LS MT225HE

[ls225h]

Since the NH Workmaster 25 & the LS MT225HE appear to be exactly the same tractor, this looks like a good forum for this post.

My wife wants to get a tractor with a hydra trans, so she can use it more. Our Kioti CK27 has a man trans with shuttle.

The Kioti has done everything we've needed a tractor to do & done it well. For that reason, I looked 1st at the Kioti models. BUT, I eliminated them, because of the brake pedal location. It's not as bad as some, but still requires picking your foot up off the HST pedals, raising it up high enuff to get on top of the brake pedal, then mashing down on the pedal far enuff to brake.

Will ONLY consider those models with side-by-side HST pedals & the brake pedal/pedals on the left side.

After quite a bit of online searching & video watching, I have only found 3 models with this pedal arrangement. One of these is a Branson 2515H. It's my 3rd choice, because it only has a single brake pedal, for both rear brakes. As most tractor owners know, there are rare times when you need to lock only one rear wheel. Can't do this unless you have separate pedals.

Of those I've found, that only leaves 2 choices. And from what I've learned, they are exactly the same tractor, with different name brands. One is a New Holland Workmaster 25. The other is an LS MT225HE.

I've checked the prices of both, in my area. The LS is more than a thousand dollars cheaper. Plus, the LS dealer offered a decent trade-in for our Kioti. So, we have decided to accept his deal. So, I'm not posting to ask anybody's opinion, so PLEASE don't post saying you'd choose a different brand.

Here's why I'm posting. Neither the NH nor the LS dealer has any of these models in stock. They haven't had for several months. They've both had some ordered for months. But have not received any.

Now, here's the really strange(to me) thing about this. I discovered that there is an LS assembly facility only about 100 miles from me. There are 2 factory outlet retail lots close by that facility. One of those lots has this model in stock. And, a guy there said he could have another one put together for me, in one week. BUT, my dealer is only about 150 miles from the assembly plant & has been waiting for months on several LS tractors he has ordered. And, he is a decent size dealer, having sold over 100 tractors & over 200 zero turns last year.

Also, there is another big dealer in MS, about 50 miles from the plant. They have several of these in stock & seem to have no trouble getting more. Therefore, I have to assume that there is some sort of politics going on here.

I've gone online & see that there are lots of these models available, in different areas of the country. So, one of my questions is: Why is it so hard for my local dealers to get any of these blue tractors, when they seem to be available to SOME dealers, in SOME locations ???

For you guys who have the time & wouldn't mind doing it: Would you check with your local LS dealers & see if they have any MT225HE tractors in stock & their price for tractor with loader, & post the results here ? The big LS dealer in MS said this was by far their biggest seller.

After giving it some thought, the only logical reason I can think of, for the assembly plant to not wanna ship to dealers is because they don't make near as much profit selling to a dealer as they do selling thru their retail lots. Maybe some of those in charge of who gets what & when are getting some sort of compensation for sending tractors in certain directions. Stranger things have happened.

Anybody here have any insight into this situation ???

 

[Doc]

No LS dealer anywhere in my area.
Companies have orders from all their dealers and fill them as they get them.
Being close to factory does not appear to be an advantage when things are in short supply.
Local dealer should support the brand no matter where you buy it. If it's their best seller you might consider hitting the road to buy it and bring it home. Otherwise their supply and demand woes are nothing we can answer for sure, we can only speculate on why it is what it is. Good luck.

 

[ls225h]

"...Companies have orders from all their dealers and fill them as they get them..."

Yeah, that's the way it SHOULD work. That's the only way that sounds fair.

BUT, in this particular case, it doesn't APPEAR that is what's happening. One dealer near the assembly plant has plenty of tractors. I think the salesman said they had around 50 in stock, several being the model I mentioned. So, how come they have lots of tractors & my local dealer has not been able to get one single LS tractor, of any model, in several months ?

And, why does the assembly plant retail outlet yards have the model I want in stack & say they can have another built, ready for sale, in about a week, but can't ship one to my local dealer, even tho it would sell as soon as it arrives.

"...Local dealer should support the brand no matter where you buy it. If it's their best seller you might consider hitting the road to buy it and bring it home..."

I think maybe the key word there is SHOULD. However, in reality, if a dealer did not sell the tractor, he has made absolutely no profit from your purchase, at all. What would be his incentive to do your warranty work ? And, if he is forced to do it, by the manufacturer, what's to prevent him from putting your warranty work on the back burner after he gets your tractor ? They'd likely fix their customer stuff before working on stuff bought somewhere else.

Even if the tractor owner complains to the manufacturer & they tell the dealer to fix the guy's tractor, the dealer can say they are short handed, which many probably are, and will get to it ASAP. I assume the manufacturers don't wanna lose any good dealers. So, they probably won't press them too hard on the issue.

IF I could sell my tractor for a decent price, I MIGHT consider buying from the outlet lot & taking my chances on the warranty work. But, if I can't sell for a decent price, I'll just have to wait 'til my dealer gets one in. If that's by April, it'll be OK. The heaviest work we have is mowing the field around our house. It's somewhere between 6 & 10 acres. I'm no good at guessing the size of land areas.

 

[Doc]

I know you said you are not interested in talk of changing to another tractor but ....
I don't think I'd want to do business with a company with those types of practices.
Buying a tractor because of pedal alignment might not be the best way to decide. (unless you've used one like that, which, if you mentioned I missed it).
I've no clue why a company would operate that way and I would not want to give them any of my business. They favor one over the other and when you need parts or service the same would probably happen. And we all know everyone and every brand has down time.

 

[ls225h]

"...Buying a tractor because of pedal alignment might not be the best way to decide. (unless you've used one like that, which, if you mentioned I missed it)..."

Our JD lawn tractor is like that, except it only has one brake pedal, rather than 2. Can't lock just one rear wheel. Having the brake pedal/pedals on opposite sides from the dual HST pedals, is the ONLY way I'll buy an HST tractor. And, since there are at least 3 of the under 25hp models available, with that pedal arrangement, I'll hold out for one of them, or just keep what I have for a while longer.

MAYBE, things will sorta calm down later in the year & LS will catch up & get some tractors to all their dealers.

Here's another chapter to the story. I just talked to a salesman at another hi volume dealer. They have one of the LS MT225HE tractors, with loader, in stock. The price is only $17,500. And if that's not enuff, they have FREE shipping to the lower 48. This sounds too good to be true. But the guy said they can do it because of high volume. I figure there MUST be some hidden charges, of some kind.

My sister has some kin folks who live in that area. I'm gonna try to get one of 'em to check the deal out, in person. If the actual selling price is anywhere near that price, I can sell our Kioti for much less & still have plenty to put with our $10k, to buy the LS. I've seen some auction prices of around $10k, for Kioti models similar to ours. So, I know ours has to be worth at least $10k, for sure.

 

[Doc]

Interesting. Good luck.

 

[ls225h]

Here's the tractor I want, showing the pedal layout. It's exactly how I want it. Side-by-side go pedals on the right side & side-by-side stop pedals on the left side. Elec PTO switch on the dash. It's laid out just like our JD lawn tractor. Simple.

 

[Doc]

Interesting. I've never seen one set up like that.

 

[ls225h]

Because of the DEF & higher cost, I'm not gonna buy a larger hp tractor. But, if I was, I'd consider the Yanmar YT235. They have some REALLY nice features, including a left side brake pedal, & 10-year powertrain warranty. This video shows a close-up of all the pedals, at just past the 30 sec point.

 

[ls225h]

The LS MT225HE & the New Holland Workmaster 25 are virtually identical. Here's a video which shows how the pedals work.

 

[Doc]

NICE. I think of Yanmar as a John Deere without the yellow seat and green paint.