Kubota or Kioti

[RSKY]

I have narrowed my search to two models, the Kioti DK20S and the Kubota 2320 HSD. Both appear to be excellent machines but are different answers to the same question. I like the three range hydro on the Kubota but the Kioti seems to be a heavier more substantial machine.

Kubota owners, convince me to buy your shade of orange!

Packages include front loader, tiller, box blade, and an 18' trailer for the Kubota, 16' for the Kioti. I may add a rough cut mower if the discount is enough.

Same message in the Kioti area.

RSKY

 

[JoelD]

Hi,
I struggled with the same question

I've ownEd two kubotas prior to my kioti

I purchased kioti for one primary reason that was I could get more capacity for the money

I have no regrets

with that said if money were no object I would've honestly purchased another kubota as the quality has proven to be excelent and they are bullet proof

when is the last time you heard about a kubota motor failing

However as money for most of us is a key factor it comes into play

I saved somewhere around 4000.

My kioti has been excellent so far, time will tell how she holds up.

Joel

 

[Monster5601]

Like Joel, I just finished walking down this road of choice too.

The advice here is drive them and see what feels best for you. They say you can't go wrong with any of the known tractor names. I went Kubota because Kubota has a better dealer presents in my area that Kioti. The Kioti came in at two thousand less than the Kubota (B3200 against the CK27) but money wasn't my deciding factor since the tractor will be mine for many years to come.

In the end, I ordered the B3030 with FEL with 60" bucket, backhoe with thumb and 16" bucket, 72" rear blade for 26,554.00 plus tax.

Just a note, Kubota offered 300 cash back and 0% interest for 60 months. Kioti offered a free FEL or 0% interest. The price compare was with the free FEL from Kioti.

 

[TripleR]

When I went to buy my last tractor, I looked at all of them and came home with a Kubota. When looking at the top five or so manufacturers, I don't think you can buy a bad tractor; get what fits you, your needs/budget and good luck.

 

[brain55]

I think the dealer support issue should be considered heavily. Last I checked, you could become a Kioti dealer by purchasing two machines. In my area that meant you could not depend on the dealer that was here today to be here tomorrow. This may have improved over the last several years. At that time parts were an issue and so was support to the dealer from Kioti. I would certainly go with a multi-line dealer or one that has been well establihed in the area. I would stay away from the Mom & Pop start-up Kioti dealer regardless of how good of a deal you might get. All of that was probably me just stating the obvious.

I am heavily biased toward Kubota. I have worked on many brands of equipment over the last 20+ years. In my opinion you can't do better than Kubota. There is a reason that almost every OEM with a diesel engine uses Kubota.

brian

 

[Dargo]

The last time I bought I had to look hard to find a Kioti dealer. When I did, he sold everything from flea market stuff to tractors. That didn't bother me as much as the parts department being so small that it only stocked filters etc. and the dealer was the mechanic. I did drive one and it just didn't have the polished feel to it like the Kubota. I would have paid several thousand more for the same size in Kubota, but the Kubota ended up costing me less money. Turned out to be a no-brainer for me. I may look at Kioti again next time. I figure that in another 10 years or so they will have smoothed things out or they will be gone. Hopefully the former.

 

[Loren49]

My dealer is many miles away though with a little luck all I will need for many years are filters. If you need a dealer for even minor maintenance and service then the proximity of your dealer should be high on the list. I have assumed over the years that my new tractors were reliable, well built machines and so far have not needed the dealers service bay. Many repairs on any of these tractors can be done by any good mechanic. If you really feel the need for a close dealer maybe you feel that it is likely that your tractor will breakdown.

Remember that Kubota got its start in the US because some decided to take the risk. :licking:

Loren

 

[IslandTractor]

I agree with the main points here. Kioti is generally more bang for the buck while Kubota has a sterling reputation and a much better dealer network. I think it is a bit of a Hyundai/Toyota thing and the real question is whether we are talking Hyundai 1999 or 2011. Hyundai in 1999 was a disappointment while in 2011 they are on solid ground. So far my experience is that Kioti is much closer to the 2011 Hyundai comparison where Toyota (Kubota) still has a solid lead but Hyundai (Kioti) is nipping at their heels as a serious competitor. I think the quality is comparable but the dealer network is the one area that really still sets these two apart.

I've had two Kioti's and bought each after comparing to equivalent Kubotas. For me the difference in price was the deciding factor as I intended to do almost all of my own servicing anyway and I was able to find a remote Kioti dealer who met my needs in phone and parts backup. Saving $6000 on a 40hp tractor purchase enabled me to stretch and get the backhoe too. No regrets and both Kioti machines have been solid with only relatively simple issues I could manage myself with phone backup from the dealer and supplies/parts via UPS.

 

[Loren49]

The other difference I found was that the Kioti CK27 was considerably heavier than a comparable hp Kubota (or most other brands.) This was what I was looking for as in most all of my uses I run out of traction before I run out of power. For many the extra weight may be a liability.

Loren

 

[art]

There are some that seem to like the security of the Kubota reputation which they have earned by being here with a dealer organization across the country and the back up of a company that has been here since the late 60's. After all they are the most copied compact tractor company in the US and earned world wide repect for the quality of there products.

They build more models to suit the uses of most all individuals in varied types of uses. For those that feel digging is important they offer the B-26 and several larger models up to the M-59. For home owners they offer the most complete line-up of full featured tractors of varied horsepower and weight to cover many uses.

There are also some that don't mind trying to take care of the things that might happen to a tractor and not need dealer support as they enjoy doing the repairs that are needed to keep the tractor they bought going.

Take the time to do some reading here, it's vary interesting as to the life cycles of some of the makes and for what some call a normal, is abolutely revolting to others.