2008 Kubota L2800HST vs. 2009 Kioti CK30HST

[PAB_OH]

I have a Kioti and it's a fine tractor but considering the better resale value of a Kabota I'd go with it.

I own a CK30 too and with the pricing you got, unless you NEED the weight (which can always be added to the 'bota) I'd get the Kubota.

As for tires, that is a loaded question. I have R1's on my machine and I had R2's on my previous grey Kubota. I have a set of R3's in the garage I'm going to sell. R4's GENERALLY have stiffer sidewalls and offer better puncture resistance.

 

[perdurabo]

The soil on my land is about 12" of fine dry sandy loam on top of relatively thick hard yellow clay. Do you think an L2800HST has the horsepower to plow it with a 4-5' disk plow/harrow? I know a 2-14 molderboard would be right out but from what Ive seen of the implements of the farmers around here, nobody uses anything but discs.

 

[JiminGa]

a 5 ft disc harrow is only going to cut about 6 inches deep, if you have 12 inches of sandy loom ontop of clay you'll never hit the clay.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I drive near your place on the way to some friends in Kingsbury. How much of your 23 acres are you going to cultivate? The reason I ask is, I live on about 25 acres with a big pond and I have about 15 acres that are relatively open and another 8 that I mow in between the trees that could be called woods. I use a JD that is about the size you are considering for mowing the "tight stuff" which requires driving like a ferrari in and out of trees. The more open area is hayfield when we have rain and so I let a custom bailer come cut and bale it. BUT,,,,when I have to cut it myself(I like it to look decent),,,,I am so glad we have a bigger tractor (65HP). For 2 reasons, slightly bigger cutter, but mostly for the bigger front wheels and air ride seat that makes the bumps not so bad.

Not telling you what to do, I just think you would be happier in the long run with a bit more HP and a 6' cutter with that much land. If your budget is like mine, I totally understand why you are keeping costs down. The big tractor belongs to my FIL and I am so lucky he lets me use it. I do take care of maintenance for him.

I'll let the Kubota guys chime in as to what they recommend for your applications. I don't know the differences between a Grande L and an L2800. My buddy just bought an MX5100 I think its called. Its a nice machine but it hasn't been perfect. It had some internal oil seal\o-ring issue with the pto actuator. I've driven it and it seems very nice.

The Kioti dealer in Paige are good fair people.

I almost bought from Lanford, as I thought JD would be too high. I have to tell you that Jaegers here in Giddings and Bigon in Taylor are known for giving pretty decent deals. Much to my surprise, my tractor was quoted a bit cheaper than the grande L that I was comparing it to at the time. I read this forum and scrutinized the details for months. Its easy to get bogged down in the details and so I recommend you test drive and scrutinize the dealer....Good luck!

 

[perdurabo]

As a matter of fact I went by Paige tractor Saturday morning to test drive a CK30HST. Unfortunately they didn't have a single CK30 on the lot, HST or otherwise. They let me test drive a DK35HST which was a completely different animal. For one, it had the more john-deere-like dual pedal HST rather than the rocker pedal HST of the CK series and the Kubotas. I also really liked the electric PTO. I must say that it just plain makes more sense to have dual independent the brakes on the left and two HST pedals on the right. I dont understand why youd want both the brakes and the HST pedal on the left side at all and now that Ive tested a tractor with the dual HST pedals, Im thinking thats actually a better idea since you can rest your heel on the floor rather than having to keep picking it up and holding it up to move the rocker back and forth. I loved the DK35HST, but I'm afraid that was a bit out of my budget plus Kioti was only offering 0% financing on the CK30HST, the DK35 would have been something like 4% which is still too much for me. Its 0% or nothing.

I also test drive a Cub Cadet ex2900. It was one of the only smaller tractors with a two-pedal HST but for some really unfathomable reason, it has a mostly useless clutch pedal on the left and only a SINGLE brake on the right above the HST. No independent braking. Other than that it was a fairly nimble tractor that was rather fun to tool around on, but I thik it might be just a little underpowered and I dont like the really low loader and PTO lift capacities... though for some strange reason it claims to have 9.9GPM hydraulics where the Kubota L2800 is only 6.5GPM. The price was fantastic though. They had a combo special... EX2900 with loader, 5' box blade, 5' shredder, and trailer for $16,500 and 0% for 48 months. Very tempting but something tells me its just going to be too underpowered/light.

Who else besides Kioti and John Deere offers a tractor with a dual pedal HST on the right and dual independent brakes on the left with NO clutch? I still have yet to test drive the Kubota, and I'll likely do that sometime this week.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

For one, it had the more john-deere-like dual pedal HST rather than the rocker pedal HST of the CK series and the Kubotas. I also really liked the electric PTO. I must say that it just plain makes more sense to have dual independent the brakes on the left and two HST pedals on the right. I dont understand why youd want both the brakes and the HST pedal on the left side at all and now that Ive tested a tractor with the dual HST pedals, Im thinking thats actually a better idea since you can rest your heel on the floor rather than having to keep picking it up and holding it up to move the rocker back and forth.......
Who else besides Kioti and John Deere offers a tractor with a dual pedal HST on the right and dual independent brakes on the left with NO clutch? I still have yet to test drive the Kubota, and I'll likely do that sometime this week.

It's funny you picked up on this, I'll get beat up severely by the rocker pedal guys (which out number us dual pedal guys). But having dual independent brakes available for the left foot to help steer and avoid dangerous situations is just plain common sense and has been a standard on tractors as old as the dirt they plow. I think you need as much hp as you can afford.

New Holland makes dual pedal models. The folks in Lagrange at Kleibers are good people. Have you priced at Elk in Lagrange? they sell Kubota.

 

[IslandTractor]

One thing you have not mentioned in your deliberations (and have not experienced as you haven't had the chance to drive a CK30 yet) is that the CK30 really compares in features more to the L Grand series from Kubota such as a L3230 rather than the bare bones L2800. It has a bunch of nice features like a suspension seat, adjustable 3PT arms (I think I recall that correctly) etc. I don't recall if the Kubota now has operator station floor mounted FEL control but certainly that sort of thing is worth comparing too. Check out the webpages for a full list. Bottom line is that the two tractors are roughly comparable in horsepower but the extra "lux" features is some justification for the higher price on the CK. That said, some Kioti dealers seem to think that they don't need to discount. As you have seen that is wrong if they want to beat Kubota at the bottom line. You should expect just as great a percentage wise discount from the Kioti dealer as from the Kubota dealer (10% from list seems reasonable and more is not unheard of). Sounds like the first Kioti dealer just gave you a little more than 5% or so.

The Kubota's have been around longer and no one disputes their fine reputation. Kioti is doing just fine however just as other Korean manufacured mechanical goods are and the CK30 has been a very reliable and well liked tractor.

 

[Gittyup]

You said you had substantial cash to use. If so, then I'd be looking used. You can pick up a CK30 with loader and backhoe for around 14 - 15K with only a few hundred hours. I bought a new CK25 TLB. After purchasing, I wish I'd gone used. Probably find similar deals on L2800's too. but, stay away from the old KL130 loaders, unless deeply discounted to point that you can buy an new one.

 

[TonyS]

I have a Kubota L3400 with HST and it is great for loader work. get a canopy also, amazing what a difference it makes out in the field