27-35 series reliability?

[fuelman]

New here and looking into a 27 to 35 series tractor. Are they reliable and what are common failures to the Kiotis. I have a Kubota BX 2230 and is great but looking slightly bigger. Mowing,FEL work and general small farm use driveway work and tilling. Like any pros or cons. Thanks

 

[kiotiken]

I'm pretty sure I had more trouble than most with my CK30, look for posts I've started for all the details. While I don't think my experience was normal, I do think there is a bit of an issue with the HST in the CK line. For whatever reason, they can develop a bit of a forward creep and the rocker pedal doesn't re-center itself. My dealer went to the extreme of replacing the HST as he said he'd had a few tractors like that and replacing the HST was the only way to fix it. After it was done, the problem was fixed. A lot of people here think it's just adjustments that need to be made, but I don't remember anybody else saying they fixed the issue, only improved it. You'll find plenty of threads on the topic in the Bobcat section as well (CT225 = CK27, CT230 = CK30, CT235 = CK35), even a service bulletin from Bobcat that somebody posted.

They're great tractors and I don't think the HST is prone to failure, but the creep is a little annoying and can be dangerous if you're doing work in tight spaces. You get very used to re-centering the pedal manually which stops the tractor and it stays where it's supposed to. After all the issues I had with my CK30, I traded up to a DK45, I believe I got a bit of a lemon the first time and I really do think they are great tractors and are build like brick **** houses.

 

[fuelman]

Thanks Ken I did read your thread on the DK45. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[fuelman]

Ken mentiomed looking in the Bobcat forums are the Bobcats the same as KIoti or similar parts??

 

[rimshot]

I have a little brother to the CK-27 which would be a CK-20. It powers a snow blower, back hoe, FEL
and box blade. It has close to 1000 hours and I believe It is an 07 model with five years of hard use digging stumps and blowing snow. It has been very dependable with great capability factor. I did ask the dealer if he would replace the throw out bearing which originally had an odd whine to it which he did happily. I am very satisfied and would buy another.

rimshot

 

[kiotiken]

Ken mentiomed looking in the Bobcat forums are the Bobcats the same as KIoti or similar parts??

In North America and now in Australia and a few other areas, Daedong of South Korea uses the brand name Kioti. Daedong (Kioti) builds CUT tractors for Bobcat, Landini and McCormick. They are all identical except for the colour of the paint. The big difference is the loaders, Kioti builds their own, somebody builds one for Bobcat and I don't know about the others. Parts are not similar, they are identical. Warranty is another of the differences, Kioti is 4 years, 2 of which are bumper to bumper, the other 2 are power train, Bobcat is 2 year.

 

[ritcheyvs]

I can't really comment on the CKs as I have a DK45S. But I would recommend strongly that you consider the dealer who you expect to supply parts, perform scheduled service, and (most important) address any issues you might have. With all tractor brands (I believe) the dealer is the primary interface/conduit to the manufacturer and importer as well as the guy who actually does the work. You'll probably need to talk to other customers but most tractor folks are happy to talk about their machines and dealer experience. By the way, I'm very pleased with my DK.

 

[Mousefield]

Bought my CK35 HST complete with a Woods 7ft backhoe just over 4 years ago.
Have 423 hours on it. Other than several minor issues that got resolved quickly this has been a great tractor. Both my wife and I just love it and would certainly buy another one. :tractor: :cool2: :number1:

 

[VictorW]

As mentioned, the dealer is important if you have any problems. I have a 2004 CK30hst purchased new in 4/05. I had to only have the fuel tank sending unit and the hydro oil cooler replaced under warranty. Kioti now has a different style hydro oil cooler. Beyond that, I replaced the ignition switch at @400 hours which appears to be somewhat common if you get some water in it. That was my dumb mistake letting it sit outside in a rain one day. It would start but was odd at times. No problems since and now @475 hours. Beyond that, just the routine service as in the maintenance schedule. My hst doesn't have the so called creep as some others do. Maybe I'm just lucky but I haven't had the problems that some other members have.

 

[Gittyup]

I have a CK25 gear, bought in 2006. Early on Kioti had a few design issues: loaders, injection pumps, leaky HST coolers. All of these have been resolved since about 2009. The tractor has several years under its belt now, and I think all the initial design bugs have been fixed. On mine, the old style loader failed and I had the injection pump failure at 300 hrs. In both cases, Kioti made it right. I've worked by tractor pretty hard, moving well over a thousand tons with the loader, digging stumps, retaining walls, and trenches with the backhoe, installing a fence, running a chipper, dragging a big box blade, and much more. I'm now at 560 hours. She's been a real work horse. By far the best earth engager/loader in it's class, and a great value for your money. The CK's should be very very reliable at this point. But, a good dealer is important, and should be a key ingredient in your selection process.