Does Kioti and Kubota make the same tractor?

Anonymous Poster · Jul 1, 2003

Hi, I have heard from the dealer that Kubota split from the Kioti company at one time. When you buy a Kubota or Kioti your buying the same design and set-up. Is there much diffients between the two?

Thanks, John.

Anonymous Poster · Jul 1, 2003

Ha, HA, HA...

Heck, I don't know...but I would bet BIG money that this is not true. Kubota is a Japanese company...Kioti...I think Korean but am not sure.

I don't mean to say Kiioti is bad or anything like that...but this just sounds like something I would say if I were a Kioti saleman...trying to suck in a potential Kubota customer...

Now let the experts speak up!

SageBrush · Jul 1, 2003

I was wondering about the Kioti family tree too.

The two brands are different in some places, like engines. But they do look alike in some of the castings. The Korean looks like an older bota. I think Kubota is older. Maybe Kioti is the Korean answere to Kubota? They do look like they come from the same family tree. Kioti is trying to look like a Kubota... hence the color. I've been told there is no present affiliation, but who really knows anymore.

Kioti came to America in 1985.

Anonymous Poster · Jul 1, 2003

Hi, I got my information from a owner of a Kubota dealer and he said Kubota split away from Kioti and formed there own company. It started out with two bothers and one started Kubota and the other stayed with Kioti.

Henro right about Kioti and Kubota. Question would you have a Toyota car over a KIA car?

rtimgray · Jul 1, 2003

Way back in the day (about 1990) I went to a dealership that picked up Kioti as a sideline, and I got the old line about Kioti had bought some of Kubotas old castings and were making basically old Kubota tractors. I've heard stuff off and on, but I think the long and the short of it is that the closest that the two companies come to being related is that their current offerings in America are both orange. I am sure that each other are aware of the other's existence and may copy features from each other, but I bet they probably copy features from other tractors too.

When I bought my new Kioti DK 45, I went to Little Tractor in Metropolis, IL and threw out the bait to James Little - "Hey, aren't these tractors the same as Kubota?" He didn't even bite a little, and said that they share no similarity, no long lost brothers that split, no engineer that got mad/fired and took designs to Korea/Japan, no industrial espionage and stolen designs; they are just two different tractor companies.

If I further understand, and I've just heard this from time to time, the Korean tractor companies (Daedong, TYM, Kukje (sp?)) are more closely related to each other than any of the Japanese tractor companies.

Also from what I gather, there is a lawsuit currently going on, being waged by Kubota against Kioti due to color and hood design (?) - I really don't know where that's going, but I don't think it's having an ill affect on Kioti.

There have been many, and probably will be many more, posts and conversations concerning Kioti vs. Kubota. In my shopping, I got a DK 45 from several thousand dollars less than a comparable Kubota, plus with a dealer that was willing to bend over backwards to help (Little Tractor) vs. a Kubota dealer that was really only interesting in selling me the M4900 2wd he had on his lot, when I repeatedly said I had to have a 4wd. There was a fella who posted probably a year ago that bought a Kubota MX5000 for a little less than my DK 45, and they are pretty close tractors I think, so actual pricing of Kiotis and Kubotas can and will probably vary widely based upon location and dealers. However, in my inspections, Kioti sacrifices nothing in quality, fit and finish, power, etc. to Kubota, so I don't think that Kioti is a step down from a Kubota at all.

As far as the Kia vs. Toyota thing, I knew some folks that had a few of the early Kia's and they weren't real happy. However, several of the folks I work with now own Kia's and are thrilled to death - after all, they've had them for three years and still have seven years of warranty left. When Toyota came to America, I don't think it enjoyed the reputation of quality that it currently carries. Kia and Hyundai (how do you spell that, anyway) have definately raised their level, I don't know about Daewoo - I don't see too many of them and I don't even know where the closest dealer is.

Long story short - Kubota makes an excellent tractor. Kioti makes an excellent tractor, but I don't think they share a family tree. Pick your models, pick your dealers, compare your featurs, compare your prices, pick your tractor.

Then come back and thumb your nose at the brand you didn't choose....just kidding.

Take it Easy

Tim Gray

markie61 · Jul 1, 2003

( Does Kioti and Kubota make the same tractor? )
 NO!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

chim · Jul 1, 2003

Nope. The Same tractor is Italian. Kioti and Kubota don't help them...............chim

http://www.same-tractors.com/eng/storia.html

knucklehead · Jul 4, 2003

Chim - hee hee hee

Or weren't you joking?

DavidJ · Jul 4, 2003

I read that Kubota has filed suit against Kioti for using the orange color and for eluding that they were connected somehow.

chim · Jul 4, 2003

Awww, I thought I'd have some fun with a play on words. SAME is a real company, and I thought there may be some people who didn't know they existed and would get a kick out of it..................chim

CountryBoy · Jul 4, 2003

I would like to have a crawler tractor they make.

MLB · Jul 4, 2003

Korean products USUALLY start out as copies of existing, usually Japanese products.
THe cars were originally thought of as comparable to 10 y/o Japanese cars, (design and build quality), now they are much closer. Looks that way with tractors too.

popeye · Jul 4, 2003

So the Japanese copy U.S. then Koreans copy Japanese. So who copys the Koreans or the Japanese?
Mike

Dewave · Jul 4, 2003

As someone who has lived in Korea for 2 years and Japan for 1 year I can say your observation is understandable but would be very insulting to any japanese or korean. It's like saying aren't the Hatfields and McCoys actually related to each other. There's a lot of history between the two thats goes back hundreds of years. And none of it good.

The Korean Kioti company is taking away market share from Kubota and you can believe Kioti took aim on Kubota as their prime target. But can ya prove it, i think not. But ya can deface Kioti a little with a lawsuit. Will they win, nope, but thats not the point. As the years go by you will see different strategies being played out by the 2, I'm waiting on the price war to start.

Koreans and the Japanese copy anything and everything that is sucessfull and if they are sucessful at selling the item then they change it a little and call it their own.

And as for Daewoo, it is one of or the largest company over there. Everywhere you look you see Daewoo. Come to think of it I've never seen a toyota in korea or a hyundai in japan,lol.

Alan L. · Jul 4, 2003

No, they aren't related. I don't know anything about Kioti tractors other than before I bought my Kubota, I looked at a used Kioti. The owner told me it was "made by Kubota".

Kioti might make a fine tractor, but they have benefited largely on Kubota's reputation. Either a brilliant move, or not very smart, depending on how the lawsuit turns out.

It wouldn't bother me if Kioti wins the lawsuit, because we can all stand all the competition among manufacturers as we can get.

40Kchicks · Jul 4, 2003

If I was going to copy a color it sure wouldn't be kubota orange. How about a nice blue, red, or green. That kubota orange takes some getting used to. With only 26hours on mine I'm not there yet.

Just a side note.
Eric

Henro · Jul 4, 2003

( So the Japanese copy U.S. then Koreans copy Japanese. So who copys the Koreans or the Japanese?
Mike )

Unfortunately, that is the way it used to be...

Now it is more like the Americans copy the Japanese, the Koreans copy...

At least as far as making a quality product goes...

We're still pretty good on the high tech side though...

Just the way it is...not in all cases naturally, but many...

slowrev · Jul 4, 2003

And the Chinese copy everybody /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

TresCrows · Jul 5, 2003

There is absolutely no relationship between Kubota and Kioti. If there were it would not bother me but the fact is there is no relationship now or in the past, what the future holds is only a guess. I am surprised how people fall for this "legend". J

kokopelli2 · Jul 5, 2003

oh there are plenty of hyundai and Daewoo in Japan, you dont see them too much becuase they are driven by the young kids with know money or they are little ag trucks.
but you are right ihave never seen a toyota in korea.

the japenese in general have not creativity, this is why all of their design centers are in california. the japanese are great at taking something and making it better and cheaper, take the VCR, or the 35 MM camera, the CD player, all things american made better by the japanese.