2012 NH Boomer 30 HST or Kioti CK30 HST? Value?

[BoonDoc]

I cannot remember if you mentioned, have you operated a CUT sized tractor before?.. The modern ones make it pretty easy of course to move them around, but to operate the FEL with efficiency, it does take some practice. The key to safe operation is to just keep thinking about every move you will make. Of course it is great fun, but you can get hurt if you are careless. Operating the tractor is good therapy for me, as I can focus on what I am doing and forget all about work Good luck in what ever you choose.
James K0UA

No, James, never been on a tractor. Jumped on my neighbors dozer and gave her a whirl. Took 10 minutes to learn the levers and speeds but I figured her out. Did some clearing and fixed a few potholes (made a few new ones too). I'm going to have to learn nice a slow. Way I figure, everyone's got to start somewhere. I had originally wanted the Sub CUT for that reason, but with 171 acres of forest and dirt road, and wanting to clear an acre to till it, people were telling me I'd soon be back for a bigger rig. Going up to the camp and wandering around the woods, or getting on a project, that's my therapy too. Just wish I got more therapy time!

Glenn

[BoonDoc]

Been searching for known issues with Kioti CK series, New Holland Boomers, and the Mahindras. I see quite a few people Kioti people complaining of cracks in their loaders, and the HST pedal sticking seems to be a persistent issue for some. The Boomer owners seem to complain mostly about glow plug issues and difficulty restarting once turned off, though there are way fewer posts of NH problems. Mahindra 13 series didn't come up with any consistent problems, just the usual spattering of what seemed to be isolated occurrences. Of course, not at all objective as there may be way more Kioti owners out there..dunno really. But left me to wonder. The relationship to your dealer is critical in the event of service, etc. But it seems a good question for the dealers, which brand backs the dealer the strongest in the event a tech needs to be sent out from corporate? Despite more problems listed online, people with Kiotis seemed to report successful outcomes after Kioti techs were sent to check the units being serviced. Thoughts?

[jenkinsph]

BoonDoc,

Since 1997 I have had to take equipment in a total of three times for service, that's not very often considering I have three tractors and two mowers to maintain. I can't remember how many times I have had to take my trucks into the dealership but much more frequently than the tractors.

I think your "drill down" on which model to choose was/is working out well for you I would continue that process.

[IslandTractor]

Been searching for known issues with Kioti CK series, New Holland Boomers, and the Mahindras. I see quite a few people Kioti people complaining of cracks in their loaders, and the HST pedal sticking seems to be a persistent issue for some. The Boomer owners seem to complain mostly about glow plug issues and difficulty restarting once turned off, though there are way fewer posts of NH problems. Mahindra 13 series didn't come up with any consistent problems, just the usual spattering of what seemed to be isolated occurrences. Of course, not at all objective as there may be way more Kioti owners out there..dunno really. But left me to wonder. The relationship to your dealer is critical in the event of service, etc. But it seems a good question for the dealers, which brand backs the dealer the strongest in the event a tech needs to be sent out from corporate? Despite more problems listed online, people with Kiotis seemed to report successful outcomes after Kioti techs were sent to check the units being serviced. Thoughts?

The Kioti loader crack issue was resolved five years ago. Current KL130B loader is a different design and has not had any issues to my knowledge. All tractors have issues but the CK25/27/30 and 35 have all been very reliable workhorses that I think are every bit as reliable and problem free as similar JD, NH, Kubota and other tractors in that size range. There really aren't any lemons in that 30hp range when considering the top five or six manufacturers selling in the US these days. They are all excellent machines.

I am late to this discussion and haven't read up on any recent changes to the CK30 but I was a bit confused about the telescopic 3pt link issue. I owned a CK20 which did not have the telescopic 3pt (they all have adjustable lateral support, I'm talking about the piece with the ball that slides over the implement pin). The DK line does have telescopic links but I didn't know the CK30 did. There hasn't been a CK30 owner contributing as far as I can tell so someone should double check that. I haven't seen telescopic links on any tractor less than 35hp myself. (Edit: I just looked at the Kioti website and indeed the CK30 does now come with telescopic links. That is a big advantage over the traditional ones when attaching implements.)

I noted earlier that someone said the NH was 9 inches wider than the Kioti. I rather doubt that. Could be either an error in a brochure or perhaps one of the tractors was measured with wheels inverted while the other wasn't. I'd expect in reality they are just about the same width and both would presumably cover the track well with 5 foot implements.

Just an aside, I loved the JD salesman's explanation that the Kioti and NH were heavier than the JD because they had more welds. That is a good one. A thousand pounds of extra welds! The Kubota sales people like to claim that Kubota's have higher quality Japanese steel and therefore are lighter than Korean tractors (also BS, Korea has state of the art steel mills). For a better explanation, look at the size of the front and rear axles on the NH and Kioti compared to the JD and Kubota. There is no single correct answer to whether light or heavy is better but I believe the true answer for why JD/Kubota are lighter is that they were designed to be lighter as they have as an important part of their market niche in lawn mowing where light is definitely better. The NH and Kioti are more traditionally weighted tractors that would require less ballasting for ground engaging and other tasks where weight is an advantage.

[k0ua]

Yeah that welding/bending metal explanation for the weight difference in tractors was a real doozey. I have to remember that one..

James K0UA

[dfkrug]

I liked that weld plate story, That was creative. Weight is weight.
My understanding is the JD has an aluminum casting in the rear end.

Yeah, that was a new one for me, too.

Too often vastly different tractors are compared just because of the similar price. The
Kioti CK30 is comparable to the JD 3520, not the budget tractors, 30xx. The latter
are much much lighter, despite using more steel than the deluxe 3x20s. Here's a
photo of the tiny rear cast steel axle housing of a JD3005, similar to the 3032.
The CK is only a bit heavier than the 3520, due to the aluminum rear end and
gearbox on the deere.

For Kubota, you have to compare the L3240, not the budget line, L3x00.

[BoonDoc]

Not sure of the statistics, but see a certain number of Kioti CK owners here with recurrent issues of sticking HST pedal. No simple fix short of a new HST and plenty of wrangling with corporate to get that done. Seems rare, but common enough to make it a recurring thread. FWIW, it must be rare indeed, as Kioti's sales have continued to rise over the last few years.

BTW, interesting that while in the store yesterday, I glanced over at several magazines. "Muscle car shootout", read the cover of a driving magazine. "Vacuum cleaner shootout", read a consumer magazine. Leads me to wonder why there isn't a "CUT showdown!" I can see it now. "Tractor by Net presents it's annual showdown, the 30HP class shootout".

Promo for a one-on-one showdown could be, "Two tractors enter, one tractor leaves.. that is the law", or,
"The can be only one!".

[BoonDoc]

Any thoughts on Case/IH Farmall B30? Looks familiar. The downswept FEL arms look like the Boomer30. Same?

[phiferpharm]

Well, I think you have gotten to the point that it's time for the posterior to be planted in the vinyl and drive the tractors. Everybody loves their own brand for the most part, everybody elses has "major issues", and blah-blah-blah... Bottom line is be sure to drive all of the one's your thinking about, make a choice based on what your impressions of testing them are and pony up the Dinero. All of them could present a problem at times, all of them may be better than fond memories of your first girlfriend, but I think you could also overthink the whole process and form opinions that may get changed when you drive each of them.

Good luck and happy tractoring!!

[BoonDoc]

it's time for the posterior to be planted in the vinyl

LOL.. well said. I've been accused of over-thinking things. I've also been accused of thinking with other parts. This will be the first time I'll use my "posterior" to help in a major decision.

all of them may be better than fond memories of your first girlfriend

I'm not gonna touch that one! I will say that the anticipation is killing me. Since I can't be driving my new tractor, I'm here talking about it.

Thanks for the good wishes
Doc