Kubota vs Kioti again?!?

[clattin]

First of all, let me preface this post with the fact that I know very little about tractors. Just enough to get me into trouble.

I am going to look at a 1998 Kubota L2500 4X4,with FEL, rear blade, 5' brush hog, and landscape rake for $10,000. The tractor has 300 hours on it and I'm going to look at a 1999 26hp Kioti 4X4 (don't know model #) with FEL for $10K also with about 300 hours. He also has some other implements (snow blower, rear blade, 5' brush hog) that he will sell also (additional $$).

Would love to hear everyone's opinion on these tractors and which one you would want and why!

Thx,
clattin

 

[grandad]

Welcome to TBN! Best I can do is give you some generic advice.

When you go to check them out, first thing to consider is whether you are making an apples to apples comparison. Are they similar is size, weight, hp? You need to think about what you intend to be doing with a tractor. Aside from the lust for "more power", a bigger tractor will do more heavy chores but is not so good at landscape and mowing work because it's less maneuverable and can tear up the lawn or leave more tracks. Try to figure if one of the units is more in line with what your needs are or are they pretty equal.

Assuming these two rigs are about equal in size, is one of them in better shape than the other? Minor cosmetic issues don't mean much... a tractor is built for work after all... but if one looks like it has been worked hard while the other was not, it might help you decide, or at least bargain a little.

Does one operate better than the other? Power, smoothness, controls working properly, etc. Pay attention to the operation of the FEL, the PTO and the 3pt lift. A 300 hr. tractor is barely broken in, so they should all work like new.

Does one just feel better to you than the other while you are operating it?

Who are the local dealers? If you need service, which one would you rather deal with?

I wouldn't get too hung up over one brand or the other... Kubota is the more established brand, but Kioti is moving up rapidly and both are reputable companies.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I am going to look at a 1998 Kubota L2500 4X4,with FEL, rear blade, 5' brush hog, and landscape rake for $10,000. The tractor has 300 hours on it and I'm going to look at a 1999 26hp Kioti 4X4 (don't know model #) with FEL for $10K )</font>
Get us the model number on the Kioti and we'll be able to tell you a lot more. I don't know of a 26HP model that they made.
I do know that the Kioti tends to weigh more, which is important to ME for being able to take advantage of the full HP with less slippage. Depending on the model, they will generally weigh around 700 pounds more than Kubota comparable.
Now if you have wet clay, and want to mow your lawn with it, it may rut more than a sandy/loam soil as I have (sandy). I find that the build on the Kioti is beefier, with the Kioti having a different type frame than Kubota's ladder frame design, which to me, is more comfortable to mount and use.
They are both very good tractors, and the hours are nothing considering that they'll both probably go at least 5,000 hours before you'll probably have ANY real problems. Most of us won't see that happen on our CUTs.
The Kubota L2500 was introduced in 1997, I don't know how long that model ran. It is a gear tractor, not shuttle or HST. We need to know which model of Kioti so that we can tell if it's shuttle or straight gear.
I really can't comment on the price until I know exactly which we're talking about. You can buy a brand new CK20HST for around $10,000 (21HP) and loader for around $2,000 or less and have a three year warranty and 0 or low interest financing. You can buy a new LB1914 (20HP) with mechanical shuttle shift for around $8500 and loader about $1900 or so. Prices will vary considerably depending on where you buy, but these are ball park. Sometimes buying new just makes more sense. Let us know what you find out about the Kioti model. John

 

[Boondox]

Not wanting to start a flame war here, because Kioti has come a LONG way in the last few years, but when looking at their tractors back then I was struck with how rough around the edges they were. The operation lacked the smoothness of the big three.

When I tested a Kioti DK last year I was very impressed, but like I said, I didn't care for the feeling of the older model years. Best advice I could give would be to put them both through the wringer and see how they feel to you.

Pete

 

[clattin]

The Kioti is an LK 2554 with 295 hours. I don't think either one of these machines has a mid PTO, does anyone know for sure? I would like to get a MMM.

thx,
clattin

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I suppose that I will just jump in and muddy the water a bit more. You are talking about 2 tractors, one of which we don't have a model number for so we really have no idea what it is or what it is capable of. The other is a basic Kubota model. The problem is we don't know what you want to do with the tractors! Are you going to be plowing the earth, cleaning stables, hauling mulch, loading rock into a pick up truck, or mowing the lawn with this tractor? And if you answer YES to all of those, then what is the PRIMARY task going to be? Generally it is best (in my mind) to determine the tasks then pick the tractor that is best suited for completing the task.

So far you are sort of saying you are going to "frame" a house but you only have a lightweight 8oz finish hammer. If you want to pound nails into 2x4 lumber all day to build the house you want a properly designed and properly weighted hammer to do the job.

Light tractors are good for some things. Heavy tractors are better for other things. Some front end loaders won't reach high enough to tip over the side of a pick up truck. Etc Etc.

Consider your tasks, match the tractor to the task. They are not all the same.

 

[clattin]

Thanks for all your replies! It's all very helpful!

I know either of these tractors will meet my needs (with the exception of it they can accept a MMM). My questions are purely which is the better tractor/deal? Quality/resale/etc.....will one accept a backhoe better than the other?

thanks again!

clattin

 

[getut]

In this particular scenario, you will have to make the decision yourself about which one is better.

Alll of the helpful and knowledgeable people here can and will make generalized comparisons about the specs on the tractors as they are when new, but only you have seen the shape of the two tractors since they are used. Even if one of the tractors has much better "as new" specs, it may very well be in worse shape.

 

[KiotiJohn]

The 2554 is 24.4 HP, No mid PTO. The Kubota has no mid PTO either. Between the two, it's probably expected that the Kubota would have better resale value simply becasue Kubota has more name recognition, but in some areas, it's possible they would go head to head depending on what's selling in the area. But any tractor in good shape with low hours should bring good money.
Consider changing your attitude about the MMM and get a rear finish mower (RFM). You'll save money and have an easier hook up, generally speaking. Unless you just have too many obstacles in your yard, the RFM should do a good job and you can back up under things with it. A small trim mower could get where the RFM can't. I also think you should be able to get that price down a little on either tractor. John

 

[roadkill]

Clattin, I don't know anything about the Kioti but I have a 99 L2500DT. It is my first tractor and came with a 5' rotory mower, a 5' box blade and a LB400 FEL. I love the tractor and now that I have a tractor I don't know how I did without it before. Good luck with which ever one you might get.....rc