LS Tractor · Compact

LS MT226

$23,970–$25,856

dealer list, not MSRP, spread across dealers

LS MT226
Maker's photo for this series, not this exact model — trim, wheels and cab may differ
Compact
24.6 hp engine · 19.2 PTO−22% to the shaft

A full 3,007 lb compact frame and a 1,965 lb loader, kept under 25 gross hp so it dodges the particulate filter entirely - that combination is what the MT2E line exists to sell. Priced here as the 12F/12R gear build, which returns 19.2 PTO hp against 17.1 for the hydrostatic.

Engine
24.6 hp
PTO
19.2 hp
Loader lift
1,965 lbs
3-pt lift
1,808 lbs

0.8 PTO hp per $1,000 of list price

As published by the maker

Specifications

Size class
Compact
Transmission
Gear
Engine
Mitsubishi
Engine hp
24.6 hp
PTO hp
19.2 hp
Drive
4WD
Loader lift
1,965 lbs
Three-point lift
1,808 lbs
Hydraulic flow
11.7 GPM
Fuel tank
10.6 gal
Weight
3,007 lbs
Warranty
6 yr powertrain
4WD
Yes
Cab
Open station
Turbo
No
Cruise control
No

On the price: This maker publishes no price, so the figure comes from dealer listings. Regional dealers price the same machine differently.

Lift figures are the maker's and are quoted at whichever point the maker chose; the about page explains why two loaders with the same number do not lift the same pallet.

Comes with

4WDGearFront LoaderPower SteeringDiesel

From owner discussion and long-term write-ups

What owners say

What they like

  • 1,965 lb of loader lift at under 25 hp - roughly double what a sub-compact of similar power manages, because the frame is a full compact
  • Staying below 25 gross hp keeps a diesel particulate filter and its regeneration cycles off a machine that will spend its life on short jobs
  • The gear build returns 19.2 hp at the PTO against 17.1 for the hydrostatic, which is most of the reason to take the clutch pedal
  • 11.7 GPM total flow with 7.1 GPM to the implement circuit is generous for the class
  • 10.6-gallon tank is over 50 percent larger than the MT1 sub-compacts carry
  • Cab versions exist on the same frame, so an enclosed machine at this hp point is a factory build

What they complain about

  • LS publishes no price at all, and the two dealer figures for the open-station build differ by about $1,900 - hence the range rather than a single number
  • The MT2 and MT2E lines share the 226 model number with different engines and feature levels, which makes like-for-like shopping harder than it should be
  • A 12F/12R synchromesh shuttle still uses the clutch for every direction change, which tells on loader work
  • 1,808 lb of 3-point lift quoted at the ball ends will be considerably less at the end of a long implement, and LS publishes no figure further back
  • No measuring point is given for the 1,965 lb loader rating on any LS model page
  • A 3,007 lb tractor with 24.6 hp is heavy for its power, so ground speed under load is modest

Gathered from owner reports

What owners report

Almost nothing is known about how this one holds up, and that is the finding. Shoppers are actively asking how the MT2 series lasts and getting no answers from people who own one. The single buyer who speaks up had owned his about a week: he bought it to work alongside a dump truck on gravel driveway jobs, chose it over a comparable Kubota because his local Kubota dealer has a poor reputation and the price gap was significant, and notes it is physically larger than his own one-acre property needs.

What comes up favourably

  • Buyers choose it on price and on dealer reputation rather than on brand, and one who compared it directly describes the Kubota equivalent as costing a good deal more

What comes up as a complaint

  • There is effectively no long-term owner evidence - people shopping the MT2 series are asking how it holds up and nobody with one is answering
  • It is a physically large machine for the acreage it is often cross-shopped on, with one buyer saying it is bigger than his own property warrants

Questions worth asking

How reliable is it?
Nobody can say, and the absence is worth knowing about. Shoppers looking at the MT2 series, including the cab version, are openly asking how it holds up long term and no owner has answered with real hours. If you buy one you are buying the dealer and the warranty rather than a track record.
Why pick it over a comparable Kubota?
The one buyer who explains his choice gives two reasons and neither is about the machine: the local Kubota dealer has a poor reputation where he lives, and the price gap was substantial. He bought his to work alongside a dump truck on gravel driveway jobs. If your nearest Kubota or Deere dealer is good, that argument gets much weaker.

Summarised from public owner discussion, not from testing. Nothing here was measured by this site, and a report that recurs is not the same as a defect rate.

Cross-shopped against

Line the LS MT226 up

vs Kioti CK3520vs Kubota L3302vs LS MT232

Same brand or same size, nearest in price

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$20,100–$22,851dealer list, not MSRP, spread across dealers
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24.7 hp engine · 19.3 PTO−22% to the shaft
Loader
1,067 lbs
3-pt
1,896 lbs
Trans
Hydrostatic
Drive
4WD

LS builds its own engine, transmission and loader, which is how a 24.7 hp compact turns up with a 1,896 lb hitch - more rear lift than a Deere 2025R or Kubota B2601. Standard equipment is unusually complete for what it costs.

Spec sheet & owner notes
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CompactSeries photo

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31.7 hp engine · 26.2 PTO−17% to the shaft
Loader
2,506 lbs
3-pt
1,808 lbs
Trans
Hydrostatic
Drive
4WD

Stepping past 25 hp buys a much bigger loader rather than a much bigger tractor: the LL3303 lifts 2,506 lb, up 541 lb on the MT226 below it, from the same 100 cu in Yanmar block and the same 10.6-gallon tank. Three-range hydrostatic, open station, and no published price anywhere from LS.

Spec sheet & owner notes
LS MT242
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CompactSeries photo

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LS MT242

42.5 hp engine · 34.8 PTO−18% to the shaft
Loader
2,506 lbs
3-pt
1,808 lbs
Trans
Hydrostatic
Drive
4WD

Four cylinders and 133.6 cu in at the top of the MT2 frame, naturally aspirated and common-rail, for 42.5 hp and 34.8 at the PTO - a third more power than the MT232 on a chassis only 84 lb heavier. LS prints no price; dealers put the open-station hydrostatic in the low thirties.

Spec sheet & owner notes
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