Price Check CK20 HST questions, pricing, FEL cracks, HST pedal bushing issues etc.

[depratt_equip]

I am aware about differnet metals... but who is to say the tractors with the smaller shafts have the higher strengh metals?? is it just becuase they are the other orange, blue or green or part of the "big 3"? If there has been a study on this I must have missed it....

I often wonder if all tractors were the same color and decals removed what people would think about them.... Would a die hard Kubota fan find his rear in the seat of a Deere or would a Deere man be turning the steering wheel of a Kioti.... who is to say...

 

[albmn10]

I have to say its pretty sad when guys who know nothing about Kioti tractors have to put in their 2 cents and speak on behalf of the actual tractor owners whod be happy to give unbiased opinions.. My Ck30 has been flawless in 150hrs of hard use.The only issue i have had has been with a defective Woods valve on my loader, not a Kioti component. HST has been smooth as silk, excellent power. I read time and time again of problems with other tractor brands and yet I see no kioti owners step in to take a cheap shot. Every brand on here will experience problems with new designs, no brand has been excluded... I thought these troll games had come to an end, its too bad..

 

[Dodgeram]

I try to stay out of brand wars, but with all the "BS" being propogated by people who have "seen", "heard about" or "test driven" a Kioti, I feel the need to respond.
I know I've read (numerous times) about the problems with the "plastic" fan on the bottom of some of the other orange tractors getting ripped off? Did they ever acknowledge/fix that problem? I mean besides saying "Stay out of the woods."
I remember reading where the blue make has had a problem with the seat mount cracking.
When I was shopping, the CFO grabbed the handle on the fender of a B3030 and said " is this fender plastic?".
All makes have problems. I can say that I have had no, repeat no, problems with my CK30HST. No cracked FEL, No HST Pedal problems.
And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Dargo]

I can honestly say that I did give Kioti an extended look a while back. I opted to buy a different brand. My money spent the way I see it best spent. Your money spent the way you see best spent. At least we agree on pickups.

P.S. I've had tractors with plastic fenders and hoods and I've had tractors with steel fenders and hoods. Guess what?! I still don't have any preference.

 

[Dodgeram]

"At least we agree on pickups. "

You don't have a "pickup". You've got a funny car w/a bed

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I've had tractors with plastic fenders and hoods and I've had tractors with steel fenders and hoods. Guess what?! I still don't have any preference.

That is just because you are an non-committal fence sitter who tries to walk the line without creating any controversy. I can tell you when I work in the woods, the tractor of choice is the one with the plastic fenders/hood.

I try to stay out of brand wars, but with all the "BS" being propogated by people who have "seen", "heard about" or "test driven" a Kioti, I feel the need to respond

What is the purpose of a "test drive" if not to determine if the tractor/car/truck is worthy of the price? I guess I don't understand your observation. If I test something and find it failing, or if others use it and report it breaks with too great a frequency then it gets knocked off my list. That is the whole point of companies like JD Powers, Consumer Reports, etc. I tested these, and there are plenty of reports of problems. That is enough for me.

I often wonder if all tractors were the same color and decals removed what people would think about them.... Would a die hard Kubota fan find his rear in the seat of a Deere or would a Deere man be turning the steering wheel of a Kioti.... who is to say...

That is why I am not brand loyal. I'm firmly of the opinion that every brand brings something good into the market. And I'm firmly of the opinion that every brand has some problems, some have more and some have less. The DK 35/40/45 series is a great series of tractors (need HST but I hear that is coming) but the CK is no DK.

 

[Dargo]

That is why I am not brand loyal. I'm firmly of the opinion that every brand brings something good into the market. And I'm firmly of the opinion that every brand has some problems, some have more and some have less. The DK 35/40/45 series is a great series of tractors (need HST but I hear that is coming) but the CK is no DK.

Well, I can't quite figure out all this quoting stuff, but I have to agree with Bob on the lack of brand loyalty. I think it was Jon Depratt who said he thinks things may be different if the tractors didn't have labels on them. It wouldn't be for me. Not only do I buy the tractor that "feels" and "fits" the best for what I want, but I also keep any dealer from having even a remote feeling that he can take my business for granted.

I don't mean that as an insult to you Jon, since you are obviously a dealer, but I can tell a HUGE difference in the feel of some tractors. The ole Acura (I prefer them over Lexus )vs the Chevette analogy is a bit long in the tooth, but there is some merit to it. Both are cars that will get you from point A to point B. Heck, they both may even have an automatic transmission and A/C, but they are NOT the same. For me it is the total package. Not just the fit, finish, look, but also the feel and responsiveness and operating smoothness.

Maybe I irritate some dealers because my test drive may be an hour long, but I do buy a lot of tractors. If a dealer doesn't want to put up with my long examination process, other dealers have always been happy to take my money; my checks always clear. I do not intend to be a jerk to dealers, and all but one dealer I've ever had dealings with still vie for my business. Especially since they know I am a buyer. The one dealer is the guy who told me that if I couldn't decide if I liked the tractor by driving it in a couple of circles in his lot, then I don't know my tractors. The answer there is simple; he does not get any of my money.

Anyway, sorry to be long winded, but I take the test drive process very seriously and it absolutely will make or break the sale for me. Heck, a long time ago when I first test drove zero turn radius mowers, nobody in my area had ever heard of the brand I ended up buying. I took a 2 hour test "mow" on my own lawn, had the mower up on jacks, had half of the body panels off of the mower and made my decision to buy based on what I saw and felt in it's operation. Nevermind that nobody else in my area had ever heard of a front mount diesel powered Grasshopper mower. The brand popularity (or label on the mower) did not mean a thing to me. It's overall quality and operating feel made the choice for me rather easy. Over a thousand hours later I still have that mower and it is surprisingly as tight and mows just as well as the brand new one I bought a few months ago.

So, brands, labels, etc. really do not mean much to me. Track record (if one exists) and the operating feel to me do mean everything. I learned long ago that when I bought mowers and tractors on price, I always lost. Four or five cheap mowers or tractors cost more than one good one. I look at the overall operating cost more so than the actual initial price.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

. . . I have to agree with Bob on the lack of brand loyalty. . . I take the test drive process very seriously and it absolutely will make or break the sale for me.

Well we agree on 2 things then. When I bought my Ventrac I bought it from a dealer who brought it to my property and let me try it out on my slopes. He showed me how to change the implements and I tested the mower, the FEL and the tractor without either installed. I also compared Power Trac and Steiner, which I also had out at my property. I also considered getting another Cub, a JD and probably a dozen other brands. The Ventrac was clearly the best beast of the bunch for my needs, it was also very well made, even if it looked clunky. The entire agonizing process is detailed right here on TBN and it was (if I say so myself) clearly thought out.

The whole point of the test drive is to evaluate the design, the features, the comfort, the ergonomics. There are many things that you may miss in a normal test drive.

Then there are forums like this to help. Read the forums, look for multiple reports of the same problem. When the same problem is reported many times, then it is a design flaw or a manufacturing defect. Whatever you call it, a problem that is reported time and time again is going to knock a tractor off my consideration list . . . no matter what brand it is.

 

[depratt_equip]

no insult taking dargo... there are those who look beyond brand name.... but many don't.... what i was getting at was that some people just dismiss kioti as a second rate because it say "kioti" on it and not "deere" for example... I was just thinking out loud in my post... not intending to step on your toes...

It seems you are not one of those people who look at brand...... glad to know they are out there!! I always tell people tractors are like shoes not one pair fits all.....

 

[malk315]

Thanks to all for replying -- yes I'm sticking with Kioti because even though there have been a few issues, the only outstanding one is the FEL cracks and I'm thinking Kioti will do something about it. I've been watching the CK-20 since the day it was announced -- I'm aware of a while back the 2x4 backing over it w/ the HST and not doing it on someone's tractor and if I remember correctly Kioti made good on it and fixed it.

To me the Kioti is a little heavier than B7510, I like the wider stance front axle -- I think it will have better stability than B7510, I also like the fenders that cover the rear tire more on the Kioti thinking less mud will kick up on me when rolling down the street after tires get a little mud in the turf treads. I also like the better viewing on the FEL and 54" bucket instead of 48" on kubota. Also Kioti has a little more lift capacity. I also like the Kioti has quick pins for taking off 3 point arms which I will need to do to fit into the shed and same quick pins to take just the bucket off to put a grapple or forks on quickly (kubota has cotter pins as delivered from kubotaa for bucket and probably quick pins like Kioti for 3 point arms, so no biggie -- although I think the shorter reach of kubota loader would mean a B7510 w/ loader and 3 point arms installed would probably fit in my shed that is 11' 3" deep from back wall to front doors -- it's 16' wide, so no issue there).

The only thing I like better about the B7510 is the way the 7510 ROPS -- folds better than kioti for which I will need to do to get it into the shed for storage.

Jeff and I feel both the B7510 and CK-20 are great machines and we were really splitting hairs when comparing all the specs and whatnot of their capabilities.

I'm willing to take the chance on the loader as the track record has been really good over the last 3 years of CK20, 25 and 30.

I may be wrong, but I believe the loaders are made by a loader company that also makes the NH loaders -- so is it really strictly a Kioti issue? I don't know if NH loaders have had any problems -- perhaps Kioti has had input to the design of the loader even though a separate loader company makes them.

Anyway -- the financing was approved today, and if my grill guard comes in and the tires can be filled and tractor prepped in time for friday, the tractor will be delivered friday. If not I'm hoping saturday, worst case monday to take delivery of the machine.

My buddy Jeff and I for the last 5 years have been to every JD, Kioti, and Kubota dealer in a 100 mile radius of us in central Mass (includes some dealers in NH, VT, CT, and RI). Of all of those, the JD dealers have been the worst -- I can remember one that was nice down in Norfolk, MA. The guys at 146 supply didn't make us feel very welcome.

Tim Ahearn and Norfolk power have been the best Kubota to deal with and Mike at HarvardPower along w/ the nice folks a Mitch's repair Kioti dealers have been great. Freemans Kioti in Woodstock connecticut were aweful -- I wanted to buy a husqvarna chainsaw bar while we were there and I felt like I was a burden to them w/ my petty chainsaw bar purchase... They're closer to me by distance, but Mike is getting my business.

So for those Kioti fans who have taken a close look at Kubota also, Jeff is excited to get the machines side-by-side and post some pictures and specs. I've had probably an hour or so of loader work in Jeff's machine (B7510 gear drive w/ LA302 loader) and Jeff will take a spin in my machine when it arrives so we can really note the differences since we can't really notice those things with short test drives at a dealership.

I'll post the obligatory pictures when the machine arrives. Hopefully Jeff can bring the 7510 or I can drop over there for some side-by-side pics.