LS vs. Mahindra

[timebak]

I went today and looked at the LS R4020 again and then drove straight to the Mahindra dealer a few miles away and looked at the 4035 4wd Shuttle. Wow! What a difference!

The Mahindra was rather stark and primitive compared to the LS. No aux hyd ports, lighting not near as nice, seat not near as comfortable, operator ergonomics not as comfortable, general fit and finish not as nice, transmission not as nice or smooth or handy, PTO not as nice, hitch arms not as heavy, no bumper, no SS quick attach on the FEL bucket, no quick detach on the FEL assembly itself. And that's just what I remember off the top of my head.

And I was totally sold on the Mahindra's and had never even heard of LS till I got on this site a week or so ago.

 

[bp fick]

LS, as you probably know now, was the OEM for Montana, McCormick and many other "decal" tractors brands. Now that they are selling under their own name, it will take them awhile to get recognition in the buyers minds, and they chose a tough economic time to do it, but they've every opportunity to be successful.

Still, New Holland is putting decals on some LS tractors, so that business end of supplying others continues.

If LS can establish a strong dealer/service/parts network, they should succeed, as the product is getting good reports from owners.

 

[avatar]

hey timebak, I to have been looking at the ls 4020... after comparing it to just about everything out there over the last couple of years (kids in collage) I have found that it is the biggest bang for my hard earned money. Ls seems to be very committed to becoming a force in the tractor market from building a parts distribution center in the southeast, to a ever growing dealer network , and lets not forget a 5 year warranty backing there product up . I hope to be pulling the trigger in the next couple months...........hope this post helps

 

[MtnViewRanch]

LS makes some very nice tractors that's for sure, but I think that you may be mistaken about the loader not being a quick detach. I don't think that Mahindra has any other type of loader for the 4035 other than a QD.

Good luck with your R4020 and be sure to post pics when you get it. :thumbsup:

 

[rocknrod]

Yep my buddy's Mahindra is pretty stark also.
We just put his loader back on this AM. That was a chore.
He used to pick on my tractor until i drove it over to his place and set it side by side.
The Mahindra doesnt hold a candle to the LS overall. And at much less money.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Yep my buddy's Mahindra is pretty stark also.
We just put his loader back on this AM. That was a chore.
He used to pick on my tractor until i drove it over to his place and set it side by side.
The Mahindra doesnt hold a candle to the LS overall. And at much less money.

Can you please tell us what models you are comparing. Nice to know just what it is that we are comparing too. There are HUGE differences in the Mahindra models, just as there are differences in the LS models.

 

[rocknrod]

How do I know?
He's the one talking trash.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Mtnviewranch: I see from your profile that you have a Mahindra but your avatar is something blue. I didnt know Mahindra painted their tractors blue.

Anyway for comparison, I have a P7010C LS (72HP) It came standard with 3 sets of hydraulic remotes, extendable 3 point lift arms -drawbar- stabilizers, 6173 pound lift capacity for 3PH, 3 speed PTO -540-750 and 1000 with independent or manual engage and ground speed engaged PTO, of course heat and ac on the cab with Sony AM/FM/CD with MP3 connection, Front and Rear windshied wipers and washers, FEL with 3500 lbs. lift and 5088 breakout force, hydraulic Draft AND Position control, automatic lift and return to preset on 3 PH, deluxe adjustable cloth covered seat, electronic 4 Wd engagement and differential lock, and a 7 pin electrical connection for hook up to trailers. It weighs in as 6675 pounds without ballast or FEL. I get the geared model with shuttle shift 20F/20R with creeper gear and syncronized gear shift. You do have to stop to change ranges with it though. The gear pattern has creeper range in Low and Medium range but not in High range there fore it has 8 speeds in low and 8 in medium but only 4 in high range. I got it with FEL and Cab for $35,500 out the door.
I didnt find any other brand that came close to this price for the HP and standard equipment. They all ( and I priced them all)had higher prices and less equipment and conveniences. Where I bought my tractor actually sold Mahindra tractors so a side by side was easy to do.

 

[mrpoppy58]

Mtnviewranch, Have You noticed that the word MAHINDRA seems to upset some People? Do You think they feel that MAHINDRA is a threat to other Tractors? I have a 2005 2810 Mahindra and I have got some very sarcastic remarks from People on this Website.
Mrpoppy

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Mtnviewranch: I see from your profile that you have a Mahindra but your avatar is something blue. I didnt know Mahindra painted their tractors blue.

Anyway for comparison, I have a P7010C LS (72HP) It came standard with 3 sets of hydraulic remotes, extendable 3 point lift arms -drawbar- stabilizers, 6173 pound lift capacity for 3PH, 3 speed PTO -540-750 and 1000 with independent or manual engage and ground speed engaged PTO, of course heat and ac on the cab with Sony AM/FM/CD with MP3 connection, Front and Rear windshied wipers and washers, FEL with 3500 lbs. lift and 5088 breakout force, hydraulic Draft AND Position control, automatic lift and return to preset on 3 PH, deluxe adjustable cloth covered seat, electronic 4 Wd engagement and differential lock, and a 7 pin electrical connection for hook up to trailers. It weighs in as 6675 pounds without ballast or FEL. I get the geared model with shuttle shift 20F/20R with creeper gear and syncronized gear shift. You do have to stop to change ranges with it though. The gear pattern has creeper range in Low and Medium range but not in High range there fore it has 8 speeds in low and 8 in medium but only 4 in high range. I got it with FEL and Cab for $35,500 out the door.
I didnt find any other brand that came close to this price for the HP and standard equipment. They all ( and I priced them all)had higher prices and less equipment and conveniences. Where I bought my tractor actually sold Mahindra tractors so a side by side was easy to do.

Gary, I had my 7520 painted blue. I liked the tractor, but I do not much like the color red. Did you compare directly to the Mahindra 7060 or the 8560 cab tractors? Those should be very close to what your tractor is.

Your buying conditions remind me of when I bought my 7520 back in 2004. There was not ANY tractor that matched up to all of its specs, and had all the std features that it had. But it was the first year of that model and they gave away a lot of what years later became options. I just looked at your model of tractor last week at an AG show. Pretty nice machine, especially for the price. I know that if I were to buy a new tractor, I would most definitely consider the LS tractors.

The reason that I even posted in this thread is that IF someone is comparing machines, they should be comparing like machines. Mahindra makes some bare bones tractors where as LS does not. My feeling is that is what was happening here and still looks like that since model numbers are not being given. I also have a smaller Mahindra made by Mitsubishi, a 3215. It is a fine tractor, the LS tractor equivalent is a much nicer machine, but Montana was getting in trouble when I bought, so I went with another Mahindra.

The new guys on the block always get scrutinized, get use to it. You guys will find that the prices will go up in a few years and you will be very glad that you bought when you did. Maybe in the future tough, one should try to do like comparisons.

Just my opinions.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Very true, price comparisons should be based on exactly the same equipment if offered. My comparisons on the Mahindras were based on the sizes that the dealer had on the lot. Model for model the LS was much more well equipped and the quality and styling just looked more impressive. He didnt have a big Mahindra to compare to the 7010 cab. Actually he didnt have any cab Mahindras and I believe that they just recently started putting cabs on some of their smaller tractors that previously were not available. Since that was the only thing I was interested in was a cab model, there really was no comparison at that time. I did do several hundred miles of driving around looking and pricing all the major (and minor) brands and found nothing to compare to the LS in price or equipment.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Very true, price comparisons should be based on exactly the same equipment if offered. My comparisons on the Mahindras were based on the sizes that the dealer had on the lot. Model for model the LS was much more well equipped and the quality and styling just looked more impressive. He didnt have a big Mahindra to compare to the 7010 cab. Actually he didnt have any cab Mahindras and I believe that they just recently started putting cabs on some of their smaller tractors that previously were not available. Since that was the only thing I was interested in was a cab model, there really was no comparison at that time. I did do several hundred miles of driving around looking and pricing all the major (and minor) brands and found nothing to compare to the LS in price or equipment.

Just wondering, which Mahindra models did you compare too when you were looking? I'm pretty sure that with your model vs the 60 series the differences are minor, with some of the Mahindra specs just a bit higher. The biggest difference that I see that would be the biggest difference is the 20x20 trans vs the 12x12 trans of the Mahindra. If a person needs those gears, the 12x12 trans just doesn't work.

 

[timebak]

Brian (MtnViewRanch): Go back to the OP and you'll see that I DID state that the Mahindra model that I was looking at was the 4035 4wd Shuttle with FEL. This was the closest thing on the lot that they have to the LS R4020.

I would have preferred to have looked at the Mahindra 4530, but they didn't have one. But after studying the brochures for the 4530, most of my comments apply to this model also.


[*]Anyway, the LS has 16 fwd & rev gears, and the Mahindra 4035 only 12 each.

[*]The grill guard is standard on the LS, optional on the Mahindra.

[*]The FEL on the Mahindra IS quick detach, but the SS quick detach for the bucket was an option, so said the salesman at the Mahindra dealership.

[*]No tilt steering wheel on the Mahindra.

[*]The LS has 47hp vs. only 40 for the Mahindra.

[*]The Mahindra is heavier than the LS: 4367 vs. 3813. Good for Mahindra.

[*]LS has little bit bigger hydraulic pump: 12.3 gpm vs. 11 gpm for Mahindra.

[*]LS has a little wider rear tires than Mahindra: 17.5" vs. 16.9". LS dealer (who used to sell Mahindra) says that LS standard Industrial tires are a heavier duty than the Mahindra tires.

[*]LS engine is 4 cyl and larger displacement: 152.9 cu. in. vs. 115.4 cu. in. for the 3 cyl in the Mahindra. And remember, for torque output (important in a tractor), there's no substitute for cubic inches ("There's no replacement for displacement.")

[*]3pt hitch lift capacity: LS 2755lbs vs. 3090lbs for Mahindra. Advantage to Mahindra.

[*]The wheelbase and length of the LS is a little more than the Mahindra, but the Mahindra is a little over a foot (almost 14") wider than the LS, and this is a big thing to me, because I'm going to be using the LS in the woods a lot cutting underbrush in the woods surrounding my home. But the Mahindra will be a lot harder to turn over on a side-hill. And the turning radii are about the same between the two.

[*]And the big difference is the price: the LS is around $6000 less expensive.

But I STILL think the Mahindra is the best deal out there when compared to all of the other big brands (JD, Case IH, NH, Massey, etc.).

 

[MtnViewRanch]

timebak, sorry for my lack of clarifying that I was talking about the post from rocknrod and what a chore it was to put a loader back onto the tractor and how his buddy's Mahindra is pretty stark. I was wanting to know what Mahindra model that his buddy had that his LS tractor was so much better. Just like to see fair comparisons is all.

If you were to go to the Mahindra 5035, then you would be closer in hp ratings and that Mahindra is a whole nother beast.

 

[timebak]

Brian, I agree that the 5035 might be a closer comparison, but there was none on the dealer's lot. The closest he had was the 4035, which is closer in size to the R4020 than the 5035. But you are right, the specs on the motors are nearly identical.

Anyway, if the 4035 was over 6 grand more expensive than the R4020, the 5035 would certainly be way more than I can afford at this time.

I saw that I was wrong about the 4035 not having tilt steering. According to the online brochure, it does have it, but the sales guy at the Mahindra dealership here said that it didn't. He was mistaken.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont recall the model numbers of any of the models that I looked at. They had both Mahindra and LS from about 20 Hp to 50 in the Mahindra. The LS went on up to the 70 HP and were the only ones with cabs. I just gave the small tractors a once over (no pricing as I wasnt interest in them) but comparing the looks and fit and finish of each one and the extras. All the LS models had at least one remote hydraulic and at around 40hp they started with 2, the 70series has 3. There was just so much more standard equipment on the LS and the styling was more modern looking which doesnt account much for actual working, but it never hurts to look good either. I suspect more compact tractors are sold on styling looks than functionality anyway. The one thing that I wish LS had on them is a lever for lifting the 3 ph from behind the tractor like the Kiotis have, that would be handy. Not sure that I couldnt rig up something for that if I tried hard enough.

 

[rocknrod]

The end result is - no matter what (name brand) tractor you put next to the LS - You may get the same options/standard equipment - BUT you will pay way more for it. Much More!
And if you get the price to match an LS you get a whole lot less tractor. Prove me wrong.

I searched for 6 months until I bought the LS. Drove many tractors, talked to many sales people, visited many cities in my quest.

And I am not the one who is talking trash about other peoples tractors - My Mahindra owner neighbor was.

 

[timebak]

Got to see a Mahindra 5035 4WD Shuttle w/FEL this morning. What a tractor. It's a hoss. Quite a bit larger and 1000 lbs heavier than the LS R4020, but with 3 more horsepower.

There were several large piles of snow still around so I layed into one of them with the 5035 to see how well it could move it: push, scoop, etc. Have to say that it handled that heavy, wet snow noticeably easier than the R4020 did. And the FEL had quite a bit more lift capacity both in weight and height of lift than the LS.

We talked turkey. He got to within $6500 of the LS R4020.

To me, the most noticeable differences were:
- The 5035 is quite a bit wider (14+ inches) than the 4020 and taller too. This concerns me because one of the prime uses I have is cutting the underbrush in the woods around my house and building and maintaining walking trails there.
- The 5035 is much more stable on uneven ground (especially sidehills) because of the extra width and weight.
- The ergonomics of the 5035 aren't as good as the R4020, for me.
- The 5035 has greater weight lift capacity in both the 3PH and FEL.
- The shuttle (fwd/neut/rev) system on the 5035 requires clutching, whereas the R4020 doesn't.
- 12 gears fwd & rev vs. 16 each for the LS, but not sure I'd need the extra 4 on the LS.
- To get the front bumper and extra hyd port that comes std with LS, will cost me almost another grand on the Mahindra. But not sure I even need the extra port.
- Because of the rotten ground, I couldn't get a good feel for the difference in the turning radii between the two but it felt like the LS could turn a little tighter than the 5035, but I don't know if that is true or not.
- My wife liked the Mahindra better because she thought it would be safer for me on the rough and steep terrain around our house, but she does NOT like the higher price for the Mahindra.
- We had to admit, the Mahindra looked like a beast compared to the LS. She made negative comments about the blue paint on the LS. She thought the 5035 was a much better looking tractor. I told her I didn't give a rip if they were painted hot pink, with purple polka-dots, all I cared about was which tractor would do the best work for us within our budget.

Now I'm REALLY confused. Decisions, decisions, decisions................

But I have to agree with rocknrod: for the money the LS is terrific. Quality is super, no doubt about it. But do I want to pay $7,500 more for a larger, heavier tractor that's not quite as comfortable or as convenient, but might be a little safer for my application?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The end result is - no matter what tractor you put next to the LS - You may get the same options/standard equipment - BUT you will pay way more for it. Much More!
And if you get the price to match an LS you get a whole lot less tractor. Prove me wrong.

I searched for 6 months until I bought the LS. Drove many tractors, talked to many sales people, visited many cities in my quest.

And I am not the one who is talking trash about other peoples tractors - My Mahindra owner neighbor was.

I'm glad that you did some extensive research, that way you have no doubts and you will be happy with what you bought, good for you.:thumbsup:I'm not saying that LS isn't the best bang for the buck right now, IT IS! But for some of you guys to say that another make is junk is not realistic. Pretty much all the tractor makes are fairly equal, especially the Korean manufacturers, all pretty much equal. Sure one company has something that the other doesn't, but for the most part they are all pretty close.

Right now LS is the new retailer on the block and to get into the market they sell their product for a very reasonable price. Nothing wrong with that, seems like they all do it. Bobcat just a few years ago is a good example. In a few years you guys that bought LS tractors now will be glade that you did, because the price will go up and level off with the other companies.

I didn't say that you were talking trash about your buddies Mahindra. What I was and am asking for is what model of Mahindra is it? It's not real hard to talk bad about something that is a bare bones machine when there is a nice piece of machinery right next to it. Just want to know the model so that I can understand what and why the guy doesn't like it.

The main reason for even posting is that in several threads going, it seems like people are not comparing apples to apples. Not putting LS down in anyway. I almost bought one a couple of years ago in a Montana, but I could see that Montana was in trouble so I went elsewhere.

 

[rocknrod]

...The main reason for even posting is that in several threads going, it seems like people are not comparing apples to apples. Not putting LS down in anyway. I almost bought one a couple of years ago in a Montana, but I could see that Montana was in trouble so I went elsewhere.

You can compare all the apples to apples you want - You Pay More for another brand to get the same thing!
Case closed!