I worked for Littletractor.com the #1 dealer in the us for 3 1/2 years so i know more about kiotis than most people, their parts look-up has always been screwed up but is getting better. we ended up with wrong part #'s all the time and hated ordering and would call first but even their tech's have a hard time with their manuals. About the soft metal i read about on here
IT was a major problem a few years ago, i have had to install a few hundred loaders and backhoes and either the holes would not line up on the brackets meaning we would waller out the holes to get bolts to start or they would come back later with the threads stripped out of the frames and blocks. Syncro problems in the trannys, pto clutchs not working even on new models. Lets just say the repair shop always had 3 or 4 in it with something wrong, now all makes have problems and they are decent tractors for the price but will never match a deere or kubota IMO!!!!