Crocky

[BobG_in_VA]

Ya know, I hate to say this, but you better send these guys a certified letter. Spell out the events as they happened, concluding with the "handshake" deal. Then add the part about the "Mistake" on their part after they put all the time and money in it with grapple, etc. Then conclude with, either: We had a deal, now you follow thru with your end of it and I'll pay the exact amount we agreed to.... or 2nd: Yeah, OK you screwed up....I'm gonna let you off the hook, but I want a letter back from you saying no charge to me at all. What I'm saying here is what are you gonna do if the guy sends you a bill for the grapple??? Pre-emptive First strike is always the best way to handle this rather than playing catch up later. BobG in VA

 

[curly]

Ya know, I hate to say this, but you better send these guys a certified letter. Spell out the events as they happened, concluding with the "handshake" deal. Then add the part about the "Mistake" on their part after they put all the time and money in it with grapple, etc. Then conclude with, either: We had a deal, now you follow thru with your end of it and I'll pay the exact amount we agreed to.... or 2nd: Yeah, OK you screwed up....I'm gonna let you off the hook, but I want a letter back from you saying no charge to me at all. What I'm saying here is what are you gonna do if the guy sends you a bill for the grapple??? Pre-emptive First strike is always the best way to handle this rather than playing catch up later. BobG in VA

Good point

But there's nothing written anywhere. If they try to do that...then aren't they saying we had a deal, I'll just tell them OK, give me the tractor.

 

[Dmace]

Tomorrow morning I'm going to look at a Kioti DK35. I'm depressed that I have to go through this again...and also that the machine I end up with is gonna be less horespower than what I thought I was getting.

The Kioti DK35 is only 0.7 engine hp less than the L3400 and 0.7 PTO hp less. I would bet they are the same but it's all in the way it was measured.

The Kioti has a higer lift capacity on the FEL (1,350 vs 1,142 at the pins) and higher lift (103.5" vs 95.3").

It depends on your intended use, wether you want a heavier tractor or not. The Kioti weighs 3,475lbs whereas the Kubota is just 2,600. Good if you are mowing a lot but I doubt it with such a large tractor.

Either way, you can't go wrong with a Kioti. I wouldn't think of it as a downgrade from the Kubota but a less expensive alternative.

 

[IslandTractor]

Bummer dude on the Montana. Doesn't sound particularly fishy though just sounds like a truly stupid mistake by the dealer.

Good luck with your search for a new new tractor. Nothing wrong with the Kioti DK35se but check out the DK40se with much stonger FEL (KL401) for not much more money. The other differences are larger tires and a bit more ground clearance in addition to a 41hp engine. I went looking for a DK35 as I really did not need 41hp but the loader issue pushed me over the edge and I now have a DK40se. Lift at pivot pins with the KL401 is 2700+lbs to full height which is pretty impressive. Comes in real handy if you are planning to use a grapple.

 

[curly]

Yeah, I test drove the DK40se today and talked to the owner about prices etc. This may be the one. There are really a lot of great tractors out there and it is a huge decision trying to figure out which one

I was totally happy with the Montana (well yeah, I was apparantly stealing it at $13,200 with a fel ) and now I am equally happy with the Kioti...more so that the dealer is a lot closer and has been there for many many years.

And now that I've read every post I could find on grapples, I realize that I don't need the heavy duty WRLong grapple at $2300. Plus, I didn't realize how much it weighed and how important that was too. I'm such a smarter shopper now after all of this tractor education I've had recently.

 

[curly]

Didn't I say I was now a smarter shopper? Well, maybe not.

After the really stupid mistake those people made on my Montana...I decided to not just leave them stuck with a grapple that would be hard to sell. So I found out from WRLong that it was a relatively easy fix to change the grapple from a pin install to a skid steer. So I told them that I'd still take it if they made that change. They were gonna do it, but called me today and said it looks like 1/2 days work to do that and if I'd just take this other grapple that they have on the yard that's already skid steer, it would really help them out. It's also a 6 ft and I wanted a 5 ft originally.

Here's the website for the grapple. Anyone ever heard of this company?
Oliver & Dahlman, Tractor & Skid Steer Attachments

I'm about ready to just tell them to forget it and have a second grapple rusting on their lot.

 

[Don R.]

They are seriously dropping the ball. The son just screwed up big time on the quote and nobody caught it.

They said they would call corporate and tell them how they screwed up and see if corp would cut a couple grand off to help them out, and if I then agreed to increase my price a couple of grand then we would still be able to make it work. I said I was willing, but then corp wouldn't help them (they probably just laughed at them) so that was that.

Then, I would absolutely refuse to deal with either this dealer or that manufacturer in any shape, form, or fashion. The deal was made, and while you did not sign papers, I come from an area and an era where a man's word meant something.

As another poster commented, I don't have an exactl solution, but the one I have has a definite "orange" tint.

 

[curly]

Well, I got the orange tractor...Kioti DK55, but the grapple that was made for the Montana 4540 is still sitting at the lot where the Montana still is. I reckon I may just have to let em have it

 

[Dmace]

Well, I got the orange tractor...Kioti DK55, but the grapple that was made for the Montana 4540 is still sitting at the lot where the Montana still is. I reckon I may just have to let em have it

Welcome to the Pack!

Post about your purchase along with some pictures in the Kioti forum when you can.

 

[IslandTractor]

After the really stupid mistake those people made on my Montana...I decided to not just leave them stuck with a grapple that would be hard to sell. So I found out from WRLong that it was a relatively easy fix to change the grapple from a pin install to a skid steer. So I told them that I'd still take it if they made that change. They were gonna do it, but called me today and said it looks like 1/2 days work to do that and if I'd just take this other grapple that they have on the yard that's already skid steer, it would really help them out. It's also a 6 ft and I wanted a 5 ft originally..

I would vote no. A six foot grapple is too big unless your only task is scooping up lots of slash after logging or something like that. For general use you want a grapple that is smaller than your bucket. I am perfectly happy with a 4ft grapple even though I have a 6ft bucket. I am aware of the "guy" thing regarding liking things to be big but if you think about the actual uses of a grapple there are significant advanatages to a lighter and narrower grapple and very few advantages to one that is as big as your standard bucket. Just remember, it's not the size of the grapple but the fury of the attack!