Lost that loving feeling

[PA hayseed]

Now, before I get flamed, I still like the tractor and it has been a workhorse.

It just seems that after about 2.5 years, the tractor is getting a little long in the tooth. It seems to warm up and start slower in the winter, and doesn't cut grass as fast in the summer. The bucket is bent, the paint is chipped, it seems like more maintenance is required. The tractor has no cab, it is cold outside, and I am tired of wearing 7 layers of clothes to clear the driveway.

I still praise Kioti and my dealer, they both have been good to me. I just wonder, is it me, or do tractors lose their luster after awhile. Not that it is a toy, heck, I used it for 2 hours tonight in 19 degree windy weather clearing my sidewalks from snowdrifts. It recently moved another 23 tons of gravel, and routinely the pallet forks are used to move things heavier than me not to mention finish mowing 8 acres almost weekly in the summer.

Ah, what do I know. Maybe it is just the winter blues settling in. Maybe I just miss digging in the dirt, working and tilling the soil. Seeing green plants.

 

[mrutkaus]

You need to give her some flowers, take her out to a dance or something, liven up the relationship.

Mike

 

[two_bit_score]

Time to get a new 'green' one.

 

[warhammer]

I have had the same model Kioti as you do for just over a year and a half. I am still finding new ways to use it to save me work on the farm.
That being said a little larger cab tractor is looking more appealing as time goes on. Unfortunately there is no budget .....

Now, before I get flamed, I still like the tractor and it has been a workhorse.

It just seems that after about 2.5 years, the tractor is getting a little long in the tooth. It seems to warm up and start slower in the winter, and doesn't cut grass as fast in the summer. The bucket is bent, the paint is chipped, it seems like more maintenance is required. The tractor has no cab, it is cold outside, and I am tired of wearing 7 layers of clothes to clear the driveway.

I still praise Kioti and my dealer, they both have been good to me. I just wonder, is it me, or do tractors lose their luster after awhile. Not that it is a toy, heck, I used it for 2 hours tonight in 19 degree windy weather clearing my sidewalks from snowdrifts. It recently moved another 23 tons of gravel, and routinely the pallet forks are used to move things heavier than me not to mention finish mowing 8 acres almost weekly in the summer.

Ah, what do I know. Maybe it is just the winter blues settling in. Maybe I just miss digging in the dirt, working and tilling the soil. Seeing green plants.

 

[Dano5509]

No flames here.....I would be thrilled to have the farm/DK45/implements/pole barn......

Cannot get our home in a regular neighborhood sold so we can move a little north onto a 10+ acre spread. I have lusted after that DK for so long I would probably wheel it into a heated garage and sleep under it!!

 

[JohninCT]

The bucket is bent, the paint is chipped, it seems like more maintenance is required. The tractor has no cab, it is cold outside, and I am tired of wearing 7 layers of clothes to clear the driveway.

I used it for 2 hours tonight in 19 degree windy weather clearing my sidewalks from snowdrifts. It recently moved another 23 tons of gravel...

Sounds like you need to do what my wife sometimes suggests to me and take your trusty ole shovel out for a spin in the snow or the gravel. You will then see the beautiful machine behind that chipped paint and bent bucket.

 

[JonKioti]

Hey there PA,

Well, I thought that for a little bit too, and with a new, warm garage for mine I figured I'd pay the difference between the selling price of my CK-20HST and a new CK-20S HST and larger Kioti backhoe.

Yes, I got new paint, warranty, no dent in the hood, no torn seat. The tractor starts quickly and seems "tighter" (not to put that comparison on it, but it does feel more responsive!)

However, I miss the fact I do not have the same tractor I depended on for the first two years. After all, it (and I'm not going to say "she"!) was my first.

Perhaps the fact I missed the free loader promotion pricing by a few days on the new one and the subsequent inflexibility by those could could have helped correct that made me savour the pleasure of a new tractor less.

My suggestion? Clean up and re-paint the bucket and any other rusted/worn parts. If the dent is in a body panel, spend a few $$ at a body shop to get it removed and repainted.

This will cost less and you'll appreciate satisfaction of the fresh look.

Good luck,

Jon

 

[Gittyup]

Sounds like what you are really missing is a cab! A tractor isn't supposed to be a pretty and shiney thing. I still love mine after almost 4 years now. I actually think it is more powerful now than when it was new. If I could keep the wild cats from tracking mud on it, it would look almost like new too - Only one small scratch just above the headlights where a large rock rolled back out of the bucket. I've only washed it once and have never waxed it. But, I do keep it out of the rain and direct sun.

 

[Yota_85]

I had my B7610 'Bota for 5 years. She never really lost her luster over the years, just became clear that she wasn't heavy enough or powerful enough for some of the projects I began to come up for her to do. Since she was my only tractor (lawn mowing, woods work, field work) it became a pain in the rear to change implements. (ex: add/remove grass catcher, mid mower, loader for mowing)

2 things became clear:
1. I needed 2 tractors. 1 for around the lawn, and 1 for the field/woods.
2. She was not up to the tasks I now wanted her to do in the woods/field.

Miss her, **** yeah.
Like my DK35se/Snapper rider combo? Even more.