Thoughts on this guy’s experiences

[85txaggie]

I am new to tractors and have spent time looking at Kubota, JD, Kioti and now LS tractors. i have 5 acres and have settled on a Compact TLB to help me maintain it. I need a brush hog to cut the back 3 acres and the backhoe to dig some water line trenches, pull stumps, etc.

Due to the current times, neither Kubota dealerships I visited can tell me when they can get a backhoe for a B2601. The JD 2025R seemed like a lot of money for a smaller tractor than the Kubota. Being an engineer, I also didn’t like the fact that the gooseneck arms of the HST pedals were plastic. Wasn’t really impressed with Kioti, not sure why. This led me to LS. I really liked the MT225S. The pricing was good and the size seem perfect for my projects.

Being an engineer, I started Searching the net for reviews on LS tractors. Overall everything seems top notch. Then I found this guy‘s videos. He has experience 4 structural failures of his backhoe. 4 Videos of LS Backhoe failures. His 1st, 3rd and 4th video are also major structural failures. It seems like his backhoe is made from very low grade of carbon steel and maybe on the thin side the way it buckles. The 2nd failure video is a weld on the actuator.

What are your thoughts on his experiences? He hasn’t experienced the same failure twice which kind of surprises me considering how severely they failed. Each failure is a different component and different failure mechanics. Buckling failure versus bearing (load, not an actual bearing) failure, versus cracking (fatigue?).

To be honest, all of this is scaring me away from LS.

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[crashz]

I have no stake in LS, so that should tell you something. But it seems like they are a very good tractor brand that needs time to establish. Generally, it seems as if owners are very happy with them. But I think the attachments may be made by other companies (will be corrected here shortly).

Jeff may be a great guy, and maybe they used crappy steel, but four major structural failures points strongly to a user problem, not machine. Not a lot of action in the videos, just carnage at the end. First thing I see that is a glaring problem is that a small backhoe is mounted on a good size tractor with a huge bucket.

And who knows how he's operating it.

Some people can break an anvil...

 

[alexpops]

I've got an LS xr4150 ... happy so far. No experience with their hoe (have a separate excavator for that work) but some of their peripheral metal might be questionable. I bought mine used at auction in 2016, so don't know how the previous owner used it (other than he had a tree service from memory). My grill guard was bent when I bought it to the point of not being able to open the hood unless I loosened the attachment bolts. I'm guessing he pushed something without the FEL attached, or something fell out of the bucket (swung too far) & hit the top of the guard. I've also seen online videos of someone who had the same issue with their guard & they welded extra plate to stop it from bending. I would go with crashz's comment. You can break anything by making it do more than it's designed to do. Was he using the stabilizers for heavy loads or not? the cracked subframe suggests no. He's just lucky it was only the subframe & not the tractor the way some of the 3pt hoes will crack the tractor frame. A tractor backhoe is NOT the same as a dedicated excavator. Good for trenching, digging out stumps & rocks (with stress on DIGGING). But tractor hoes aren't the thing to use for levering out big boulders & stumps or knocking down trees -- especially without the stabilizers engaged. It's also possible that LS orders their peripherals from someone in China & didn't check the quality of what was delivered. My FEL is fine, bucket's fine, PTO & 3 point's fine & mechanicals are fine. I wouldn't hesitate getting another one if I needed another tractor.

 

[Carl_NH]

Agree with both comments alxepops and crashz - especially the size of the tractor vs the BH, and these aren't really a TLB - they are a tractor with a backhoe attached.

The true TLB with the full frame construction commercial grade are really only in the Kubota lineup - the B21, B26, and L39/47, M62 TLB with dedicated loader backhoe setup.

Although other smaller units like the LS M225, and Kioti 2420, and Yanmar 3 or 424 series are very close with the tight 4 point mount, and then Kubota offers the BH77 with a subframe and 4Point mount set up that works well. These are all good machines too for general BH work.

So if you want the most rugged, go for a commercial TLB series in Kubota - you can find them used too.

 

[85txaggie]

Thanks for all of your comments. It bothered me that he had different failure mechanisms, pointing out that it wasn’t a single weakness and maybe operator error.

 

[Diggin It]

These are homeowner/hobby farm, urban ranch type backhoes. They are not construction grade TLBs. They will do small tasks quite well. They will not do large tasks. I've dug out several small stumps --- 8-12" or so. I would not try a 24". I've also buried two adult cows and a dog (neighbor's, not mine) and have dug two trenches close to 100' long and 20-24" deep, as well a couple of shorter ones. It's a small, 12" wide bucket, so it takes time.

My ground ranges from red rock gravel, densely packed with clay to moderate soil and from rock hard, almost concrete to slippery sticky mud depending on time of year and rainfall.

I've blown one hydraulic hose and had trouble with joystick rod ends, but no major issues. Nothing bent or broken. I'm at 4 years and just under 500 hours.

I believe the 225 is the next step up from mine, so the BH with it may be even more capable.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I had the MT125 like Digginit's above and installed a complete septic system, 100's of feet of trenching, and numerous grading projects. Never one problem in 220 hours / 2 years. I sold it for $500 less than what I paid for it.

Then I purchased an XG3025 during the transition to the MT225E. The BH was substantially stronger. Have that tractor with over 340 hours now, and about 200 hours of that using the BH. Not one problem. I have the factory thumb on it and it works great. Buried 2 draft horses, more trenching, stump digging, engine hoist, plenty of use.

I would wager that guy had inflicted multiple user abuses to that BH! He definitely did something wrong to cause that damage!

 

[Williy]

Sounds like the guys with the 4 or 6 cylinder jeeps that
installed V8's with about 4+ times the power and wonder
why they twisted their axles off! Lots of power small back
hoe bucket too big something has to give! Looks like the
backhoe is way too small for his machine!
Wood's attachments are very well made. My bach hoe &
brushhog are made by Wood's very sturdy I'll never wear
them out

willy

 

[scaredychicken]

Okay, I did the sub-compact tractor shopping (TLB) a few years ago, 2018 ... JD, Kubota, Kioti, NH, Massey, and McCormick. LS was not an option, I've never seen them around here.

I settled on Kubota BX23S, the TLB package (all one unit essentially). I love it, I don't think that you can go wrong with Kubota. That was my preference, especially considering Dealer and Location.

The B2601 is a slightly bigger machine (B series) but you are also buying the Backhoe separately from the Tractor-Loader.

If you already know that you want the TLB combination, then why not consider one of the TLB packages that several Brands offer? Your application might require a larger set-up, but I have yet to need more than my BX23S can manage. Just my thoughts.

Happy Hunting



.

 

[Cycledude]

Yes those videos show some pretty serious failures. My LS is nearly 2 years old with a little over 200 hours on it and I haven’t broken or bent anything but I don’t have a backhoe on it, just a front end loader and some non LS three point hookup stuff.
So far I’m very happy that I chose LS.