Buying Kioti Tractor

[Beeenvenue]

I settled on a 3510 hst. There are a number of factors:

Who is operating? An experienced operator might enjoy the hst but for me as a first timer (and my sons in their 20s and wife) an hst is an almost must

Are you trailering? The 3510 (or 4010) was the largest frame I could get on a 7000lb tractor to haul my tractor, loader, and shredder. Trailer and truck (f150) are both at absolutely the max. Others here will say go for the weight but they love to spend others money, so be sure you are not going to have to buy a new truck and larger trailer as well.

What are you doing? I use my loader quite a bit as I have new land and a new barn with reasonable amounts of land rise The hst is a near must unless you do not mind operating at minimum speed all the time (creeping up next to a metal barn and then hauling the load to the other side I vary speed from low range minimum hst to mid range nearly high hst).

Soil. I have Texas gumbo clay. Tilling or even shredding in wet soil means continuously varying speeds.

Type of ground cover. Again I end up varying speeds constantly as I pass from 6 ft tall weeds to 1-2 ft tall grass over and over during shredding

Obviously I am an hst fan. If hp at the pto or weight is the requirement, then your choice is clear - just consider the potential negatives and limitations and those extra $$.

 

[paulfun9]

Yes I watched this youtube video. I noticed the operator was shifting wrong pattern. He/she shifted shuttle first then shifted into gear. You suppose to shift gear first then shift shuttle from neutral to either froward or reverse.

I watched Mahindra 3550 PST in operation. It worked very nice, when you shift into reverse Mahindra PST you still don't move until you hit gas pedal, which is just like HST and even better because you still have gear drive. I was wondering if Kioti HS is similar to Mahindra's PST. From what I understand it is not. Could anyone who has Kioti Hydraulic Shuttle tell how Kioti HS operates?

Shift into gear, then shift shuttle forward or reverse. Does a tractor sits still before you press gas pedal? From my understanding if you shift shuttle forward or reverse you must go by pressing gas or engine will sputter and die like in gear, unless it has hand gas leveler RPM override set on higher RPM so it moves on it's own. I'll check at the dealer both of them. From what I have researched Mahindra 3550 PST is far superior to Kioti HS? I'm mentioning Mahindra because it was for sale locally 3550 PST with 100 hours on it for $21500 and for $23500 it was available with brush hog, rake, bx62 wood chipper, it was 2016 model. I was eyeballing it thinking about getting it but after doing lots of google wisdom homework I found out Kioti is what we want. If it's so I would prefer Kioti HST over Kioti HS. Or am I wrong? And again, my 5 acres has thousands of trees to go around them takes precise maneuvering even with 54" deck Crafstman 24hp lawn mower. I will be clearing my lot so I have 6-10 feet between trees for future easy maintenance of the property.

Rent something for a weekend that is similar in size to what you want. The answer of your personal needs and ability to adapt will become clear. Some dealerships will give an on property demo but that is more rare these days. Still worth a try.

 

[PEJ5]

Yes I watched this youtube video. I noticed the operator was shifting wrong pattern. He/she shifted shuttle first then shifted into gear. You suppose to shift gear first then shift shuttle from neutral to either froward or reverse.

I watched Mahindra 3550 PST in operation. It worked very nice, when you shift into reverse Mahindra PST you still don't move until you hit gas pedal, which is just like HST and even better because you still have gear drive. I was wondering if Kioti HS is similar to Mahindra's PST. From what I understand it is not. Could anyone who has Kioti Hydraulic Shuttle tell how Kioti HS operates?

Shift into gear, then shift shuttle forward or reverse. Does a tractor sits still before you press gas pedal? From my understanding if you shift shuttle forward or reverse you must go by pressing gas or engine will sputter and die like in gear, unless it has hand gas leveler RPM override set on higher RPM so it moves on it's own. I'll check at the dealer both of them. From what I have researched Mahindra 3550 PST is far superior to Kioti HS? I'm mentioning Mahindra because it was for sale locally 3550 PST with 100 hours on it for $21500 and for $23500 it was available with brush hog, rake, bx62 wood chipper, it was 2016 model. I was eyeballing it thinking about getting it but after doing lots of google wisdom homework I found out Kioti is what we want. If it's so I would prefer Kioti HST over Kioti HS. Or am I wrong? And again, my 5 acres has thousands of trees to go around them takes precise maneuvering even with 54" deck Crafstman 24hp lawn mower. I will be clearing my lot so I have 6-10 feet between trees for future easy maintenance of the property.

The Kioti HS works as follows based on the situation. It is easier to describe each separately. Sorry for the lengthy post.

You have to press the clutch pedal to start the tractor. It the shuttle shifter is in neutral then you can immediately release the clutch and you will not move, and potentially never touch it again.

At a standstill with the shuttle shifter in neutral, select a range, select a gear and set your rpm. To move, release the brake and move the shuttle shifter to forward or reverse. The tractor will shift into gear and move without stalling. Yes, even in high gear and 800rpm or 2600rpm - very smooth. No clutch action required.

To stop moving, pull/push shifter to neutral and press the brake to avoid coasting if on a hill. No clutch action required.

To change directions on level ground. Shift to neutral, pause as tractor slows towards a stop (or brake as desired), and shift to the other direction. The tractor does not have to be fully stopped, but it should be very close to stopped. I expect changing directions with a moving tractor creates HYdClutch wear. No clutch action required. Side note...some movement in wrong direction is smooth, while too much speed while attempting to change directions with HS will grind the gears.

If your bucket is in a pile of gravel or a snow bank, you have likely come to a complete stop quickly, so just shuttle from forward, through neutral to reverse in one motion. No clutch action required.

If traveling up an incline, the shift to the opposite direction is quick because the incline stops your tractor. No clutch required.

If travelling down an incline, shift to neutral and get on the brakes to avoid a runaway condition. Once stopped, shift shuttle to other direction and proceed. This is likely the only safety related change. You are in neutral and must brake!

When the clutch is required, or desired...

When travelling and you want to change gears; clutch, select, and release the clutch. The gears are synchronized. But not always; for example when snowblowing, I'll blow (backwards) in one gear, push the shuttle to neutral, switch to a higher gear while stopping, and shuttle forward at higher speed without clutching. Pretty slick.

When the tractor is really cold in the winter, the shuttle shift is sluggish until the fluid warms up (10min) so I just clutch first and then the shuttle moves easily.

When I am approaching an embankment, my body just wants to clutch and brake rather than shuttle and brake. Too many years driving a manual transmission! Either works.

"Gas" pedal. The Kioti HS tractor has an accelerator pedal that increases RPMs and therefore the speed. It is interconnected to the RPM lever. If the RPM lever is at idle there is lots of range on the accelerator. If the lever is set to, say 1500rpm, then that is the lower limit and the accelerator can only increase from there. This works a little better for loader work (accelerator pedal and shifter) -no clutch required.

I hope this helps.

Peter

 

[swamphouse]

The Kioti HS works as follows based on the situation. It is easier to describe each separately. Sorry for the lengthy post.

You have to press the clutch pedal to start the tractor. It the shuttle shifter is in neutral then you can immediately release the clutch and you will not move, and potentially never touch it again.

At a standstill with the shuttle shifter in neutral, select a range, select a gear and set your rpm. To move, release the brake and move the shuttle shifter to forward or reverse. The tractor will shift into gear and move without stalling. Yes, even in high gear and 800rpm or 2600rpm - very smooth. No clutch action required.

To stop moving, pull/push shifter to neutral and press the brake to avoid coasting if on a hill. No clutch action required.

To change directions on level ground. Shift to neutral, pause as tractor slows towards a stop (or brake as desired), and shift to the other direction. The tractor does not have to be fully stopped, but it should be very close to stopped. I expect changing directions with a moving tractor creates HYdClutch wear. No clutch action required. Side note...some movement in wrong direction is smooth, while too much speed while attempting to change directions with HS will grind the gears.

If your bucket is in a pile of gravel or a snow bank, you have likely come to a complete stop quickly, so just shuttle from forward, through neutral to reverse in one motion. No clutch action required.

If traveling up an incline, the shift to the opposite direction is quick because the incline stops your tractor. No clutch required.

If travelling down an incline, shift to neutral and get on the brakes to avoid a runaway condition. Once stopped, shift shuttle to other direction and proceed. This is likely the only safety related change. You are in neutral and must brake!

When the clutch is required, or desired...

When travelling and you want to change gears; clutch, select, and release the clutch. The gears are synchronized. But not always; for example when snowblowing, I'll blow (backwards) in one gear, push the shuttle to neutral, switch to a higher gear while stopping, and shuttle forward at higher speed without clutching. Pretty slick.

When the tractor is really cold in the winter, the shuttle shift is sluggish until the fluid warms up (10min) so I just clutch first and then the shuttle moves easily.

When I am approaching an embankment, my body just wants to clutch and brake rather than shuttle and brake. Too many years driving a manual transmission! Either works.

"Gas" pedal. The Kioti HS tractor has an accelerator pedal that increases RPMs and therefore the speed. It is interconnected to the RPM lever. If the RPM lever is at idle there is lots of range on the accelerator. If the lever is set to, say 1500rpm, then that is the lower limit and the accelerator can only increase from there. This works a little better for loader work (accelerator pedal and shifter) -no clutch required.

I hope this helps.

Peter

This was helpful and very informative! Thanks, Peter, for describing it very well!

 

[swamphouse]

Thank you to all of you. I ended up ordering 2019 model demo low 25 hours Kioti DK4710SE HST. Now shopping for grapple but I should perhaps start a new thread on this or maybe just search for exosting ones on this forum. I tested DK4710SE HST, my mind was blown away, such a tremendous difference in convenience compared to fully geared manual gearbox tractor. Can't wait it to be delivered.

 

[Thomas]

Congrats on your new investment your bones and muscle will be thanking you in years to come. :thumbsup:

Try and not wear holes in your socks from pacing waiting for deliver.

 

[swamphouse]

Thanks!

 

[MESSMAKER]

Thank you to all of you. I ended up ordering 2019 model demo low 25 hours Kioti DK4710SE HST. Now shopping for grapple but I should perhaps start a new thread on this or maybe just search for exosting ones on this forum. I tested DK4710SE HST, my mind was blown away, such a tremendous difference in convenience compared to fully geared manual gearbox tractor. Can't wait it to be delivered.

I have that tractor.You made a good choice, It is very powerful and super stable on hills. You will never regret going with a hydro.

 

[PEJ5]

Thank you to all of you. I ended up ordering 2019 model demo low 25 hours Kioti DK4710SE HST. Now shopping for grapple but I should perhaps start a new thread on this or maybe just search for exosting ones on this forum. I tested DK4710SE HST, my mind was blown away, such a tremendous difference in convenience compared to fully geared manual gearbox tractor. Can't wait it to be delivered.

The Kioti DK series is a real workhorse and will do everything you need. The Hydrostat is the best option and miles ahead of your old geared tractor. Not sure if you kept some of your attachments, but based on your original post a chipper may be a great idea. A counterweight works best in the woods to keep you nimble and balanced. Enjoy the new investment for many years to come! Looking forward to some action shots.

 

[finn1]

This was helpful and very informative! Thanks, Peter, for describing it very well!

It痴 also a tutorial on why an hst is preferable, and chosen by upwards of 90% of compact tractor buyers.

Two pedals. One forward, and one reverse, make operation much simpler and less fatiguing.