More tractor buying advice.

[Bob_Skurka]

Yankee, I tend to agree with you.

I've seen several posts about the CK20 being a Sub-CUT or an in-between tractor, but the reality is it is basically the same general size as a NH TC21 or TC24, a Kubota B7500, B2410, B2610, JD4010, etc. Sure, it might be a couple inches narrower than some, but it weighs more and stands as tall and is roughly the same length with a FEL so I would say it is "basically the same size" as most small CUTs.

The Kioti CK20 is in the same power class as the TC21 and B7500.

Again, just like you, I don't consider this an attack. I actually like the CK class. For a mowing/groundskeeping tractor I prefer a lighter tractor that I can add weights to for FEL work and remove for mowing, but that is a personal choice of mine.

 

[Yankee]

"For a mowing/groundskeeping tractor I prefer a lighter tractor that I can add weights to for FEL work and remove for mowing, but that is a personal choice of mine. "

That's how it came down for me as well. It all depends on your needs. If I had woods rather than a former pasture, or were I going to re-sculpt the property wholesale, the Kioti would have been a fine choice. It still might have been anyway - after all, I filled my rear tires, and the total weight of my 7610 probably isn't all that much different from the stock CK20, though I'm sure the resulting balance and distribution is quite different. I'm still thinking about "unfilling" them, though. Don't know if I'll do it or not. I do like the convenience of popping the FEL on and just going at it without a rear weight (either the trouble to put on on, or having the extra length.)

Maybe the tractor world needs a quick tire fill device. Back up to your spigot and drive away 2 minutes later 300 pounds heavier!

Bill

 

[jinman]

If I hear you correctly, you are planning to use this tractor for mowing at least 75% of the time. Is that the primary "maintaining" you refer to? If your tractor will be a SUPER-mower with some blading and a few hauling/towing chores, I think a sub-CUT would be fine.

If you have some big jobs, you can always rely on rentals, especially if they are close by. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Yankee, generally I prefer lighter tractors for most yard work. Heavy is great for farming applications, also for serious FEL work (but if I was doing either, I would not be using a CUT in the first place). Sometimes, like pulling a subsoiler to dig an electric line, the added weight would translated to added traction, but most of the time weekend tractor jockey's like me, are not plowing, we are doing glorified landscape projects to make our wives happy so we can keep playing with our tractors!

I just switched to a MMM deck and I've found that the weight of that alone is fine for light duty FEL work. If I was moving cobble stones, etc, and chose to use that tractor (which I probably would not do) I would put a weight box on the back. The tires of my TC24 are not filled, but I do have a weight/ballast box and a quick hitch so I can pop the ballast on and off quickly.

I also tend to mow with the FEL removed. Not sure that many others do that, but it helps me get in and around the trees & shrubs easier.

 

[Yankee]

If the primary job is mowing the 1.5 acre lawn, a sub-CUT will do just fine (I'd agree with the "super mower" comment for that use). You may or may not want to do anything with the woods. It's the pasture that gives me pause. If you don't want to let it go, you're going to have to cut it a few times a year with a bush hog (rotary cutter). While a couple of acres of pasture is still in sub-CUT territory, it would go faster and easier with a CUT. You're going to find pasture isn't the smoothest surface, too, and bigger tires are going to help in that regard. Still, I wouldn't hesitate with the sub-CUT if you really decide you like one. Personally, while I went a bit bigger for MY former pasture, it wan't because I subscribe to the bigger is better theory.

Do spend some time carefully considering what implements you want to use, and then look at the capabilities and limitations of the 3 point hitches on the tractors you're considering. The JD sub-CUT is perhaps the most limited in this regard, but that only matters if it matters, so to speak. It's a good tractor.

 

[cag]

Notractoryet Kioti CK20 weight 1995 lbs if interested check it out at www.kioti.com

 

[To20Chris]

I agree - the CK20 is a great tarctor, but it is no sub-CUT. Tractors like the Kubota B7510 are very similar in size, but much lighter. I've seen people make this error several times, and I think it is due to what is a natural progression, just like I made. If you start off looking at SubCUTs at big 3, you can't help both being startled at the price and looking over at larger CUTs across the showroom. You start to wonder if you maybe need a bigger tractor, and if you can do better on the price. Then you look around a bit more and find out you can you can get a larger tractor from someone else at similar prices, and soon you're comparing a CK20 to the SubCUTs.

 

[TBrown]

Allow me to rephrase.. the Kioti CK20 and the Mahindra 2015 are among the smallest of the full-size cuts. I agree that the TC21 is in the same class, but when I was tractor shopping this spring the quotes I was getting on the NH and Case CUTS in this range were well outside of the posters price range. I would assume that since the poster has looked at the sub-cuts, he knows the CNH and Kubota lines. He did ask for other suggestions as far as brands.


I'm not slamming anything. You'll notice I bought one, and I'm extremely pleased with it.

 

[MikeFromVA]

I have not been able to get any info on the Kioti tractors - their site is down and they do not allow dealers to post specs and prices (if you don't allow your dealers to post prices you'd better be real sure to make sure your site NEVER goes down).

I am checking into the Mahindra...

 

[JayC]

I may sound like a broken record, but I wanna try and clarify the SCUTs and CUTs sizes. Sub-CUTs are the smallest CUTs out there. They are the garden tractor-sized machines with larger tractor capabilities. These would be the machines already mentioned (i.e. Kubota BX series, Massey Ferguson GC series, John Deere 2210, CaseIH Farmall DXE series, New Holland TZ series) Then, there are the actual CUTs. They range from the small-chassis (i.e. Kioti CK20; New Holland TC21 & 24; John Deere 4010, 4110, & 4115; CaseIH Farmall DX21 & 24, Mahindra 2015, etc.) mid-chassis (i.e. Kioti CK25 & 30; John Deere 4210, 4310, & 4410; Kubota B2910; CaseIH Farmall DX29 & 33, New Holland TC29 & 33; etc.) and large-chassis machines (i.e. Kioti DK35, 40, & 45; New Holland TC35, 40, & 45; CaseIH Farmall DX35, 40, 45; John Deere 4510, 4610, 4710 (they recently replaced the large-chassis 4000 Tens with the new 4000 Twenty's); Kubota Grand L3130, 3430, 3830, 4330 etc.). Any larger and you begin to get up to the utility tractor sized machines. And larger still would take you into the ag size machines. New Holland sizes their machines a little differently. Instead of saying small- mid- or large-chassis, they rate them this way - the SCUTs are the Class .5, the small-chassis are the Class I, the mid-chassis are the Class II, the large-chassis are the Class III, the utility size tractors are the Class IV. I hope I could help. Good luck in your search! You can't go wrong with any of the brands mentioned! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif