Bad mouthing a Kioti?

[oldpilgrim]

I searched through all the local dealerships.

I knew more than the JD 'salesman' about his product. When I told him I was considering others and that he needed to convince me I needed the Deere, he bashed the other brands badly. Deere is the BEST !

The Kubota dealer wouldn't even come out into the yard when I went in to ask about one of his machines. When I told him I was comparing with other brands, namely Kioti and Mahindra, he bashed them both.

When I told the Kioti dealer I had looked at others, particularly the Mahindra, I got a dirty look and a head shake indicating disapproval of those brands, but he never said anything against them. He did say that if I bought a Kioti elsewhere, don't expect him to work on it.

Of the 2 local Mahindra dealers, one knew very little about his own product, but didn't bash the competition, and the other never said one word about other brands other than if I didn't buy one from him that day, I'd be back because the Mahindra beats the competition in many ways, but they were both good tractors...and he knew the product.

I went back and forth to the Kioti dealer and the Mahindra dealer about 4 times each.

I was really torn between the Kioti (my brother has one and loves it) and the Mahindra, but for a couple of reasons, decided on the Mahindra.

Both excellent machines, and either would have served me well.

This website really helped me be a knowledgeable shopper.

As indicated above, nearly all the dealers snubbed the competition, but the JD guy was the worst.

 

[Coyote machine]

If you try to feather up with a BB the hitch will jerk as the machine does NOT have position control as my DK does.

Yeah, you tell 'em Murph! Kioti rules!:thumbsup:

 

[Coyote machine]

So, Old Pilgrim, why the Mahindra? What things made you choose it?

 

[houstonscott]

I owned a 3800 for 9 days and took it back. Can't use the 3 point cause of Jerky hitch. The Dealer was very good as he did as he said.

Why was your first choice or inclination to buy a Kubota L 3800 over Kioti, what were those reasons? Had the hitch been smooth would you have bailed? HS

 

[murphy1244]

Why was your first choice or inclination to buy a Kubota L 3800 over Kioti, what were those reasons? Had the hitch been smooth would you have bailed? HS

The Kubota Dealer was very nice old guy that's been in business for a long time, very laid back and good for his word. I liked the size but it did not have the features the DK did for a lot less money. Wish that man sold Kioti Thou. I bought the Bota before I even heard of Kioti.

 

[lilranch2001]

I can only speak for myself, but when I began tractor shopping, I looked at bota's first, because I had always heard they were the "best".
When I actually climbed on the first one I noticed that the control levers loved to vibrate violently and several other things seemed chinsey. It kind of turned me away from purchasing a Bota, even after going back and looking at them at 3 different dealers, all of whom were very good dealers and very up front. so I looked at Deere, the price scared me away there, and the salesman was telling me stories of how Kioti would fold in the next few years (that was in 2008) NH, the closest was 40 miles away, MF, was a dealer I had dealt with 15 years previously, and he made some statements that made me feel like I couldn't trust him, especially after having spent over 20K with him over the years.
The next year I saw my first Bobcat commercial and as most people consider Bobcat as the best of the skid steers, how could you go wrong with a Bobcat tractor, the salesman seemed sincere, the Dealership had been in my area for 30+ years, and all of the features I didn't like on other tractors seemed to be much better on the Bobcat, so that is why I bought Kioti's brother.

 

[oldpilgrim]

So, Old Pilgrim, why the Mahindra? What things made you choose it?

I was not 'afraid' of the Kioti or the dealer/service place at all, as my brother has one and he is very happy with it. It's well made and the fit and finish were perfect. His is a CK20 and I was looking at a 27 or 30.

The Kiotis looked like the BH and FEL were after thoughts and stuck way out, especially the BH. The Mahindra appeared to have been made with the attachments in mind, built much closer to the tractor. The Kioti FEL has a curved FEL arms which caused them to be longer than the Mahindra. Over all length was just under 2 feet longer than the 3016HST I ended up with, which saves me barn space.

I liked the 2 pedal HST control over the 'rocker'.

I liked the fact that the 3016 Mahindra is made by Mitsubishi, who are known for their diesels and their whole line of products, from cars to jet planes.

All these things are minor and purely personal observations on my part. None affected the ability/reliability or quality of the Kioti.

What made me decide in favor of the Mahindra were two things, again, not bad, but which didn't suit my 'requirements:

The ROPS were higher on the Kioti for some reason, and that would affect my ability to get in/out of my barn easily. Even the Mahindra ROPS only clears my doors by 1/2 inch. I would have had to modify the ROPS or the door opening with the Kioti.

The FEL's on the Kioti's were not as capable as the Mahindra. I need the lift capacity of the Mahindra for the logs I lift.

I'm sure the ROPS and FEL capacity are not issues for many many people, but for me and my 'needs', they were deal breaker for me. The prices of the 2 brands were so close that that wasn't a consideration at all.

Could I have gotten by with the Kioti? Yup, and I would have been very happy with it. I'd have had to slightly modify the ROPS and work a little differently with the loader.

I would have ended up with the Kioti if I didn't have a really good Mahindra dealer near by, and I'd have gone along my merry way with the Kioti, pleased as punch. (where did that expression come from anyway?)

All that being said, based on my knowledge of Kioti's and my experience with my brother's, I'd recommend them all day long. I would also recommend the Mahindra just a little more.

It all comes down to personal preferences.

 

[houstonscott]

While I was studying up to buy a few tractors I looked at everything. Had a brother in-law who had a Kubota and had reported no issues. He's an idiot and abuses every piece of equipment he owns and it has survived. I owned a Kubota lawn mower (1994) and was very impressed, still have it and it still runs. However those experiences didn't influence me, TBN did however. I was open to S. Korean products, having moved from Sony to Samsung and american appliances to Samsung and been very happy. I had traveled to Korea on a two week trip to visit my son stationed there in the Army. Returned with a very positive view of Korea and their country. My reading over every post in TBN of all the brands in deciding lead my to think the most problematic brand with reports in threads was Kioti. Internal broken shafts and flawed cast pieces with pictures scared me from Kioti. Much of their manufacturing parts supply was coming from China or just couldn't be tracked. So I took them off my list. It's owners reporting issues on TBN that pushed me away from seriously considering them. Personally I think they are a bit under engineered and cast and machined parts have quality issues. Metallurgy is suspect. They are built to price break. As for Mahindra, I simply wouldn't buy any major product like a tractor from India. HS

 

[oldpilgrim]

................. I was open to S. Korean products, having moved from Sony to Samsung and american appliances to Samsung and been very happy. I had traveled to Korea on a two week trip to visit my son stationed there in the Army. Returned with a very positive view of Korea and their country. ................. As for Mahindra, I simply wouldn't buy any major product like a tractor from India. HS

you apparently missed this part:

I liked the fact that the 3016 Mahindra is made by Mitsubishi, who are known for their diesels and their whole line of products, from cars to jet planes.

In case you didn't know, Mistubishi is in Japan and a whole bunch of Mahindra tractor models are made by them.

Many other Mahindra models are made in Korea.

It seems that mostly the tractors used in India and other less 'modern' countries are made in India.

sorry, I don't mean to hijack a Kioti thread.

 

[murphy1244]

While I was studying up to buy a few tractors I looked at everything. Had a brother in-law who had a Kubota and had reported no issues. He's an idiot and abuses every piece of equipment he owns and it has survived. I owned a Kubota lawn mower (1994) and was very impressed, still have it and it still runs. However those experiences didn't influence me, TBN did however. I was open to S. Korean products, having moved from Sony to Samsung and american appliances to Samsung and been very happy. I had traveled to Korea on a two week trip to visit my son stationed there in the Army. Returned with a very positive view of Korea and their country. My reading over every post in TBN of all the brands in deciding lead my to think the most problematic brand with reports in threads was Kioti. Internal broken shafts and flawed cast pieces with pictures scared me from Kioti. Much of their manufacturing parts supply was coming from China or just couldn't be tracked. So I took them off my list. It's owners reporting issues on TBN that pushed me away from seriously considering them. Personally I think they are a bit under engineered and cast and machined parts have quality issues. Metallurgy is suspect. They are built to price break. As for Mahindra, I simply wouldn't buy any major product like a tractor from India. HS

Have any links to any of these threads or are you just shooting crap again?