CK30HST followed me home

albmn10 · Aug 31, 2005

Hello Highbeam, congatulations on your new tractor. As far as your problems with your mats not lining up or your grill guard not coming out i find a bit unusual. My mats fit perfectly and the guard slides out easlily. Is i possible that your dealer may have slipped up on your tractor assembly? Other then that how do you like your tractor and what other tractors did you look at before you decided on the Kioti Ck30 ? What made that tractor stand out for you?

Dargo · Aug 31, 2005

Highbeam, I just wanted to comment that I don't think that you are "nit picking" at all. You spent your hard earned money on a tractor that is not a "bottom of the barrel" el cheapo tractor. You have every right to expect everything to work right on your new tractor.

It is my understanding from reading here on TBN that the CK30HST is not on par with the cut rate gray market remans. Personally, I think you should have your dealer make things right for you as you expect. It's your money and you can obviously do what you deem fit, but when I spend my money on something that is not a "blem", "reman", or heavily discounted for the flaws, I'd insist on all issues being addressed. I think you are being very level headed and very patient. Go get what you paid for!

kIOTICK30 · Sep 1, 2005

Hum, I've had none of the issues you have stated. I would make your dealer make them correct. ASAP.

HODAK · Sep 1, 2005

"the CK30HST is not on par with the cut rate gray market remans"

 Dargo, what are you trying to say? From what I've read on this forum, it appears to me that the overwhelming majority of KIOTI owners are completely satisfied with their tractors. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Not on par with a gray market - I'd have to agree, only I would word it - "the gray market is NOT UP TO PAR with a KIOTI". /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

By the way, this is not my first tractor.

Happy CK30HST owner!

Dargo · Sep 1, 2005

( "the gray market is NOT UP TO PAR with a KIOTI". )

Okay, same thing. I'll go along with that. My comment was that highbeam seems to have a lot of patience, and I wouldn't expect to have the huge number of problems with a Kioti as has been experienced by a fairly large number of people here. The only way to insure that the quality of Kioti doesn't go down to the gutter is to not let them get away with cutting corners and let them miss the "little" things. Believe me, if a company can get by with less expense in quality control and not have complaints, they will.

( ...are completely satisfied with their tractor...)

I don't know if I'd agree with that statement. Saying completely satisfied seems to imply that you are one of the people who will overlook certain defects as being normal. That's great for you, but I don't think you will find that the "overwhelming majority" of people are that way.

depratt_equip · Sep 1, 2005

( Did you all just ignore this or fix it? The holes are much too small on the edge of the deck but are large enough on the inside of the deck to allow the mat to seat. The holes are in the right place, just too small.
)

Can we see a picture? I believe they should fit down in the hole but will be tight, which is the way I prefer them to be so they will stay down. Sometimes we just have to work them down into the hole and from underneath pull it on through, which gives them a snug fit. If you make hole to large then the mat will not stay down at all.

depratt_equip · Sep 1, 2005

Dargo - I may be biased as a dealer but I find the quality of a Kioti much higher than any other brand out there. I think if you were to look in the other forums you would see people with the same kind of post about all other colors of tractors. Is this really an issue of "quality" or of someone being new to a product and not know exactly how it works?

( Believe me, if a company can get by with less expense in quality control and not have complaints, they will. )

This is ture, I think some tractor mfgs out there have let quality slip, and they solely sell by name recognition alone. No names mentioned....I won’t get in to that….

( I don't know if I'd agree with that statement. Saying completely satisfied seems to imply that you are one of the people who will overlook certain defects as being normal. That's great for you, but I don't think you will find that the "overwhelming majority" of people are that way. )

I don't really know what defects you are picking out here but I sure don't see any.... I do see issues that everyone has with any new tractor, or new anything for that matter regardless or brand.

I remember an instance on a new Grand Am car, I needed to change a headlamp. Got the bulb and went to change it. Now I have changed bulbs and worked on many cars in the past, so it should be no big deal, right? WRONG, it took me over an hour to change that bulb, the whole time I was seeing this as a big design flaw by GM. Boy I sure was unhappy, UNTILL sometime told me exactly how to do it. It was my ignorance on the issues that made me think it was a defect, and not the cars fault. There was really nothing wrong with it, but I just didn’t know how it was setup and how it was suppose to be changed. Now that I know I am completely satisfied with it. I think on many issues here on TBN you will see the same thing, people just don’t understand how it is “suppose to work” and since it doesn’t work the “way they think’ they jump to the conclusion that it is a design flaw, just as I did.

One bad thing about TBN, is that issues come up and sometimes a follow up is never posted, so everyone is just left hanging and just thinking that it is a bad design or something along those lines. This is why I always urge a follow up post to let people know how things turned out.

BigDogues · Sep 1, 2005

I have noticed the same thing on my CK25. I think there are only two if I remember correctly. One on each side near the front corner. All the other rubber **** fit in a hole that appears to be correctly size except these. I was just going to take a pistol drill and open the holes. I don't think it's possible to pull them through as there is no relief on the tit so that it will "lock" into the sheet metal. I think the mat is heavy enough to stay in place on it's own unless you turn the tractor upside down. But then the mat will be the least of your worries. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
-Phil

BigDogues · Sep 1, 2005

Oh BTW, I'd touch up the hole with a little rust inhibitor after drilling just for good measure. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

depratt_equip · Sep 1, 2005

They will tend to fly up when trailering the tractor, which is why I think they outer two holes are smaller in order to get a snugger fit. I just went out and pulled up the mat on a CK25, the outer 2 holes are smaller as has been said. I was able to re-insert the tit into the hole (it was tight, I had to work it in and pull from underneath), and once in it gave a sung fit and the rubber compressed some to hold it in. If the hole would be too much larger and you were to trailer the tractor I think the mat would be flying up... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I would try this before enlarging the hole, you can always make the hole bigger but can never make it smaller..... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Just work the tit on the mat back and forth and it will go down in the hole... sometimes a put a bit of spray lube on it then wash the undereath to remove the lube. It will lock solid then.....

Highbeam · Sep 1, 2005

"Just work the tit on the mat back and forth and it will go down in the hole... " Ugggh /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I posted a follow up on the screen issue. Turns out this is not a design error but an assembly error by Kioti. The screens were switched left to right. This is not an obvious problem until you put the intake tube on and try and remove the screens. I was able to R&R the screens correctly by first removing the intake tube. Problem solved.

It seemed the floor mat **** were much too large to fit the outer deck holes. I'll try some lube and a little muscle to work them in. Might need to shave down the **** a bit or slightly enlarge the hole if the elbow grease method doesn't get it done.

These aren't major defects. It isn't a 50,000$ pickup truck and I am not totally shocked to be cleaning up a few loose ends. Whether the dealer missed it or Kioti missed it, I expect to do a little bit of work to get it just the way I like it.

Heck, I just found some zercs that hadn't been greased at the dealer. There was one zerc that was impossible to get at with a standard grease gun head. I'll need to replace it with a 90 degree zerc.

So far I haven't spent any money to clean up the loose ends. Just time that I've enjoyed immensely.

I was nearly sold on a Kubota 3130or 3430 until I found this brand while looking around on the site. I saved at least 4000$ for what I consider an equivalent tractor. Made in Korea, made in japan, whatever, I am of a generation that sees that there is almost nothing truly made in america. My only tradeoff for that 4000$ saving is the potential lack of parts and service support. But I have also operated a 30 year old Kubota and back when that Kubota was new, there wasn't much of a dealer network either. I know all tractors from the big three + Kioti are very good, but Kioti offers the best value currently. Plus I'm an impulse buyer and I don't always need to eliminate all possible competition to make a purchase.

DrewL · Sep 1, 2005

..........and this is one area that 4,000 pounds of machine comes in handy. What you don't see in this pic are the five missing oak trees I have removed them mostly just by pushing them over. These trees are 30+ feet tall. I'm impressed with the ease by which this machine pushes trees of this size over. A lightweight wouldn't stand a chance

Dargo · Sep 1, 2005

Hey, you should be biased when you sell the brand. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Hopefully you have seen in the past that I've been very quick to complain about "issues" with a tractor I recently owned that wasn't a Kioti. No tractors that I'm aware of are perfect. My comment is just sort of saying that if people accept less than what is advertised, the manufacturer will continue to slip in quality; figuring that "nobody is complaining".

I have intentionally not posted the brand of tractors I now own. You can also look through every post I've ever made on TBN and never find where I've tried to push my brand of tractor on anyone else. I'm not a dealer, and I think it is in poor taste to try to get others to buy what I own simply for my own satisfaction in seeing others buy what I have. Frankly, I couldn't possibly care less if others bought the brand of tractors I now own.

I completely dismiss the credibility of what I consider "brand pushers" who are not dealers. I don't know what their goal is, but I don't care for it. It's one thing to say that they like, and are satisfied with their brand, but to run down all other brands and try to play it off that someone is making a mistake to not buy what they bought is wrong. It reminds me of the kids in school who were really insecure and felt the need of others to do what they were doing to feel good about themselves.

BigDogues · Sep 1, 2005

Hmmm, didn't consider the trailering aspect. Good point. I'll give your method a try when I get home tonight.

Glenipp · Sep 1, 2005

( "
I was nearly sold on a Kubota 3130or 3430 until I found this brand while looking around on the site. I saved at least 4000$ for what I consider an equivalent tractor. Made in Korea, made in japan, whatever, I am of a generation that sees that there is almost nothing truly made in america. My only tradeoff for that 4000$ saving is the potential lack of parts and service support. But I have also operated a 30 year old Kubota and back when that Kubota was new, there wasn't much of a dealer network either. I know all tractors from the big three + Kioti are very good, but Kioti offers the best value currently. Plus I'm an impulse buyer and I don't always need to eliminate all possible competition to make a purchase. )

4000 Wow that's a lot of money

BigDogues · Sep 1, 2005

( 4000 Wow that's a lot of money )

That's why I bought my CK25. Similar capacity tractor for 25% less. Now I can enjoy shopping for implements and other goodies for it with the money I saved. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Highbeam · Sep 1, 2005

Cheap, frugal, value oriented, efficient. Call it what you must but I don't want to just throw money in the garbage can. I'll take that 4k$ and pay down some other debt or use it for something cool. The Kioti also has the same 0% financing deal going on so you needn't worry about wasting money on interest.

I kid you not... JD, Kubota, NH all seem very proud of their name. To the tune of nearly 25% in my case. See for yourself.

HODAK · Sep 1, 2005

There are people who are never satisfied. These are bitter people. Kinda like the kids in school who don't have what the other kids have but wish they had it. Ok Ok I'm just having a bit of fun here /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

DrewL · Sep 1, 2005

I kid you not... JD, Kubota, NH all seem very proud of their name. To the tune of nearly 25% in my case. See for yourself.

I guess I'm not alone in some of the prices I was quoted in my search

KiotiJohn · Sep 2, 2005

( I kid you not... JD, Kubota, NH all seem very proud of their name. To the tune of nearly 25% in my case. See for yourself.
)
I used to live in Biloxi, MS. I'm now sending the savings I made on my Kioti CK20HST to hurricane relief. Want to see a great video of how awful it really is? I know it's not tractor related, but you've gotta see this horror to believe it. About 20 minutes long, Gulfport to Ocean Springs along Hwy 90.
Under "Featured Videos" choose "Skycopter on the Coast:First Tour." It requires window media player.
John Skycopter Tour