Kioti

[MDM]

And if there's anything you want to know about Kubota just ask here also, cause ol' MDM will be here pronto to respond about his preferred choice of brand.

Gee Whiz. I guess I will keep my opinions to myself, eventhough the guy asked for it. I didn't think I said anything bad, championing one brand or the other. I basically said Kioti is, nice, cheaper, offers more standard features but is not quite as reliable based on observations made from data on this site. I could care less what the guy buys. I wish Kioti would grow a bit in my area cause there isn't a dealer remotely close. Had there been a dealer close by, I may have ended up with one.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Or you could go to the Bobcat dealer for a Kioti of a different color!
I love my DK45SC, which I use for mowing, snow blowing and lots of other "muscle" tasks. The extra weight and lower price (compared to the competitors) were prominent in deciding to buy this one, but I have noted at least two disadvantages of a heavier tractor, namely, it has a heavy footprint if you drive across the lawn and I have to buy a 10K trailer instead of a 7K trailer to haul it!
Unless your lawn area is a big, flat field, I'd suggest you get a specialized mower for that rather than use the tractor with a finish mower. I read somewhere recently that there is a ZTR lawn mower that will mow a football field (about 1 1/3 acres) in ten minutes!! There's no way I could go 15mph on my land (its too bumpy, steep and has too many trees and other obstacles), but I'd love to have a mower that went faster, was more maneuverable and had a lower center of gravity than my current ride-on lawn tractor.
BOB

 

[Coyote machine]

I bought my first tractor, a DK35se/hst just recently and it has been great, and it comes with a 4 year warranty that no one else is currently offering. If you felt underpowered on the JD that's not the first time I've heard that, and for the price to get a particular color, you're still buying a mostly foreign made tractor.
To me its about hp, dealer service/availability and price point/features/warranty. I could have bought any brand, but chose Kioti because of the above mentioned crucial requirements. Every brand has its benefits/detractions so choose wisely based on your needs.
I look at Kioti as the Hundai of tractors - the Korean car manufacturers are making out right now because they have what buyers are looking for; Kioti is kicking the bu** of most CUT competitors now due to having a great warranty and AWESOME features (MDM- please note ).

Good luck, and if you can afford it you could look at the DK series of Kioti's for more everything.....

 

[bellcon]

I bought an 08' dk55 cab off Dave at Upper Valley. He was great to deal with and so far the tractor has been great too. About 150hrs on it now. I use it for commercial snow removal in the winter and on my own property in the summer. I looked at all the brands, it seemed as well made as any of them and I live 10 minutes from Daves shop.
So far, so good.
Scott

 

[Dmace]

If money is an issue, I have no doubt in my mind that a CK20 would do everything you need and do it very well. It's a lighter chassis then the CK30 which makes it easier on the lawn and can still pull a good sized rear mower or a mid-mount (belly) mower if you wish, unless you plan on installing a backhoe too. I have never mowed with mine but I would prefer an HST if I did for the infinite travel speed so you will have no problem finding that right speed for the job vs. a gear that's too high or too low. Also the HST makes loader work ten times faster and easier and only cost you a couple of PTO hp. Plus the CK20 loader lifting capacity is only a couple of hundred pounds less then the CK30.

How do you plan on clearing the driveway? A rear blade is good but I don't like running over the snow before moving it, it just packs it down and makes more ice. I use a rear mount snowblower and throw the snow wherever I want to leaving a clear and clean driveway with no snowbanks. I would love a front mounted plow or blade but you still have snowbanks.

I have no doubt that Kioti is up their with the "Big 3" for reliability. I have over 375 hours of hard ground work ripping up stumps, digging trenches, moving gravel/rocks, grading driveways/roads with a box blade and blowing snow and have not had a single problem with the tractor yet. I plan on keeping this tractor until I need more tractor or it dies so you will see me here with 1000+ hours on it as long as it keeps working as well as it does.

Upper Valley tractor is a member here on the forums and while I have not dealt with him personally, many people on here have good things to say about him.

 

[williekioti]

I have a CK30 that I use for clearing my driveway, moving loads with the bucket & pallet forks, digging/grubbing with the bucket w/toothbar, some light brush hog work, dragging logs & processing firewood and assorted other tasks. It has been an excellent, hard working machine for me. The power of the beast never fails to amaze me. Only two issues in over three years, a headlight relay malfunctioned leaving the headlights on and a bad injector pump rack, both replaced under warranty. IMHO Kioti's reliability is very good. If you shop for reliability statistics on internet forums you will be turned off from any brand of tractor.........or any other product for that matter. Forums such as this (and I'm a member of four or five different ones for different obsessions) tend to inflate the problems. More people tend to post problems looking for help or the "rants" tend to on a life of their own in my experience. Less people post when they are out actually enjoying the "toys", or they're just too busy.

My .02, the CK30 is an excellent value for ground engaging work (digging, snow removal, landscape work, material handling, etc..) but doesn't strike me as a good finish mower. Seems like it would be a bit heavy and cumbersome for that kind of work. If I were you the first thing I'd do is prioritize your tasks and go tractor shopping from there. If finish mowing is the highest priority, I'd look at something lighter that carries a belly mower. If tough ground engaging work is at the top of the list, go heavier, tougher built the better and higher specs.

Good luck with your "toy" shopping and thank you for your service.

 

[kiotick20]

I bought my ck20 new in 2004, have over 1,000 hrs. on it. no problems yet. use it on 10 acres. brush hogging about 5 acres. cutting grass on about 4 acres. snow removal on 1,800 feet of driveway. dug plenty of tree stumps w/ woods backhoe. can't complain, tractor is very reliable.

 

[jimb1724]

I purchased my CK20HST from Dave in 2004. He is great to work with. I have 330+ hours of BH & FEL work, snow blowing and grading work with no problems at all. The little CK20 is a brute and I'm sure the larger models are as well. It also handles the nasty and cold NH winters well.

A few pics of the snow removal before the rear blower and after... as DMACE said blower would be the way to go.

I would definetly recomend Dave, UVT and Kioti....

Good luck with your search...

Jim

 

[Rickyo]

If you have looked at the Kioti and like what you see, you owe it to yourself to check out the bobcat CT230. You can have a belly mower or 3pt rear mower. Bobcat has some awesome incentives on this particular model right now! Bobcat has a long history and a huge dealer network so you know they will be there next week if and when you need anything! Check it out before you make a decision, you won't regret it.

Rickyo!

 

[garydc]

I also think like DMACE a ck20 would likely do all you are looking for, I bought mine almost a year ago with 180 hrs on it and now have almost 500 on it now doing various jobs backhoeing, post holes, tilling, seeding, bushoging with a 5 ft woods cutter and snowblowing. I have moved snow with a blade and both front and rear blowers and the front mount is definitely the nicest just wish mine was anyway whatever you buy the best of luck and hope you love it.
Gary