LS or Massey sub and small compacts

[Raines]

Can any of you mt225s or Mt225e owners or Massey 1700 series owners tell me how you like your model so far? I will be looking at the 225s and 225e in a couple of days and just looked at a mf1826, which they told me was the new 1700 series with an iseki engine, and was just wondering how you guys have liked or disliked your models. I think I have narrowed my choices down to a Massey or an LS. Still undecided on subcompact or small compact. I have already had great feedback on the MF gc1700 tractors and are definitely on my list. I have very nice dealers of each one near me. Thanks

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I purchased an MT125 TLB early 2017. I used it for 2 years, 220 hours, no problems. I used the tractor for installing a complete septic system, footers for the new house, grading, installation of a driveway, trenches for electric and water lines, etc.... it did everything I asked of it. I also ran a 6' finish mower on it without any problems. The biggest drawback is you are not going to do anything fast.... you will be able to get it done, just a little longer...

I sold the 125 just after two years of use, for the same as I purchased it for, to the first person that looked at it.

I then purchased a 2019 XG3025 (the same tractor as the MT225E). My XG actually has the same new loader and backhoe as the 225E. It was one of the last XG's off the line before they changed it to the MT225E designation. It is at least 2 sizes bigger than the 125, over 3x the weight. I am extremely pleased with the 3025/225E. Much more capable in the lifting / digging/ loader capabilities. The 125 had a 50" bucket, the 225E has a 66" bucket.

I now have 185 hours on the XG3025 in 18 months, no problems whatsoever! Again, working it hard.... foundation for an oversized 2 car garage / shop, spread / moved / graded almost 200 tons of crushed gravel road base, and mowing duty (this year was very light due to the drought we're having). I just put on a hydraulic toplink, a sidelink will be in the near future, making the tractor even more capable. (Whatever tractor you choose, you may want to get the rear remotes installed at time of purchase, if you have a future need for them)

My neighbor purchased a new MT225-S a few months ago and he loves it. Definitely more maneuverable than mine, gets into tighter spaces for sure. His BH has almost identical specs as mine, but the loader is basically the same specs as the 125, with just a little more reach / height than the 125. His bucket is also the 50". He has not had any problems with it, we just did his 50 hour service.

You will need to sit on, maybe drive them around, get the "feel" of each tractor. YOU need to be comfortable on which one you choose! I am definitely more comfortable on my 3025, more than the others.

All of them are good tractors, you have a hard decision ahead of you, good luck!

 

[rodneyn]

I have 225s delivered in June. I now have 72 hours on it. It came with mmm. Been using unit for both mowing and construction on backfilling dirt on my sons new house. Only issue experienced was roofing nail in front tire. No rear fluid in tires. The unit is balanced quite well. My only warning is having loaded bucket at maximum height without ballast in rear is not ideal. Level with hood and below is no issue whatsoever without ballast. Running 4 box blade. Tractor handles it without issue full. Again no ballast you need to be in 4wd to handle fully loaded box blade. Tough little tractor, fast acting loader, comfortable seat and lots of leg room makes the tractor easy sell. No complaints with the Yanmar engine it is power house for 25 HP.

 

[Raines]

I purchased an MT125 TLB early 2017. I used it for 2 years, 220 hours, no problems. I used the tractor for installing a complete septic system, footers for the new house, grading, installation of a driveway, trenches for electric and water lines, etc.... it did everything I asked of it. I also ran a 6' finish mower on it without any problems. The biggest drawback is you are not going to do anything fast.... you will be able to get it done, just a little longer...

I sold the 125 just after two years of use, for the same as I purchased it for, to the first person that looked at it.

I then purchased a 2019 XG3025 (the same tractor as the MT225E). My XG actually has the same new loader and backhoe as the 225E. It was one of the last XG's off the line before they changed it to the MT225E designation. It is at least 2 sizes bigger than the 125, over 3x the weight. I am extremely pleased with the 3025/225E. Much more capable in the lifting / digging/ loader capabilities. The 125 had a 50" bucket, the 225E has a 66" bucket.

I now have 185 hours on the XG3025 in 18 months, no problems whatsoever! Again, working it hard.... foundation for an oversized 2 car garage / shop, spread / moved / graded almost 200 tons of crushed gravel road base, and mowing duty (this year was very light due to the drought we're having). I just put on a hydraulic toplink, a sidelink will be in the near future, making the tractor even more capable. (Whatever tractor you choose, you may want to get the rear remotes installed at time of purchase, if you have a future need for them)

My neighbor purchased a new MT225-S a few months ago and he loves it. Definitely more maneuverable than mine, gets into tighter spaces for sure. His BH has almost identical specs as mine, but the loader is basically the same specs as the 125, with just a little more reach / height than the 125. His bucket is also the 50". He has not had any problems with it, we just did his 50 hour service.

You will need to sit on, maybe drive them around, get the "feel" of each tractor. YOU need to be comfortable on which one you choose! I am definitely more comfortable on my 3025, more than the others.

All of them are good tractors, you have a hard decision ahead of you, good luck!

Thank you for the indepth response! I sat on a mt125 a couple days ago and was actually surprised how comfortable it was and it felt much bigger than I thought it would. I liked the MF gc1725mb because of the beefier backhoe and ssqa option for front loader. I don't like the small tires on it though but I haven't seen any complaints about them from a real world function though , so I guess it just makes it look smaller, and the seating is not bad but Ls seat was definitely better.
I read somewhere that Massey designed the gc1700 series so a person could switch from a lawn tractor to their tractor more fluidly. After reading that article I realized that is what made it feel smaller. I was sitting as high as the hood of the tractor just like my lawn mower. I think they would be better off designing like a small tractor rather than worry about easing comfort for a lawnmower operators ability to adjust to a tractor. But I still like it for a subcompact. And the mt125 seems to be a very good product as well.
I think I would like to own a full-size compact like the mt225e as I can think of a few projects down the road where it might be needed over a scut. Definitely would love the bigger front loader. But I will have to say I don't know if I like the backhoe sticking out so far off the back. Do you have any issues with this on yours?

 

[Raines]

I have 225s delivered in June. I now have 72 hours on it. It came with mmm. Been using unit for both mowing and construction on backfilling dirt on my sons new house. Only issue experienced was roofing nail in front tire. No rear fluid in tires. The unit is balanced quite well. My only warning is having loaded bucket at maximum height without ballast in rear is not ideal. Level with hood and below is no issue whatsoever without ballast. Running 4 box blade. Tractor handles it without issue full. Again no ballast you need to be in 4wd to handle fully loaded box blade. Tough little tractor, fast acting loader, comfortable seat and lots of leg room makes the tractor easy sell. No complaints with the Yanmar engine it is power house for 25 HP.

Thank you for the response. How does your mmm mow? It is a powerful mower that cuts good? I will be mowing 3 acres with whatever I get. Good to hear about how it can handle the box blade well. Eventually I will have a few projects where this will be needed.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I think I would like to own a full-size compact like the mt225e as I can think of a few projects down the road where it might be needed over a scut. Definitely would love the bigger front loader. But I will have to say I don't know if I like the backhoe sticking out so far off the back. Do you have any issues with this on yours?

No real issues with the length, but like mentioned before, the 225E is definitely not as maneuverable. I REALLY like having the second seat on the BH, just jump on and dig. The only thing that I don't like about it, is the long subframe that comes off with the BH. It sticks out a good 6' in front of the BH.

I got really spoiled with the compact size of the 125 when it came off the tractor. It easily fits on a 4-5' long dolly, and can easily be moved around.
The 225-S has the same type of BH mount as the 125, very compact when taken off.

 

[Raines]

No real issues with the length, but like mentioned before, the 225E is definitely not as maneuverable. I REALLY like having the second seat on the BH, just jump on and dig. The only thing that I don't like about it, is the long subframe that comes off with the BH. It sticks out a good 6' in front of the BH.

I got really spoiled with the compact size of the 125 when it came off the tractor. It easily fits on a 4-5' long dolly, and can easily be moved around.
The 225-S has the same type of BH mount as the 125, very compact when taken off.

Ok thx again. I will just have to sit on it and see how well I like it. I saw your post on the hydraulic top link. Very nice! What 6 foot rear mower do you use?

 

[kenmbz]

I have a GC 1720 and love it so far. Done dozens of stumps and trenches with the Backhoe. With the toothbar on the FEL have done some land clearing.
Pallet forks to move chipper, wood rounds and lift trees to cut them up and split.
Small enough to get in between buildings and trees.
I added 2" spacers to each rear wheel to get stability on the hills here, have 6 acres, 2 acres of fields and 4 forest.
Fits in my garage with the rops down.
Moved 10 tons of gravel and lots of dirt to fill in sunken areas in my lower fields.

Sit on the tractors you are looking at, list all you want to do and make sure whatever you buy is big enough for your needs.
How much land, food plots, driveway to fix , woods to tame - these are all the things you need to think about- and go as large as you can.

The SCUTS are small and I know people who have 30 Acres and it's enough, but 1-7 acres is about the limit before you think of a CUT from what I see in my area. So your area and needs are important to get into the shopping equation.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Ok thx again. I will just have to sit on it and see how well I like it. I saw your post on the hydraulic top link. Very nice! What 6 foot rear mower do you use?

The first 6' that I had was the County Line from TSC. I liked that they stocked the spindles, belts, pulleys, and wheels right in the store. Never needed any, but nice to know the wear parts were easily available. They were not cheap though.

The one I have now is from "Betsco". I like it a little bit better. They ship anywhere to your door for free. They stock parts, and are about half price. Here is a link:
FH-FM Finish Mower | Betstco Sales, Parts, and Service:

They run great sales, a 10% off sale just ended. In the spring, they run a 20% off sale. My neighbor purchased a 60" for his 225-S this past spring for $1099 during the sale. I got my 72" for $1200. So far they have been really good.

They also have brush mowers, but I don't have any experience with them. Check out their site. My other neighbor has one of their flail mowers, he likes it a lot.

 

[Raines]

I have a GC 1720 and love it so far. Done dozens of stumps and trenches with the Backhoe. With the toothbar on the FEL have done some land clearing.
Pallet forks to move chipper, wood rounds and lift trees to cut them up and split.
Small enough to get in between buildings and trees.
I added 2" spacers to each rear wheel to get stability on the hills here, have 6 acres, 2 acres of fields and 4 forest.
Fits in my garage with the rops down.
Moved 10 tons of gravel and lots of dirt to fill in sunken areas in my lower fields.

Sit on the tractors you are looking at, list all you want to do and make sure whatever you buy is big enough for your needs.
How much land, food plots, driveway to fix , woods to tame - these are all the things you need to think about- and go as large as you can.

The SCUTS are small and I know people who have 30 Acres and it's enough, but 1-7 acres is about the limit before you think of a CUT from what I see in my area. So your area and needs are important to get into the shopping equation.

Thx, I have sat and test drove the gc1725mb and I did like it. I love the backhoe on that thing and was surprised with the loader too. Very responsive and can tilt and lift at the same time. Plus I liked the float features on both backhoe and loader. Massey is definitely at the top of the list on scuts.