Kubota...Kioti????

[IXLR8]

I bought used Kioti due to pricing and ergonomics, resale was not an issue. At the moment, Kubota does sport a better resale. From the dealers I have talked with, Kioti is increasing the number of tractors and parts a dealer must stock in an effort to try to weed out the smaller, less productive, dealers. Can't say I agree with their thinking, I have known some great mom & pop shops. But I think that is a large reason for some of the Kioti dealers shutting their doors. My nearest good dealer is 100 miles away, there are several great dealers here on TBN that will help out at the drop of a phone call. That is one of the things that gave me the warm fuzzy's for going the Kioti route. Both brands are good machines, you need to go test the machine, and the dealer, before you make a decision. There are some great machines in green, blue and red colors as well, hopefully you are considering them too. You should at least check them out carefully to learn of the differences and see what you like and don't like.

 

[BTI]

Resale Value depends on the area.
I have sold 4 used Kiotis in the last year.
All 4 had very good return for the age and usage they had had.
Another thing that is going to effect resale is the financing options.
A few years ago Kiots best rate was 6.99 for 48 months now it is 4.99 for 48-60-72.
This does make a difference.

BTI

 

[Podunkadunk]

ChesapeakeMarine,
You really can't go wrong with just about any color tractor you get these days. Competition is stiff in the smaller tractor market, this ensures a reasonable amount of quality built in. Kubota is a fine tractor, yes, but everything I've heard about the Kioti has been good (see disclaimer below*).

*Of course, you have to factor in the fact that by human nature, people USUALLY don't 'fess up to having made a rotten purchase...kind of makes 'em look stupid. Nobody wants to look and feel stupid! With that being said:

1. Figure out what size tractor you'd be happy with.
2. Figure out a budget (if you have one).
3. Shop around, look at all the smaller tractor brands, they all have foreign engines anyway, well except Kubota, they don't import an engine, they build their own. I'm not sure if Kioti makes their own or not!
4. Ask around about the dealer...this makes a difference. A crappy dealer can ruin your day...especially when it comes to getting some maintenance done...either routine or otherwise!
5. Talk to friends with tractors, or friends of friends that have tractors. Having a cold beer or other cold beverage while having a foot propped up on the tire might get you some feedback worthwhile! See disclaimer above!
6. Buy one and post some pics, we love pics of shiny new tractors!

Good luck and have fun. The thing I miss most about shopping for a tractor is actually shopping for a tractor.

Podunk

 

[BTI]

Kioti makes their own engine(except 65 and 90 and they are Perkins motors), transmission, axles etc.
They make 90% of the tractor themselves.
Them and Kubota are the only 2 that do this, in compacts, as far as I know.

BTI

 

[BTI]

Po-The Kubota engine is an import none-the-less.

BTI

 

[Coolnslo]

ChesapeakeMarine,
You really can't go wrong with just about any color tractor you get these days. Competition is stiff in the smaller tractor market, this ensures a reasonable amount of quality built in. Kubota is a fine tractor, yes, but everything I've heard about the Kioti has been good (see disclaimer below*).

*Of course, you have to factor in the fact that by human nature, people USUALLY don't 'fess up to having made a rotten purchase...kind of makes 'em look stupid. Nobody wants to look and feel stupid! With that being said:

1. Figure out what size tractor you'd be happy with.
2. Figure out a budget (if you have one).
3. Shop around, look at all the smaller tractor brands, they all have foreign engines anyway, well except Kubota, they don't import an engine, they build their own. I'm not sure if Kioti makes their own or not!
4. Ask around about the dealer...this makes a difference. A crappy dealer can ruin your day...especially when it comes to getting some maintenance done...either routine or otherwise!
5. Talk to friends with tractors, or friends of friends that have tractors. Having a cold beer or other cold beverage while having a foot propped up on the tire might get you some feedback worthwhile! See disclaimer above!
6. Buy one and post some pics, we love pics of shiny new tractors!

Good luck and have fun. The thing I miss most about shopping for a tractor is actually shopping for a tractor.

Podunk

Just want to second what Podunk says. The first thing I did when looking was find what dealers were within reasonable distance regardless of brand. Then I researched the brands and dealer reputations. Have heard good things about Kioti, but unfortunately there are no dealers close to me. Ended up at a dealer that sold Kubota and Mahindra. Went with Mahindra because like a previous poster comparing Kubota and Kioti, the Mahindra looked well built, is liked by other owners, but is less expensive than the Kubota. Have not regretted my choice, and the dealer has been great to do business with. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[canoetrpr]

Even if Kubota is lighter in frames and axles, I don't hear of them breaking frames & axles. It is possible that higher quality metallurgy and tensile strength metals are used in place of cheaper heavier castings.

You know, I've wondered this myself. I often see a brand A tractor with similar capabilities being heavier than brand B. Brand A typically tends to be the lesser known brand and brand A's loyalists tend to argue that it is obviously stronger.

I have no clue whether this is true or not but I'd love to hear opinions on how important weight is when measuring strength for two otherwise similarly speced machines.

 

[chh]

You know, I've wondered this myself. I often see a brand A tractor with similar capabilities being heavier than brand B. Brand A typically tends to be the lesser known brand and brand A's loyalists tend to argue that it is obviously stronger.

I have no clue whether this is true or not but I'd love to hear opinions on how important weight is when measuring strength for two otherwise similarly speced machines.

I've wondered that too. Is the weight really added strength or is it just lower strength metal that is thicker to give the same spec. The only new tractor I ever saw break a major casting was JD 6410(2wd). My neighbor was doing light FEL work moving shavings into a barn when his front axle collapsed. the tractor at the time had less than 100 hrs on it. JD said it was a fault in the casting. That was over 2000 hrs ago and the replacement is doing great.

 

[Builder]

I've wondered that too. Is the weight really added strength or is it just lower strength metal that is thicker to give the same spec. The only new tractor I ever saw break a major casting was JD 6410(2wd). My neighbor was doing light FEL work moving shavings into a barn when his front axle collapsed. the tractor at the time had less than 100 hrs on it. JD said it was a fault in the casting. That was over 2000 hrs ago and the replacement is doing great.

Looks can be deceiving.

I know for a fact that thicker steel of lower quality can be weaker than high quality lighter steel. Just look at grades/sizes of transpost chain. The best grade #70 3/8" transpost chain is stronger than cheap chinese 7/16" transport chain.

Now the actual weight (as in pounds) of the tractor, even if cheaper quality, thicker steel is used, may still be beneficiary to the end user since the extra weight makes for more stability/ ballast. I for one would rather be able to "adjust" my ballast with weights making the tractor more versatile, but a little more expensive.

 

[sugarmaple]

I was once told by a Kioti dealer that originally they were built under some sort of licensing arrangement with Kubota that explained the color similarity. I have always wondered if there was any truth to this.

 

[john_bud]

The rumor that Kioti's are just old version Kubota's or built under license have been around for a long time. I don't know if there is any fact behind those rumors. But the engine, trans, differential and hydraulics are all greatly different. (After all the Kioti weight is 5-800 pounds more, so how can the guts of the tractor be the same?) Only the sheet metal 'looks' the same. You decide.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

There are some common castings between the LK series tractors and Kubota's L210 from 1970-1972. I am not sure what the exact Kioti model is any more. We once stumbled upon a Woods backhoe subframe that listed both the Kubota and Kioti models. Thus the rumor that the parts are the same, interchangeable, etc. In this one, specific instance on a 40-year old Kubota maybe somewhat true. I am not sure if Kioti bought these castings, or if Kubota was providing them under contract.

 

[Dargo]

As someone else mentioned earlier, if you're going to consider a Kioti, you ought to look at Mahindra as well. I honestly think the quality on Kioti and Manindra have brought them up above most all of the other lesser known manufacturers and I wouldn't be afraid of buying either. In my particular situation, I have several JD and Kubota dealers in my area and they have been having a price war for several years now. The comparable Kioti or Mahindra tractors were no less expensive new for me than JD or Kubota. With that fact along with the fact that both the JD and Kubota dealers had large, modern and well equipped service and parts departments vs the very small dealerships that were 10X the distance from me for the other brands, my decisions have been fairly easy so far. I really hope one of my local larger dealers take on Kioti and/or Mahindra in the future.

 

[art]

We've been seeing chassis changes in the larger farm tractors that allow us to better ballast them for performance not only in pulling but also for the total operation. Kubota has been changing it's chassis in the same way. AS some of the companies that copy the others catch up they to will be changing the chassis's to be lighter and structually stronger with the newer styles.

 

[Builder]

It's also worth mentioning that lighter tractors are better for transporting for us guys using them to make money.

Lighter tractor equals smaller trailer, smaller truck equals less cost.

 

[ChuckinNH]

This thread is interesting. In all likelyhood, we would not have had this comparison 10 years ago, maybe even more recently than that. That fact alone tells me something....... but I'm not sure what.

 

[Builder]

This thread is interesting. In all likelyhood, we would not have had this comparison 10 years ago, maybe even more recently than that. That fact alone tells me something....... but I'm not sure what.

It tells you that competiton is a great thing. It's great that we live in a country where we are allowed access to the best the world has to offer.

 

[Podunkadunk]

It tells you that competiton is a great thing. It's great that we live in a country where we are allowed access to the best the world has to offer.

Good competition also keep prices in check ...unless they are ALL in collusion., and I don't think that's happening

Podunk

 

[greggh]

It's also worth mentioning that lighter tractors are better for transporting for us guys using them to make money.

Lighter tractor equals smaller trailer, smaller truck equals less cost.

That is true, but also the heavier weight also transfers more power to the ground. This enables a tractor to do more work with less effort.

 

[MossRoad]

That is true, but also the heavier weight also transfers more power to the ground. This enables a tractor to do more work with less effort.

It also depends on the types of jobs you are doing. Ground engaging chores like pulling plows, box blades, etc... would benefit from more weight and traction, while jobs like mowing nice lawns or finish landscaping would benefit from a lighter footprint. We need to pick our tools based on the jobs we need to do.