Hydrostatic drive slow to respond on cold start-up.

[Mousefield]

Guys, read the freaking manual. You are always supposed to let these things warm up for a certain amount of time based on outside temp. It's not so much the temperature as it is fluid pressures accumulating in the drive sections of the HST trans. This isn't a Honda civic, you need to give the juices a minute to start flowing.

You are right Highbeam, got out my manual and copied it. guess it's a good thing I'm always giving it a few minutes to warm up.

 

[Infinite Wisdom]

For the first two years of ownership, my Kioti ck30 HST would operate promptly and quietly after a few minutes of warm-up.

NOW, at about 42 months, it takes many minutes for the hydro to want to move the tractor no matter the temperature outside.

Some of the above descriptions suggest this may be normal. Am I understanding these comments correctly? For comparison, I have a Mitsubishi built Mahindra and it it very quick to engage the Hydro even in very cold temps.

 

[RickB]

For the first two years of ownership, my Kioti ck30 HST would operate promptly and quietly after a few minutes of warm-up.

NOW, at about 42 months, it takes many minutes for the hydro to want to move the tractor no matter the temperature outside.

Some of the above descriptions suggest this may be normal. Am I understanding these comments correctly?

When was your most recent hydraulic oil and filter change?

 

[Infinite Wisdom]

I'm embarrassed to admit that the Kioti only has 30 hours on it. Therefore it has not had a hydraulic oil / filter change yet.

Not long after I bought the tractor my job took me out of town for months at a time. This pattern continued until this past October. On my short visits home only rarely did I use this tractor. For the few chores around the house I used our little Mahindra.

 

[RickB]

Then your tractor's performance is normal for one in that state of neglect.

 

[Infinite Wisdom]

Thanks "Super" for the well informed, insightful, helpful response.

 

[RickB]

Thanks "Super" for the well informed, insightful, helpful response.

It was exactly that IF you don't think a filter change at a minimum and ideally a filter and oil change won't help your concerns. You have a 4 year accumulation of condensation and other contaminants in your hydraulic system.
OR, if you just want to complain about your "new" tractor, that's fine, too.

 

[Infinite Wisdom]

My initial inquiry was a request for guidance and/or specific suggestions.

Other, earlier posters had suggested that what I'm observing with this tractor may be normal. I'm looking for some additional confirmation of that or Kioti specific direction. Perhaps it is best that I request responses just from owners of similar model Kioti tractors.

I'm not complaining about my tractor. I know it to be a fine machine.

Again "Super", thanks for taking a shot at it.

 

[jenkinsph]

I'm embarrassed to admit that the Kioti only has 30 hours on it. Therefore it has not had a hydraulic oil / filter change yet.

Not long after I bought the tractor my job took me out of town for months at a time. This pattern continued until this past October. On my short visits home only rarely did I use this tractor. For the few chores around the house I used our little Mahindra.

Forget all the drama and change the hydraulic filter, see if that improves the operation. I would look for water in the oil and I would cut open this filter to see what is in it if anything. I would recommend getting the whole tractor warmed up and run it for a few hours under load. More frequent use would be better for the tractor overall.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hydraulics are affected by temperature and from what I heard from the pipeline guys in Alaska extreme temps often meant equipment was kept running for days/weeks/months at a time.

There is often a cold weather synthetic fluid with a broader operating spectrum but it costs more.

The foreman at the dealership where I bought my tractor said I was doing my tractor a favor by letting it warm up a little before making it work in cold temperature.

With few hours over the length of ownership it could very well have some moisture in a system that seldom gets hot enough to get rid of any.

I was worried at just how hot my fluid would get working all day with temps around 95...

Not a bad idea to check the strainer/replace the filter just to eliminate that possibility...

What does the manual say about change interval and fluid selection?