CK30/l3400 pricing

[IslandTractor]

Regarding Kubota GL3240 vs CK30. The proper comparison I think would be the GL vs the Kioti DK35se. The DK line is a bit bigger and featured more like the Kubota GL line. Kubota has the more sophisticated transmission and the Kioti has more HP (38) but I think they are pretty close pricewise.

 

[canoetrpr]

I agree that the DKs compare best to the GLs. I'm willing to bet that in a few years, Kioti too will be offering the advanced HST transmissions like the HST+ and the eHydro on the JD.

I would really like to see Kioti do more on cabs on their smaller tractors. I think that the CK line would benefit a lot from the availabilty of a factory cab. I think that the cab on the DK40/45se is a great addition to that line.

 

[IslandTractor]

I agree that the DKs compare best to the GLs. I'm willing to bet that in a few years, Kioti too will be offering the advanced HST transmissions like the HST+ and the eHydro on the JD..

Kioti seems to be following the Hyundai business model for copying/competing with the front runner Japanese companies so I think you are right. I think I'll order myself a Kioti Genesis as soon as they get the iPod properly integrated with the HST.

 

[Dmace]

Granted, the HST+ looks like an intelligent system with ease of use but the thing I love about tractors is their simplicity. The HST pump is controlled by a motor that is controlled by the ECU which gets it's signal from the HST pedal and range shifter. There are way too many things that can go wrong with that and a simple wire short or ECU failure would stop the tractor in it's tracks and render it useless. No Thanks, I like having my pedal connected directly to the HST. No computer telling me how to drive...

 

[a.p.]

Granted, the HST+ looks like an intelligent system with ease of use but the thing I love about tractors is their simplicity. The HST pump is controlled by a motor that is controlled by the ECU which gets it's signal from the HST pedal and range shifter. There are way too many things that can go wrong with that and a simple wire short or ECU failure would stop the tractor in it's tracks and render it useless. No Thanks, I like having my pedal connected directly to the HST. No computer telling me how to drive...

I'm with you on that. The lack of complexity is one of the reasons that I like these tractors better than the L series or JD3x20 series machines - although, honestly, price was a bigger factor for my decision.

While I'm sure that the e hydro is fantastic, I do wonder what happens when a circuit board blows in 11 years time. I'm fairly certain that I'll still be able to get hydraulic lines and valves then - they are universal. But circuit boards for out of date applications...???

 

[IslandTractor]

I do wonder what happens when a circuit board blows in 11 years time. I'm fairly certain that I'll still be able to get hydraulic lines and valves then - they are universal. But circuit boards for out of date applications...???

I don't work for JD or Kubota but if I were in their shoes I'd just order an extra couple of thousand circuit boards at about $2 each and let them sit in the warehouse for 10 years so I could sell them for $200 each. Not a bad return on investment. Mercedes and Volvo figured out that strategy a long time ago.

 

[canoetrpr]

While there is a certain advantage to simplicity which will help keep a tractor going for many years, a lot also has to do with how established the brand and parts support for the brand is, and more importantly how popular a particular model is and how much part reuse is done within the brand.

There will be LOTS of JDs with eHydro and Kubota's with HST+ for many years to come. For as long as they will be in service, there will be value for JD an Kubota to keep making the parts and heck even if they stop, there are enough of these machines out there that the demand for parts will end up creating a supply.

I don't forsee any problem with parts availabilty for any really popular model for any major brand. Personally I think that the popularity of the indvidual model has to do more with it than the brand itself - JMHO. Your best insurance is to buy a tractor model which is very very popular rather than one that caters to a fringe of buyers.

 

[DK35vince]

I agree that the DKs compare best to the GLs. I'm willing to bet that in a few years, Kioti too will be offering the advanced HST transmissions like the HST+ and the eHydro on the JD.

I would like to see Kioti offer a power shift type transmission ( ability to foward/reverse without clutching) like many of the other Mfg. do.

 

[Dmace]

I would like to see Kioti offer a power shift type transmission ( ability to foward/reverse without clutching) like many of the other Mfg. do.

I am still relatively new to the tractor world but isn't that what a Shuttle Shift transmission is for, shifting to a higher/lower gear while moving with no clutch and can shift between forward/reverse while stopped with no clutch...?

 

[Gittyup]

There is no inherent reason for electronics to not last 20 - 30 years or longer. If properly handled and protected from ESD damage, assembled to high standards, and used without being subjected to harmful outside influences, they should last for maybe a hundred years. After all, they have no moving parts and nothing to wear out. If they don't fail due to a latent manufacturing defect, then they will generally only fail if damaged by outside causes (e.g. electrical faults in other connected devices).

So, after the first few years, an ehydro or HST+ is no more likely to fail than that mechanical linkage. Of course you can see a linkage failure. Problem with electroncs is that they can be much harder to diagnose, especially since schematics are often weak. That said, simpler is almost always more reliable in total.