From a Kubota B2601 to Kioti CX2510. Am I nuts?

[mikester]

Follow up with with this post every year! In 5 years! Good write up

 

[Robin Veerman]

I did have a little oopsie with it already at the 4-hour mark. I might start a thread about that too

Inquiring minds want to know….
Nice tractor by the way!!

 

[mulespb]

Hello Everyone:

I have been a Kubota owner for quite a few years, starting with a BX2380 and now a B2601. I loved my BX2380 and ended up with about 350 hours on it before selling and upgrading to the B2601. I had 1.5 acres when I owned the BX2380, but now own 22 acres of all woods. I have cut some trails through it with a four-foot bush hog and I also have a gravel driveway that is 450+ ft long that I maintain and keep clear of snow (last year was brutal with the amount of snow we received up here). I also use the tractor for moving cut logs for firewood and all-around chores for a property of that size.

BUT... There are a couple of things that drive me nuts about the B2601.
1.) It has an engine vibration between 1700 and 2200 rpm that drives me nuts. It has been to the dealer twice for it, and the last time they did a thorough check and determined that is normal. I do believe them due to my history with the dealer. So, nothing can be done about it and I need to live with it, or do I?!
2.) The second issue, albeit extremely small, is the rubber on the operator's platform. It is very thin (way thinner than the BX2380) and it scoots around when getting on and off of the tractor.
3.) The SSQA attach points on the loader are easy to "tweak." I actually bent one of mine by trying to get my forks on that were not sitting on level ground. The tube that runs between them is not very robust, IMHO. The Kioti seems to be better built in that regard.
4.) I do not care for the loader control lever placement at all. The BX2380 was significantly better in this regard. The B2601 has this abomination of a lever system that does not feel natural. Along with that, I have a medical condition that limits my ability to turn my head to the left. Therefore, whenever I back up, I turn to the right and therefore swing my legs a little to the right. This results in my right leg hitting the loader control lever as it snakes up from under the seat and along the right fender. This results in the bucket emptying (usually) or going all the way down until I am back dragging the loader bucket, LOL. I need to lock the loader control system if I want to guarantee that will not happen.

So, this prompted me to stop by the local Kioti dealer to check out the CX2501. The first thing is that cab! Did I mention that I am allergic to the cold (no, seriously. I have a condition called cold-induced urticaria. My brother has it too.). It was windy and cold the day that I took the Kioti for a drive, and having that cab was incredible.

But, I do have some concerns. First is the two-speed HST. I use the medium setting on my Kubota a lot. The low on the Kioti might be decent for most of my work, but I found the Kioti gutless in high. That is a concern of mine.
Second, the dealer (salesman) kept referring to a hydraulic leak on these CX2510 that allows the bucket to roll (dump) while the tractor is running. He acted like this was the case for all the new CX2510's. Not sure if it is an issue or not.
The salesman is somewhat of a BS'er, so that really turns me off, but the store manager is very nice and I also personally know the director of sales for all of their stores. He has been a friend of the family for 30+ years and ironically is my SIL's uncle.

They want just a little over $27k for this machine and are allowing $18.5k on my Kubota for trade, which is exactly what I paid for it.

Am I nuts to switch to Kioti? I am a little afraid of going from a very established and well-known brand to a brand that is not so much.

Yes you are nuts...I've had great luck with my 2 Kubotas (L3400HST and L4400HST) but terrible luck with my RX6010. Stay away from Kioti

 

[MarkMac]

I’m loving my CX2510. It’s a stout little guy. For it’s size, it dominates the equivalent Deere & Kubota.

Admittedly, Deere & Kubota have size/weight ranges where they dominate too.

 

[JurassicJet]

Yes you are nuts...I've had great luck with my 2 Kubotas (L3400HST and L4400HST) but terrible luck with my RX6010. Stay away from Kioti

I got rid of that vibrating and shaking Kubota. Could not be happier with my Kioti, although I have minimal hours on it so far.

 

[Advil]

How about the 2 HST gear ranges? You said that was your biggest concern. Happy with it?

On our CK4010 (same frame as CK2610/CK2620) The 3 speed ranges cover everything about perfect.

 

[Tractor Brad]

I got rid of that vibrating and shaking Kubota. Could not be happier with my Kioti, although I have minimal hours on it so far.

How do you like the 2 range? I have a CK4010se cab and looking at getting a b2601 or a CX2510. My main concern is the 2 range trans.

We have 3 acres and are all done using the big tractor for clean up and need something smaller

 

[kozal01]

No, I dont think you're crazy but Im also biased as I have a CX. I looked at all the brands, all had their good and bad points to me (except LS, hated those) but I just couldn't get over the price of the Kubotas and JD's, especially when comparing capacities in the CX frame size, you get a lot more tractor for the money with Kioti. Although I dont have much to compare it to I havent had any issues with the 2 speed HST, but I am not doing any field work either. Im glad to hear you love yours and Im sure you will continue to. Other than the loader float issue (detent needs to be greased, factory skimps on that) I had which lead to a broken loader control block (my fault) mine has been great, extremely capable.

 

[JurassicJet]

How do you like the 2 range? I have a CK4010se cab and looking at getting a b2601 or a CX2510. My main concern is the 2 range trans.

We have 3 acres and are all done using the big tractor for clean up and need something smaller

The two-speed HST is a little disappointing, but I knew that going into my purchase. The high range is really only useful for traveling from A to B, and even at that, the terrain must be nearly level. For example, the road past my driveway has a hill on it, and even at full throttle, the tractor will not climb that hill at full forward speed. I need to back off of the forward travel speed a tad.
However, I should also point out that transitioning from high range to low range is absolutely effortless, as long as you don't try to do it while moving (unless you are good at meshing gears on the fly, which I would not recommend).
I really like the Kioti. It is built better than Kubota, in my opinion. The Kioti feels so much more stout, and there are standard features, such as the level bucket indicator, that are an option on the Kubota. In fact, I priced out a 33hp Kubota the other day, and apples to apples, the Kubota was $40k versus the $27k I paid for the Kioti.
Due to the injector timing, I had to take mine to the dealer, but they worked on it and didn't cost me a dime.
I have a document written up highlighting the pros and cons of the Kioti vs Kubota. I should start a new thread and post that. If this tractor had five more horses, it would be perfect. I plan on fixing that issue in the future.

 

[kozal01]

The two-speed HST is a little disappointing, but I knew that going into my purchase. The high range is really only useful for traveling from A to B, and even at that, the terrain must be nearly level. For example, the road past my driveway has a hill on it, and even at full throttle, the tractor will not climb that hill at full forward speed. I need to back off of the forward travel speed a tad.
However, I should also point out that transitioning from high range to low range is absolutely effortless, as long as you don't try to do it while moving (unless you are good at meshing gears on the fly, which I would not recommend).
I really like the Kioti. It is built better than Kubota, in my opinion. The Kioti feels so much more stout, and there are standard features, such as the level bucket indicator, that are an option on the Kubota. In fact, I priced out a 33hp Kubota the other day, and apples to apples, the Kubota was $40k versus the $27k I paid for the Kioti.
Due to the injector timing, I had to take mine to the dealer, but they worked on it and didn't cost me a dime.
I have a document written up highlighting the pros and cons of the Kioti vs Kubota. I should start a new thread and post that. If this tractor had five more horses, it would be perfect. I plan on fixing that issue in the future.

I forgot about the timing thing, mine had to be fixed too after about 20 hours but it was back in a day and runs quieter and smoother than ever. Im at 80 hours now.

 

[js5020]

I must be missing something with the 2 speed/ 3 speed hydro? I test drove the CX and the CK and thought the 3 speed hydro was on the order of my old gear drive machine with 3 gear ranges with the lowest range pretty much never used.

 

[JurassicJet]

I must be missing something with the 2 speed/ 3 speed hydro? I test drove the CX and the CK and thought the 3 speed hydro was on the order of my old gear drive machine with 3 gear ranges with the lowest range pretty much never used.

The CK has a 3-speed hydro, but the CX only has a 2-speed. My Kubota B2601 had a 3-speed, and I operated in Medium most of the time. I operate the CX2510 in low range most of the time. It really is fast enough for most tasks. I occasionally shift to high to transverse the yard, but that is about it.

 

[big bubba]

given your application, i can't imagine anything less than 35-40 hp. i'd be looking at least to L series. to me dragging logs in the woods with a 25+ hp tractor may exceed safety limits. go bigger

 

[Advil]

Depends on what you are doing with it and how it's geared. To keep a really long post shorter:

I've put my CK through a lot of every use now and all 3 of the speed ranges are necessary to get the full work out of the tractor.

Low and 4wd is all but required when scooping big buckets of dirt from an old pile. Also for ground engagement with the box blade. And for moving our larger trailers.

Medium does all normal weight work and gets you from A to B in good time. Forking, grappling, repositioning, light towing, general movement. Whatever.

High is the only one I'd consider sort of expendable, but when I have to cross the entire property or go a quarter mile down the road... it saves a ton of time. I find myself using it more than expected. And yes it hates going up steep hills in this gear, that's not what it's for.


As for size... I move small trees and big ones cut into 8ft sections frequently. Wouldn't want anything smaller for that job that's for sure.

 

[Ricn]

keep what you have or get the L series in higher HP.