Kioti Responds.....KL120 & KL130 Loader Problems

[TBDonnelly]

The best thing Bob, Neil etc. could do is shower us with their silence in the Kioti forum.
It's way past due for some reciprical Brand Courtesy. An occasional post is one thing. Constant and unending intervention is other.

Enough is enough.

Don

 

[chelydra]

... I would strongly advise you to wait until the new loaders are on the street before purchasing. You sure as heck don't want to purchase an obsolete and filure prone loader. ...

This seems like a prudent approach. At the risk of sounding like a shill for Kioti, however, some people might want to go ahead with a purchase even knowing about the cracks. Consider:

- Some loaders under heavy use apparently haven't cracked at all.

- There is no evidence yet that the cracks will lead to failure. Yes, I know that many such cracks propagate until something breaks. Others just go far enough to transfer stress somewhere else under increased flex. Kioti customer service recently advised me that they have no indication yet of an actual failure.

- This is a great machine! If buyer lives near dealer, it might be worth getting on with projects instead of waiting, renting or (ack) buying a lesser loader.

Chelydra

 

[MikePA]

An occasional post is one thing.

And who defines 'occasional'?

Anyone can post in any forum.

Please refer to post #65, with {parenthetical additions};

If Neil's posts {or anyone elses} in any thread come off as self serving, then the participants of that forum, including the Kioti forum, are smart enough to do a little 'research' on Neil {or anyone else}, assuming his screen name and signature don't give it away, and determine he's a dealer (of more than just Kubota tractors) and weigh his comments appropriately.

This same 'problem' occurred in the Kubota forum many years ago when some people became the self-appointed defenders of the Kubota reputation. Any slight, or perceived slight, and they twisted the thread into a flame war.

It's one thing to correct facts that are wrong. It's humanly impossible to discern motives. Letting people's posts stand, or fall, on their own merit will go a long way in 'keeping the peace'.

If people would stop thinking;

(1) They have to defend Kioti
(2) There's some kind of anti-Kioti cabal

the Kioti forum could concentrate on helping one another.

 

[TBDonnelly]

And who defines 'occasional'?

Mike, we'll let you decide this one.

If people would stop thinking;

(1) They have to defend Kioti
(2) There's some kind of anti-Kioti cabal

Actually, Defending Kioti has Nothing to do it. Having Brand Courtesy goes across all brand forums and is simple protocol.

the Kioti forum could concentrate on helping one another.

You hit the nail on the head. Thank You.

Don

 

[Dodgeram]

Holy Bat s... batman,
Have any other Kioti owners visited the Kubota fender issue today?
There are folks calling the BX problems safety issues and other owners saying they're cosmetic issues. A couple of guys stated that their dealers knew nothing of the issue. Man, does that thread sound familiar (sp).
Niel,
You had better quit worrying so much about our Kioti's, and, like our dealers, start helping your guys solve this.

I thought about asking a few questions over there, but they don't need the likes of me. Maybe I'll wait a few weeks, and when it dies down, post something like Messick did here.

If any of the moderators object to this being posted here, I'll gladly start another thread.

 

[Dargo]

If any of the moderators object to this being posted here, I'll gladly start another thread.

I doubt there will be any objection, but somebody may accuse you of not having "brand courtesy"; whatever that may be.

I have always been taught to have courtesy towards the elderly, infirm, and people in general, but not particularly to people who happen to own a tractor that isn't as common as others. Are they a group that needs special protection? I don't think you Dodgeram, GMSSI, or Highbeam are requesting (nor needing) special protection, so maybe you won't be violating any real rules. I think you can read between the lines; I don't think the tractor has any real issues and should be considered one that needs people to be careful as to what they say (like as if the tractor was seriously flawed and people who bought them are all upset because they made a mistake and got ripped off).

 

[IslandTractor]

Well, to get back on topic here. I just pulled the inspection plate off my KL120 loader again. First time I checked was at 75 hrs (June) and there were cracks in all four corners. Since then I have put on about 40hours with a good amount of FEL work. My FEL work since 75hrs has been exclusively grapple use and I have used it agressively but have not abused the FEL. Mostly lifting brush but also digging out roots, knocking over small trees (3" or less usually) and sometimes digging out bigger half rotted stumps. The FEL continues to function normally.

At 114 hours, the cracks in all four corners have all extended, most by about half an inch since 75hrs. I will post other photos but so far I've just made one composite with same scale 75hr photo and 114hr photo juxtaposed. I'm not sure what the conventional way of referring to the different corners is so I've made up my own convention: I label them from the drivers perspective with FEL raised so inspection plate is at eye level: right upper means that when you in front of the FEL looking at the opening it is the left side upper corner. The photo is of the rt upper (drivers perspective)( EDIT: ignore the photo filename which is backwards). You can see markings on each photo that show the scale is pretty close. Note the hairline crack has extended upwards on the 114 hr photo.

I assume at some point these cracks will extend far enough that there will be more rapid progression leading eventually to failure. I don't know enough about FELs to anticipate just how or when it will fail. Kioti has indicated it is OK to continue to use the cracked FELs but I am a bit concerned that the repair will be more difficult and perhaps less satisfactory if the cracking continues. I also wonder about the safety issue with the possibility of a sudden failure. Not such a big deal I suppose if it fails while lifting something but if it occurs while traveling with a load and the failure causes a load shift it could potentially tip the tractor over. I always wear a seat belt but it still seems like a safety risk.

I may sound like a broken record with my constant harping about Kioti's lack of communication and more than 3 month delay in providing any news on the repair program but I think this new extended cracking data deserves some response. Some have mentioned that Kioti monitors TBN but I'm not so sure. Perhaps one of our TBN savvy Kioti dealers could go through back channels to get the company to let us know what is happening with the promised repair program.

 

[shvl73]

That is less progression than I would have thought, given the use you've described. I know, not being a Kioti owner (and one with this issue) but, with the faith in the companies word (that this WILL be addressed) that the dealers here have expressed, I don't think I'd be concerned. I'd follow up with my dealer occasionally but, that's about it. It appears most owners are getting good use out of their tractors in the meantime. I realize not every Kioti owner may have as good a dealer as those that contribute here but, they (the dealer/ TBN contributers) have stated emphatically that it'll be taken care of, I'd take them at their word and go about tractoring.
I hope it's ok for a Mahindra owner to weigh in .