Kioti Mechron Owners, Some Questions

[Misfire]

I've test driven two of them and have a few questions for those that own or operate one.

Is the loud clunk when the CVT clutch disengages normal? That's what I experienced during a test ride.

How about belt squeal? Does it go away eventually, or is it perhaps an adjustment issue? I would hope that isn't something you have to learn to live with.

Are there any access hassles due to the engine being located under the seat? I noticed that you have to remove the seat to get to the engine, not simply lift it, since it isn't hinged. It seemed fussy to get it back in place with the seat belts getting in the way.

Any short drivers in your family? My wife is quite short (5 footish). I am concerned about the non-adjustable seat and pedal reach, especially when belted in. Unfortunately, we are not in a position for her to take a test drive.

Do you have any experience with the following accessories, front hitch adapter, winch mount (sans winch), headache rack? Worth the cost? Are there any others that are a must have? I already know I want a top, no matter what brand I buy.

How is the factory service manual, if you have one?

Thanks,
Misfire

 

[KiotiDave]

Hi Misfire,
We work on them with ease. No access problems. We have 4 units out on DEMO and the customers seem to love them. The belt should not squeal and while I have heard the clutch release it is not as pronounced as you seem to be experiencing. The thing I like most on the CVT is that you can coast if you need to on back roads or down hills and around corners. If you have the HST and try to coast you will stop.
There are PROS and CONS on the set-up you choose, but you will not find a unit with more working power in this HP class.
We have a customer who hooked his to a polaris Ranger (back to back) and they hit the juice and pulled the Polaris backward til it blew something the drivetrain in the polaris. He has it on his facebook page. We cannot show it because of the colorful language.
Choose carefully our utility is a cross between fun and work, and work it will...
Dave G.
KiotiDave

 

[Misfire]

Thanks, Dave.

Of the two I drove, the clutch release on one seemed louder than that of the other. The first one was not as loud, I also don't remember the belt squeal on that one. However, it was a very brief drive on the dealer's lot.

The second (noisy) one was an extended drive on and off road at a different dealership. That dealer did not seem to think the noise was unusual. The machine had two hours on it.

 

[patcopaul]

Hi Misfire,
I have a Mechron. It replaces a Kubota B7100D w/ an HST. All-in-all I'm very satisfied with the Mechron. It is much more flexible than the tractor as I don't farm. The Mechron isn't the quietest machine around but it is quieter than the Kubota. The HST whines louder than a Kubota owner when you say anything bad about their macine and that's loud . Neither the Mechron or the Kubota will be as quiet as a gas powered machine but it will be much more powerful and cheaper to operate.
I don't know what the clunk is the you are hearing. I have no such issues. Having said that I can't say I am fond of the CVT. It works fine but it just seems to be something looking for an improvement. The HST is close to a good solution but it is noisy and abrupt. The HST will bang you around with the movement of the gas pedal. Step on it and you GO, take you foot off the pedal and the huge tires actually squalled. It was like smashing on the brake... every time I used it. I didn't like that.
If you want to play get a gas machine... quieter, faster, cheaper. If you want to work get the Mechron, or the Kubota, but add $4000 to the price of a Mechron for the Kubota and as far as I'm concerned that HST isn't $50 better. The rest is about the same.

 

[Misfire]

Thanks Paul.

I have driven the RTV500. I don't find its hydro too abrupt. I don't know about its bigger brothers, though.

I really don't want a gasser, as I hate hauling the stuff. I have no such concerns with diesel fuel. Unfortunately, at my price point it pretty much comes down to the apparently fuel efficient RTV500 or the Mechron, which stretches my top budget by a few hundred bucks. I have ruled out the rest of the gas powered UTVs for one reason or another.

 

[patcopaul]

Misfire,
If you are set on a diesel and budget minded the Mechron is a no-brained. I purchased mine with hydraulic dump bed, all the little skid plate bits, the front winch mount (very hefty) and a few other things that I don't remember as I type this for $11,000. The is nothing else even close to that.
What you get for that 11 grand is superb suspension, huge load capacity, an excellent engine and the construction of a tank. Sure there are cosmetic bits that are plastic but the important parts are very well made.
There is learning curve with the CVT and it isn't the quietest but it is less intrusive than the HST and as usuable. Kubota folks what you to believe that you can't go down hills with a load. Bull! In low range I can safely go down fairly steep grades MUCH slower than I can walk witha full laod, and I'm an old man with a (formerly) broken hip.
The unit isn't very difficult to work on. It is a real commercial machine designed to be worked on. I purchased the shop manual with the unit. It is ok but it is obviously a translation and not the best translation at that but it is understandable.
All-in-all I am very happy with the Mechron. I would recommend it without reservation.
Paul

 

[Misfire]

Again, Paul, thanks. You are very helpful. I am still hoping that an owner with one or more really short family members can chime in and tell me how the Mechron works for them.

Misfire

 

[DrRick]

i just came back from a trip to the ranch where i let my good friends 14 year old daughter drive my mechron and she had no trouble reaching the controls. I have had good luck with mine, and would buy another. The belt squeal is something i have only heard while trying to climb a very steep hill without putting it in low (and i quickly shifted as i did nor want to glaze the belt).

 

[johnk]

Hi Misfire,
We work on them with ease. No access problems. We have 4 units out on DEMO and the customers seem to love them. The belt should not squeal and while I have heard the clutch release it is not as pronounced as you seem to be experiencing. The thing I like most on the CVT is that you can coast if you need to on back roads or down hills and around corners. If you have the HST and try to coast you will stop.
There are PROS and CONS on the set-up you choose, but you will not find a unit with more working power in this HP class.
We have a customer who hooked his to a polaris Ranger (back to back) and they hit the juice and pulled the Polaris backward til it blew something the drivetrain in the polaris. He has it on his facebook page. We cannot show it because of the colorful language.
Choose carefully our utility is a cross between fun and work, and work it will...
Dave G.
KiotiDave

I'd like to see that video of the Kioti pulling the Polaris. Advertisements are staged to begin with...

 

[Bdbrown]

I purchased my mechron in 2011. We drove virtually all other utvs before deciding on this one. I have not been so pleased with it. It is hard to change from drive to reverse or the other way around. I have had shoulder surgery and it really hurts my shoulder. We are now having problems with the CVT. The mechron started to continue to go when you applied the brake. This got scary as I almost hit a tree. My husband took the cvt pulley off and found several parts worn out. It only had 500 hrs on it. We have had a terrible time trying to get instructions on how to fix it. I contacted two different kioti dealers and neither even knew what I was talking about, so we have had to try to figure it out. I also contacted kioti customer service rep and she sent me instructions, but it was the same one that I had already purchased. The instructions that I have call for the cvt pulley to be greased, but doesn't say what with. I would love to talk to someone that has a clue what to do. I like the mechron but probably won't buy another as I have had this problem and no one knows how to fix it. I would have thought the dealers would be more knowledgeable.

 

[DrRick]

i have a mecron and two other friends also have them we have had no problems of any kind on ours. The cvt is the same type as almost every other one out there . I suspect the problem is that the 2 halves of the clutch sheaves are binding on the engine shaft and not allowing them to seperate easily. This happens on car clutches as well. Rust buildup is usually the reason. Any moly type grease would do the trick. .
rick roberts

 

[DrRick]

i have a mecron and two other friends also have them we have had no problems of any kind on ours. The cvt is the same type as almost every other one out there . I suspect the problem is that the 2 halves of the clutch sheaves are binding on the engine shaft and not allowing them to seperate easily. This happens on car clutches as well. Rust buildup is usually the reason. Any moly type grease would do the trick. .
rick roberts

 

[B52]

.

I believe the CVT's for the Mechrons were built by Hoffco/Comet. There was a delay in the introduction of the Mechron back at the beginning because Hoffco/Comet went belly-up (around the end of 2008) and their CVT had been spec'd in by Kioti and suddenly they had no supplier. After a little while Certified Parts Corporation bought out the assets of Comet and resumed manufacture of the CVT's. I was all set to buy a Mechron at the time but the CVT supply situation scared me off. I'm not really sure of their present status. Here's a couple links to Hoffco/Comet's CVT's and the story of Certified Parts buying them.

LINK === > AMToqConvert

LINK === > http://www.certifiedpartscorp.com/CPC_PR_HUF_COM.pdf

.

 

[Interceptor]

I purchased my mechron in 2011. We drove virtually all other utvs before deciding on this one. I have not been so pleased with it. It is hard to change from drive to reverse or the other way around. I have had shoulder surgery and it really hurts my shoulder. We are now having problems with the CVT. The mechron started to continue to go when you applied the brake. This got scary as I almost hit a tree. My husband took the cvt pulley off and found several parts worn out. It only had 500 hrs on it. We have had a terrible time trying to get instructions on how to fix it. I contacted two different kioti dealers and neither even knew what I was talking about, so we have had to try to figure it out. I also contacted kioti customer service rep and she sent me instructions, but it was the same one that I had already purchased. The instructions that I have call for the cvt pulley to be greased, but doesn't say what with. I would love to talk to someone that has a clue what to do. I like the mechron but probably won't buy another as I have had this problem and no one knows how to fix it. I would have thought the dealers would be more knowledgeable.

I've owned a 2011 Mechron for about a year. When I got it it had the same problem where it would keep driving at idle, caused by the primary clutch not disengaging. This will also make it difficult to shift because it's loading the gears. I took the clutch apart and found one of the steel rollers had a flat spot worn on it. Kioti does not sell parts for the clutch, they only sell the whole assembly for about $1000. I have a lathe so I was able to make a new roller. Some other parts looked worn, but with some filing were usable. I lubed everything with dry moly lube before reassembly and it's been working great ever since. The service manual says to grease all moving parts of the clutch except for the belt and pulley surface, I'm going to grease it next time I have it in the shop. Mine doesn't make any squealing or clunking noise. One of the reasons I bought the Mechron is because the clutch worked so well on the one we test drove, and the brand new diesel Ranger we drove was jerky. The Mechron is not the only machine with these problems, you can find similar problems from any of the UTV that use CVT.

.

I believe the CVT's for the Mechrons were built by Hoffco/Comet. There was a delay in the introduction of the Mechron back at the beginning because Hoffco/Comet went belly-up (around the end of 2008) and their CVT had been spec'd in by Kioti and suddenly they had no supplier. After a little while Certified Parts Corporation bought out the assets of Comet and resumed manufacture of the CVT's. I was all set to buy a Mechron at the time but the CVT supply situation scared me off. I'm not really sure of their present status. Here's a couple links to Hoffco/Comet's CVT's and the story of Certified Parts buying them.

LINK === > AMToqConvert

LINK === > http://www.certifiedpartscorp.com/CPC_PR_HUF_COM.pdf

.

According to the service manual there were two different clutches used. A Commet type (Comet?) and a TGB type (Taiwan Golden Bee). They spell Commet with two M's, I assume it is a mistake and they mean Comet. The Commet type has four rollers (poor design), the TGB type has three rollers. My 2011 has the Commet type. I could not find any aftermarket or other OEM clutch of this design, though the Comet 108 4-Pro looks similar. In any case it mounts on what seems to be a standard taper, I don't think it would be very difficult to find an alternative that fits, or worst case make a new flange/shaft to mount the clutch of choice. One would need to decide if it's worth spending $1000 for a Kioti replacement or $400 plus possible machine work to fit a different clutch. If mine ever needs replacement I'll be looking at adapting something different.

If anyone needs the service manual for the Mechron it can be found for free in pdf format. It has a pretty good section on CVT troubleshooting and adjustment.
Mechron 2200 Repair Manual

 

[DK35vince]

Kioti does not sell parts for the clutch, they only sell the whole assembly for about $1000.

I don't know if that's true, that replacement parts can't be bought for the clutch.
But if it is, that's just lame. It would prevent me from ever buying a Mechron.
I have owned many belt driven snowmobiles and atv. And all have offered replacements parts for the clutch's.

 

[Interceptor]

I don't know if that's true, that replacement parts can't be bought for the clutch.
But if it is, that's just lame. It would prevent me from ever buying a Mechron.
I have owned many belt driven snowmobiles and atv. And all have offered replacements parts for the clutch's.

It's true. You may be able to source clutch parts from Comet or TGB, but Kioti will only sell a complete clutch assembly. The best price I could find was just under $1k. It is a bit disappointing but it certainly wouldn't keep me from buying another Mechron. Lots of guys who bought diesel Rangers are finding out they have clutch problems that can't be fixed without spending $1500 on an aftermarket clutch. For 2015 they switched to a Kohler diesel engine/trans package and I'm hearing they are burning drive belts going up hills, and there is no fix yet.

My Mechron is not actually a Mechron. It's a Bad Boy Buggies XD. They are also sold as Cushman 1600XD. Three different names, all the same machine. Mine replaced a Polaris Ranger 500 because I was tired of hauling gas cans back and forth. It's pretty clear Daedong looked at a Ranger before designing their machine. The chassis and suspension is so similar there's no way it's a coincidence. Some parts appear to be exact copies of Polaris. Other parts like switchgear and engine come from their tractors. Aside from the hood being made of ABS instead of a more durable plastic, I think the quality is every bit as good as a Polaris. The steel vs plastic cargo box is really personal preference, they both have pros and cons. The instrument panel on the Kioti is a little nicer, and I like that the shifter goes from neutral to high instead of going through low first like a Ranger. I don't like the location of the park brake lever, a common complaint. The front axle has a clutch type limited slip diff, it doesn't work as well as the Hilliard roller sprague locker in the Polaris and Gator, but I can only tell the difference on extremely steep rocky trails or deep snow. Overall I've been satisfied with the Mechron, it drives so well since I fixed the clutch, but I do miss the power and speed of the Ranger sometimes.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I'm a bit off-topic, but after looking into utility side-by-sides, I'm now looking for a 2014 or newer Yamaha Viking.

Of importance to me is the ease to get in and out, to feel like I'm riding in, and not on the machine, locking diffs all the way around, the ability to get a full glass cab (supplied by Curtis), and gas engine so as to be able to run in a Minnesota winter.

Here is a biased comparison of the Viking to the Ranger.

 

[Interceptor]

Here is a biased comparison of the Viking to the Ranger.

Typical comparo vid, full of carefully chosen features and specs with some good acting mixed in, Polaris produces similar ones as do the others I'm sure. Most of the features they are touting as superior could just as well be used against them. The longer and wider wheelbase is an advantage in ride comfort, but a hindrance on trails in both breakover angles and squeezing between obstacles. I don't see any advantage to the low seating position for work/farm use, I want to sit up high so I can see when navigating through a gate or around a tree. I don't understand how it would be any easier to get in and out of that than a Ranger. Coming from Yamaha I would guess it's a better engineered machine than a Polaris. That CVT system operates the same as the aftermarket Duraclutch for the Ranger, it is probably the only real advantage I saw from watching that video. I personally don't have a problem with using brakes to slow a vehicle, but the transition from engine braking to freewheeling to braking can be a bit annoying.

 

[Kioti Trevor]

Rebuild kits are available for the clutch you need part number U3210-29062 and I believe list price is right around $160.

 

[Interceptor]

That's interesting, have you ordered the kit? It's not listed in the parts manual and the number does not come up in any of the online Kioti catalogs. It must be a new part number. I did find it in a .pdf manual for the Cushman 1600XD.

I sold mine a while back, my wife never really liked it, mostly because it was just too slow. We got a Ranger Diesel. The Ranger is considerably faster and steers much easier, but the clutch sucks compared to the Mechron.