ck35 coming today.

[koshari]

greetings all from gippsland s/e australia.

i have a ck35 coming today, just short of 1000 hours on it, specifically was looking at:
-ag tires
-backhoe.
-4x4
also have a pto slasher attachment.

I was going to wait a while till i took the plunge but i have some outstanding jobs that bought forward the purchase when one came up in our price range that fit the bill.

looked at a few comparable kobotas however they seemed to be similar pricing for 20 to 25 HP models as the 35 kioti. also briefly looked at some Chinese models but steered pretty clear after reading a couple of experiences others have had re these machines. likely their quality control will improve in time but iam not sure they are really there just yet.

the other option was to get an ageing full-size tractor but these all had huge hours on them and were very old models. they also were not 4x4 and were really to big for a lot of the tasks that we require doing. we also have a pretty good relationship with our neighbour who has a new holland t5050 which is a very capable machine. he is very accommodating and has insisted on doing a lot of stuff for us already. having said that he got pretty excited when i told him i had a backhoe coming. i suspect i will be filling in a few wombat holes on his side of the fence and also a bot of drainage around his dairy by all accounts.
From what i can gather you cant go to far wrong with either of kioti or kubota.

Iam not really a brand fanboy however i do tend to stick with brands i come familiar with. i have both kawasaki and yamaha motorcycles, having said that i would be equally comfortable with suzuki or honda etc. i had Holden Vehicles ( GM in the US ) until recently where i have moved to Mitsubishi. again i would be happy with ford and toyota however they seem to attract a premium established by rusted on customers around here.

so the journey begins,

any other obvious tips regarding this model?

I have read a look about this and similar tractors and we are reasonably comfortable with this direction. we have a kioti dealer just down the road which is a good established dealership with many years of experiance. We have a bit of bushland and some tight access areas which leant towards a compact. there are also some pretty steep hills. I have good loader experience and are a ticketed operator so i are aware of the pitfalls of operating on inclines. loading the read tires will be one of my first jobs. the rear wheels are adjusted to their out-most position as well.

anyway nice to be part of the forum and already have read many informative posts. the filter and cross reference post for one and links to workshop manuals have been very helpful.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Congrats and welcome.....aboard.....
some folks here love tractor **** so when you get your lil beauty in, lots of pic eh???:drink::welcome:

 

[VictorW]

I have a 2004 model year CK30hst purchased in 2005 with 900 hours, KL130 fel, and KB2375 bh. It has done me well. Fuel gauge sending unit replaced under warranty and nothing else but normal service. Works well in the Summer when it can be 90'F and then for snow plowing in Winter with the coldest day at -4'F. Depending on your bh year, the seals can go on the control unit. The o-rings, that seal the spool shafts in the valve blocks, can get damaged by any rust on the spool shafts. When not using it, I coat the top end of them with Fluid Film or you could use a motorcycle chain wax type lubricant to protect the shafts and so far no problems. Enjoy the new toy and hope many non-problem hours like mine.

 

[koshari]

ok, just had the first going over , all seems pretty good, just a couple of issue, seat belt clip is annoyingly sticky, wd40ed it a bit but still annoying, quick fix to just put a clip extension on.



having a bit of experience on the loader in the past seems i are a bit more proficient on it, gonna take a few hours to get the backhoe down pat.
time to fuel up and give it another hoot before the next shower comes through.

I coat the top end of them with Fluid Film or you could use a motorcycle chain wax type lubricant to protect the shafts

cheers, good advice.

 

[Thomas]

:welcome: to TBN.
Congrats on your new investment.... enjoy.:thumbsup:

 

[BRMyers]

:welcome:

Enjoy your new tractor

 

[wassup8687]

Nice looking tractor. How do you like it so far?

 

[koshari]

Quite happy atm. Only was able to operate it for 2 hours the other day but managed to tidy up a crater left from a big gum that fell down a while ago.

 

[crashz]

Nice rig and beautiful looking property!

 

[koshari]

btw how do you folk stateside go with running a machine with metric bolts? must say over here being a metric dominant country its a little bit annoying when i have to work on our cubcadet mower that is imperial. must say iam glad the kioti is metric.

 

[BRMyers]

btw how do you folk stateside go with running a machine with metric bolts? must say over here being a metric dominant country its a little bit annoying when i have to work on our cubcadet mower that is imperial. must say iam glad the kioti is metric.

I have both standard and metric wrenches in my toolbox, been that away for years. Just keep reaching in until a find a wrench that works. Plus a good adjustable takes care of either.

 

[koshari]

true, more a case of when you drop a bolt and have to replace one, i generally keep a good stock of metric nuts and bolts, imperial not so much... my first car a HZ holden ( previously GM in Australia) was imperial then its been metric all the way for me ( jap bikes cars) other than the ride on.

 

[BRMyers]

Yep, keep both metric and standard size bolts and such around. Never know what you might need. Although, it seems more times than not, I won't be able to find the right size until after I go buy one at the store.

 

[JohnMacca]

G'day from NE Vic.

I bought a new CK35 HST a few years ago and have been very happy with it. (Well actually, the missus bought it and she just lets me drive it :cool2: )

I also looked at the Chinese ones in Melbourne and decided that you were getting what you paid for - cheap price = cheap machine. And having a local dealer was the big winner for me.

I have only had a couple of small problems, mostly my fault for running over sticks, small logs etc and knocking the underside about.

I did have the joystick go all loose and thought I had broken something. It turned out to be a 20 cent screw falling off the bottom of the "hinge" post. This problem has popped up on TBN a few times, but I don't know if this can happen to any joystick. Anyway, it is worth checking out and applying a bit of Loctite.

I haven't posted a lot because I am still learning and you always learn more with your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open - to which I would add - also by reading TBN

 

[koshari]

cheers, john, i imagine you are a little bit more north of the ranges than me, yes i think its a pretty good package, just put 4 hours on it today clearing a crappy corner of our property, really impressed with the machine, must say i would have been in a bit of bother without the backhoe and the rear locker to get me out of a couple of spots today.

very thoughtful of the missus to get you a nice tractor and even better the lets you use it. We have a good kioti dealer down the road as well in Alto motors in Trafalgar.

no issues today mechanically wise other than the left side fender bent in a little and was rubbing on the tire, undoubtedly from one of the branches i was pushing round. bent it back out and all is good.

 

[Alien]

G'day from NE Vic.

I bought a new CK35 HST a few years ago and have been very happy with it. (Well actually, the missus bought it and she just lets me drive it :cool2: )

I also looked at the Chinese ones in Melbourne and decided that you were getting what you paid for - cheap price = cheap machine. And having a local dealer was the big winner for me.

I have only had a couple of small problems, mostly my fault for running over sticks, small logs etc and knocking the underside about.

I did have the joystick go all loose and thought I had broken something. It turned out to be a 20 cent screw falling off the bottom of the "hinge" post. This problem has popped up on TBN a few times, but I don't know if this can happen to any joystick. Anyway, it is worth checking out and applying a bit of Loctite.

I haven't posted a lot because I am still learning and you always learn more with your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open - to which I would add - also by reading TBN

Interested to read about the 20 cent screw allowing the joystick to go floppy.
Mine is like that at present but it still works ok. Just not nice to use. I jumped off the tractor and the joystick went up my shorts leg and ....bam... floppy stick. I thought something was broken, maybe just the screw.

 

[koshari]

first real time on the backhoe today with a good solid hour on it , got a little bit of rhythm going, pulled the remains of a big stump out and it did a pretty good job, reckon i will really get to like this setup.

 

[Alien]

I have around 20 - 30 stumps to get rid of as well. Another reason/excuse for a bigger tractor for me. My wife is warming to the idea slowly. I checked the selling price of my CK 30 HST and it is around $16,900 the salesman said.
Won't be for some time yet.

WoooHoooo! Post No. 1000 Do I get a prize?

 

[koshari]

well now is the time to hit em down here while the ground is softer, prolly up your way after the wet season is the go.

 

[justman777]

Talking about stumps, I generally leave mine in the ground until I get about 5+ I need to deal with, and then I go rent a stump grinder. Costs less than a backhoe, and takes them down a few inches below the ground where I can mow over them without issue. Grinding them is a lot quicker than trying to dig them out or burn them out. Of course, I have a rental yard within 30 miles, so it's not a big deal for me to get a grinder.