Buying Advice considering CK30 --> DK40 upgrade... a few questions

[IXLR8]

I am having some issues with my CK30HST and I am considering upgrading to the DK40HST as I also want a stronger loader and backhoe. For the DK40 with loader and backhoe I got a price of $35K with financing, $31.5K cash, does this sound about right? These are the prices I got from the closest dealer to me, he is 2.5 hrs away and I have reasons to be less than trustful of him. My other question is regarding HST control for the loader work that I do, bucket and forks. I love the single pedal precision I get on the CK, I am not sure that I can get that with the dual pedal of the DK. For those of you that have used both, can you comment on the +'s/-'s of each. The other factor is that SWMBO uses the tractor a fair amount and I need to keep in mind how easy the dual pedals will be for her to use with respect to the single pedal. She really likes the single pedal and she has small feet and I don't know how easy the dual pedals would be for her to operate.

TIA

 

[k0ua]

I am having some issues with my CK30HST and I am considering upgrading to the DK40HST as I also want a stronger loader and backhoe. For the DK40 with loader and backhoe I got a price of $35K with financing, $31.5K cash, does this sound about right? These are the prices I got from the closest dealer to me, he is 2.5 hrs away and I have reasons to be less than trustful of him. My other question is regarding HST control for the loader work that I do, bucket and forks. I love the single pedal precision I get on the CK, I am not sure that I can get that with the dual pedal of the DK. For those of you that have used both, can you comment on the +'s/-'s of each. The other factor is that SWMBO uses the tractor a fair amount and I need to keep in mind how easy the dual pedals will be for her to use with respect to the single pedal. She really likes the single pedal and she has small feet and I don't know how easy the dual pedals would be for her to operate.

TIA

I can comment a bit about going from single pedal to dual pedal. I too was worried I would not like the dual pedal setup, as I really liked the single pedal I had on the Kubota, L3400HST which is almost identical to your CK..The Single pedal is very responsive but I have fully transitioned to the dual pedal design now, and it is no big deal at all. It took me about a day to get accustomed to the dual pedal design, but now it is second nature. Basically the heel stays on the floor the foot in a vertical stance and you simply rotate your ankle left and right to catch the proper pedal.. It works as well it is just different. Another way to think of it is it is a single pedal except now the pivot point is below the floorboard not above it. You cannot press both pedals at the same time, because when you press down on one pedal the other pedal comes up. If you attempt to press both at the same time neither pedal will move as they are hooked together. Instead of a single pedal running fore and aft along the axis of the tractor, think of them as a single pedal running left and right. This placement has your foot more vertical, and less horizontal. Yes it is different, but it is very easy to get used to and use. I cannot say I "prefer" it, but now that I have used both, I cannot say one is better than the other, they are just different. After you operate for a while, both will be totally forgotten and pushed to some far recess of your autonomic functioning like breathing. I hope this has eased some of your apprehension about the dual pedal, as I can certainly relate to that apprehension, but it is unfounded. Good Luck

James K0UA

 

[IXLR8]

James,
Thanks, do you find you have the same precision of movement with the dual pedals? Or is this a function of getting use to the dual pedals. I just can't picture the dual pedals being as precise.

 

[kiotiken]

I much prefer the dual pedal design over the rocker style, but it's probably a personal preference. As far as the precision, dual pedal gives you the same precision as a rocker style IMO, but the HST on the DK is much more responsive than it is on the CK. There's no doubt in my mind, the HST is going to be an improvement and give you as much or more control, you'll just have to get used to it.

The DK also has the brake on the left hand side with no clutch pedal. This means you can actually use the steering brakes to make tighter turns if you need to. Even though it's bigger, I actually think the DK is more maneuverable than the CK.

As far as the rest of the tractor goes, it's just way more tractor with a lot me bells and whistles and the FEL is fantastic. I don't regret trading my CK30 to DK45 at all.

 

[IndyIan]

Having only used the dual pedal hst, I can't say which is better. But I find the HST is very precise, and able to creep at very low speeds. Plus on a steep hill you can lightly hold the brakes and move forward and back an inch at a time.

 

[k0ua]

James,
Thanks, do you find you have the same precision of movement with the dual pedals? Or is this a function of getting use to the dual pedals. I just can't picture the dual pedals being as precise.

They are extremely precise, as is the single pedal, Now I am comparing to the Kubota L3400hst. I have never driven the CK. One thing I notice is the dampener on the Kubota is more rapid, in other words more jerky. The DK35 I have is more damped or smooth transitioning from forward to reverse. This is one of the things the Grand L Kubota's allow the operator to change on the fly with an adjustment knob. On the Standard L like my previous L3400hst. it was set to fast and is fixed. On the Grand L you can change the responsiveness of the dampening from rapid (jerky transitions) to slow (very smooth transitions). Some of the Kubota BX series is so rapid that people complain about it as just being dangerously jerky. The L3400hst was fine, the DK35se hst is fine, but they are different. But as for being able to creep and make precise movement, no problem, either work great. It is uncanny what you can do with a Hydrostatic transmission, things you can never do with a geared transmission when it comes to grading, and smoothing with the bucket or blade. I wish I could have you out to play an hour in my gravel pile, and you could get a feel yourself for what it can do.. It did take me a good 8 hours of operating before I felt entirely comfortable with it, Of course when something is ingrained in you, and then you change to an entirely different way of doing that, it takes a bit, but now, absolutely no thought is given to movement of the tractor, it becomes a part of you. I just came in a few hours ago, from repairing a ditch and making precise movements to move some large rocks and some dirt, and the tractor movement was/is fully automatic. Right hand on the joystick for the FEL, left on the wheel, and I suppose my right foot is doing something to make the tractor move back and forth hundreds of times in a short period, but it is not on a conscious level.


James K0UA

 

[IXLR8]

James,
Thank you for your detailed responses. I guess our next step is to find 6+ hrs of time and take SWMBO to the dealer for a test drive to see what we think of the dual pedal setup in person.