Importance of dealer proximity

[fried1765]

It happened! And I promised you an update. I wasn't able to look at the Massey Ferguson 1526, as the dealer didn't have one in stock. I wasn't able to look at the BobCat CT2025, either. No local BobCat dealers had any BobCat Tractors in their inventory. Nonetheless, BobCat has been doing a lot of advertising, so I filled out their forms, requesting that a dealer get in touch. Never happened. Did it a second time. Same result. I decided that, while BobCat (Corporate) might be eager to sell me a tractor, BobCat (Local Dealers) weren't.

I found a local dealer (30 miles away, 45 minute drive) for Kioti and LS. I ended up looking at a Kioti CK2610H and an LS MT225EH. I have read that some people found that the HST tractors had a high pitched squeal from the hydraulics when in operation. My old (2012) Kubota L4240HST did have an obnoxious squeal. Neither of these small tractors did, nor does the tractor I ended up buying. Both had smooth bucket behaviors. Both had slightly jerky three point hitches. I didn't operate the hitches with implements attached, but decided not to worry about it. Certainly they were less jerky than the Kubota Standard L-series tractors I operated in 2012 to 2015, with or without implements. I liked both the LS MT225EH and the Kioti CK2610. I think either would work well for my current needs. However, I found the Kioti a little bit more comfortable for me. I also liked the dealership very much. It is a small, family owned business, very accommodating, very helpful, with a couple of old-school mechanics.

My Kioti was delivered today. I spent only about 3/4 of an hour seat time on it, but I am looking forward to putting it to use. I have attached a picture of it being delivered and a picture of it in my driveway, ready to get to work.

Phil

Beautiful looking machine.
Hope you have a special little house for it.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Congrats on the tractor! Nice machine!

I am curious about the pricing in your area, especially since the dealer was selling both side by side. What was the difference in prices between the Kioti and the LS?

 

[pmhowe]

Hi LS mt125,

i obtained quotes for the LS MT225E from several dealers. Only got Kioti CK2610 quotes from one dealer and Massey Ferguson 1825EH from one dealer. Here are the numbers:

LS MT225E: $16,126, $16,400,
LS MT225EH: $17171, $17,000,
Kioti CK2610: $16332,
Kioti CK2610H: $17,367,
Massey Ferguson 1825EH: $18,000.
All prices were for tractor/loader, with loaded rear tires, a full tank of fuel, setup and delivery.
So, to address your question, both the manual transmission model and HST model Kiotis were slightly more expensive than the LS equivalent models. I liked the LS HST model very much, but liked the Kioti HST model more. I wasn't able to get seat time on at the Massey, so I ruled that one out.
Phil

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Thanks for posting those. The Kioti prices I was getting out here were much much higher... like $1500-2K more than the LS. I really like the CK2610 and some of it's features, especially the MMM option. If I ever need another tractor, they would be on the short list for sure!

Enjoy your new toy.... ehhh.... I mean tool!

 

[Buggs67]

Good luck with your new tractor. I'm very happy with my Kioti (6 years now) and my BIL is happy with his new LS 225 (not sure of sub-model) so I think you could not have gone wrong.