So give us the run down. Compare the Kioti to a JD model and Kubota model with price differences.
The Kioti CK10SE series sits comfortably in the middle between the Kubota Standard L and Grand L series and the Deere 3E and 3R series. It packs as much punch value wise as you are ever going to get without the inclusion of heavy electronics. The CK3510SE is roughly $6K-$12K cheaper then the comparable L3902 and Deere 3039R respectively.
Comparing features between all three of the brands is as follows:
The seat on the Kioti has a much better suspension then the Kubota L3902 but is about neck and neck with the Deere 3R series. The Deere 3E series has no suspension seat and doesn't even provide an option to upgrade to one. This was one of the deal killers with me when it came to Deere.
The hydrostat is definitely more premium in the Kioti then the Kubota L3902 even after the improvements that they made to it and just as good if not maybe a little bit better then the Deere 3E/3R series. To be fair and accurate, I haven't demoed a Deere 3R series in quite a while so I am going strictly off of memory. I have demoed a Deere 3E series in the last 6 months and I can say the Kioti's HST is a tad bit better in that it is more quiet and maybe a tid bit smoother. In any regard they are very close in performance and a pleasure to use. I will also point out that this a very important area for tractor shoppers to focus on very closely when evaluating different brands as this is what all the manufacturers set their pricing by and this is what will make the biggest difference in the way the tractor drives. All the manufacturers charge a premium to have HST but not all HST's are created equal. Some are better then others and for the amount of emphasis that the industry has placed price wise on it it should be closely evaluated and judged by you the consumer when comparing brands and models.
The plastic compartments on the Kioti left something to be desired when it comes to storage space. My Samsung Ultra22 did not fit snuggly and securely in any of the compartments. The only place you could put the phone on the tractor with some level of confidence that it would not fall out is the tool box mounted on the ROPS but then if you knocked the tool box off the ROPS you're probably SOL. The Kubota L3902 has absolutely no storage compartments and for what dealers are charging for that tractor now it should have them. The Deere 3E/3R series win this category hands down. They have the best storage compartments and you can easily and securely put the phone in a couple of different places without fear of loss.
The steering was very close between all three brands. However, it seems as if the Kioti was a little tighter and smoother and gave me a little more feedback but that could simply be due to the differences in terrain that I demoed each brand of tractor on. So take this with a grain of salt.
The dash on the Kioti includes every gauge you would expect to be there including a fuel gage. The L3902 was the same. This was not the case with the Deere 3E. The fuel gauge is located behind the operators station on the fuel tank out of sight of the operator.
The engine in the Kioti was very pleasing. It came awfully close to the Yanmar in a lot of it's characteristics. It was noticeably quieter then the Kubota and it seems smoother at lower RPMs but the Kubota engine felt more powerful to me. You can tell when you crank up a Kubota that their engines have a lot of power and torque. The Yanmars in the Deeres I think are the best of the best. Those engines are smooth as butter and pur like a kitten. The Deeres engine wise left me feeling like I was behind the wheel of a Camry more then I was behind the wheel of a tractor. All three engines were great in their own respects but Kubota had the most knock out of all them.
The engine compartment on the Kioti was a breeze to get to and everything was laid out well. I was particularly impressed with how it had the battery recessed into the frame of the tractor making it more secure and less obtrusive when trying to access other components under the hood. The same could not be said of the Deere 3E/3R tractors. The plastic hood requires a special key to unlock and open it and the side panels have to be removed individually to access everything. The engine components seemed crammed together with wires running every where and the plastic hood and side panels just felt particularly cheap and flimsy. The 3E does not even come with a radiator screen, that has to be purchased extra as an option. The engine and radiator was the smallest of all three brands which makes you feel as if you are not getting much for your money. Oddly, the 3R seems to have a bigger engine and radiator which I do not quite understand other then for maybe weight purposes. The Kubota is very similar to the Kioti minus the recessed battery.
The operators station in the Kioti was very roomy and comfortable. Everything felt proportioned right and nothing seemed overly big or small. It was very easy to mount and dismount from the tractor and the height of the tractor seemed better then both the Deere and Kubota. The Kubota was no match in this category for either the Kioti or the Deere with their flat floors. The vibration level was not noticeable in the Kioti or the Deere but was there to some extent with the Kubota although it was not bad or annoying. Overall I think Kioti outperformed both Deere and Kubota in this category.
The 3 Point Hitch on the Kioti left nothing to be desired as the SE series gives you the extendable lower link arms and the telescopic stabilizers. Both the L3902 and the 3038E have neither.
The tractor frame on the Kioti is heavy steel all the way around. The castings looked quality to me and much of it seemed very similar to the Kubota. The L3902 was also very sturdy and well built. Both Kioti and Kubota were tied in this category. The same is not true of the Deere 3E which is made of mostly aluminum. This is not necessarily bad as there are some applications that could benefit from the lighter weight that comes with an aluminum frame but most shoppers usually need all the weight they can get.
Overall Kioti beats Deere and Kubota by a long shot when it comes to value and pricing. However, it's not just the value and pricing that sets these tractors apart. Kioti has created a tractor that has it's own identity. It's not trying to be another Kubota as many may assume even though I think they do share a lot of the same engineering. It comes off to me as a tractor manufacturer that took note of Kubota and learned from them and then designed and built what they thought would be a better version of it. If anybody has any information they can add to this or share about the history of Kioti I would be interested in hearing it. I have heard bits and pieces of it over the last couple of years but never the full story.
