I sat out last fall to find a new tractor to replace our aging Yanmar F16D. I had a pretty good idea of what I was after, so I narrowed my choices to my three closest dealers - John Deere, Kubota and Kioti. I was interested in a Yanmar, but the local dealer had no inventory and wasn't receiving any until April 2016 at the earliest, so I ruled it out.
I liked all three dealerships, and all of the salesmen were attentive and knowledgeable of their product offerings. I asked them what models of the type that I was looking at they sold most of, and that lead me to my selections.
John Deere 1025R: I really liked this tractor - controls were ergonomic, responsive and I really liked the Yanmar engine. This tractor included the heavier-duty loader (they said they could put on the cheaper loader, but rarely sold it) and a grill guard. Total price for the tractor and loader (and a potato plow) was $14,150.
Kubota BX2370: Ended up as my least favorite that I looked at, but still a nice tractor. The dealer said that they sold these instead of the BX2670 because it was cheaper and they didn't think that the increase in HP was worth the money. Tractor and loader was $13,700.
Kioti CS2410: I liked this tractor a lot. Cold-started well on a very cold day, ran out very nicely, very responsive controls. Tractor and loader was $11,211.
I offered my old Yanmar as a trade, and all of the dealers made comparable offers (between $1750-$2000). I probably could have gotten a little more from a private sale, but on our local Craigslist, there have been several Yanmars on there for months at $2000 (they are older YM models, but otherwise similar), so I thought the trade-in was good enough.
In the end, the decision was relatively easy. I've had a Kioti DK45 since 2001 and it's been a trooper. Parts and service have been a non-issue. I elected to go with the Kioti CS2410 and trade in the Yanmar.
In all honesty, cost aside, the decision between the John Deere and the Kioti would have been a tough one. I really like the JD, the dealership is closer and the salesman was nice. In the end though, the $3000 difference was clearly a deciding factor.
I received the new tractor yesterday afternoon and hid it in one of the barns, because in reality, this tractor is a gift for my wife, who has been using the Yanmar for yard tending duties. Without power steering, loader, and with rice/cane tires, the Yanmar was not particularly well suited for this work. Anyway, I asked her to come to the barn, because I had caught a baby coyote. When she came through the door, she was looking on the floor for a little pup and didn't even see the tractor sitting in the middle of the shop!
I was worried that she might miss the old Yanmar, but she was in love with Kioti immediately. This was her first experience with an HST transmission, and she fell in love with that too.
For now, we're going to couple it with our 4' Kioti finish mower that we had for the Yanmar, but I'm going to go look at a 5' Woods mower that a local fella has for sale.
Anyway, just thought that I would post this to give a quick comparison of the three.
Good luck and take care.
I liked all three dealerships, and all of the salesmen were attentive and knowledgeable of their product offerings. I asked them what models of the type that I was looking at they sold most of, and that lead me to my selections.
John Deere 1025R: I really liked this tractor - controls were ergonomic, responsive and I really liked the Yanmar engine. This tractor included the heavier-duty loader (they said they could put on the cheaper loader, but rarely sold it) and a grill guard. Total price for the tractor and loader (and a potato plow) was $14,150.
Kubota BX2370: Ended up as my least favorite that I looked at, but still a nice tractor. The dealer said that they sold these instead of the BX2670 because it was cheaper and they didn't think that the increase in HP was worth the money. Tractor and loader was $13,700.
Kioti CS2410: I liked this tractor a lot. Cold-started well on a very cold day, ran out very nicely, very responsive controls. Tractor and loader was $11,211.
I offered my old Yanmar as a trade, and all of the dealers made comparable offers (between $1750-$2000). I probably could have gotten a little more from a private sale, but on our local Craigslist, there have been several Yanmars on there for months at $2000 (they are older YM models, but otherwise similar), so I thought the trade-in was good enough.
In the end, the decision was relatively easy. I've had a Kioti DK45 since 2001 and it's been a trooper. Parts and service have been a non-issue. I elected to go with the Kioti CS2410 and trade in the Yanmar.
In all honesty, cost aside, the decision between the John Deere and the Kioti would have been a tough one. I really like the JD, the dealership is closer and the salesman was nice. In the end though, the $3000 difference was clearly a deciding factor.
I received the new tractor yesterday afternoon and hid it in one of the barns, because in reality, this tractor is a gift for my wife, who has been using the Yanmar for yard tending duties. Without power steering, loader, and with rice/cane tires, the Yanmar was not particularly well suited for this work. Anyway, I asked her to come to the barn, because I had caught a baby coyote. When she came through the door, she was looking on the floor for a little pup and didn't even see the tractor sitting in the middle of the shop!
I was worried that she might miss the old Yanmar, but she was in love with Kioti immediately. This was her first experience with an HST transmission, and she fell in love with that too.
For now, we're going to couple it with our 4' Kioti finish mower that we had for the Yanmar, but I'm going to go look at a 5' Woods mower that a local fella has for sale.
Anyway, just thought that I would post this to give a quick comparison of the three.
Good luck and take care.
