If you are buying by a spec sheet, you will be disappointed sooner or later. Expectations have a big impact on your satisfaction as well. I bought another Kubota because I was super familiar with the "responsiveness" of things like the loader control from my previous Kubota. When comparing Kioti's, LS, Massey, etc, it was clear which ones immediately were removed from the list for this reason. If I didn't feel I had as much finesse control with the loader, something I use a lot, it was a no go because I knew it would annoy me forever. As mentioned before, if I can't lift and roll the bucket at the same time in a very control fashion, it's a no go. If you have no real comparison for these types of things it may not be as big of deal.
That being said, and as many have said, go drive them. Use all of the functions. I immediately ruled out the LS due to the location of the hydraulic levers for the 3pt and other rear valves. There were in my opinion inconvenient. You had to reach down and couldn't see what you were grabbing. On many other brands, they are up on the right panel and easily recognizable which is which.
It's also little things like on my Kubota the cylinder lines are ran inside the loader arms and not outside like most others. Protection plates were better placed in my opinion. These are all personal decisions on what is important, but it is clear to me that there is a reason the Kubota is more expensive. I am willing to pay the extra for what I think is important.
I always laugh at the it can lift more argument. Any of these with no ballast is going to raise the backend before it reaches the max load. If you need to lift more, you need a bigger tractor would be my argument.
Many are focused solely on cost and I can understand that. Many also probably don't care if things are a bit "rougher" in finish overall. Hell, if you just want to buy the cheapest tractor with the most function, go find a Belarus. My uncle bought one in the 80's and still uses it. It's rougher than hell and I hate it, but it runs and works.
I have to laugh at these passive aggressive posts towards anything that is not Kubota
Let's break it down:
1) Specs are specs. An LS will lift 30-40% more than a similar sized Kubota. Period. Yes, you need proper ballast (an easy fix). That's the point. If you want to lift a certain amount, you don't have to buy the next bigger sized frame, as you suggest.
2) LS will lift/curl at the same time, same as a Kubota. When I operated both, I personally couldn't tell a difference in the "finesse". Perhaps each user is different? (i.e., blanket statements that imply one is superior/inferior are disingenuous).
3) The little things ... LS loader lines are run interior to the loader arms. 3pt and remote controls are right beside the loader. I'm not sure what you are referring to about needing to "reach down"? Maybe the LS model you looked at was the economy line (not an apples to apples comparison)?
4) Rougher finish. Please point to what, exactly, is a rougher finish? In crawling all over both Kubota and LS, I have found no noticeable differences. Some things might be slightly nicer on one, other things on the other. But, these type of derogatory, qualitative (not quantitative) statements are pointless, and do nothing other than reveal personal biases.
5) "Many are focused on cost." Yes, because as P.T. Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute." Perhaps you are just trying to justify overspending?
6) I will agree, as others have said as well, it IS crucially important to set on them and find out what you like, dislike, how the ergonomics are, etc. For example, I found the LS had a lower roof in the cab. If I was 6'4", that probably would have been a deal breaker. But, I'm nowhere near that tall, and the lower roof allows me to just fit it into my garage, which was a major bonus. Oh, and the total tractor height, which was very important to me, was on the spec sheet.
