LS MT242

Name: LS MT242
Brand: LS Tractor
Price: 32056 USD
Availability: InStock

$32,056–$35,757

dealer list, not MSRP, spread across dealers

Maker's photo for this series, not this exact model — trim, wheels and cab may differ

Compact

42.5 hp engine · 34.8 PTO−18% to the shaft

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.

Engine: 42.5 hp
PTO: 34.8 hp
Loader lift: 2,506 lbs
3-pt lift: 1,808 lbs

1.09 PTO hp per $1,000 of list price

As published by the maker

Specifications

Size class: Compact
Transmission: Hydrostatic
Engine: Yanmar
Engine hp: 42.5 hp
PTO hp: 34.8 hp
Drive: 4WD
Loader lift: 2,506 lbs
Three-point lift: 1,808 lbs
Hydraulic flow: 11.7 GPM
Fuel tank: 10.6 gal
Weight: 3,294 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

4WDHydrostaticFront LoaderPower SteeringDiesel

From owner discussion and long-term write-ups

What owners say

What they like

Four-cylinder 133.6 cu in naturally aspirated common-rail engine, so it runs smoother than the three-cylinders below it without adding a turbocharger
34.8 hp at the PTO is enough for a six-foot rotary cutter or a mid-sized tiller with margin left
Only 84 lb heavier than the 31.7 hp MT232, so the extra power does not cost ground clearance or turning circle
A factory cab is catalogued on the same frame at this hp point
6-year limited powertrain cover with parts and labour and no deductible

What they complain about

No published LS price, and the dealer spread for the open-station build ran from $32,056 to $35,757 - shown as a range because 12 percent is a real disagreement, not rounding
Loader lift and 3-point lift are both unchanged from the MT232 at 2,506 lb and 1,808 lb, so 11 extra horsepower buys nothing in capacity
11.7 GPM total flow is the same as every other MT2, so hydraulic cycle times do not improve with the bigger engine
1,808 lb of rear lift is thin for 42.5 hp - LS's own MT3 series doubles it for the same power band
LS publishes no loader measuring point and no emissions aftertreatment detail at this hp

Gathered from owner reports

What owners report

Most of what exists on the MT242 comes from people who have just bought one rather than people who have lived with one, so treat the enthusiasm accordingly. The reason it gets bought is money: buyers report quotes around six thousand dollars under a comparable Kubota, with interest-free financing stretched over ten years. The buyers describe pointing it at log work feeding a sawmill, brush clearing for tree planting, food plots, gravel driveway maintenance and snow blowing, and the four-cylinder Yanmar engine and the enclosed cab option both come up as reasons it looked like more tractor for the money.

The most useful thing any owner says here is about dealers, not the tractor. One buyer priced the machine with five dealers across three states and found the spread between cheapest and dearest came to about four dollars a month once financed - so he bought from the dealer with the longest history of selling the brand and an actual parts and service department, on the reasoning that there are a lot of thin LS dealerships and no saving worth being stranded on a warranty claim for.

What comes up favourably

The price gap is the reason it is on the shortlist - buyers report quotes around six thousand dollars under a comparable Kubota, with interest-free financing over ten years
It is a four-cylinder Yanmar at this horsepower where rivals use three, and an enclosed cab is catalogued on the same machine
The loader uses a skid-steer quick attach, so owners can look at skid-steer attachments such as quick-tach snowblowers rather than being limited to tractor-specific ones

What comes up as a complaint

Dealer quality varies far more than dealer pricing - one buyer who quoted five dealers in three states found only a few dollars a month between them and chose on service department and track record instead
There is very little long-term owner evidence on this model: almost everything here comes from people within weeks of collection rather than hundreds of hours in
A hood latch sticking closed is the only specific fault reported, and the owner had to work out the fix himself

Questions worth asking

Is it really six thousand dollars cheaper than a Kubota?

That is the figure buyers report for a comparable build, and interest-free financing over ten years is part of the pitch. What the evidence cannot tell you is what the saving costs over time, because the owner accounts here are all too new. If the saving is the whole reason you are looking, the sensible check is on the dealer rather than the discount.

How should I choose an LS dealer?

On depth, not price. A buyer who quoted this tractor with five dealers across three states found the whole spread came to roughly four dollars a month on a financed deal, and bought instead from the one with the longest record of selling the brand and a real parts and service operation. His reasoning was that the brand attracts short-lived dealerships, and that being left waiting on a warranty claim costs far more than the difference.

What are people buying it to do?

Mid-size property work rather than farming. The jobs owners describe are moving red pine logs to a sawmill, clearing brush for tree planting, tilling food plots, maintaining a couple of hundred yards of gravel driveway and levelling low spots, and blowing snow off a long drive. A subframe backhoe is available on this class of machine, and owners describe fitting one as a matter of a couple of pins and dedicated hydraulic lines once you have the knack of lining it up.

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 MT242 up

vs LS MT232 vs Kubota LX4020 vs LS MT345E

Same brand or same size, nearest in price

Related tractors

LS MT232

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

$23,970–$25,856dealer list, not MSRP, spread across dealers

CompactSeries photo

LS Tractor

LS MT226

24.6 hp engine · 19.2 PTO−22% to the shaft

Loader: 1,965 lbs
3-pt: 1,808 lbs
Trans: Gear
Drive: 4WD

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.

Spec sheet & owner notes

$20,100–$22,851dealer list, not MSRP, spread across dealers

Compact

LS Tractor

LS MT225S

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

← Back to the full list