CK20 info needed

[Axe Man]

Have been looking at tractors for a long time now and been reading on this site gathering info. Looked into used of all kinds and new compacts.....finally decided new was the way to go.
80% of its use will be to pull wood out of the bush with the rest being blowing snow. Have heard that HST trans is not so good for pulling and the gear drive doesn't have live pto.
My question is for ck20 owners......how much do you give up in pulling power with the hst trans
Was going to get the DS3510 but the bush is thick and thought the 20 would be more conducive for maneuvering.
Any opinions would be welcome.

 

[Phil48]

I got my CK20 HST 2 years ago. 10 acres lot, mostly for snow removal (1/2 miles snow blowing) and wood Hauling. It is a great little work horse. I'm honestly surprised by the force of that little tank! I was going to buy a CK30, but the dealer oriented me toward the CK20. Much more maneuverability inside thick forest, it will curl around pretty much any ware. It fit really nice inside my regular garage and so for I'm still impressed by it strength!

Here's a couple of pics of my CK20.

Happy shopping!!!

[/ATTACH]

 

[Gittyup]

If you wait for the new models, they will have 4 more horsepower. Then the HST might be fine. The geared CK20's are not shuttle shift. So, they only have 2 reverse speeds. Me, I'd go for one of the bigger CKs. While the CK20 is a great little work horse, it's bigger siblings offer 3 range HSTs, live PTO's (on gear too), and shuttle shift on the gear models. If you can fit the CK20, you can probably fit the bigger CKs. If you can find a CK27 gear, that's a great bang for the buck tractor.

 

[IslandTractor]

I owned a CK20 HST for a few years. Loved it. Mighty mite. It was very hard to stop in low range so I would be comfortable pulling logs so long as you have the right rig on the back to do that safely. It currently has 21 or 22hp. That is fine for low range work IMO. Where the CK20 needs help is in faster work like mowing in high range or traveling up hill in high range with an implement on the back. A few extra HP for that task would make a lot of difference but in low range you are more likely to run out of traction, even with loaded tires and a 3pt winch than you will be likely to run out of oomph. It takes a stump to stop one of those little beasts. CK27 is quite a lot bigger so if you are maneuvering in forest the 20 has some advantages.