Kioti DK4710SE HST Cab - The Right Tractor for Me?

[DK35vince]

My plow use on tractor for 10 years begs to differ with you. No problems. But have to chain up to stop crabbing tractor

Been plowing snow with my loader mounted snow plow for 20 years.
Never an issue, an that's with a 9' power angle snow blade on a 35 HP tractor with chains on all 4

 

[Larry D Johnson]

I've been shopping for a tractor for several years, and I think I've settled on a Kioti DK4710SE HST Cab. I'm just looking for a 2nd opinion before I pull the trigger.

We live in North-Central Idaho, and the tractor's most important purpose will be plowing snow. We have about a month of decent snowfall, with an average of ~55". I'll be plowing a 1/4 mile gravel driveway with a very steep section at the end, plus two concrete parking pads, and a large'ish gravel parking area.

A cab is a must, since I'm sick of getting up early to bundle up and nearly freeze on winter mornings.

I've been plowing with a UTV, but it gets to be a real hassle when we get a single deep snow, or a week or so of drifting, where it becomes close to impossible to keep our driveway clear. The previous homeowners just accepted that they'd be "snowed in" a week or so every year, that's not an option for us. I'm looking for a tractor that can keep up with the drifts, ideally mostly with a plow blade, but with the option of hooking on the loader and moving the snow out that way if necessary (something I've done some winters with a borrowed tractor in the past).

We only have two local dealers, John Deere (gigantic ag-focused dealership where I know from experience your chances of getting any attention as a non-$1-million combine owner during the growing and harvest seasons are exactly 0% ), and Kioti.

I can get the Kioti new for under $35K, with a loader. Which seems to be very competitive for a tractor this capable, with a cab.

My neighbor has the same Kioti with around 250 hours on it, and has been very happy with it, and glowing things to say about the dealer (though, he hasn't needed any service/warranty support).

Beyond plowing, I plan to use the tractor for maintaining the driveway in the summer, mowing our ~15 acres, tilling our large'ish garden, digging post holes (a new fence for that garden is on my ToDo list for next spring) and whatever else I can find to do with it. I've considered a backhoe attachment, but come down at least for now on the side of just renting a mini-ex when I need it, instead of spending $8K on something I probably won't get my money's worth out of.

So, before I pull the trigger:

• Good idea/bad idea?
• Anything that would make the Kioti a bad option for my needs?
• Other brands I should consider?
  • I have Kubota & Mahindra dealers about 1-hour away. Yanmar & LS about 2-hours away.
• Is a hydraulically operated snowplow my best option, or is it worth considering a front-mounted snow-blower (for about 4x the price)?
• Ag or industrial tires? The primary purpose is plowing, but it'd be nice to be able to drive over our lawn without chewing it up too much if that's not too much of a performance sacrifice.

I live in extreme NE Washington and we get snow for sure. I have a DK3510 HST that I use for everything including taking care of a 700' driveway. It has about 300 hours on it and has been an excellent machine.

 

[Fxfymn413]

We generally do not get a lot of snow here, but every once in a while we will get one to two feet. I plow a 3/4 mile long private road as well as several driveways.

Over the years using four different tractors, I have found that the best set up is a blade that is directly mounted to the tractor, not on the loader arms. The primary reason I did not like the loader mounted blade was it sits so far out in front of the tractor that it acts like a lever to move the tractor from side to side if you are trying to push a banking back or if wet stuff accumulates on the blade.

My current set up is a 9' blade hooked to my L4060 cab tractor. I remove the loader and use the loader valve for the power angle function and to lift/float the blade. I also keep my box blade on which is handy to push a bank back as well.

I lived and plowed commercially outside of Boston as well. The most important storm you will plow is the first one. If you do not plan on where you are going to put subsequent snow falls than you are going to be screwed for the rest of the winter. Plow with the storm and I always make one last pass to push the banks back as far as I can.

Here is a pic of my previous set up on the L3430

 

[Williy]

I would think that a snow blower would be better than a
blade as with a blade you has a pile of snow on the side
of your driveway blowing wind will blow the snow over the
pile of snow and then drops back into your drive way now
a snow blower can blow the snow farther away from your
drive way and the wind will blow the snow over the the snow
but it will also not pile up in your drive way like the banks of
snow along side of your driveway.

willy

 

[RidgeHiker]

I have a Kioti DK5010. Amounts of snow vary here from year to year but I can be dealing with a couple feet at a time sometimes. I have a 72" loader bucket on the front and similar width snow blower on the back. The tractor has good weight (with loaded rears) and especially with snow blower on the back and hp to push an impressive amount of snow. I have a different kind of situation than you. Less length, some parking areas to clear, lots of curves, and limited places to push/blow snow in some areas.

If you have lots of room to push the earlier snow further out to the sides leaving room for narrowing the plow sounds great. You can always use your bucket for heavy drifting areas and narrowed places if needed. Snow blower is nice but much slower than plowing. Also a machine with moving parts to maintain. And, just like a 2 wheel blower, they can require unclogging at times, especially in wetter snow. Makes sense to me to forget the blower at this point. Not dissing snow blowers but they aren't always needed.

Don't know what elevation you are at, etc. but am picturing drier, lighter snow up there more often than not which makes it all easier to deal with. Of course that can add to the drifting concern.

The should or shouldn't put a plow on the loader assembly discussion comes up frequently. Have not done it but seems from the responses that though it's possible to damage the loader with the plow it is an uncommon occurence. Plows normally have springs to give if you hit something hard. At the same time I would not be bashing it into heavy frozen berms or putting extra heavy pressure unevenly on one side. The loader on my Kioti appears to be very heavy duty including the mounting. Probably a good idea to get a quality plow set up to protect it. Would definitely not consider the kind that mount onto the bucket.

Am very happy with the Kioti.

 

[Oh Lordy HepMe HepME]

Hey - thanks for the reply and advice.

I think for my needs (assuming I don't spring all the $$s or a snow blower) a curved, quick-attach floating snow blade is what I believe to be my best option. Can adjust the angle from the cab, float over the changing terrain of our driveway and curl the snow up and out the end of the blade to help get it over the piles/drifts on the edge.

I'm sure a box/pusher would be handy for the parking pads and gravel parking area, but I doubt I'll actually go to the trouble of switching it out mid-plow, unless the "quick attach" process is much quicker than I'm imagining.

I agree with others on buying snow blower + anything else you may need later up front since its cheaper to do so with prices going up and up again.
Id also buy more tractor than what I believe I need but thats just me.
Its just way better to have extra power/options and never use it than to need it & not have it and have to buy again.
That tends to bite you in the arse real hard.