kioti vs. kubota

[dieselsmoke1]

Dargo, there's room for everyone's opinions here. I can respect yours and will offer mine.

The guy you bought it from will have little or no impact. Whether or not the business you bought it from has a good reputation for fair and honest practices, a good looking service dept with mechanics that appear to be knowledgable, a proven track record of repairs done right the first time and a well stocked parts room will have a tremendous impact over time.

We all value things differently. There's an (insert color here) dealer (fine machines) a few miles from where I live. I didn't even shop there because of their reputation for customer service. I for one place a lot of value on the dealer and service.

 

[Dargo]

Dargo, there's room for everyone's opinions here. I can respect yours and will offer mine.

Thank you kindly, and likewise. Although I'm not offering any opinion on either the Kioti or Kubota, I still disagree with the "dealer means everything" statement completely. If that were true, Kioti would sell only about 1/10 of what they do now. Throughout the entire midwest area where I travel, every Kioti dealer is considerably smaller than the Kubota dealers. Would that fact make me automatically never consider a Kioti? No, absolutely not. The dealer plays a part in the selection process, but no where near the importance of the actual product itself. Again, I honestly think to say that it does is simply silly.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, I think there's 2 kinds of people who buy tractors. One kind will go look at tractors, including used, buy one they feel good about and then take care of the problems him/herself. The only thing a dealer will be important for is a source for parts. The other kind is planning to have that tractor dealer supported. He/she does NOT want to make repairs or worry about the maintenence or worry about anything at all about it other than using it. A good dealer is important to this second set. I'm even going to venture to say that in the CUT market the second type of tractor owner is going to be the more common one. And, let's be honest, no matter what you buy a tractor is a big investment and especially when buying used people want to make sure they are going to get a decent machine. Whether you can afford to spend $20k or only $3k, for most people that is going to be a lot of money to part with. So, for many, a good dealer is the most important thing.

 

[machmeter62]

Dargo, I agree with your philosophy with dealerships, and I also use prudence in my purchases. I rely more on the quality of the tractor than the dealer anyway. I own several Kubotas, two Fords, and a John Deere. They were all purchased new. One of my Kubotas (L295DT) is approaching it's 30th birthday, and has never been to a shop because no repairs have been required. The only wrenching has been fluid changes and minor adjustments. The Fords have gone through two water pumps, which I replaced. The JD is too new yet!

 

[N80]

The OP never said whether the school he works at is private or public. If private, there may not be any constraints on who he buys from or bids with.

Also, when someone says 'dealer is everything' it might be an overstatement, but if the machines being considered are _generally_ comparable in specs, price and quality then the dealer (including parts, service, etc) should be a consideration.

I bought Kubota rather than Kioti because there is no Kioti dealer nearby and I live in a fairly populated area but still very few of the newer tractor companies have dealershisps around here. I bought Kubota rather than Deere only because the 0% finance deal expired at JD before it did at Kubota. Plus the JD 990 was partially made in Japan so the patriotic thing didn't really kick in. Both dealerships were nearby and excellent. I've bought implements from the JD dealership.

I think all of this type of thing has to enter the equation when trying to make a purchase.

 

[BTI]

Dargo-
With all due respect, He was asking about Kioti vs Kubota.
My post may have made it sound like I meant ANY dealer but it did not mean that.
I also should have said "dealer in the area".
It won't do much good for a school to have a unit that every part needs to come in from some far away location.

I stick with my Dealer not Brand guns.

If he wanted to know if they should buy a Jinma or a Kubota my answer would be different.

BTI

 

[Dargo]

Dargo-
With all due respect, He was asking about Kioti vs Kubota.
My post may have made it sound like I meant ANY dealer but it did not mean that.

I stick with my Dealer not Brand guns.

My apologies. It does look like my comment is aimed directly at you. That was not my actual intent. My intent was to point out how ridiculous it is in general to state in any way that the dealer is more important than the brand. You were just the last person to parrot that comment so I used your quote. But, I have to stick 100% to what I said; it is simply poor judgement to place the dealer above the product. I have a perfectly good example as well. In the mid 80's the best auto dealership with the best reputation in our area became the Yugo dealership. All of the fools who placed dealer over product bought crap and got burned, stranded, and screwed. That would be exactly the same with a tractor, no difference at all. Under no circumstances would I even remotely consider the dealer more important than the product. Doing so is just asking to get burned and would demonstrate poor judgement.

 

[BTI]

Yugo, I lump them in with Jinma.

As far as Mahindra,Kioti, Kubota, Deere, NH and all of the other brands that have been here more than a few years.
The dealer will be the dfference.

If you don't mind doing your own work or the school has a shop and doesn't mind waiting for parts.

Pick any product you like.

I know of 4 NH dealers that went out in this area......
Two Deere Dealers also.....
The area has gained a cople of Kioti dealers in the last 2 years.

It takes a more angles than just a Brand or a Dealer I guess.

In this day and age of takeovers and the like who knows what brand OR dealer will be here long term?

BTI

 

[Dargo]

BTI, I think we are getting to the same place but by different directions. Many people have traditionally used the 'go to best dealer only' as code for advice to avoid Kioti, Mahindra, Branson etc. For the most part, your Kioti, Mahindra etc. dealers are going to be far smaller than the big three dealers. Most people interpret the 'best dealer' as one that stocks a few dozen tractors, has a fully stocked parts department staffed with trained professionals, a large, multiple bay service department, staffed with several factory trained techs, and a customer satisfaction department that follows up on not only sales, but service work. By taking the 'best dealer' advice, you remove about 99% of the Kioti and Mahindra dealers, which I am saying is wrong. If people only chose their tractors by that criteria, nearly all of the "off brand" manufacturers would go bust because nobody would shop at their smaller dealers who do not stock a large parts selection, do not stock a large tractor selection, and do not have multiple factory trained techs who have special training in everything from heavy engine work, fuel injection work, transmission work, and hydraulic work.

Everybody has to start somewhere. Many of the small roadside shops that sell tractors along with yard ornaments will be out of business soon. However, if they stock a quality tractor that likely will not need repairs, why not put money back into your local community? If your new (pick the brand) tractor is under warranty and you need heavy work done, it may be a bit more inconvenient, but I'd bet the factory will steer you to how to get the repairs done. I don't think Kioti or Mahindra will leave a customer hanging and tell them that they have a warranty, but nobody will fix a problem.

I just take offense to the code (buy only big three) that is underlaying the pick the best dealer statements, and shop for the best dealer statements. Nobody will ever convince me that the quality, reliability and value of the product is less important than who will sell you the tractor. I'm actually quite surprised that some of the Kioti and Mahindra owners here are not chipping in and saying the same thing if they are satisfied with their tractors.

As I said, it sounds like we are going the same place, but just from different directions.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Thank you kindly, and likewise. Although I'm not offering any opinion on either the Kioti or Kubota, I still disagree with the "dealer means everything" statement completely. If that were true, Kioti would sell only about 1/10 of what they do now. Throughout the entire midwest area where I travel, every Kioti dealer is considerably smaller than the Kubota dealers. Would that fact make me automatically never consider a Kioti? No, absolutely not. The dealer plays a part in the selection process, but no where near the importance of the actual product itself. Again, I honestly think to say that it does is simply silly.

I'm gonna go for the fence-strattler of the year award here and say buying any sort of "major purchase" is a package deal. You buy the product itself, the dealer you buy from, as well as the manufacturer. That said, #1 importance would be THE PRODUCT. If it isn't up to standard, it doesn't matter how well the dealer treats you. #2 would be the manufacturer. They control the quality of the product as well as, HOPEFULLY, dictate the standards their dealers should live up to. #3, the dealer... Once the product is in your hands, it's his job to follow up on a big part of "the product". The warranty (see #2)

But without a decent tractor to begin with, all the rest is moot.