Looking at LS - on the fence - needing help

[FLfish]

New member here in NW Florida. I grew up on a farm in Arkansas driving standard old tractors until I was 18 and joined the Navy to get away from the farm. Now retired from the Navy and low and behold want to get back to my roots in a small way.
I am looking to purchase a new CUT within the next month. Currently leaning towards LS XR series although I have a quote on a JD 3038e and I am waiting on a quote on Kubota L3-series and may get one on a Mahindra 3016.
I can't decide on the LS XR3032, 3037, or 3040 for my anticipated use. Main use will be a 3 to 5 acre garden, clearing brush under old oaks to open up 10 acres of woods and maintaining a 400' dirt/sand driveway. No heavy farming. Initial brush hogging of garden area that has not been planted in 20 years will require serious brush hog work but after that minimal cutting. I may need to clear storm debris at some point as the FL Panhandle will get storms sometime in the future and a grapple could be in my future. I have not seen any reviews on the 3037, but some on the 3032 and 3040 here. I test drove a 3032 yesterday and really liked the XR options. It handled so much better, was quieter, and the seat was so awesome compared to my memories of the old JDs and fords I grew up operating in the 60's.
The quote I received from JD and asked for from Kubota will match the extra options LS builds in that I may have need of (like extra hyd valves, etc). This will enable me to compare price as close to apple to apples as I can.
Does anyone have any experiences with the LS XR series and especially the 3037 that might help me make my decision? Like I said I will be pulling the trigger in about 2 to 3 weeks and would appreciate any owners out there that would provide advice on the right LS or other tractor for me.
I can see on these forums that usually green bleeds green and orange bleeds orange and I may start bleeding what ever color I decide on. Right now I need help getting off the fence and onto a tractor and would appreciate anyone providing advice to this old sailor.

Thanks

 

[mx1alex]

Bump cause I'd like to learn about the xr series as well.

 

[tman1020]

I looked at all that you just mentioned except for the LS one year ago. I also looked at kioti ck 27 and the kioti twin bobcat ct225. John Deere started out as my favorite I had a very good dealer close by but it lost me in features and I had read some reviews that I didn't like. Kubota seems very nice but was light and seemed a bit overpriced in my area. I like the specs on the Mahendra a lot but it just did not feel comfortable. Would have liked to have checked out LS but did not have any available dealers. Was going to buy the kioti until I found a deal on the bobcat which is a very very similar tractor. No regrets the best tractor I have ever owned.

 

[k0ua]

I don't think you will go wrong with an LS or Kioti. You might post again in the LS forum and see if you can scare up more LS owners. I own a Kioti, but the LS guys sure seem to like them, and what you get for the money sure seems good.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
Welcome to the forum from Northwest Alabama. Be sure to keep us informed as to what decision you make and why.

 

[oosik]

I bleed orange and mainly because it had all the features I wanted and I have dealt with this dealer for over 32 years. I have not seen nor read any bad threads/posts about LS. You sure seem to get a lot for your money. A good solid dealership is going to have a lot to do with how you feel about your tractor in the future.

 

[TomSeller]

Don't let the "weight is better" pitch influence you completely. Weight works against you on soft soils and uses up HP moving the tractor up hills, etc. You can always add weight to the wheels or on the 3 pt for when you need it, but you cannot just "add" HP. Soooo, if you want a heavy machine, get a heavy machine and enjoy it. If you want a lighter machine that you can easily add weight when you need it, get a light machine. Heavy machines are good for heavy loader uses.

I have never heard of a real concern of the "light" tractor manufacturers ever experiencing any significant structural failures. Maybe even the other way around.

 

[FLfish]

I wanted to look at Kioti, but according to the website my nearest dealer is 130+ miles of hard driving to get to.
TomSeller, thanks I do not have any hills here in NW FL but I do have flat sandy soil that seems well drained and easy to drive over. I had not considered weight and hp to navigate in the sand. The LS specs indicates it is the heaviest of the 30-40 group that I am looking at.
I live in between the LS dealers I am talking to. Each is about 40 miles. The Deere and Kubota dealers are local and have been here a long time. Both were knowledgeable and seemed to want my business. The Kubota dealer was talking me down in HP to a smaller B series while the Deere dealer advised me either a 32 or 38 hp would do what I want done. Of the two LS dealers, the one 40 miles west in AL seemed to be the one I could have the best relationship with, but the one 40 miles east in FL has the better established shop, which I hope I rarely if ever need and will deliver for free.
K0ua, Thanks for pointing out I should post on the LS forum. I did not sign up until yesterday so did not know there were different forums until I had access.

 

[FLfish]

:welcome:
Welcome to the forum from Northwest Alabama. Be sure to keep us informed as to what decision you make and why.

Thanks for the welcome and your service to our country. I will keep you posted.

 

[TripleR]

LS builds several tractors in the CUT category for Case and New Holland, so they should be pretty good machines. I don't care for our only LS dealership, so I didn't consider them. My brother seriously considered them and was favorably impressed. He knows a lot more about machinery than I, so I really value his opinion.