GarthH said:
Hi all
The dealer being an hour away is a little concerning. I notice in the warranty that they required Koiti replacement parts to be used which will be an issue for the normal service parts like filters and the such.
The customer that had the DK was mentioning he liked the smooth operation of the 4 cyl rather than his old Kubota 28 horse power. I notice the L3430 is a 3 cylinder.
The major issues I see -
I need to decide on the cab or not. There was a recent thread about cabs and our recent -30 weather is certainly affecting my thoughts.
The extra strength I don't think is a big issue. The only place I see it being dramatic would mybe unloading trucks - I am a wood worker so I will like see a few trucks a year that I could unload a few pallets of wood ( I am not quite sure the weight of a pallet of wood).
The HST vs shuttle shift certainly a convenience and resale issue.
Draft contol
Hyd flow on the L3430 is 13.2 compared to 10.8 on the DK.
Any thoughts??
Thank you again
Garth
Some thoughts:
-I agree with everyone who says a cab is something you want in your area, unless you fly south for winter. And I am a fairly hardy resident of Michigan who is about to buy an open platform tractor.
-I looked at Kioti and was pretty impressed with their quality and features. But due to limited number of dealers in my area and great distance to even the closest, I have decided to rule them out.
-There is a lengthy thread on 3 vs. 4cyl. Short story is that there is no meaningful difference in smoothness, power or general usefulness. Some 3cyl designs are slightly more efficient than common 4cyl designs, but this is a small point.
-If you are going to be unloading pallets from a truck I would strongly consider HST. HST is definitely better for loader work in general, but with pallet work in particular you may put a lot of wear on the clutch of a gear shift transmission. If you want gear I would look at something which has a wet clutch, which includes the JD 4x20 series with 12x12 "powrreverser" and also the Kubota GST transmission.
-Based on reading here draft control is likely irrelevant unless you are plowing or doing lots of box blade work. Even then, it is not essential, though for plowing it would be useful.
-I would not be too concerned about rated hydraulic flow - I would look more at loader capacities and rated cycle times.
-Quality of the dealer is very important for such a long-term purchase. I would look for a brand with a good dealer network and a local dealer that you are extremely comfortable with. I would probably put this ahead of the brand itself in determining what brand to buy.
