Comparison Bobcat tractors vs. Kioti models?

[KYBobcat]

KYBobcat you've described my experience and thoughts as well. I'm 5mo into owning a 2021 ct2040hst and absolutely love it. Also I have an awesome local dealer to work with that is only 10min from my place. Will see in 5yrs but I do predict that Bobcat is going to take good care of me with parts and service expertise along the way. Build quality of this tractor far exceeds my initial expectations. Glad I made the switch from green to white.

Ajarthur, thanks for sharing and that is good to hear. Nice tractor!

Hopefully we are not alone and our assessment of Bobcat and their service abilities. I too have been pleased with my tractor build quality. It is a much nicer tractor than I intended to buy, and so far, no regrets. I have been picking up a few implements and will be putting in more hours in the saddle over the next few months.

And I want one of those Wicked Grapples! Just need to spend the money and wait a half year! lol

 

[rademamj1]

Surprisingly, my local Bobcat dealer has no tractors on his lot either. They have lots of construction equipment for both sale and rent, but no tractors. They sold out last month, and still waiting on new tractor inventory to arrive. They were great guys, easy to talk to and have a full service department for everything. But the sales staff struggled to answer basic tractor questions on specific models. I am sure things would change if they had tractor inventory.

 

[ajarthur]

I decided to maximize the zero percent Bobcat financing option and put most of the equity from my previous tractor into root rake grapple, 65in ditch bank flail mower, and a 7ft rear blade with hydraulic angle, tilt, and offset. Was strongly considering a EA wicked but ended up going with a Precision Mfg grapple instead. It took only 8wks to get and I'm really happy with it. Made in USA and it weighs just 265lbs. Super tough unit with double grapples.

 

[ajarthur]

Surprisingly, my local Bobcat dealer has no tractors on his lot either. They have lots of construction equipment for both sale and rent, but no tractors. They sold out last month, and still waiting on new tractor inventory to arrive. They were great guys, easy to talk to and have a full service department for everything. But the sales staff struggled to answer basic tractor questions on specific models. I am sure things would change if they had tractor inventory.

My local dealer doesn't have any tractors in stock either... At the time I ordered mine he had a new ct2540 and a slightly used ct4045. Both are long gone now. Glad I ordered mine last spring it was well worth the ~60day wait.

 

[KYBobcat]

I decided to maximize the zero percent Bobcat financing option and put most of the equity from my previous tractor into root rake grapple, 65in ditch bank flail mower, and a 7ft rear blade with hydraulic angle, tilt, and offset. Was strongly considering a EA wicked but ended up going with a Precision Mfg grapple instead. It took only 8wks to get and I'm really happy with it. Made in USA and it weighs just 265lbs. Super tough unit with double grapples.

Nice options you selected. I just ordered the EA wicked Grapple. I have no idea what the current lead time is. Also picked up a 72” roto tiller and pallet forks from Bobcat.

 

[Doughknob]

Nice options you selected. I just ordered the EA wicked Grapple. I have no idea what the current lead time is. Also picked up a 72” roto tiller and pallet forks from Bobcat.

picked up? U mean ordered? Actually got?

 

[KYBobcat]

Picked up as in bought. They actually delivered both implements. Actually got - yes.

They had to get the tiller from another dealer, so it took a few days (2-3 days) to get. They had the heavy duty pallet forks. They delivered both to my house at no charge.

I am a bit bummed as Bobcat had sent me a 15% off coupon for one implement. I couldnt find the coupon until after I purchased the implements. The coupon expired end of year. I had paid for the implements before end of year so my dealer is trying to see if corporate will honor it. Pending…

 

[KYBobcat]

So I thought I would update this post with another positive experience with Bobcat and my Bobcat dealer. In the post above I mentioned that I purchased a tiller from my local Bobcat dealer but had lost a 15% off coupon for an implement sent to me earlier from Bobcat. Of course I find the coupon later so I reached out to my dealer and I am pleased to say that my dealer got in touch with Bobcat and they honored the 15% off coupon. We did have a receipt, so that helped but I felt my local Bobcat dealer helped me out here and so did Bobcat. They continue to earn my business. Again, I am not saying every Bobcat dealer is like this, but I think its good to pass along a few positive experiences. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[wisconsitom]

Hey all, my experience strongly tracks with some comments above. Spring of 2019 I was working with a Kubota dealer on a deal for a roughly 25 HP HST with fel. Actually went to highschool with the salesman. No leeway on anything, no demo out in the yard, kinda lazy and smug.

You know how the internet follows you around and right around this time an add for Bobcat cuts showed up on the sidebar of some webpage. I didn't think much of it at the time but clicked on something or other and forgot about it.

I continued to work on my Kubota deal when maybe 6 weeks later I gets a call from local Bobcat guys-they have something called ct2025 hst on the lot Long story short, demo'd it, liked it, checked with a Kioti guy not too far away who could not only not match price of Bobcat unit, but didn't even know if he could get one for me, this all well pre-covid.

Ended up with the ,2025, fel, beet juice in the rears, and delivered 70 miles, for....are we allowed to say? Let's just say, a very good value in a cut. Mines been good at a little over 100 hrs.

 

[Torvy]

Hey all, my experience strongly tracks with some comments above. Spring of 2019 I was working with a Kubota dealer on a deal for a roughly 25 HP HST with fel. Actually went to highschool with the salesman. No leeway on anything, no demo out in the yard, kinda lazy and smug.

You know how the internet follows you around and right around this time an add for Bobcat cuts showed up on the sidebar of some webpage. I didn't think much of it at the time but clicked on something or other and forgot about it.

I continued to work on my Kubota deal when maybe 6 weeks later I gets a call from local Bobcat guys-they have something called ct2025 hst on the lot Long story short, demo'd it, liked it, checked with a Kioti guy not too far away who could not only not match price of Bobcat unit, but didn't even know if he could get one for me, this all well pre-covid.

Ended up with the ,2025, fel, beet juice in the rears, and delivered 70 miles, for....are we allowed to say? Let's just say, a very good value in a cut. Mines been good at a little over 100 hrs.

Yes, you can say. Congratulations!

What part of Wisconsin? We lived up there for 6-7 years before coming to Texas.

 

[wisconsitom]

Hi Torvy. Live in Appleton, where the tractor was bought although that machine lives full-time up near Suring, in Oconto County.

Picked up that unit, fel, with beet juice in the rears, delivered to Suring, for $14,700. Of course, sales tax was applied to that amount.

 

[Torvy]

Hi Torvy. Live in Appleton, where the tractor was bought although that machine lives full-time up near Suring, in Oconto County.

Picked up that unit, fel, with beet juice in the rears, delivered to Suring, for $14,700. Of course, sales tax was applied to that amount.

Nice, only been up that way a few times to see Lambeau. We lived in Waukesha.

I'll bet you cannot find that price now.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Hi Torvy. Live in Appleton, where the tractor was bought although that machine lives full-time up near Suring, in Oconto County.

Picked up that unit, fel, with beet juice in the rears, delivered to Suring, for $14,700. Of course, sales tax was applied to that amount.

Nice, only been up that way a few times to see Lambeau. We lived in Waukesha.

I'll bet you cannot find that price now.

Lived in Paddock Lake (Kenosha county) for 10yrs before moving here.

 

[3gunr]

I have a big bobcat dealer 2 miles from my house, they have 5or 6 tractors that i can see from the hyway, They seem to be getting them pretty regular, Their is another dealer on my way to my farm that is a large ag dealer. and he only has one or two occasionally,.

 

[RobfromManitoba]

I have a BobCat service and support anecdote. I bought a used BobCat CT450 (engine stamped in 2009/sold in 2011), which is almost identical to the older Kioti DK45/50 series, in fact, even the hood and cab parts are the same diagrams with either BobCat or Kioti part numbers superimposed over the exact same drawings. I needed some grill parts because the tractor had been used by a butcher previously and a dead moose swung out of a pickup bed and into the grill when it was hoisted with the loader. The previous owner also busted the driver's side door glass which he promised to replace during the "transaction to buy". I cross matched filters to Kioti and to other after-market sources depending on the filter and based on a useful bit of research posted elsewhere on this forum. The Kioti brand grill parts were less expensive than the BobCat branded equivalents, but when I tried to order the door glass from Kioti, they stopped the transaction because it was for more than $1000 Canadian and said they couldn't sell expensive parts without a serial number which tracked back to BobCat. So, I found the shopBobCat.com website and located what I thought was the correct door glass available through the North Dakota (right next door across the US/Cdn border) office and ordered it, but there was a snag. My BobCat operator's manual designates right and left as though looking in from the front of the tractor or bucket direction, even though the parts people think of right and left as though sitting in the seat. I got the "wrong" cab door glass as a result, which was obvious as soon as I opened the crate. Contacted BobCat in the US and they just made it right. They credited me for the purchase, then sold me the correct door glass and it will be on its way. Interestingly, after I had commenced dealing with BobCat, Kioti Canada decided they would sell me the door glass but I wasn't backtracking by that point. Local BobCat dealer up here is so focused on skid steers and mini track hoes, they don't know much about the compact tractors, nor do they seem inclined to care or get involved. They do have a couple of compact tractors sitting out front, but not a lot of enthusiasm for dealing with them or helping me source parts. I did better by contacting BobCat e-commerce directly (cheaper as well, though not as cheap as the equivalent Kioti-branded parts where they are interchangeable). So, the relationship is "complicated" , but I like the tractor and the BobCat loader is better than the Kioti loader which would be on the same Orange-paint tractor model from that year range. Kiotis are very popular up here in the compact tractor market. Less expensive than Kubota but the owners I know all really like them and the dealers that support them. I haven't been able to find any local people who own BobCat compact tractors to ask their opinions after a year or 2 or more of use. I shall see, I guess.

 

[KYBobcat]

Rob, thanks for sharing. Keep us posted on your experiences. I think it's good to start accumulating some experiences as time goes on. I sure hope things continue to be positive. It's still early for in the relationship for me, but so far so good.

I did finally receive my WICKED Grapple. That thing is a beast.

 

[LawnSpecialties]

I stopped by my closest Bobcat tractor dealer yesterday. They had a 4050 out front so I thought I'd take a look. I have a DK5310SE and am considering replacing it with a new similar model without the backhoe.

Good looking tractor but once I saw it didn't even have the telescopic links on the 3 pt hitch, I was already growing skeptical. The guy gave me a rough quote idea of $38,000.

 

[ajarthur]

I stopped by my closest Bobcat tractor dealer yesterday. They had a 4050 out front so I thought I'd take a look. I have a DK5310SE and am considering replacing it with a new similar model without the backhoe.

Good looking tractor but once I saw it didn't even have the telescopic links on the 3 pt hitch, I was already growing skeptical. The guy gave me a rough quote idea of $38,000.

I purchased a new ct2040 last summer and added on pretty much the same features as what the ck4010se comes with... Telescoping 3pt arms, cruise control, linked pedal, arm rest. I'm very happy with the tractor and my local Bobcat dealer.

 

[KYBobcat]

I stopped by my closest Bobcat tractor dealer yesterday. They had a 4050 out front so I thought I'd take a look. I have a DK5310SE and am considering replacing it with a new similar model without the backhoe.

Good looking tractor but once I saw it didn't even have the telescopic links on the 3 pt hitch, I was already growing skeptical. The guy gave me a rough quote idea of $38,000.

Ouch, that seems high. Higher than I paid for my CT5545 HST with CAB, loader, bucket, telescopic links, 3rd function valve and remote installed, dual rear hydraulic connections, 72" box blade and 84" Angle Blade...delivered.

 

[M59]

I began to try comparing and thought I'd found the Bobcat equivalent of the Kioti DK4510 but then specs differed some. Is there a definitive chart for comparison? Or does Bobcat pick and choose items like tire size and more when the spec their models?

Kantuckid,

I am probably repeating what others have advised. Identify what you want to accomplish ( primary use, secondary, third, etc ) in short and longer term and then identify what piece of equipment and or equipment plus implements best fills that need. This will lead you to the right equipment ( tractor, skid steer, trackhoe, mini excavator ) and probably a target weight/ horsepower for machine. Then work on cost & availability by shopping. I live in NC but my M59 came out of PA. Delivery cost was part of the negotiation.