with more attachments.

I think bottom line is that I should keep coming back to the thought that I really want and desire a cab for many reasons, and once I factor that in, it's basically 10-15 year old Deere with cab compared to brand new LS MT357 model for the same price, and often times the LS is even better price with more features. I should stop comparing apples to oranges, the price on those used 5E series Deeres seem amazing at first, but I need to keep reminding myself it's not really a fair comparison at all considering all the features LS has over that 5E

 

[swreeder]

I grew up using all different kinds of tractors and power gear. I've owned and used red, green, orange and now blue tractors. I have a lot of nostalgia around some of the old ones from years ago, but that had little to no impact on buying a new LS.

For me it was all about features, price and a reliable dealer that led me down the path of an LS. I ended up going with the MT352HC. When I started my search I thought I would land in the 35HP range and had no intentions of a cab.

Since owning mine now for about 4 months now, I can say I am glad I went up and size and the cab is amazing. Living in Texas its sure nice to get out of the sun and be in AC while doing some work. The other big benefit for me is when mowing. I'd end up covered in dust since I live on a giant rock of limestone and caliche. I would avoid mowing as much as possible. Not the case with the cab, I can mow in comfort and not be impacted by all the dust.

I have not updated the lighting on mine yet. I did add a stereo, speakers and a front/review camera system to it. The few things I had to do after dark the lighting was sufficient. If I wanted to do any kind of real work at night I would probably upgrade, but I don't see myself doing much work after dark.

 

[Stowed4Sea]

Ah, I see you are nearby down in Wimberley. I used to live around the Dripping Springs area before moving up to Burnet, we used to go to Wimberley all the time.

Yeah, I think you nailed everything I've been thinking. When I consider the fact that I need a cab, it instantly rules out a Deere/Kubota for me (those are the only other dealers close by). The price difference isn't even close, let alone the extra features included in the LS. I need to keep looking at it that way instead of seeing what kind of deal I can get without a cab. My wife has a lot of allergies and she would do much better in a cab and the MT3 series felt small enough she felt comfortable driving it around. She's also allergic to wasps so that kinda terrifies her if she mows on one of my long weeks when I'm at work and not able to do it.

It's really as simple as Cab = YES or NO. If YES, -> LS is only option I realistically have. I mean, I was even looking at some used Deere Cab models similar HP range, like 10 years old with a cab and still lacking the rear hydraulic options that I'd have to buy is basically the same price as brand new MT357HC!

I think I'd consider New Holland if they had a nearby dealer, but even they are a bit more pricey than LS, which makes sense since my dealer told me LS makes all but one (he thinks, might be out of date) of the NH Boomer and Workmaster tractors.

 

[swreeder]

Ah, I see you are nearby down in Wimberley. I used to live around the Dripping Springs area before moving up to Burnet, we used to go to Wimberley all the time.

Yeah, I think you nailed everything I've been thinking. When I consider the fact that I need a cab, it instantly rules out a Deere/Kubota for me (those are the only other dealers close by). The price difference isn't even close, let alone the extra features included in the LS. I need to keep looking at it that way instead of seeing what kind of deal I can get without a cab. My wife has a lot of allergies and she would do much better in a cab and the MT3 series felt small enough she felt comfortable driving it around. She's also allergic to wasps so that kinda terrifies her if she mows on one of my long weeks when I'm at work and not able to do it.

It's really as simple as Cab = YES or NO. If YES, -> LS is only option I realistically have. I mean, I was even looking at some used Deere Cab models similar HP range, like 10 years old with a cab and still lacking the rear hydraulic options that I'd have to buy is basically the same price as brand new MT357HC!

I think I'd consider New Holland if they had a nearby dealer, but even they are a bit more pricey than LS, which makes sense since my dealer told me LS makes all but one (he thinks, might be out of date) of the NH Boomer and Workmaster tractors.

I sit right between Dripping Springs and Wimberley right on the township line. Is your concern with LS and the quality?