Would you buy an LS again?

[Blstr88]

I don't think I would. I've had my J2023H for 3 years now and only had minor issues with it (oil pan leak, muffler cracked, and a cotter pin for the 3 pt hitch vibrated out and caused the pin to back out while I was brush hogging...which in turn bent the pin. I had to cut it in half to get out and then wait 4 weeks for a new one to come in).

It's worked ok for my needs, mostly driveway maintenance and moving around loam/crushed gravel. Of the 90 hours I have on it I'd say 50 were spent on driveway maintenance. 30 were spent as a glorified wheel barrow and the last 10 were a combo of rototilling/brush hogging. Its always been garaged, greased, oil changes etc...so very well maintained.

The more time I spend with it the "cheaper" it feels to me. I realize its not some super high end machine but the "light weight" quality to it is really showing through.

Honestly I have no idea if any of the bigger brands similarly sized tractors are any better, Im sure they're all built to similar quality nowadays...but I'd go with a Deere based simply on the fact that the dealer is 15 minutes away. The LS dealer I bring it to is a 1:20 drive from me.

Overall I think if I had to answer I'd say no, I'd go with a different brand. I have zero intentions of trading it in though...as of now I fully intend to keep this tractor going for many decades if I can.

I posted the above quote a little over 2-years ago now...I would definitely NOT buy another now, and am seriously considering listing it for sale. In addition to what I wrote above, I had a seal in the front axle start leaking...brought it into the dealer for warranty repair...seemed to be ok for a while but now its leaking again, and Im out of warranty. Theres little puddles of gear oil all over the place in my garage because of it. Also, Ive had 2 issues with the joystick for the loader. The tiny pieces that hold the joystick steady while you push/pull on it to control the loader broke...and is absolutely impossible to find, so I ended up ordering a $280 replacement control valve just to pull that stupid tiny little part off of to replace (the alternative was a $500+ control valve from LS!) but now recently the float on the valve is no longer working. When I put it in float it just powers down, hits the ground and starts lifting the tractor...zero float. Im really hoping its something I can fix because I do NOT want to drop $500+ on a new control valve at this point.

The tractor has 170 hours now and I am sure its the easiest 170 hours you could ask for as a tractor. Its been predominantly pulling a DR power grader on my driveway and "wheelbarrow" use, moving around loam, rocks, even just tools to a worksite, etc.

Personally I'd stay away. Theres only 2 dealers near me and they're both about 1:30 drive, and there doesn't seem to be any new dealers popping up in my area at least. If those dealers even shutdown I'll be screwed.

I chose LS really due to the price but 5+ years later I should have just spend the few extra thousand for a more well established brand.

 

[Avenger]

I have 150hrs on mine is just over a year of ownership.
Nothing has broken down on me that I did not do to it, like the steering control arm breaking due to the chains and conditions.

I have been extremely happy with my decision to go with the LS brand.

I don't have grand illusions of ever selling my tractor, so resale value is of no concern. ( I know, things happen and I might need to sell it. But if those 'things' happen, then I will have more problems that selling my tractor for a few thousand less ) even though it is a New Holland tractor.

I realize that it is not American made (and I'm okay with that) and so it maybe 'inferior' to other brands with better steel or valves or whatever. My tractor works for what I do, and it works well.

Everyone who sees my tractor, always complements me on it. One guy even walked up to it when I pulled into his field and said "Now THATS a tractor" as he is towing his bigger JD out of the field (he hired me to finish his haying work when his machine broke down.

I got a tractor, with more standard features, more ability, more comfort, for a fraction of the price then one of those other colored tractors that are "Made in the US."

Every manufacture will have issues. If a tractor sits, things will still wear out, seals will fail, hoses will rot, tires go flat, etc. If you push a machine past it's design limits, expect failures. If you lack preventive maintenance (or do incorrect maintenance), things will break.
If you decide to replace OEM parts with aftermarket parts, and those parts break or do not function as expected, that's not the tractors fault. Likewise, if you add parts or equipment that the tractor was not designed to have, then that is solely your fault.

Dealer location, attitude, reputation are very important as well:
-Location: If a dealer is close, service calls will not be much of an issue. The mechanics can get to you quickly without much cost for mileage. Hauling your broken tractor to them, wont be an all day affair either. However, if the dealer has a bad attidtude or reputation, think hard on another dealer or manufacture.
-Attitude: is everything to me. If I call a dealer with a question, and they sound annoyed, I will pass them up. I have done this when shopping. Just call them and ask a question about a machine I know the answer to, like a feature on a make/model. I am looking for honesty and attitude. I dont want to deal with someone who only sees me as a dollar sign and nothing more. I need a dealer who will make the time for ME and MY issues. Cut me breaks if I need them, or goes above and beyond. Not someone who gets annoyed or frustrated easily, or is hard to talk to. Finding a dealer with a good attitude is worth the extra 2 hour drive one way over someone down the road who I am convinced does not like me personally.
-Reputation: if a dealer has a good rep, been around a while, is clean, has a selection of tractors and parts, but is 2 hours away: totally worth skipping over the closer one who's lot looks like a junk yard, been there two months, and cannot find their a** with both hands. If a friend says something like "dont go to Mike at so-and-so dealership." Listen to that.

To answer the question: will I buy another LS Tractor? The answer is a solid yes. With a caveat. My experience with LS has been wonderful, so far. I reserve the right to be wrong when/if something absolutely catastrophic happens and is not resolved easily, that is also not something that I did to the tractor.

 

[Diggin It]

I haven't decided yet and hopefully I'll never have to.

That said, I've never been a slave to brand loyalty for any product. I go with the best value at the time, whatever brand that may be.

 

[kthompson]

I got a price on a 60 some hp LS last week of $40000 even. It was four wheel drive, fel and cab with two rear remotes. The tractor looked to be same size as the JD 4000 series, the price was about $4,000 less than the JD of 44 hp. The JD did have hydo trans and is the high end JD 4000R with the creeper gear and rear control to align the 3 pth. Also the JD has pressure down on the lift. Not trying to say this is full head to head comparison for it is not. The LS looked older style in some features such as the four level to engage the four wheel drive. Again not a full head to head review for here is what amazed me:

My nephew about three months back bought a Case 75 hp with four wheel drive, fel and cab for $44,000 and it is frame size larger than the JD 4000 or the LS I looked at. It has power reverser trans and rear lift control to hooking the 3 pth. To me Case was much better priced compared to either the JD or the LS unless you need or want the smaller frame.

 

[bullbreaker]

Good info thanks for sharin that Ken .

 

[jimgmglobal]

Kubota tractors have the same issues. I bought a new Kubota 52 hp compact last year and the ecu failed to control proper regen and it literally destroyed the engine. 28 hours on it. Kubota did take the tractor back after 3 months of review. Dealer was great and Kubota was good with the exception of taking so long.

Bought a new LS XR4155H in August last year and now with 44 hours, same problem. DPF regen fails and LS corporate is in "Limp Mode". I like the tractor better than the Kubota, but corporate has a ways to go on customer service during warranty. LS dealer is great. If would be super if LS Corp were equally as great. I am getting a workout in trailering my tractor 2 hours each way and am frankly becoming quite put out. LS needs to replace the ECU and Sensors and this would almost certainly resolve the issue.
I wonder if Kubota and LS are using the same ECU manufacturer?

 

[Williy]

Y'all that are having problems with your tractor
and you pay more to switch to another brand and
perhaps you don't have any problems but what if
you have some problems or maybe more problems
than you are having now??? Then again maybe you
will not be having any problems this you will not know
until you make the change! Sometimes its not the
tractors fault parts fail they just need to order better
parts. Just pray that when you ECU is replaced all is
well problem fixed

willy

 

[neilkingent]

2017 xr4150 425hr only minor problems

 

[Mrsig]

I have had my Tractor for just over 3 months now and around 75 hours on her and this is the best tractor I have ever had.

It has been able to do more than I thought a compact Tractor could do. Things like hall and move big wood I made a beach for my ducks at my lake dug many pits (don't ask) and so much more.

My dealer is awesome I had a small leak on a hose on the grapple and with in 2 hours they had a tech at my house and replaced the elbow for free.

Yes I would buy another LS when the time comes.

 

[Waynebob126]

This thread is hitting home hard with me right now. I just got my XG3037 back from the dealer after 75 days in the shop. It shut down on me one Sunday afternoon and would not crank, nothing on the dash.

I finally got it up to where it could be towed and had it delivered to the dealership. After two weeks, with no call from the dealership, I called to check the status and was told they had not been able to get it inside the shop to inspect it yet.

After 40 days with no definite results, other than “the ECU is not getting power and there is an in-line fuse located some where that we cannot locate”. I asked if there wasn’t a way to by-pass the wiring harness to check the ECU?

I started conversation with LS customer service. I began emailing every day to remind LS what day it was, as a count up; Day 53, 54, 55, etc. Finally around day 60 I get a call from a sales rep and I explain what happened, what has happened and what I want to happen. I was assured that parts will be ordered and things will get fixed.

At day 64 another wiring harness was ordered because the first one received was incorrect. Finally on day 74 I get a text saying that my tractor has been repaired and after replacing the wiring harness, the ECU was found to be bad as well and a new was had been installed. Day 75 I go to the dealership to pickup my tractor and find out that I owe $$$.$$ dollars because the wiring harness and labor are not covered under warranty.

This is when I got hot under the collar! I tried to get them to check the ECU before replacing the wiring harness. My tractor is a 2017 model with less than 250 hours on it. I find out that the 6yr warranty sticker proudly displayed on the tractor still is for the drive train only. Bumper to bumper warranty is 2yrs and ECU is 5yrs.

No communication from the dealership or LS Tractor USA on the repair status unless I initiated it. I am not sure where the ball drop was but someone on the team needs to be traded in my opinion.

Would I by another LS tractor? It depends on the longevity of this repair. I’ve enjoyed my XG307 immensely and have bought many implements since 2017. I feel that I got a lot of tractor for the money compared to other brands. I also found out, once I didn’t have it around, that I’ve come to depend on the use of this equipment investment quite a bit. Maybe there are the same/similar problems with other brands but I don’t hear much about them.

I’ll keep using it until it gives me cause to sell it or trade it. I will continue to relay this storied experience until I find out who actually dropped the ball; dealer or manufacturer.