Kioti DK40SE vs MF 1635

[lubepimp]

My question: Was the Massey thumb hydraulic too?

I wouldn't be swayed too much by a few negative or positive comments about OOB issues. IMO, a lot of the leaks and loose bolts we hear about reflect as much a dealer's setup as o'all build quality.

As for comments from members such as CM, GMan, & TSO, understand that these fellas really know their stuff and have done their homework on the brands they mention. (well, they've owned and still own them ...)

That said, it seems the best bang for buck tractors are what's on the table and I'm just glad I don't have to make such a tough decision. Between the several makes & models discussed herein, I hardly think a guy would be disappointed if he chose only by color at this point.

Dealer support really comes into play if you break stuff & if you do it a lot you won't be their favorite customer for long. Buy what looks & feels right. I'm all NH and Deere (have had 2 ea so far..) and it was features & ergonomics that put me there vs sage advice, or they'd be Kioti & LS. (well, that color thing, too ... ) :2cents:

(Coyote, MIE has my digging tooth ready to be picked up ... and a SSQA grapple too. Yeah, those guys are great & I'm only 1/2 hr away from them. )

LOL, I've been reading all the posts from CM, Gman and TCO...started this specific thread hoping they would all respond and help me out!

 

[GManBart]

2 things I noticed about the Massey: HST seemed "whiney", and the loader control seemed to get in the way if I wanted to get in on the RHS. I discounted both because, well...it's a MF. I think maybe I'm too biased to begin with? I hate to leave it to my wife to decide.

Does anybody think the lower HP MF is going to be an issue with what I've listed as my tasks?

I wouldn't worry too much about the HST whine. It seems some individual machines are a bit worse about that than others, and there are some cases where a specific transmission range/engine RPM combination causes more whine. I don't think it's the kind of thing that will bother you in the long term.

The Loader lever in the way may be a bit more annoying if you want to get on from the right, but the pedals are always going to be in the way, and it's honestly not the smartest way to mount the tractor anyway. One good slip and you can fall off the machine while hitting the HST pedals, and it could get ugly....they seat cutoff will kill the engine, but it will have moved a bit before that happens.

I don't think the Massey would slow you down too much compared with the DK, but I would expect it would limit you to slightly smaller implements, and the loader isn't going to be nearly as capable. That's simply a function of it being a slightly smaller platform, not a good/bad thing.

The reality is you're getting by without any tractor right now, so anything is going to let you do all kinds of things you couldn't previously. If you like red, and it'll make you happy....get one. If you're more worried about outgrowing the MF, and the time to complete tasks is a higher priority, go with the Kioti. Most of us are pretty torn between one or two machines when we buy, and you can debate it forever, but the good thing is that there are lots of good choices, and both machines you're looking at are very nice.

As a separate issue, the review section here on TBN seems to be less popular than the individual forums for posting threads about new machines. If you look at the first 50 reviews in the Kioti, LS, and MF sections, there were 7 under 4 stars (green) for Kioti, 3 for LS, and 10 for MF. I don't think that means much...I would sort through and look for the models you're considering, and see how they shake out that way. I'd also do a search for the model number in the sub-forum and see if anybody is reporting problems with it there.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Just a random thought here on the backhoe thumb. It the difference really is $1,500, I'd save the $$ and use it to buy a grapple for the FEL. The grapple can pick up the rocks and will be a lot more useful for other tasks than a backhoe thumb.