Advise on purchase

[Powhatan]

I currently own a Ford 8N tractor. It was my first tractor an has been a very good one. I'm thinkng now of updating. I am comparing the Kubota L3400 and the Kioti CK30. I have 10 acres of land, mostly a wooded clear cut I am trying to clean up. Having a front end loader would be a great help. The CK30 has alot more features than the L3400, but I like most men want as much horse power as I can get. I am kinda leaning toward the CK30, but I need some advise on the two. Eather tractor has more HP than my ford but making this much of an investment has me wondering. Can you guys help me?

 

[schole]

Just went through the same decision.

I was really attracted to the CK30. Many cast parts, heavy overall weight, great looks, lots of options come standard, I liked the dealer, and he was the closest to my current home.

I was not at all impressed with the HST Kioti -- probably more because I am not used to it, had the rpm too low for peak performance when I test drove?, and did not find it familiar.

I enjoyed the gear with shuttle CK30. Seemed to have more hp to the tires -- again, just my opinion. The shuttle lever hit my knees, but otherwise the ergonomics were excellent.

I was pretty much sold on the machine. It wasn't until I began test driving -- too many! -- that I ended up in the seat of an L3400 gear transmission.

Having had most of my experience growing up on geared tractors -- many with very unfriendly transmissions -- I was very surprised at the L3400's tranny. Tightest, fastest, smoothest forward-reverse shifting I have ever used. It functions basically as well as and better than many shuttles. You have to clutch to change directions which seems very natural to me from experience. I tend to want my machine to be stopped before changing direction anyways, so having to come to a full stop to shift doesn't seem a bother -- you can pretty much skid to a stop and fly forward with an HST....but would you want to??

The L3400 has better ergonomics for me -- felt like I had driven it before.

No frills, more hp, more tractor for the money and it was a few thousand less with a friendly dealer. I was sold. Add 0% financing for 36 months, and I was begging my wife for it.

She surprised me this week with one including FEL, R4s, 72" 7-iron RFM. Wow! Must have been sick of hearing about it.

4x4 takes some getting used to...you really slide side-ways. If you are tearing along a bush trail, I find I watch what I might slide into more than on a 2wd. I am considering chains.

I would like to get a tooth bar for the loader. I think it will greatly increase my digging capabilities until I can afford a BH.

Drive them both. You will have fun on either, I think.

I also found the loader on the L3400 to be beafier and cycle faster in my opinion -- all this with less flow from the hydraulic pump...?better pump??

In the end, the extra frills of the CK30 were not important to me. I felt uneasy with the first years of a new model. It was more expensive. There is no real resale track record for the CK30 in my area. Finally, the L3400 has more hp -- okay, I'm a brute?

Hope this helps.

Shawn

 

[frank_f15]

YOU REALLY NEED TO GET OUT AND DRIVE BOTH OF THEM, one may fit you better than the other. what type of transmission are you leaning toward?

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Schole: Did either of the tractors have remotes from the factory?? As you may know you will someday want that little connection that allows you to do many more things behind your tractor....BobG in VA

 

[KiotiJohn]

Are you really asking which of these you should buy? Or are you asking if you should consider something else?
If you want/need more HP, then check out the Kioti DK35. It's just barely larger than the CK30 with more HP, and comes with a synchro shuttle transmission, very easy to operate.
There's nothing wrong with any of these tractors. It's more about what fits you best, and what you want and need to do with them. I don't think there's a great difference in price between the CK30 and the DK35, but not sure. To me, they're both AWESOME tractors, and come with the main hydraulic valve and joystick included as standard equipment. I believe Kubota always charges extra. I haven't looked at that Kubota model, but does it offer the telescoping hitch arms and stabilizers as do the Kioties? All of these things matter to me, maybe to you as well. I certainly found my CK20HST to be a beefier tractor for the money, and the savings helped me pay for the backhoe! John

 

[Powhatan]

Thanks for the response. Let me list what my thoughts are.
The CK30 Has the telescopic hitch arms, this is great because to many time I have hurt may back trying to manually line up my implements.
The L3400 does not have this.
The FEL joystick is positioned better on the CK30, more comfortable to operate.
The L3400 has 8F and 4R speeds. I found going forward I found a good speed, but when I backed up the speed was too slow.
The CK30 has 8F and 8R which keep the same ratio forward and reverse.
The CK30 to install wet lines on the rear is a $300 extra.
The L3400 is a $600 extra.
The CK30 is 500lbs heavier than the L3400.
I live in Va. and I have red clay underfoot, so I guess what I am asking is, Will the L3400 with it's extra HP help me on a lighter machine. Can I get the same work done on a CK30 due to more weight at the wheels having less slippage?
I am looking at the gear drive model, and am not interested in the hydrostat. The difference in price between the CK30 and the DK35 is $2000 which gives me heartburn because I'm replacing a $3000 8N with a $18,000 tractor. The CK30 is $500 less than the L3400. Is the L3400 a better value for the money??

 

[schole]

Wow! Only 500$ difference between the CK30 and L3400. In my neighbourhood, I was getting the L3400 for 1-1.5k LESS. Go figure.

I had the same thoughts about the 8F and 8R gears on the CK30. It is really nice to have a particular operating speed exactly the same in forward and reverse. I also liked being able to fly backwards, slam the shuttle into forward while still in motion backwards, pop the clutch and make snow fly up as the tractor spins forward -- Okay, I was playing around a bit.

However, when I drove the L3400, this concern vanished in actual usage in my opinion. I found that using 4th gear and shuttling between forward and reverse gave me a good travelling speed forward and just a little faster speed in reverse. I found it to be just right. In the bush, I find 3rd gear shuttling between low forward and reverse is just about right on rough terrain or in tight spaces.

Neither machine came with rear remotes. The Kioti dealer quoted me 600-750$ for the remotes depending on whether I purchased a BH on the spot or not.

The Kubota dealer mentioned 5-600$ but did not put it in writing.

The stabilizers on the Kubota are just great. The Kioti's are shinier and possibly sturdier.

Extendable control arms are a nice feature. Growing up wrestling 7 and 8' snowblowers onto the 3pth would have been much easier with the extendable arms. The implements I am attaching to this compact tractor don't seem to be as much of an issue as they tend to be far lighter -- still heavy, but far lighter. Even with the extensions, you will still probably want to have your attachments stored on a level, sturdy base which is easy to back up to. I wouldn't make or break a purchase on this feature alone.

Drive them both!! I really felt like the CK30 was significantly shorter on hp than the L3400. I was very disappointed with the loader cycling time on the CK30. The 500# wt difference means smaller gouges on my lawn. I do want chains for my L3400 -- would I not need them for the CK30??? The L3400 drives like a racing car.

Both great machines!!

The DK35 was MUCH more expensive than either of the above in my area. Beautiful tractor too, though.

Shawn

 

[Keith_B]

Weight is your friend. A little less HP, but better traction will do more than a light machine with more HP.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I am looking at the gear drive model, and am not interested in the hydrostat. The difference in price between the CK30 and the DK35 is $2000 which gives me heartburn because I'm replacing a $3000 8N with a $18,000 tractor. The CK30 is $500 less than the L3400. Is the L3400 a better value for the money?? )</font>
Powhatan, It may be a toss up for you. You're going to using that loader a lot, and the joystick on the CK30 is going to keep your right arm a lot lower and in a more natural position. Add the telescoping, weight, and better gear configuration, and I think you WANT the CK30. Keep in mind that the weight is distributed over the entire tractor, helping with traction but not exerting that much more pressure on a particular wheel, the front, or the back. With a lighter tractor, you'd need to add weight at times and it wouldn't be spread out evenly as on the CK30. For the difference in price, you're losing several good things by going for the L3400. Talk to the dealer about your thoughts and maybe he'll throw in the $300 wet lines. John

 

[creeper]

The telescoping arms are nice and I think the CK30 is giving you more features fore the money.It also sounds like the CK fits you better and is more comfortable.