CK20HST vs CK25HST

[coasterez]

I never implied that the CK20 is a lightweight. It is the heaviest 20 hp that I am aware of. But, it is something like 1200+ lbs lighter than a CK25. That is seriously very significant for ground engaging work. If a CK20 will pull a 5 foot box blade (as I'm sure it can), a CK25 will pull a 6 footer. Likewise with a grader blade, plow, disc, or any other ground implement. It'll also more readily take a larger phd, backhoe, tiller, mower, etc. And when you pick up that huge boulder with the FEL, which tractor will be more stable? Weight matters.

Case in point : I recently had to drag off a huge stump that pushed my CK25 to the limit. I'm not sure what it weighed, but must've been like 3000 lbs cause I couldn't lift it at all with neither the FEL or backhoe. Several times the CK25 lost traction on all fours, and that's with loaded tires, FEL, and a backhoe, pulling downhill. She labored hard to drag that stump 75 feet. In this specific case, I'm skeptical that the CK20 would have had the weight to get it done (horsepower was not the limiting factor here). I know my 20 hp JD, which is only a little lighter (1500 lbs) than the CK20 couldn't move it, not even one inch. It would just spin the tires.

The CK20 is a very good choice - a lot of tractor for the money. But, you do get more than enough tractor with the CK25 to justify the cost difference. The question posed here is what are the differences. So, I tried to point some out, and was in no way putting down the CK20.

Tom

 

[7mmrum]

I agree with Coasterez, (big surprise, look what I bought, 7 acres to maintain) however I'd recommend you jump on both and test drive them to figure out which one is best. It is your money and you need to feel confident with the purchase you make. We all did research and purchased the tractor we think is best with some help from some friends on this site.

The jump to a CK30 is a little more then you may think in regards to $$$ and with only ever ~2 acres to worry about in lets say the next 7 years of ownership or so, it may be hard to justify the extra money for that model. Plus bigger tractors, take up bigger space, plus bigger implements for storage. Keep this in mind if you plan to keep your indoors. Also if you ever want to trailer your tractor somewhere, the CK20 isn't so much of a hog like the CK25 and CK30 series.

My thoughts are the CK20 HST will be fine if your land is mostly cleared as you mentioned above. With the projects you have listed; your looking at a good model. Some jobs may take a little bit longer, that's not so much a bad thing sometimes. Also if you not sure if the CK20 is up to snuff, check out some of the photos from KiotJohn site link. I think you'll be impressed with what the CK20 can do.

Good Luck with the purchase.

 

[Highbeam]

I love my CK30 and it is plenty of tractor for 15 acres. With 2 acres, it would be too much. The occasional need to drag a huge stump somewhere seems to be a small consideration when choosing a tractor size. Heck, mowing two acres with a 5' mower deck would only leave you enough seat time to drink one beer.

I recommend the 20 unless you have a lot of specific hard work planned for it or planned to do side work offsite.

 

[coasterez]

The question asked was when is a CK25 a better choice, not which one should he buy. I was just trying to point out what sets them apart - when a heavier tractor might be a better choice.

To say the the CK25 is too much for 2 acres is to say that it would be too big to be effective. Which is just not so. On my 2.5 acres, and for my uses, the CK25 is far more effective than the CK20 would be. It really depends on what you want to use it for. The only time that a CK20 would have any advantage over a CK25 is if working in very tight quarters. And if that were a paramount selection criteria, there are better choices than any of the Kioti's.

Yeah, in most cases the CK20 is plenty for 2 acres. I've gotten by with my 20 hp JD for years. But, now I have several jobs that a smaller tractor would struggle with at best. For me the decision was whether to spend the extra money on HST in the CK20, or get more tractor and forgo the hydro. I opted for the latter, and it was by far the right choice for what I need it for.

The stump was an example to show what sets them apart, nothing more. When I was deciding what to buy I knew I needed to remove that stump. But, that alone certainly was not what made up my mind. It was the cumulative needs of several chores, many quite ambitious even for the CK25. I have one really big job to do, and was quoted $10K to have someone else do it. I wouldn't even attempt it with anything lighter than the CK25. My cost will probably turn out to be $2K. The bigger tractor is more than paying for the price difference.

I wander what it would have cost me to have that big stump hauled away by someone else? Hmmm... Heavy equipment operators want a minimum of $300 just to show up. If I owned a CK20, that stump would probably still be in the ground (CK20 backhoes would have run out of reach), or I'd be a few hundred dollars poorer, perhaps several hundred if I would have had to pay someone to get it out of the ground for me. Again paying for itself.

There are BIG differences between these machines, and that was the question.


Tom

 

[coasterez]

BTW, I finish mow 2 acres with a 5 footer, and it's a 3 beer mow. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Highbeam]

Good call on the beverage to acre ratio. I didn't want to come off as being a TUI operator, but I don't just bring a single beverage with me to a day of tractoring. Problem with a multi beverage project is that the beverages get shaken. So you need to keep them stored on ice somewhere safe. But don't mow the cooler, bad news.

 

[Dodgeram]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( BTW, I finish mow 2 acres with a 5 footer, and it's a 3 beer mow. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )</font>
Not to get off topic, but, where and how do I mount a cooler on my tractor?
Most times when I'm on the tractor, it's more than a one "beverage" job /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It can get to be a pain coming back to the garage to replenish /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
As I have a forest way outback (isn't that a steak house?), I can commune with nature on other matters.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread
Tom

 

[Dodgeram]

Joe,
You are obviously a faster typer than I, but we have the same question.
I thought about taking a cooler out in the field, but I don't think I'm coordinated enough to finish the beer as I'm passing the cooler /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Besides, that's alot of getting on and off /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Tom

 

[Highbeam]

I don't want to constantly suck on brew so I do well to wait until I pass the cooler. After two unfortunate incidents with a chainsaw, once with a bulldozer and once with the Kioti, I have grown fond of placing items like chainsaws and coolers that I don't want run over on top of stumps. The big old growth kind with huckleberries on top.

My first trip out to the work area is with the cooler, saw, and sometimes weed burner and fire extinguisher in the bucket of the tractor. It is in the morning so I also have the thermos of coffee. I then safely stash these items on a stump and then get to work. It is part of the warm up ritual.

Oh, I still use that same chainsaw even though it was buried for more than two weeks after being run over by a bulldozer. Poulan wild thing!!!

 

[IslandTractor]

To get back to tractors after you guys have had your beer break, /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. I would not dispute that the CK25 is more powerful than the CK20. That's obvious. But the same logic you are using (sometimes you need more power) could just as easily be brought up to recommend a DK45s instead of the CK25 (YES, I want one /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

The ground engaging tasks are clearly going to favor the CK25/30. There is not much difference in the FEL task area however. Check out the specs. KL130 is only a bit more powerful than the KL120. And for 2 acres you would not really be buying 5 or 6 or 7 foot ground engaging implements anyway.

I had a big stump I could not lift either but was easily able to push it. Traction was not an issue in 4WD. Besides, how many monster stumps can there be on 2 acres? I still favor the strategy of getting the smaller tractor and putting the savings into implements to do the work better. For the price of a CK25 you can get a CK20 plus grapple. Check out my latest favorite implement photo. Let's see your CK25 without grapple do that. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif