Kioti 2554 w/ FEL , 131 hours

[rbargeron]

I was driving by Brookside Equipment in Athol, MA yesterday - noticed that they have a Kioti 2554 4wd with loader, folding rops, and 131 hours on the meter. They're asking $10,500. Paint's a little faded (not the chassis -it's bright shiny blue). Isn't this price near what a new one could be had for from O'brien?

Looking it over, I saw a lot of parts that looked identical to those on older Kubotas - diesel pump, valve cover, even the transmission case and hydraulic 3pt unit.

 

[PaulinSD]

I talked to a Kioti dealer, near Omaha, who claims Kubota and Kioti engine parts are interchangable. He is a dealer for both. I have little knowledge of either brand, just passing on what he claims.

Paul

 

[woodmills1]

rbarg you live near Athol? I am southern NH we must be fairly close.

 

[rbargeron]

James - I'm over beyond Greenfield - West of I91. I have friends in Athol (grew up there). Hudson NH is where Benson's was right? Went there when I was 5.

 

[woodmills1]

yes bensons is closed but it was a hudson landmark, went camping in greenfield, on friends property thats now for sale. it has a little house built on a rock right on the river, nice property.

 

[jb112454]

o'brien's price is 10250 for the same tractor with a brush hog but, no loader. they want 9,600 for the 2554 and figure 3,000 for a loader so 12600 would be O'brien's price. i think O'brien is high because i was able to beat their price by 1500 on a dk35 at a local dealer here in OK. i would offer 9500 and see where it takes you.

 

[rbargeron]

I'm not looking to buy a tractor (have a Kubota L5450) - I've been curious about Kioti for a while because of the remarkable similarities of some of their parts to older small-model Kubota parts. There's a definite story somewhere there, its just that nobody seems to know it for sure. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

It seems to me that Kioti is making a conscious effort to blend their brand identity with Kubota's - right down to similar shades of Orange and grey. Ordinarily companies would avoid potential legal issues from behavior like this, but maybe they have reason to think they have no exposure....

 

[jb112454]

you should read the kioti folklore post that you posted it's very interesting. i really think kubota looks alot like a kioti but, i'm sure there's a story there too since in 1988 kioti made a japanese OEM. it could have been a kubota l5450 after all kioti makes engines for kubota 50 hp and above. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[rbargeron]

Considering the looks of the Kubota gearcases during the mid '80's and early '90's, it's pretty clear to me that the major castings on the L3750, L4150, L4350, L4850 and L5450 were all from the same foundry tooling. It's also pretty clear these heavy units have not appeared anywhere else in the market. Only John Deere used that much iron - and their components look much different. If anyone made them for Kubota, they apparently didn't for anyone else.

I've heard the over-50 hp story - but it doesn't square with the big 5's and 6's that have been in the larger Kubotas since the '70s. The question would be - where are these engines now? The 167 cu in 5-cylinder is still used (with updated injection) in the M4900 and M5700 - I can't believe Kioti is making them - if they are, and if they really have a lot of experience in that horsepower range, wouldn't they offer a 5-cylinder in the DK50 instead of a 4 ? Or, more telling, why is the DK65 engine a 3-cylinder? Of all the Kioti folklore, the over-50hp piece doesn't seem to hold water. If a factory has the tooling to make 5 and 6-cylinder engines, tooling up to make similar-power 3's wouldn't make any sense.

BTW that DK65 is some fine looking rig. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

 

[Ob1Kioti]

The DK65 uses a Turbo'd Perkins.