Buying Advice Kioti CK 3510 - reliable?

[Luke009]

Hi all!
I'm close to buying my first real tractor and I think I'm settling for a Kioti CK 3510 with loader and 72" rear mower. I have this big concern giving me pause, and it applies to all tractors: the high cost of having it hauled to the dealer for repairs/maintenance, under warranty or not. For me, that would be $300+ round trip. It is amazing how the manufacturers put this on the customer and don't stand fully behind their tractors. Does anyone know what kind of issues I should expect from a new Kioti tractor?
Many thanks.

 

[coobie]

Hi all!
I'm close to buying my first real tractor and I think I'm settling for a Kioti CK 3510 with loader and 72" rear mower. I have this big concern giving me pause, and it applies to all tractors: the high cost of having it hauled to the dealer for repairs/maintenance, under warranty or not. For me, that would be $300+ round trip. It is amazing how the manufacturers put this on the customer and don't stand fully behind their tractors. Does anyone know what kind of issues I should expect from a new Kioti tractor?
Many thanks.

Scan down to the Kioti section and read all about them.As far as Manufacturers fully standing behind there products most do.If your worried about the $300 bucks round trip look for another brand tractor located closer to your location.Please remember a tractor dealer has to pay for the cost of a truck/trailer,fuel and employee to pickup and delivery.Another option for you would be to purchase your own truck and trailer.They are very handy.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

I understand your concern... it's a big purchase. As coobie advises, scan the Kioti section. On the other hand, I've had both of my tractors since 2013 and they both have never needed to be returned to my dealership for anything... and that's a 4 hour round trip for me.

Most tractor dealerships have mobile mechanics/service vehicles that come to you for repairs that don't require a 'shop'.

She'll be right, Mate. Enjoy the site.

 

[jeff9366]

I own my third tractor, second new Kubota. Kubota is a fine brand but the primary reason I purchased two new Kubotas in succession is the Kubota dealer is six miles from my home. Even after eight years of tractoring averaging 250 hours per year, having the dealer readily accessible adds to tractor value.

Tractor reliability is proportional to the prudence and experience of the operator.
If you are new to operating and maintaining tractors you are going to break, bend and lose parts during your first 200 hours of operation, that an experienced, prudent operator would not lose, break or bend. That is an integral part of gaining experience.

I recommend buying a tractor from a dealer within twenty miles of your property.

You are begging for bitter frustration if you buy from a distant dealer.

Your first service comes at 50 engine hours; changing all the fluids and filters.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Just because the dealer is close. does not make them worthy of your business. Both of my local dealers have been is business for years, but always put the big guys in the front of the line. I know of several times people have waited over a month for a repair.

 

[747driver]

I like my CK27 ( 2013 model ). Has been reliable and does what i want it to do. The dealer is 1.5 hrs away. I do have a 16ft trailer i use to haul it if needed. How big of a place to do have ? If you have acreage you will find a need for a trailer once you get the new tractor home and understand how much more you can do. Most dealers have as stated above a 'mobile 'mechanic who will come to your place to fix the problem unless it requires a shop visit to fix.

I had warranty work done on my tractor and Kioti stood behind it and paid for the required work !

I actually bought my tractor from a dealer that was 6 hrs away. It was what i wanted at a great price. I do my own maintenance unless it gets to complicated for me to handle. I didn't buy the tractor based on dealership.....so far the CK27 has been a great machine.

Buy the tractor....thats what you want ! The rest will take care of itself. Just make a complete walk around at the dealer and make sure everything is working before delivery. This is a great website and everybody here is always willing to help answer questions.

Good Luck !

 

[ericm979]

You have to be hauling the tractor often to justify buying a trailer for it. $3000-5000 pays for a lot of trailer rentals or dealer pickups. I do my own routine service. If I had a vehicle that had to go back to the dealer 10 times during my ownership I'd consider it a complete failure. It's up to the dealer to decide if they provide free pickup/dropoff and how far they go. They include that cost in the tractor price.

 

[N2DFire]

Hi all!
I'm close to buying my first real tractor and I think I'm settling for a Kioti CK 3510 with loader and 72" rear mower. I have this big concern giving me pause, and it applies to all tractors: the high cost of having it hauled to the dealer for repairs/maintenance, under warranty or not. For me, that would be $300+ round trip. It is amazing how the manufacturers put this on the customer and don't stand fully behind their tractors. Does anyone know what kind of issues I should expect from a new Kioti tractor?
Many thanks.

Welcome to TBN. As has already been stated - go down to the Kioti specific section and read / ask questions there also.

What issues should you *expect* on a new tractor - None.
You should expect it to be perfect. What you will get, however, is directly proportional to your dealer / mechanic and your own prudence on delivery. Again - the Kioti forums will have some typical "check behinds" for dealer assembly as well as things you should check / tighten after a little break-in.

Routine maintenance is subjective based on your knowledge & abilities. If you can / do change your own oil in your car then you should be able to handle pretty much all the routine service work - you just might need some bigger wrenches. Whether or not you want to do it is another question. If you're more inclined to let the dealer do that for you then distance & the hauling fees could be an issue but you also have to account for your expected usage.

Ex - Our Kioti was delivered in Oct '15. We're just now hitting the 150 hour service mark so that would roughly be a once a year trip. If you're looking to put 200 hours and 2-4 trips to the dealer a year that's a bigger issue.

Tractor reliability is proportional to the prudence and experience of the operator.

This I would agree with 100% - the "learning curve" comes at a cost, however now that you know about TBN you can ask & learn here rather than find out the hard way.

You are begging for bitter frustration if you buy from a distant dealer.

This I disagree with. Too many variables to make this kind of blanket statement (Dealer capabilities and attitude, Owners ability and experience, etc.)

I'm 45, Dad is 70. We both grew up around tractors & heavy equipment and Dad made his living running & working on heavy equipment for years. Our Dealer is over 100 miles away (one way) and we haven't seen him since he delivered the tractor (answers his phone when I call & e-mails answered promptly though).

The closest thing to frustration we had is a different (closer/larger) dealer sold us the wrong hydraulic filter when we did the 50 hour service - didn't notice till we had the old one off, system drained, and went to put the new one on. Had to stop & drive about 90 miles (round trip) to take it back & get the right one. Lesson Learned.



My opinion - regardless of brand - a tractor purchase is a 3 way split between Dealer, Buyer, and Equipment. Great equipment & experienced buyer can't make up for a bad dealer and a great dealer & experienced buyer can't make up for crappy equipment. You have to find the combination that's the right fit for you.

I'm obviously biased toward Kioti (seeing as how I pass JD, MF, New Holland, Kubota, and Branson dealers twice a day every day going & coming from work) and have no reservations in recommending them to you, but if you're not happy / comfortable with your dealer then I'd suggest finding a dealer/brand you are happy with. That will make more difference in the long run than how far or near they are.

Best of luck & Safe tractoring.

 

[jeff9366]

For me, the cost of having it hauled to the dealer for repairs/maintenancewould be $300+ round trip.

Picking up the tractor for service requires one round trip for the dealer. Returning tractor after service requires a second round trip for the dealer.

Let me illustrate using 60 miles as an example. We will use $35/hour for mechanic/driver in CT, dealer's all up labor cost.

60 X 4 (two round trips) = 240 miles X $1.50 per mile for HD truck, HD trailer and commercial insurance for truck, driver and load = $360.
Mechanic/driver five hours driving plus 1-1/2 hours loading and unloading = $227.50
Cost for dealer to pick up and return tractor after service = $587.50 at cost or near cost.

And you believe transportation should be "free"?:confused3:

 

[Tigershark]

I have a Kioti CK4010 and really like it. Wish I had gotten more HP and rear remotes but outside of that it's been a great tractor. My dealer is about 45-50 miles away and when I did the 50 hr service they picked up and delivered it back for $75.00. My dealer is a good ways away but they are very good. I have a Kubota dealer 5 miles from the farm but they wanted way too much for a comparable tractor and their pickup and delivery was a lot more. After driving both tractors I felt the Kioti was quicker and easier to operate the FEL. For me that was the deciding factor along with the price.