Kubota...Kioti????

Dargo · Feb 19, 2008

I do have to comment that I think this thread has been extremely civil; something that seemed impossible in a similar thread a few years ago.

So perhaps more than the quality of Kioti has changed.

tydp · Feb 19, 2008

1982 19" Murray push mower (upgraded to B&S 8 hp engine!)
1978 Ford pickup, stick shift, 300ci 6 cyl
1973 14'X52' with skirting and concrete steps
2006 Harbor Freight claw hammer
2007 Wire brush with wood handle
-in the works-
Chicago Electric 4" grinder

Dargo, GREAT signature. I "understand" the show......

rtimgray · Feb 19, 2008

milkman said:
I keep hearing things like Brand X has better specs on the loader, and Brand Y has greater lift on the TPH, but a lot of people just look at the numbers. It would sure be a lot simpler tractor shopping if everybody rated these numbers at the same point. Neil pointed out in another thread that some rate the lift capacity at the loader pins and some at a more realistic point where the load would be, same with the TPH. New tractor shoppers and some that have been there before seem to miss this important little point and buy a machine that they think will out perform another color or shade and then not even know that they got less than they thought.

I see this kind of thing all the time and I wonder to myself (and now to everybody who reads this "Does it REALLY matter what the ratings are?"

Seriously, 3 pt hitch rating matters - or does it? Unless you are talking about larger tractors that you will be hauling round bales or similarly heavy objects with, will it matter what the rating is so long as it lifts your box blade/bushhog/finish mower/ etc. Like I say, the rating is important if you are going to be pushing the limits, but if you are like 90% of the folks on this forum, you are probably only using relatively standard 3 pt attachments that are nowhere near the limit.

Similar but slightly different for loader work - just because the odds of lifting something close to the capacity of the loader is more likely. I have tried to lift things that I can't lift, but mostly its due to breakout type force (which I think is also rated), not total lift capacity. However, I know that on every loader tractor and skid steer loader that I have used, I can get a full bucket of clay/dirt/rock/etc and lift it. Once the bucket is full, I quit trying to lift more.

In a nutshell, I agree - it would make comparisons easier if all manufacturers rated things the same and they all told the truth. In reality, I personally doubt that the manner in which things are rated makes any difference for the majority of users.

Take care.

Builder · Feb 19, 2008

I agree. Too many guys get caught up in the "keyboard racing" part of tractor buying.

Do any of these brands really KILL one another in performance specs & ratings?

When I bought my CASE, I knew some other brands had different specs that were better on theirs and some were better on mine. My decision came down to price and my case being more compact than others so it fits in tighter spots.

It's more important to buy the one you like best and that has the best customer service from the dealer. Price is important, too.

BTI · Feb 19, 2008

It's tough comparing tractors at times. Soooooo many variables.
Something that is important to one person isn't to another etc.
If you take almost any brands "lower cost" model and try to compare it to another brands "loaded" model,
the "loaded" model will lose the price war.
See what feels the best to be on.
We get alot of people that call for pricing without EVER sitting on the tractor.
Which in my opinion is the MOST important thing, as long as it meets your needs.
Just gotta look at, sit on and drive all of them and then decide.

BTI

Podunkadunk · Feb 19, 2008

If I bought anything other than a Kubota, I'd have to get rid of my Kubota ball caps, t-shirts, bobble-heads, calendars, ballpoint pens, bumper stickers, tags and die-casts.

How would I get the sticky-paper-saturated glue off my bumper?

Guess I'll stick with my Kubota.

MossRoad · Feb 19, 2008

Podunkadunk said:
If I bought anything other than a Kubota, I'd have to get rid of my Kubota ball caps, t-shirts, bobble-heads, calendars, ballpoint pens, bumper stickers, tags and die-casts.

How would I get the sticky-paper-saturated glue off my bumper?

Guess I'll stick with my Kubota.

And those tatoos....

chh · Feb 20, 2008

BTI said:
It's tough comparing tractors at times. Soooooo many variables.
Something that is important to one person isn't to another etc.
If you take almost any brands "lower cost" model and try to compare it to another brands "loaded" model,
the "loaded" model will lose the price war.
See what feels the best to be on.
We get alot of people that call for pricing without EVER sitting on the tractor.
Which in my opinion is the MOST important thing, as long as it meets your needs.
Just gotta look at, sit on and drive all of them and then decide.

BTI

I almost always call and price a tractor before I go look at it. It takes a lot of driving for me to compare brands. Calling for a price(and of course the availablility of a model that interests me)narrows down the selection and the amount of driving before the physical comparision begins. Thats when I decide who gives me the most bang for my buck. Since I don't finance equipment(or vehicles either for that matter) if the price is not in the ballpark there is no need for me to even look at it. No matter what brand it is or what features it has.

IslandTractor · Feb 24, 2008

milkman said:
I keep hearing things like Brand X has better specs on the loader, and Brand Y has greater lift on the TPH, but a lot of people just look at the numbers. It would sure be a lot simpler tractor shopping if everybody rated these numbers at the same point. Neil pointed out in another thread that some rate the lift capacity at the loader pins and some at a more realistic point where the load would be, same with the TPH. New tractor shoppers and some that have been there before seem to miss this important little point and buy a machine that they think will out perform another color or shade and then not even know that they got less than they thought.

Good point but in fact most companies are pretty open about how they rate their loaders and 3PT hitches, you just have to be careful to compare the correct numbers. Measurement at the pivot point, mid bucket or 500mm in front of the pivot point are all valid measures and should relate to each other mathematically. Bob Skurka used to argue that pivot point could be converted to mid bucket by taking 70% of the PP capacity. Whether the correction factor is 70% or 80% doesn't really matter all that much so long as you compare apples to apples.

As others have noted, the mid bucket figure is probably the most meaningful. Kubota used to only provide mid bucket numbers but I notice that now they also are providing pivot point figures so the companies are also standardizing data to some extent.

wallace · Feb 24, 2008

Podunkadunk said:
If I bought anything other than a Kubota, I'd have to get rid of my Kubota ball caps, t-shirts, bobble-heads, calendars, ballpoint pens, bumper stickers, tags and die-casts.

How would I get the sticky-paper-saturated glue off my bumper?

Guess I'll stick with my Kubota.