I purchased a new DK 4720 Kioti in June and that dealer was about 150 miles away. I didnt give it much thought as I had never had real issues with a brand new tractor and I do all my routine maintenance. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
The new Kioti turned out to be a lemon within the first 6 hours of use with a hydraulic leak at the trumpet housing, cavitation in the steering column hydraulics, chatter in the 3 point hitch and a coolant leak.
I asked for a replacement and they said they’d have to verify the issues. Therefore, I brought the tractor to another dealer that was 50 miles away for verification. They then complained that they would have to see it. I drove over 3 hours to get it there. I left it there, They fixed the leaks and never called me. When I called for an update they said it had been fixed. I picked it up and took their word for it. As it turned out, they didn’t repair the cavitation issue. When I told them about it, they said to just bring it back. They refused to replace it as they had promised And only offered a trade in value for $6,500 less than what I paid.
I wasn’t about to continue driving back and forth 3 hr each way. The dealer that was 50 miles away didn’t have a clue. Therefore, I traded it in for a new Kubota and the dealer is 7 miles from me. Ironically enough, the new Kubota had a steering valve that needed replacement and it was done in a day with very little driving back and forth.
I’m now convinced about having a reputable dealer close by… enough of that 6hr round trip nonsense with unreliable service.
I was really surprised about the Kioti as I had one back in 2009 that was flawless. I liked everything about it, but the new DK 4720 wasn’t a reliable machine.