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

[RSR]

Are all the tractors you listed cab models? Or is the Kubota the only one? Also, don’t get to hung up over MSRP and wether it’s too high or if you get the highest percentage off. Using the highest percentage off MSRP as a decision maker could get you crappy tractor that you will come to hate.

All are cab models. I listed % off MSRP for the Kubota, simply to demonstrate I think they made a fair offer (based on experiences discussed here on TBN it seems that 10-12% is pretty good) yet it is still by far the most expensive.

 

[nrosario]

IMHO
Go with the Kubota
Better value retention
Better parts availability
The HST+ is super nice and the loader capacity is adecuate.
Plus Kubota uses higher quality hydraulic valves and components.

 

[Citydude]

Their remote valves are hit and miss. I have one that leakes down and"Fallon" a member here has had numerous remote issues as well.

IMHO
Go with the Kubota
Better value retention
Better parts availability
The HST+ is super nice and the loader capacity is adecuate.
Plus Kubota uses higher quality hydraulic valves and components.

 

[Kioti Dave]

Go with the one that fits you best, and in my opinion, the one with the most hp. I think the 3560 is lacking in hp for the size of the tractor. I also maintain a 1 mile long drive, and my NX4510 is just enough. I had a B7800 before (30hp) in a smaller frame, and felt it was underpowered. I chose the Kioti for the dual pedals, 10K less than Kubota, and the massive loader capability. (There was a NX5010 on the lot, and wish I spent the 3K and got the extra hp) Don't underestimate the front end loader capability if you will use it a lot, like it sounds. Hp and weight can't be overstated when it comes to a tractor's capability.

 

[Jchonline]

You are a similar position I was. LS/TYM dealer also doubled as a used car salesman. Super small service shop. I loved the price and the LS cab but dealer support and parts availability was a major concern. In the end I went with Kubota.

 

[Gary Fowler]

IMHO
Go with the Kubota
Better value retention
Better parts availability
The HST+ is super nice and the loader capacity is adecuate.
Plus Kubota uses higher quality hydraulic valves and components.

I dont have issue with the first 3 statements, BUT, I really doubt Kubota has better hydraulic valves than the LS> My Kubota leaks down at all point on the FEL and backhoe, some rather fast. My LS will hold up the FEL for weeks (did that one time) and the rear hydraulics will hold up indefinitely. I have left the tiller in the raised position for months and not leaked down at all. So, at least on MY LS, valves are top quality, much better than the Kubota valves.
Also my LS had much more standard bells and whistles than any other brand when I was shopping and at a significant price reduction. Now this was almost a decade ago so pricing my have changed a bit. The ergonomics on the LS was much better than any other one also.

Now I do love my Kubota B26 and use it for most tasks now days, but that is not to say the LS is inferior, just much larger, so the Kubota does most chores easily.

Still, if I were buying again, I would look at PRICE AND ERGONOMICS as the most important issues. Dealer location would be a distant second. I do all my own maintenance so being close to a dealer for that is not an issue with me.

Having a dealer that will pick up and deliver for free for warranty work is a plus (just in case) but the majority of tractors probably never see the dealer for warranty work. There is always the lemon in any brand though so the free pickup is a good dealer strategy.

My opinion: If you are ever going to think about selling, then Kubota might be worth the extra bucks, otherwise go with the LS.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You are a similar position I was. LS/TYM dealer also doubled as a used car salesman. Super small service shop. I loved the price and the LS cab but dealer support and parts availability was a major concern. In the end I went with Kubota.

Parts availability today is a none issue. No dealer keeps stock of expensive parts or seldom required parts. Any part for any tractor can be had in a couple of days from the centrally located warehouse EVEN Kubota dealer will many times have to order out. Very few dealers have the where with all to stock a complete parts inventory for every model of every tractor they sell.
LS does keep a good stock of parts in a USA warehouse just like Kubota. I am not sure about TYM, Kioti or Mahindra.

 

[Tractorable]

I vote for the Kubota.

However, I don’t see Kioti in the OP’s list and I really think they’re worth a hard look. Their new DK4210SE HC cab tractors are super nice and have some great features.

All New Kioti DK10SE HST Tractors - DK4210SE & DK4710SE Walkthru - YouTube

 

[RSR]

Take note that different manufacturers take and measure the loaders lift capacity from different points. They all don稚 measure the capacities the same way.

Let's Talk: Loader LIES! How specifications can be manipulated. - YouTube

I find it a little ironic when companies make marketing videos, bad-mouthing other companies marketing videos ... (You'll notice, in the entire video they never quote any actual number. Why do you think that is?)

I don't want to start an entirely new debate here, but for the sake of clarity, lets make an objective comparison.

I got the loader lift curve for the L3560 LA 805. I extracted the data and changed the units from mm and Kg to in and lb. Next, I plotted the maximum lift capacity at the corresponding height for the tractors I'm looking at, plotted as an "x", in red, blue, and black, for the LS XR3140, LS XR4140, and TYM T474, respectively. Note, all capacities are at the pivot pin. While measuring it at 500 mm forward would give a more realistic "real world" number, we are comparing apples-to-apples by looking at all at the pivot pin.

With that information, we can simply look at what the LA805 loader will lift at the corresponding height in comparison to what the other loaders lift.

See the attached plot. As shown:

At 92.6 in, the LS XR 3140 (which is a frame size smaller than the Kubota) lifts 2178 lb vs ~1790 lb (18% more)

In similar frame sizes, the TYM T474 lifts 2152 lb vs ~1690 lb (27% more), and the LS XR4140 lifts 2713 lb vs 1750 lb (55% more)

So, yeah. I don't care what the internet says. When you look at the cold hard numbers, Kubota loaders are incredibly weak. They do lift higher, than most others, and if that is important to you, fine. I'm interested in total capacity, and so that is a major strike against Kubota.

 

[RSR]

I vote for the Kubota.

However, I don’t see Kioti in the OP’s list and I really think they’re worth a hard look. Their new DK4210SE HC cab tractors are super nice and have some great features.

All New Kioti DK10SE HST Tractors - DK4210SE & DK4710SE Walkthru - YouTube

I did look at Kioti, both the DK10SE and CK10SE (see very first post). I was really excited to see them. The CK4010SE was very uncomfortable (I had to hunch over to reach the steering wheel). The DK4210SE was too tall to fit into my garage. That's not a deal breaker, but a big strike. The biggest factor was it's a brand new dealer (Open 2 months) who hasn't sold a single tractor. There were some obvious maintenance/assembly issues on the tractors just sitting on the lot. The DK4210SE hydrostatic pedal wasn't adjusted correctly, and had a significant amount of creep. Of the 6 dealers I visited on Monday, I still haven't gotten an official quote from Kioti, whereas all others got back to me within one day. That was enough warning flags that I passed on Kioti.

 

[RSR]

I dont have issue with the first 3 statements, BUT, I really doubt Kubota has better hydraulic valves than the LS> My Kubota leaks down at all point on the FEL and backhoe, some rather fast. My LS will hold up the FEL for weeks (did that one time) and the rear hydraulics will hold up indefinitely. I have left the tiller in the raised position for months and not leaked down at all. So, at least on MY LS, valves are top quality, much better than the Kubota valves.
Also my LS had much more standard bells and whistles than any other brand when I was shopping and at a significant price reduction. Now this was almost a decade ago so pricing my have changed a bit. The ergonomics on the LS was much better than any other one also.

Now I do love my Kubota B26 and use it for most tasks now days, but that is not to say the LS is inferior, just much larger, so the Kubota does most chores easily.

Still, if I were buying again, I would look at PRICE AND ERGONOMICS as the most important issues. Dealer location would be a distant second. I do all my own maintenance so being close to a dealer for that is not an issue with me.

Having a dealer that will pick up and deliver for free for warranty work is a plus (just in case) but the majority of tractors probably never see the dealer for warranty work. There is always the lemon in any brand though so the free pickup is a good dealer strategy.

My opinion: If you are ever going to think about selling, then Kubota might be worth the extra bucks, otherwise go with the LS.

Maybe this is a perfect example of selection bias (focus on the advice that follows your own line of thinking, while it seems most are steering me towards the Kubota) but this is the direction I think I may be leaning the most. Starting from when I went to the NY ag show in January and sat on every single brand of tractor, the LS just felt like the nicest.

For all 3 tractors I'm looking at, the dealers have agreed to free pick-up/delivery for warranty issues, which is not insignificant as the LS and TYM are about 1 hour away. I am mechanically inclined so I'm fine with having most parts shipped to me, and replacing things myself, unless something goes majorly wrong.

While super cheap, it really bother me that the TYM has such poor ergonomics for the 3PT and remote control, and will probably have the worst resale value. I don't ever plan on selling, but nevertheless, it's something to consider. It also annoys me that there is no stop for the 3PT control. Yes, I could fabricate one, but that really kind of takes the shine off of things. Maybe I should cross them off the list? Argggghh, decisions, decisions.

Keep the advice coming.

 

[BAP]

Comparing specs like you have is good, but you the TYM T474 and the LS XR4040HC are one size bigger tractor than the Kubota L3560 and the LS XR3140HC. The TYM T474 and LS XR4040 are comparable to the Kubota L4060. Keeping a separate comparison chart for the 2 different size tractors will help keep your comparison apples to apples.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

Wut?

How do people even come up with this stuff?

I assume you read this somewhere on the interwebs, so it "must be true"?

The engines without DPF run hotter that's how they make the emission standard

 

[RSR]

Comparing specs like you have is good, but you the TYM T474 and the LS XR4040HC are one size bigger tractor than the Kubota L3560 and the LS XR3140HC. The TYM T474 and LS XR4040 are comparable to the Kubota L4060. Keeping a separate comparison chart for the 2 different size tractors will help keep your comparison apples to apples.

Admittedly, trying to compare "sizes" is a little bit arbitrary. You can define size by dimensions, or weight. To me, comparing by dimensions makes the most sense. As a first pass, I look at rear tire size. In R4's, a rear tire of 24, I consider "large", whereas a rear tire of 19.5 or 20, I consider "medium".

Using this criterion, the L3560 and XR4140 are both "large" while the XR3140 and T474 are "med". Next I look at length and wheelbase.

The L3560 is 115 in (w/o 3PH), and the XR4140 is 133 (w/ 3PH). I'm guessing the 3PH adds 12 inches or so, so I think that's close. The wheelbases are 71.1 and 73.2, respectively. So, yes, the XR4140 is slightly larger.

The XR3140 and T474 have an overall length (W 3PH) of 124.3 and 131 respectively, and a wheelbase of 65.7 and 69.7, respectively.

So, the T474 probably compares the closest to the L3560 in dimension, with the XR3140 being a little smaller, and the XR4140 being a little larger.

Even so, the obviously smaller LS outlifts the Kubota by almost 20%.

 

[Jchonline]

Even so, the obviously smaller LS outlifts the Kubota by almost 20%.

Please be careful with this. Kubota lists out all of their lift capacities for loaders online at various points (pin, 500mm, etc etc). I looked on LS’s website and I could not find them. Does anyone that owns an LS have the specifics so we can compare apples to apples?
We need to compare lift at the exact same spot. My guess is LS is still higher, but you might be interested to see by how much.

 

[Jchonline]

The engines without DPF run hotter that's how they make the emission standard

Well they have to burn the fuel at a higher temp yes. This probably translates into some additional overall heat but the question is how much.

 

[BAP]

Admittedly, trying to compare "sizes" is a little bit arbitrary. You can define size by dimensions, or weight. To me, comparing by dimensions makes the most sense. As a first pass, I look at rear tire size. In R4's, a rear tire of 24, I consider "large", whereas a rear tire of 19.5 or 20, I consider "medium".

Using this criterion, the L3560 and XR4140 are both "large" while the XR3140 and T474 are "med". Next I look at length and wheelbase.

The L3560 is 115 in (w/o 3PH), and the XR4140 is 133 (w/ 3PH). I'm guessing the 3PH adds 12 inches or so, so I think that's close. The wheelbases are 71.1 and 73.2, respectively. So, yes, the XR4140 is slightly larger.

The XR3140 and T474 have an overall length (W 3PH) of 124.3 and 131 respectively, and a wheelbase of 65.7 and 69.7, respectively.

So, the T474 probably compares the closest to the L3560 in dimension, with the XR3140 being a little smaller, and the XR4140 being a little larger.

Even so, the obviously smaller LS outlifts the Kubota by almost 20%.

Usually with tractors you start with PTO horsepower to compare models then move to physical dimensions.

 

[TSO]

OP.... What do you mean by "harvesting rocks" for a retaining wall?

 

[RSR]

Please be careful with this. Kubota lists out all of their lift capacities for loaders online at various points (pin, 500mm, etc etc). I looked on LS’s website and I could not find them. Does anyone that owns an LS have the specifics so we can compare apples to apples?
We need to compare lift at the exact same spot. My guess is LS is still higher, but you might be interested to see by how much.

See my in depth discussion above in post 29. Kubota loaders are weak, although lift higher, in comparison to others.

 

[RSR]

Usually with tractors you start with PTO horsepower to compare models then move to physical dimensions.

Interesting. That seems to me like an odd way to compare, as almost every brand offers multiple size tractors with the same PTO output.

An LS xr3140 and 4140 have essentially the same PTO HP, but are very different in size. Similarly, an XR4140 and XR4155 are the exact same frame size and weight, with drastically different PTO HP.