Buying Advice dk5010 hst v. nx 5010 hst: worth the extra $?

[kermitismydaddy]

Hello Tractor People!

Thank you for the great help to date!

Kioti is offering steep discounts on these two models and I would love to hear your thoughts. HP wise they are very close but the NX has turbo--big grin--and a few extra features; including a heavier frame.

I'm planning to operate a small tractor service in my rural county with miles of poorly maintained gravel driveways and a healthy economy to support maintenance and upgrade projects.

Pursuant to advice on the forum, I'm looking to operate a hydraulically controlled rear blade and a gannon box with hydraulic rippers (plus top and tilt) as the primary tools for roads and grading projects, but will also do substantial fire suppression (rotary mower and root grapple) and I will probably opt for a 4-in-1 bucket up front. I may make a DIY roller and land plane pursuant to another great thread on here...

Comments and recommendations are welcome about the tractors and implements.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Z-Michigan]

What elevation is your county at? At higher elevation the turbo may maintain rated hp. This probably starts to matter somewhere around 2000ft and is a big deal starting around 4000ft elevation.

Have you tried both in the dealer's lot? The NX has a hydrostatic transmission and the DK has a hydraulic shuttle, which is a different setup. Both could work for your uses, but you may prefer one or the other if you try them back to back.

Are you going to trailer your setup between jobs? The NX is somewhat heavier and it may be approaching the capacity of your tow vehicle or typical flatbed trailers, depending what you have or are planning to buy.

 

[kermitismydaddy]

Hey Z,

I'm at 2,000 but may be working up to 3,500 is my guess.

There is no dealer in my area and that is why I am asking all these questions. Kioti has a great deal going and my local Kubota dealer is almost twice the price (unfortunately).

My understanding is that both the DK and NX series tractors offer both hydrostatic (like my last tractor) and shuttle shift (which means clutch as far as I can tell) and those are both fine with me. But if I want to resell it someday or let someone use it without much tractor time I think the HST is better, and maybe easier on me if I wind up doing a lot of this work (which I hope to do!)

Part of my plan for world domination--or at least avoiding the need to do weed eating this July when it's 98 degrees to pay the bills--is to invest in a bobtail dump truck and 20-ton equipment trailer. So I am hoping to offer the service of delivering gravel with my tractor to job sites and or haul away brush and debris.

What do you think?

Thanks, Ben

 

[IndyIan]

Using your tractor as a road grader? I think you might want to get a gear model and pretty big. I've moved a lot of dirt with my 7' 1000+lb box blade and basically running the tractor at ~80-90% of pulling capacity at a 50% duty cycle in low range is about as hard as I want to work the HST as everything gets quite warm. And I've got the smallest motor in my chassis with the same size coolers as the 50hp model. Also I do all my dirt work in low range, as mid range won't pull a full box with it boiling dirt, but I only have a light duty rear blade so I don't know if a heavy one can load up a tractor like a box blade.
MtnViewRanch here does road grading but uses a big 8000lb+ mahindra, search his posts or PM him on what he thinks will work for you.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Hey Z,

My understanding is that both the DK and NX series tractors offer both hydrostatic (like my last tractor) and shuttle shift (which means clutch as far as I can tell) and those are both fine with me. But if I want to resell it someday or let someone use it without much tractor time I think the HST is better, and maybe easier on me if I wind up doing a lot of this work (which I hope to do!)

Part of my plan for world domination--or at least avoiding the need to do weed eating this July when it's 98 degrees to pay the bills--is to invest in a bobtail dump truck and 20-ton equipment trailer. So I am hoping to offer the service of delivering gravel with my tractor to job sites and or haul away brush and debris.

What do you think?
Thanks, Ben

Ben-

I'm shopping those two tractors right now and as far as I can tell, the DK5010 does NOT offer a hydrostatic transmission, only a choice between conventional gear and gear with hydro-shuttle. The NX series offers both gear and hydrostatic options. Kioti's use of "HS" initials for different transmissions is a bit confusing. Hydrostatic will be easier and more convenient to use, but for serious ground engaging work will limit your pulling power.

With your proposed tasks more power and weight is going to be important, and the turbo won't hurt, so I would focus on the NX but consider both transmission options.

The dump truck and 20 ton trailer would work fine for either of those or something much bigger. Of course you will need a CDL and commercial insurance, and maybe DOT registration.

Have you considered a tractor-loader-backhoe setup? A construction type machine will probably be more durable in the kind of use you're planning, and if you do lots of grading and dirt moving you may get asked to do digging also. Many of those don't have rear PTOs but a few do. They cost a lot to start but if this is a serious business plan it might end up being worth it.

 

[swilk]

The DK series is available in hydraulic shuttle and not hydrostatic. The DK series is also turbo.

The NX series does not offer a hydraulic shuttle .... it is manual or hydrostatic.

I just put the first 8 hours on my new DK5010HS and so far i really like it. I loaded the R4 tires and bought a Titan ballast box to counter weight when using the bucket or grapple. The setup seems pretty stout so far ....

 

[kermitismydaddy]

Good advice. Thank you!

Using your tractor as a road grader? I think you might want to get a gear model and pretty big. I've moved a lot of dirt with my 7' 1000+lb box blade and basically running the tractor at ~80-90% of pulling capacity at a 50% duty cycle in low range is about as hard as I want to work the HST as everything gets quite warm. And I've got the smallest motor in my chassis with the same size coolers as the 50hp model. Also I do all my dirt work in low range, as mid range won't pull a full box with it boiling dirt, but I only have a light duty rear blade so I don't know if a heavy one can load up a tractor like a box blade.
MtnViewRanch here does road grading but uses a big 8000lb+ mahindra, search his posts or PM him on what he thinks will work for you.