Got a Kioti CS2520 to try out and see if it would make a good just mowing tractor. Had it for a year and so far, pleased with it. It will climb very steep hills; I mean just ridiculously steep hills in 4wd. I felt if I wasn't careful, I would fall over backwards. I do mostly all my mowing in just 2wd. Non loaded turf tires. Has the two-pedal hydro like JD, which just spoils you. I just don't like the Kubota treadle pedal. Plus, the radiator is in the front of the tractor like the big boys. I've got a JD X750 which I mow with also and I am always cleaning the screen, sometimes every 20 minutes which slows me down always blowing out the screen and entire under hood of the machine with my electric leaf blower. it's worst the dryer it is. The JD and the Kubota subcompacts have the radiator up by the operator's station. I'm done with that arrangement. I've mower for 4 hours straight, lift hood on the Kioti and there is some debris there, but mostly nothing. Of concern I blow it out after each mowing by habit, and just good maintenance practice. The JD subcompact 1026R had an aluminum rear axle I believe. When I went to look at the Kioti I took a magnet and first thing I did was see if it stuck to the rear axle. it did. The entire tractor is built like a WWII German Tiger Panzer Tank. Kubota and JD will not deal none whatsoever, this is the price, do you want the tractor or not. The JD salesperson was just not interested in selling a tractor, and acted as if I was bothering him. He did have that "Joba the Hut" look to him also. I finished talking to the Kioti salesperson and he said, "I'm going to give you another $300 dollars off just for all I learned from you for the last 2 hours talking with you". I told him before the extra discount he should point out these differences between JD, Kubota, and Kioti. Didn't find out till ownership about having the radiator in front and what an asset that is. I would never take a zero turn up some of the hills I mowed with this little Kioti. I mowed where I mostly likely should not have just to see what the little fellow could do, and "Little K" ate it all up and wanted more. Zero turns are very limited in my opinion, most have no 4wd, and mowing is about all they can do. You also always have to have your hands on the steering handles, or no forward motion. With the Kioti, one hand on the wheel, foot on forward pedal, and free hand to deflect branches sometimes. I started out with looking at the CS2210, but after talking to the salesperson, he up graded me to the CS2520 with 60" mower deck, turf tires, spare set of mower blades, complete filter set for another $1K, tax included. Started out being $3K extra. Plus, you have a 3 pt hitch. All calculated in I got a 23% discount off of MSRP. I did not get a loader with it. Didn't want it. So if you already got the NX5010, check out "Little K". Kioti does copy some positive things from other tractors. Happy hunting.
