should I buy an LS tractor or other model???

[andrewtinberg]

I am close to buying an LS XU 5055. Is anyone aware of any issues with LS, this model or reasons I should avoid LS?

 

[paulfun9]

I know a couple people who have LS tractors and they are very happy with them. I honestly don't see many real complaints on here about them and most here seem to be very happy with their experience so far.
I am actually considering purchasing one myself as a replacement for one of my older machines and from my last few stops looking at other tractors they seem like the absolute best bang for the dollar right now.'

 

[3Lfarms]

I just ordered a 6168CPS. it should be here in three weeks or so.
I looked at a comparable JD, MF, New Holland, Mahindra, Kubota, and Branson. I found the LS to be the best bang for the buck. In a couple cases LS is almost $20k less.
As long as your dealer is willing to support you after the sale, I don't think you can go wrong.
The only problem with these tier 4 engines seems to be that you have to work them to keep them happy. Idling all the time will plug things up and lead to costly repairs.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum Andrew. We are glad that you joined with us here.

That is a fair size tractor, so what are you going to be doing with it? Please post pictures when she arrives.

 

[Garrett Wiggins]

They make decent tractors. Two things to consider: 1) resale; if you decide to upgrade or move, you will take a beaten on the sale. 2) parts after the sale. Do you have another LS dealer if that one closes down. They are very far apart in my neck of the woods and general don't sale LS for very long.

 

[GManBart]

They make decent tractors. Two things to consider: 1) resale; if you decide to upgrade or move, you will take a beaten on the sale. 2) parts after the sale. Do you have another LS dealer if that one closes down. They are very far apart in my neck of the woods and general don't sale LS for very long.

The resale thing isn't true. I had an LS R4047H for about 15 months and sold it to buy a backhoe. It paid $21,250 for it, and sold it for $19,500 after putting 215 hours on it. I don't think any brand will hold value much better than that. Another member I know had an LS around the same time and sold it to buy something bigger, with a cab, and had similar results.

I've heard about LS dealers going away, but the descriptions have usually been smaller dealers that don't sell many tractors to start with. Around here they've continued to add dealers, and some of them are respectably large dealers who sell quite a few tractors.

 

[Cataclysm]

I am very happy with my XR4155HC. It runs smooth and strong. From my research a year ago all the tractors I looked had about the same quality, fit and finish.

The extra money you pay for orange and green go to support those big dealerships. Well worth it for some and not worth it for others.

I would buy another LS for sure and save the big bucks!

 

[George2615]

Very happy with my XR3037HC. 3 plus years (only 189 hours so far) with no problems.
A few had plastic fuel leaks which were covered under warranty. One member has had multiple problems including DPF exhaust and ECU problems. Have been covered under warranty but seems like when he gets it back has a new problem. As far as I'm concerned, every brand has a lemon come through the production line once in while.
I would buy LS again. They seem to have the most features and standard equipment available for less price.

 

[danisiri]

I think I'm the only one that has had a bad experience. I "have" a XR 4040H with the Shibara engine. It has had problems from day one. Faulty safety switches, not completing a regen, PTO stopped working, etc. It is at the dealer right now as they are trying to figure out what's wrong with the PTO. They've essentially rewired the whole tractor twice, replaced the ECU, and replaced the whole emissions system. Still not working properly. Every time one thing gets "fixed", two more things break, lol.

LS has been really inconsistent with supplying parts. Several times they sent the wrong parts. Sometimes they said they would send something overnight and it never arrived. One part they don't even have and told the dealer to go search an auto parts store to find it. Communication with them has been hit and miss. And overall, I feel like they don't care about me as a customer. So what if I've been unable to use the tractor much over two years (only 30 hours). They ignore me when I ask for them to make things right (either a refund or new tractor).

All that being said, the dealer (RCO) has been pretty good with trying to get things functional. If I were to buy an LS, RCO is a good dealer. Also, the newer models seemed to have worked out the kinks.

LS seems to be a good bargain as long as nothing really goes wrong. When something goes wrong, the manufacturer support is weak.

 

[coobie]

They make decent tractors. Two things to consider: 1) resale; if you decide to upgrade or move, you will take a beaten on the sale. 2) parts after the sale. Do you have another LS dealer if that one closes down. They are very far apart in my neck of the woods and general don't sale LS for very long.

Now thats funny..