LS MT225HE

   / LS MT225HE #1  

ck27kioti

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2020
Messages
15
Tractor
kioti
My wife wants to get a tractor with a hydro trans, so she can use it more. Our Kioti CK27 has a man trans with shuttle.

The Kioti has done everything we've needed a tractor to do & done it well. For that reason, I looked 1st at the Kioti models. BUT, I eliminated them, because of the brake pedal location. It's not as bad as some, but still requires picking your foot up off the HST pedals, raising it up high enuff to get on top of the brake pedal, then mashing down on the pedal far enuff to brake.

Will ONLY consider those models with side-by-side HST pedals & the brake pedal/pedals on the left side.

After quite a bit of online searching & video watching, I have only found 3 models with this pedal arrangement. One of these is a Branson 2515H. It's my 3rd choice, because it only has a single brake pedal, for both rear brakes. As most tractor owners know, there are rare times when you need to lock only one rear wheel. Can't do this unless you have separate pedals.

Of those I've found, that only leaves 2 choices. And from what I've learned, they are exactly the same tractor, with different name brands. One is a New Holland Workmaster 25. The other is an LS MT225HE.

I've checked the prices of both, in my area. The LS is more than a thousand dollars cheaper. Plus, the LS dealer offered a decent trade-in for our Kioti. So, we have decided to accept his deal. So, I'm not posting to ask anybody's opinion, so PLEASE don't post saying you'd choose a different brand.

Here's why I'm posting. Neither the NH nor the LS dealer has any of these models in stock. They haven't had for several months. They've both had some ordered for months. But have not received any.

Now, here's the really strange(to me) thing about this. I discovered that there is an LS assembly facility only about 100 miles from me. There are 2 factory outlet retail lots close by that facility. One of those lots has this model in stock. And, a guy there said he could have another one put together for me, in one week. BUT, my dealer is only about 150 miles from the assembly plant & has been waiting for months on several LS tractors he has ordered. And, he is a decent size dealer, having sold over 100 tractors & over 200 zero turns last year.

Also, there is another big dealer in MS, about 50 miles from the plant. They have several of these in stock & seem to have no trouble getting more. Therefore, I have to assume that there is some sort of politics going on here.

I've gone online & see that there are lots of these models available, in different areas of the country. So, one of my questions is: Why is it so hard for my local dealers to get any of these blue tractors, when they seem to be available to SOME dealers, in SOME locations ???

For you guys who have the time & wouldn't mind doing it: Would you check with your local LS dealers & see if they have any MT225HE tractors in stock & their price for tractor with loader, & post the results here ? The big LS dealer in MS said this was by far their biggest seller.

After giving it some thought, the only logical reason I can think of, for the assembly plant to not wanna ship to dealers is because they don't make near as much profit selling to a dealer as they do selling thru their retail lots. Maybe some of those in charge of who gets what & when are getting some sort of compensation for sending tractors in certain directions. Stranger things have happened.

Anybody here have any insight into this situation ???
 
   / LS MT225HE #2  
I got an MT240 2 years ago which wasn't in stock. As you noticed there are assembly plants around, I talked my dealer into going to pick it up after waiting a month or so, I think they came back with 3 or 4 tractors, so it wasn't a big deal. It cost them a day or 2 in travel time (1 each way) and they got to either fill orders or have tractors on the lot, it didn't cost me anything.

I'm in AL, we're probably talking about the same assembly plant north of NOLA, trucking/shipping is a ***** these days, so yeah, saves them a ton of money and time not shipping them, but also no product profit.
 
   / LS MT225HE
  • Thread Starter
#3  
So, my dealer came up with an LS MT225HE, from somewhere. I've read that it's recommended to replace oil, HST, & Hydraulic filters @ 50 hours. So, I'm starting now gathering info as to which filters to buy.

After using the LS brand part numbers, then crossing them over to popular brands, I've come up with some oil filter choices. There are several Wix/NAPA filters that should fit. The NAPA 1356 & 1357 are a little longer than the original, which should be good. All the specs look the same to me, except that the 1356 looks to have a thicker shell. Same price, so why not go with the thicker shell. The Motorcraft FL821 shows to be a fit. It's even a dollar cheaper. Anybody know of a reason why either of these would not be a good oil filter choice ?



A guy on a YouTube video said he used a longer HST filter than the original. This Donaldson is the one he used. Claimed it made the HST operate quieter.


For the Hydraulic filter, looks like the Wix 51715 is a good match. Best price I found was on Amazon.


So, do any of you guys agree that these would fit & be good choices ?

Anybody disagree with any of the choices, or know for sure that any of 'em actually will not work on the LS MT225HE tractor ?
 
   / LS MT225HE #4  
If you're getting a brand new machine under warranty, it would be best to stick with dealer supplied parts.
 
   / LS MT225HE #5  
For the couple dollars you save, might not be worth it. Watch Messicks video about the difference in factory vs. aftermarket filters. Why risk it?

I don't even have to go out and get them... I call my dealer (over 500 miles away) and I have them all in 4 days or less.
 
   / LS MT225HE
  • Thread Starter
#6  
So, the LS tractor my dealer came up with has ag tires on it. I want R4 ind tires.

So, today I've been trying to find some R4 tires & wheels for it. Haven't been able to find out what bolt circle diameter the rear wheels are. Can tell from pics that they are 6-hole. The R4 tires that come on it are listed as 43/16 - 20. The wheels are 14" wide. So, those wheels are 14 x 20 6-hole. But, that don't tell me the center hole diameter or the bolt circle diameter. Just from the small amount of searching I've done, it appears that those size wheels are rare.

SO, I'm looking into searching for a more common size wheel that will fit. I found out that my Kioti has wheels with a metric bolt circle.

"...6-hole wheels, with a metric 170mm bolt circle. The b.c. is also sometimes called a 6.69" or a 6.693" or even a 6 11/16". The center hole is called a 5.32"..."

Also learned that some of the L series Kubota tractors had this same bolt pattern. In the chart I saw, the center hole is listed as 135mm, which a calculator shows to be 5.31496".

So, my question is: What is the bolt circle diameter & center hole size of the rear wheels on LS MT225HE & NH Workmaster 25 tractors ?

If lots of the Kubotas had that size, that should mean there are more used ones out there, & possibly a lower price on new stuff.

19.5 wheels will work. That's the size on my Kioti. My Kioti wheels might work on the LS or Workmaster.

If I go with shorter rear tires, I'd have to also buy some shorter front tires. My Kioti has 15 x 19.5 rears, which are just under 40", and 25" front tires.

Again, anybody know the b.c. & center hole size for the LS MT225HE & Workmaster 25 rear wheels ???

Can't just go out & measure. That tractor is well over an hour's drive from me.
 
Last edited:
   / LS MT225HE
  • Thread Starter
#7  
So, here's that chart showing some of the L-series Kubota models that supposedly had the metric 170mm b.c. on the rear.

Can anybody here who has one of these models verify that this is true ?

Also, does the center hole of your wheel measure aprox 5.32" ?
 

Attachments

  • L-series Kub 170mm rear b.c.  .jpg
    L-series Kub 170mm rear b.c. .jpg
    535.7 KB · Views: 123
   / LS MT225HE #8  
So, the LS tractor my dealer came up with has ag tires on it. I want R4 ind tires.

New or used?

When you buy a new LS you get your choice of tires, R1, R3, R4. So if you want R4 the dealership can swap them out for no charge.

Swapping out wheels and tires on your own will be cost prohibitive in that you will have more invested than it is worth.
 
 
Top