Which would you buy? (Help me spend my money)

[Maxify55]

I’ve got almost 900 hrs on my LS now and I’m still amazed I haven’t killed it.
They’re great machines but don’t slack on the maintenance.
Keep the RPMs up to 2K and you’ll have no issues with the dreaded regen cycle.

 

[Trillium Farm]

I was just gonna say, as the owner of three Kubotas, all bought used, over the last 20 years, I have really never had any need of a dealer other than buying filters and fluids, which is easy to do online. I simply have never had any issues that I couldn't address on my own, and I am no real mechanic. So maybe, with a tiny bit of luck, the dealer is irrelevant after delivery. You'd hope so, anyway. I know guys with Deere's and other brands who couldn't say that, though. And, of course, since I bought used, maybe initial problems were taken care of by the first owner??

These days in general the problems are caused by 3 things: Tractors used in a manner not intended by the Mnfr, using inappropriate fluids/oils, not following recommended maintenance schedule. The dealer (other than set up & PDI) is no longer as important as the machines do not brake down unless abused or not maintained. That has been my experience. Kubotas have acquired their reputation through decades of good customer management and excellent machines. One may pay a bit more up front and in return they get great reliability and excellent resale value.

 

[RSR]

I’ve got almost 900 hrs on my LS now and I’m still amazed I haven’t killed it.
They’re great machines but don’t slack on the maintenance.
Keep the RPMs up to 2K and you’ll have no issues with the dreaded regen cycle.

I have heard that recommendation from the dealer as well. I've started reading through the manual to keep myself busy while I wait.

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't have any of the three brands listed, and I have never seen any of them in person.

I do have four tractors, and all are different brands. A few things that I have learned since buying my first tractor in 2003 was that the dealer isn't as important down the road as every says they are, but for initial stuff right after the purchase, it's all that matters. I also learned that smaller dealerships come and go quickly. Ten years goes by faster then I thought it would and in that time, I've seen over a dozen tractor dealerships open up and close down. My Century dealer quit selling them ten years ago. He sold Mahindra for awhile, but now he has a lot of LS and Zetor on his lot. The companies mess with the dealerships more then most people realize, so you really never know when they will do something crazy. What's really great about the other brands that I have tractors with, New Holland, Case and Ditch Witch, is that they will tell me where to go to get better deals then what they can sell parts for, or where they go to get work done for less then they can in their shop. It's all about long term, out of warrantee support that matters to me. I do all my repairs, so parts sourcing and advice on how to do those repairs is what matters. Case is horrible about supporting their equipment, but the guys that work there go out of their way to make up for the horrible customer support from up above.

If I was buying, and I will be in the future for a cabbed tractor, Kubota is going to be at the top of my list because they are the only brand listed that I know for sure will be there 20 years from now. I realize that LS and TYM are not going anywhere, but they sure do open and close a lot of dealerships over the years, and I expect that to continue, which means you don't have any idea who you will be dealing with in ten years, or where that will be. I also don't know how easy or hard it will be to find parts for either of those brands in ten years. I know that Kubota will have the parts for your tractor no matter how old it is. I also know that there are so many Kubota dealers all over the country that if your local dealer becomes difficult to deal with, you can go online and find just about any part that you will ever need and have it sent to your house. Can you do that with TYM or LS? If so, will you still be able to do that in ten years?

There is nothing wrong with TYM or LS, but there is a lot more to Kubota then just the basics when comparing them.

 

[Trillium Farm]

I don't have any of the three brands listed, and I have never seen any of them in person.

I do have four tractors, and all are different brands. A few things that I have learned since buying my first tractor in 2003 was that the dealer isn't as important down the road as every says they are, but for initial stuff right after the purchase, it's all that matters. I also learned that smaller dealerships come and go quickly. Ten years goes by faster then I thought it would and in that time, I've seen over a dozen tractor dealerships open up and close down. My Century dealer quit selling them ten years ago. He sold Mahindra for awhile, but now he has a lot of LS and Zetor on his lot. The companies mess with the dealerships more then most people realize, so you really never know when they will do something crazy. What's really great about the other brands that I have tractors with, New Holland, Case and Ditch Witch, is that they will tell me where to go to get better deals then what they can sell parts for, or where they go to get work done for less then they can in their shop. It's all about long term, out of warrantee support that matters to me. I do all my repairs, so parts sourcing and advice on how to do those repairs is what matters. Case is horrible about supporting their equipment, but the guys that work there go out of their way to make up for the horrible customer support from up above.

If I was buying, and I will be in the future for a cabbed tractor, Kubota is going to be at the top of my list because they are the only brand listed that I know for sure will be there 20 years from now. I realize that LS and TYM are not going anywhere, but they sure do open and close a lot of dealerships over the years, and I expect that to continue, which means you don't have any idea who you will be dealing with in ten years, or where that will be. I also don't know how easy or hard it will be to find parts for either of those brands in ten years. I know that Kubota will have the parts for your tractor no matter how old it is. I also know that there are so many Kubota dealers all over the country that if your local dealer becomes difficult to deal with, you can go online and find just about any part that you will ever need and have it sent to your house. Can you do that with TYM or LS? If so, will you still be able to do that in ten years?
There is nothing wrong with TYM or LS, but there is a lot more to Kubota then just the basics when comparing them.

Very well Said !!!

 

[nards444]

I don't have any of the three brands listed, and I have never seen any of them in person.

I do have four tractors, and all are different brands. A few things that I have learned since buying my first tractor in 2003 was that the dealer isn't as important down the road as every says they are, but for initial stuff right after the purchase, it's all that matters. I also learned that smaller dealerships come and go quickly. Ten years goes by faster then I thought it would and in that time, I've seen over a dozen tractor dealerships open up and close down. My Century dealer quit selling them ten years ago. He sold Mahindra for awhile, but now he has a lot of LS and Zetor on his lot. The companies mess with the dealerships more then most people realize, so you really never know when they will do something crazy. What's really great about the other brands that I have tractors with, New Holland, Case and Ditch Witch, is that they will tell me where to go to get better deals then what they can sell parts for, or where they go to get work done for less then they can in their shop. It's all about long term, out of warrantee support that matters to me. I do all my repairs, so parts sourcing and advice on how to do those repairs is what matters. Case is horrible about supporting their equipment, but the guys that work there go out of their way to make up for the horrible customer support from up above.

If I was buying, and I will be in the future for a cabbed tractor, Kubota is going to be at the top of my list because they are the only brand listed that I know for sure will be there 20 years from now. I realize that LS and TYM are not going anywhere, but they sure do open and close a lot of dealerships over the years, and I expect that to continue, which means you don't have any idea who you will be dealing with in ten years, or where that will be. I also don't know how easy or hard it will be to find parts for either of those brands in ten years. I know that Kubota will have the parts for your tractor no matter how old it is. I also know that there are so many Kubota dealers all over the country that if your local dealer becomes difficult to deal with, you can go online and find just about any part that you will ever need and have it sent to your house. Can you do that with TYM or LS? If so, will you still be able to do that in ten years?

There is nothing wrong with TYM or LS, but there is a lot more to Kubota then just the basics when comparing them.

I agree with the dealership comment, for me its about getting what I want for the best price. I can do the services myself and like to do it and small break fixes are easy as well. Now if Im the guy that doesnt want to lift a finger or using the machine as business dealer support might be more important. To me as long as I can get parts from somewhere thats what matters. I see this with cars and trucks too, I think a lot of guys just have something for getting free coffee and a dealer and feel like they belong to some sort of club because they frequent the place, which is fine to each their own I guess.