Good Price on Filters/Fluids from Kioti dealer. Is aftermarket better, cheaper, etc?

[ritcheyvs]

Recently I bought a third-party air filter for my DK35.

No comment on K&N, but Diesel air filters are critical. Without a restrictive throttle plate (like gas engines have) Diesels get a full cylinder of air at near-atmospheric pressure and density on every piston stroke. In short, a LOT of air goes into the engine. If that air is dirty (particularly with anything abrasive) serious engine damage will follow, and soon. The fact we use our tractors in a dusty environment (compared to a highway) makes the problem more severe. Bottom line is that good air filtration is critical in Diesels, much more so than in gasoline engines.

 

[murphy1244]

No comment on K&N, but Diesel air filters are critical. Without a restrictive throttle plate (like gas engines have) Diesels get a full cylinder of air at near atmospheric pressure and density on every piston stroke. In short, a LOT of air goes into the engine. If that air is dirty (particularly with anything abrasive) serious engine damage will follow, and soon. The fact we use our tractors in a dusty environment (compared to a highway) makes the problem more severe. Bottom line is that good air filtration is critical in Diesels, much more so than in gasoline engines.

Thats why Kioti tells us to clean our air filters.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Thats why Kioti tells us to clean our air filters.

Not quite. Cleaning the filter lets more air through so you get more engine power. The problem I tried to address was filters that allow small particles to get into the engine. I din't know how the K&N compares to the OEM filter but I am skeptical of any air filter that can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.

 

[murphy1244]

Not quite. Cleaning the filter lets more air through so you get more engine power. The problem I tried to address was filters that allow small particles to get into the engine. I din't know how the K&N compares to the OEM filter but I am skeptical of any air filter that can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.

Read your book.That is what Kioti recommends

 

[ritcheyvs]

Read your book.That is what Kioti recommends

Sure. But a good filter will trap small particles that can't be blown or vacuumed out; so eventually the OEM filters need to be replaced or you'll lose engine power. Again, the concern I tried to address is danger from aftermarket filters that might not trap small particles.

 

[kco]

Here are prices (Canadian $) for my DK35SE HST filters I bought in BC, Canada August 08:
fuel filter - $5.81
oil filter - $14.13
hydraulic filter - $36.47
HST filter - $131.
Then 12% HST (sales tax) is added to that.

Edited to add the following:

I checked the prices for the same filters I purchased May 4, 2012--they were identical to those on August 08, 2012. I also got an air filter in May priced at $69.12.

 

[murphy1244]

Sure. But a good filter will trap small particles that can't be blown or vacuumed out; so eventually the OEM filters need to be replaced or you'll lose engine power. Again, the concern I tried to address is danger from aftermarket filters that might not trap small particles.

Then buy OEM.

 

[Churchill]

I agree with ritchevs about the criticality of air filtration, particularly for diesel engines. That is one of the reasons why air filters are much bigger (surface area) then for gas engines. The filter surface for my 38 HP DK35 is probably one and one half times the size of the filter for my 400 HP Corvette. The much larger size decreases the pressure difference across the filter and makes the job of filtration much "easier".