Looking to join the pack

[efudd]

Greetings from Mid-North Indiana

I've been looking into buying machine to use on the 2 acres we have bought and will be putting a house on in the next few months. Besides using it for mowing, tilling, and snow removal, I will be doing a lot of the landscaping. Having grown up in New Hampshire, and moving to Indiana forty years ago, I still appreciate the special needs that one might have in that rocky soil in NH. The land we will be working is flat and had corn planted this past year. My needs won't be quite the same as in New England.

Sometime this spring I expect to buy a Kioti, either a CK20 or CK25. I have some questions regarding the gear drive models.

How do they stack up against the hydro's? With the shuttle shift on the CK25 require clutching when going from forward to reverse and vice versa?

The difference in price may be the deciding factor for me and wonder if the gear drive CK20 would be better at hill climbing then the hydro (not that I'd experience that on my land).

I've been looking at the discussion for a few months now and have decided on the Kioti based on what I've read there and the other research I've done.

eFudd

 

[IXLR8]

Hi,

Sometime this spring I expect to buy a Kioti, either a CK20 or CK25. I have some questions regarding the gear drive models.

How do they stack up against the hydro's? With the shuttle shift on the CK25 require clutching when going from forward to reverse and vice versa?

From the initial indication of what you are going to do, the 20 should do the job. Yes you do need to clutch between F and R. The difference in price between gear and hydro is about $1K. I went with the larger 25/30 size as I wanted some of the features they had and it was just a little more comfortable for me. The 20 would have done the work I need to do around my 2 acres. How do you plan on doing snow removal, FEL, blade or blower? I was going to get a gear, for the cost savings, but a bum left knee swayed me to go HST, I am loving the precision speed control with it.

 

[efudd]

I appreciate your counsel. My use will be primarily for domestic as I finish fixing the yard up, etc. I will be using the FEL for snow removal with a rear blade for that extra.

My brother, who still lives in SE New Hampshire has just about worn out a Kubota on the rocky soil in his land, has said, " Get as much tractor as you can", especially if this is your "one in a lifetime tractor". My ground is sandy loam with good drainage, so I don't expect to wear it out in my lifetime. Being 1 year away from retirement, I expect to be on the machine quite a lot as I find things to do.

efudd

 

[TimC]

On 2 acres I suspect that the CK20 would do whatever you wanted to do.

I love my CK25, but I am doing a lot of earthwork, probbably more than a tractor of this size is designed to do, and I wanted the larger size/weight. I also have 11 acres between my two properties, so the larger size is useful. It has amazed me so far, and I only have 17 hours on it. As I get better with the loader, I get more and more efficient.

And to answer your shuttle question, yes you do have to clutch to move the shuttle between F and R on the CK25 gear. It is very easy to do though, and I find that the gear model doesn't slow me down any, especially since its a synchro transmission. My first tractor, a New Holland TC18 had an unsynchronized Gear tranny, and changing speeds was much slower because you needed to almost completely stop to change gears. Also there is some power loss associated with the HST also to conscider. With a tractor as big and heavy as the CK25, those losses might be tough with a Hydro, but I haven't driven one so I can't say for certain. My CK25 will do anything in any of the gears in low range, but in high range 3rd and 4th gears aren't good for much but running unloaded on easy ground. They're too fast for anything else anyways, so its probbably a moot point.
Either tractor will serve you well, drive both and make your decision!

 

[Gittyup]

I have a shuttle CK25 and a hydrostatic John Deere garden tractor. For mowing, the hydrostatic can't be beat. I will never go back to mowing with a manual tranny again. The HST just gives you that instantly variable speed needed when mowing. Now if your lawn will be wide open, with few trees and shrubs, then the shuttle would be fine.

I use my CK25 for mostly dirt work. I don't ever mow with it. The shuttle works good enough for dirt tasks. I bought it because it was heavier than just about every other make of tractor. The weight and manual tranny allow me to put the most power to the ground. However, this weight can be a problem on wet, soft ground. It'll leave ruts and cause compaction.

My suggestion: CK20 HST is a better choice if mowing is a primary task. It's about 1000 lbs lighter than the CK25: better for mowing. HST: faster, less fatigue to the driver, much better control of the tractor. If you hit something with one of these heavy tractors and it's gonna do some damage. Less likely with the control of HST.

 

[BTI]

Similarly equipped CK25 Gear and CK20HST will be close in price.
For your small area I would go with a CK20S HST.
If you had more land I would say CK25 Gear.

BTI

 

[williekioti]

Of course the most important factor is to demo (drive, dig, play) with your candidate tractors as much as the dealer will allow first. No substitute for seat time IMO.

That said, the CK20 will probably do everything you want to accomplish on your new property. Gear vs. HST? If doing much PTO tasks realize that HST saps a few HPs so might be another consideration. As far as shuttle operation, not a big deal at all for me (CK30 gear). Yes you have to use the clutch, but it's really seamless, stab the clutch, shift the lever and back out with your foot. You don't have to be "completely" stopped with brakes set, or feel your way into Fwd/reverse, very quick and easy. Is HST more user friendly for mowing and FEL work, Yup, but some have mentioned lack of power for some tasks like hill climbing in high range for example. Me, I'm kinda old school and actually wanted the gear tractor for hills and woods work I was going to do with my tractor. Only you can decide what works best for you.................................

Another consideration, you mention horses. Are you going to be moving large round bales around on a regular basis? If so, you might want to consider the next frame size up(CK25/30) for the extra wieght/capacity. Also if you're going to be doing a lot of leveling, digging and heavy loader work don't short yourself on tractor. Your Brother was correct, choose the biggest tractor you anticipate needing, can afford for the job(of course there is a reasonable limit here, you probably don't need a DK90). My .02 is go for the CK25............. after testing all the possibilities out of course.

Good luck.

 

[efudd]

Thanks to all of you for your counsel.

I have looked at several SCT's including New Holland, Massey, Kubota, JD, and the Bobcat (too expensive for a Kioti with white paint). I was really interested in the Massey 2300, but decided to look at the the "wild dog" of the Great Plains known as a Kioti. I feel certain that the Kioti, whichever model I choose, will serve me well.

I have one more year of teaching to go after this year, so I'll be doing plenty of daydreaming as I contemplate digging holes in the backyard and then filling them in just for the fun of it.

efudd