What is the general opinion on Kioti?

[Farmwithjunk]

Originally Posted by LBrown59

U don't use it much do you?

I put 1200 hours on my BX23 in 5 years.

Well wash the cobwebs off it and put it to work....

One of my Deere 6430's piled up over 1700 hrs on a batwing LAST YEAR ALONE. On target to average around 1100 on 5 different tractors this year.

[DK35vince]

Originally Posted by LBrown59

U don't use it much do you?

I put 1200 hours on my BX23 in 5 years.

You must not work many hours if you have that much spare time to play with your tractor.

[Dmace]

I have been very happy with my Kioti CK20HST which now has 400hrs on it and was purchased brand new Oct. 2005. I have done nothing more then regular maintenance and worked it year round. I dig stumps, grade driveways, dig trenches, install septics and culverts, and move gravel all spring, summer and fall plus I clear the snow with the loader and rear snowblower all winter.

I had one of the older design loaders that developed some small cracks at the bolt holes for the inspection plate. Just as the Kioti engineers said, it was cosmetic and did not effect the use of the loader. My loader never showed any weakness and still sat perfectly level on the ground. My dealer came out and installed the "fix" which was a very thick brace that wrapped around the torque tube and years later, the cracks have not grown at all.

I would highly recommend Kioti and dollar for dollar you typically will find the Kioti to be cheaper, have more standard options, equal or better capacities, longer warranty and better ergonomics. If I ever find a need for more tractor, I will certainly shop around but the Kioti dealer will be my first stop and I can just about guarantee that a Kioti will be my next tractor as well.

They really are a great and proven tractor that has impressed those in the states so well that BOBCAT is putting their name and reputation on them and selling/supporting them. That alone says something about the general opinion of Kioti.

[TerryJ]

Am I happy with my DK45S? YES. Would I buy another? YES. Would I recommend to a friend? YES. I could go on but I think you know my opinion.

[Ken45101]

Originally Posted by jimmyj

I don't get why the brake and gas pedals are on the same side. I would have thought the brake and clutch should be on the left and the gas on the right. I don't see how I could ever use the "split" brake as it is.

Assuming you are talking about a geared transmission tractor, if the brake and clutch were on the same side, it would be difficult to depress the clutch when you brake.

Normally you don't use the accelerator pedal and the brake at the same time. When using the split brake, you might be able to do it at idle, or use the hand throttle. You don't really want to use the split brake at high speed

Now I will agree with you if we are talking about a hydrostatic transmission where you have to press the forward pedal to move at all. I have a couple Kubotas with hydrostatic transmissions and the split brake can't be used AFAIK.

Ken

[whistlepig]

Originally Posted by sqdqo

What is the general opinion on Kioti and how do they compare to say Kubota or John Deere?

Kioti is getting in to the premium tractor price range now. They are not a bargain tractor anymore. I have read many good reviews about Kioti's. I think they make an excellent tractor. So it's best to test drive and find what suits you best.There isn't that much price difference between a Kubota, John Deere, Kioti, and New Holland. The difference in the way these tractors operate will make a hard day a lot shorter if you chose the one you like best.

[Duffster]

Originally Posted by Dmace

They really are a great and proven tractor that has impressed those in the states so well that BOBCAT is putting their name and reputation on them and selling/supporting them. That alone says something about the general opinion of Kioti.

Isn't Bobcat and Kioti owned by the same company?

[warhammer]

I bought a DK45SE a year ago and have 135 hours on it. So far its been fluid and filter changes, fix a couple of flats from rolling over thorns and adjust the HST pedals so the tractor won't creep.
I like the tractor and there are some really good dealers on TBN to get advice from and order parts.
The dealer I purchased the tractor from dropped the Kioti brand, they are a multi store Bobcat dealer and they went to selling Bobcat tractors - no real surprise there. A few months after that they closed the Waco location and consolidated down to their north Texas operations.
I would say this dealer churn is the weakness of the Kioti brand.
I shopped for almost a year before buying and really liked Deere's, Case's and Kubota's and all those brands have dealers much closer to my farm than the closest Kioti dealer but I would have ended up with a substantially smaller tractor and in some cases with less features for what I spent.


Warhammer

Originally Posted by sqdqo

What is the general opinion on Kioti and how do they compare to say Kubota or John Deere?

[carpenter383]

I've been very happy with mine so far. It has 112 hrs on it now in less than 6 months.

[Dmace]

Originally Posted by Duffster

Isn't Bobcat and Kioti owned by the same company?

No, Bobcat was created in 1947 by Edward Gideon "E.G." Melroe and started off named The Melroe Manufacturing Company. It was sold in 1995 to Ingersoll-Rand Company of Woodcliff Lake, N.J, sold to AGCO Corporation in July 1998 and then sold to Doosan Infracore of South Korea in 2007.

The confusion there is that Doosan sounds a lot like Daedong which is the parent company of Kioti. Both companies are based in South Korea, it's funny that both companies were founded in 1947.