Comparison Kioti Kubota or Deere. Which one to buy???????

Gittyup · Jun 8, 2014

Ihatethewinter said:
What is a quarter inching 3ph?

You have a valve that moves it up or down 1/4" at a time. In quarter inching, you don't have infinite and repeatable height settings on the 3PH as you get with "position control". Some complain that it is very hard to get a repeatable height with it. Some are OK with it. Read all about in the Kubota forums. I'm pretty sure the B2920 is quarter inching.

Ihatethewinter · Jun 8, 2014

I'm really not planning on cutting the lawn with it. I have a scag to do that. If anything I would get a 3pt finish mower. Not a mid mount. I appreciate everyone's feedback. This is the stuff I'm looking for. Thanks for not turning this thread into a pissing match like so many thread wind up being. Does anyone have a 2920 that can comment on it digging capabilities? I've been looking for a bh in the meantime for the 2920. Looks like another 5k.

k0ua · Jun 8, 2014

If mowing is not your main job, then you want the Kioti it sounds like to me. A 2300 lb tractor is NOT an extremely heavy tractor, it is just that the others are so light. Great for the lawn, not so great for digging tasks. Don't forget you will be getting a 4 year new tractor warranty with the Kioti.

I noticed a huge increase in digging ability when I went from the Kubota L3400 to the Kioti DK35se. Both in the same horsepower class but the extra weight of the Kioti made a huge difference in the ability to dig with the FEL.

Whether position control matters to or not depends on what you do with the tractor, Box Blading or grading, it is real handy to have position control not quarter inching. Also if you mow with a mower without gauge wheels you will find that you will need to touch up your height every 15 to 20 minutes if you don't have position control as all 3pt's sag some over time and position control automatically maintains the proper position thru it's feedback mechanism.

Any of the three tractors would probably satisfy you, but it just depends on what you want to do with it as to which one is "best".

GManBart · Jun 8, 2014

If you're not planning to use the tractor for mowing, the Kioti is better in almost every way, except for one...the 2-range hydro transmission. Being new, and having a warranty is also a nice feature.

I don't care much about the whole local dealer thing...you can get parts online, and the vast majority of machines never go back to the dealer for anything.

Ihatethewinter · Jun 8, 2014

Can I buy a rear mower with wheels on it? That way I could just drop it and cut. What rear implements need more than 22hp. For now I'm just running a tiller but you never know what I might want to buy later on. As far as the weight couldn't I just add weight to the kubota to get up to the kioti weight?

GManBart · Jun 8, 2014

Ihatethewinter said:
Can I buy a rear mower with wheels on it? That way I could just drop it and cut. What rear implements need more than 22hp. For now I'm just running a tiller but you never know what I might want to buy later on. As far as the weight couldn't I just add weight to the kubota to get up to the kioti weight?

You can certainly add weight to the Kubota...load the tires would make up much of the difference. I haven't exactly compared the specs on those two machines, but if they're similar size, and one is 750lbs heavier, you'd think the heavier machine would be a bit beefier in general, and that might be why the Kioti has higher 3pt and FEL lift capacities.

When I look at the FEL specs, the fact that the Kioti loader lifts 100lbs more isn't significant, but the fact that it lifts that extra weight an additional 10" is significant. That means it's significantly more powerful, and 10" can make a big difference in what you can get done. The only thing I really don't like about my LS is that the loader height is about 8-12" less than many other machines in the same size/weight/power range.

All 3pt finish mowers have wheels on them, so you do just drop and cut. Here's my finish mower...you can adjust the height of the cut by changing the spacers on the posts the tires are mounted to.

k0ua · Jun 8, 2014

Yes, rear finish mowers have adjustable gauge wheels. But rotary cutters (bush hogs, generic name)typically do not. I added some front wheels to my rotary cutter when I had the B7500 Kubota just for this reason, as the quarter inching would "sink" the 3pt after about 15 minutes and required a bump up of the lift to keep the height constant. Usually not a problem if you are lifting the rotary cutter a lot every few minutes anyway, but can be for continuous mowing. Quarter inching in not a big "problem" it is just a cheaper way of making a 3pt control. It is little things like this that set classes of machines apart, and make it difficult to compare them.

Ihatethewinter · Jun 8, 2014

Does the kioti have this type 3pt

Ihatethewinter · Jun 8, 2014

Gittyup said:
You have a valve that moves it up or down 1/4" at a time. In quarter inching, you don't have infinite and repeatable height settings on the 3PH as you get with "position control". Some complain that it is very hard to get a repeatable height with it. Some are OK with it. Read all about in the Kubota forums. I'm pretty sure the B2920 is quarter inching.

Isn't there stops for the lever on the quarter inching 3pt? If there is I'm not following why you can't repeat the height. Wouldn't you just raise up your implement and when you lower it go back to that stop?