BX24 w/hydro or a ck20 w/ gear

[TBDonnelly]

I have a BX, and I know that they will use Cat 1 implements, that's all that I use on mine and they all work, including a full length auger Post Hole Digger, don't know where the myth came from about the Cat O hitch.

There does seem to be some confusion. KingKutter has a whole line of downsized implements they've named the "XB" subcompact equipment line. The look to be somewhere between Cat.0 and Cat. 1.

King Kutter Incorporated

Don

 

[tractorworks]

Don't have experience with these but have a 3000# gear tractor and a 1800# hydro and when it come to moving dirt (particularly in tight places) the hydro will work circles around gear. I can place bucket and slowly push out trees with loader that I can't do with bigger tractor. I would definately go hydro.

 

[asylum575]

I went through this same decision a few months back and ended up with the BX24. I really, really liked the Ck20. However, I had the same concerns as you, resale value. The BX offers many more attachments. The lack of an OEM front blade for plowing and the fact that you can't have the mower deck on if the backhoe is on killed the deal for Kioti. Not that you would cut with the backhoe on, just nice to have everything on at once. Those were the main reasons I went with the BX. Dealers were both great.
Now that I have a whopping 15 hours on the seat of my BX24, I can say that it is the perfect size for my property, 1 1/2 acres. Very happy with it.

 

[rimshot]

Thanks to all the posters. I continue to learn lots as I am sure others have also. I made use of the collective wisdom displayed here and actually went to the Kubota dealer and test drove a BX24. I was very pleased with the operation of the FEL and appreciated the single stick control tipping bucket and raising the bucket arms. I had snow piled up all over the dealers lot. The seat was quite comfortable and up close and personal inspection of the ground clearance at least left me with the impression there was more space overall from ground to most of the tractor bottom than I had envisioned. I believe the BX24 is a very responsive piece of equipment and could fit my needs quite well. I was not able to test out the backhoe just yet as I wasn't going to unbundle the thing. I know they are supposed to work. The salesman even sweetened the deal some and offered a free delivery (40 miles + bridge toll). He knows my wife still needs a nudge even though I tried to get her to drive the thing. She is still having none of this foolishness...(grin)

In my hunt for the Kioti I have been further confounded. I talked to only one dealer so far and he is about 200 miles or slightly more away from me. I know he is from an estalished well regarded business establishment and took some time emailing me back and forthwith his proposal and points about the CK20.

I was frustrated with Kioti's dealer finder on the web site. There are precious few or no dealers showing for several zip areas surrounding me And i could not get any dealers even far away in a neighboring state. An emal to Kioti corporate Hq and I inquired about dealers in Wisconsin. The director of marketing responded with three Names of dealers that were supposedd to befrom N.E. Wisconsin. They gave names and phone numbers for each.If anybody ought to sell tractors, it has to be those cheeseheads from the "Dairy State", do you think so? No! Every number reached as supplied to me by Kioti turned out to be ex Kioti dealers. One Dealer after another chuckled and said they were good little tractors but we got out of the deal with Kioti. Two dealers blamed the Kioti dealer Network. So far as I am concerned, even though I felt comfortable with the first dealer I talked to in Southern Michigan, this still does not bode well for Kioti.

The pendulum swings toward the BX24 but still thinking the dealer from Southern Michigan is alive and kicking but this was not a good day for my search to buy a Kioti. Nobody said a bad word about the kioti tractor but I don't know what to think about this company.

Sorry for the long post.

Rim

 

[ChuckinNH]

Sorry to hear about your disappointing Kioti search. We are lucky in this area to have a few good dealers. If you want to get a feel for the next size tractor, perhaps you should try a Kubota B7510, or B7610. Though they are lighter than the Kioti, they are simialar size wise, and price wise they could even be cheaper..... they are around here. The new smaller B size tractors should be showing up soon too. A dealer told me today that they don't expect much, if any price increase, and there will be a 23hp gear model available. I'm certainly not trying to sway you away from Kioti because I think they are pretty good tractors, but just give you a feel for something with similar ground clearance, etc.

I heard that Kioti was trying to encourage small dealers to make a more signifigant commitment, perhaps both volume, and service wise, and that may have affected the small ex dealers that you spoke with.

 

[davitk]

Hey rimshot, where in WI are you? This fall, I looked at the Kioti at a dealer in Ootsburg, don't remember their name. His inventory was old and he did seem disenchanted with Kioti at the time but made no indication that he was dropping the name. If you want to see a ck20, find a Bobcat dealer for their look-a-like but more expensive with a shorter warrany and worse financing but still a kioti tractor. Bobcat of Madison has one one their lot.

DON'T by a tractor without driving it.

Good luck! Dave

 

[easygo]

Rimshot,

I went through the same debate a few months ago about the Kubota BX-24 and the B7510. I ended up getting the B7510 due to the ground clearance issues. It also weighs less than the CK-20 but you might be able to find one in the same price range or even less than the BX. I would say you should just rent a small excavator for a day or two and get the heavy work done and save the $ on the backhoe. I'm a die-hard manual transmission fan when it comes to cars but I must add that the hydro is very nice to have. My wife thought of the tractor as a lot more useful thing once she realized she can operate it too. The one other thing that is going for the Kubota in your case is the much closer dealership. If you just want to get a ... thingamajig ... one day, it will be much less of travel to a dealer. You will probably be happy whatever you end up getting. It's a lot of fun. Guaranteed!

 

[davitk]

While awaiting my new tractor (ordered it and waited a month and a half) it started to snow..... McFarlane's in Sauk City lent me an older Kubota B7500 hst with a loader and it was a blast! Zippy little tractor, ran forever on a can of fuel. The newer version, the B7510 is definitly worth checking into, and much more comparable to the Kioti you are looking at than the BX.

 

[LBrown59]

I went through this same decision a few months back and ended up with the BX24. I really, really liked the Ck20. However, I had the same concerns as you, resale value. The BX offers many more attachments. The lack of an OEM front blade for plowing and the fact that you can't have the mower deck on if the backhoe is on killed the deal for Kioti. Not that you would cut with the backhoe on, just nice to have everything on at once. Those were the main reasons I went with the BX. Dealers were both great.
Now that I have a whopping 15 hours on the seat of my BX24, I can say that it is the perfect size for my property, 1 1/2 acres. Very happy with it.

I've been so pleased with my BX 23 that i bought 2 BX1500s 2 months ago.

 

[LBrown59]

the B7510 is definitly worth checking into, and much more comparable to the Kioti you are looking at than the BX.

Apples to oranges.