New dog in the pack

[Evidence8489]

I joined the pack this past week after reading this site for months and doing hands on research. The best tractor for me is the KIOTI.
I looked and priced a comparable John Deere (26,000.00) and a Kabota L3940 (22,600.00). Has anyone here actually stood on the kabota platform,, it was flimsy and very crowded with five pedals on the floor. I went to my local Ocala Kioti dealer to try out the CK35 and found that there was no leg room for a person of my size. I then tried the bigger DK35 platform, But after taking a long time farmer to try it out and put it through its paces, He was impressed with the tractor but wasn稚 impressed with the lifting capacity of the FEL.
I then decided on the DK40 to get a stronger FEL, but my dealer here doesn稚 carry the DK40 saying that he didn稚 get much call for them. This led me to purchase the DK45SE HST with much haggling and research with the dealers on this site. (Thank you all).
I have since put eleven hours (not quite ten gallons) on the seat and I am impressed with how much this tractor will pull, how quiet it is, and how much fun I am having.
A friend of mine came over to check out the new Kioti, and told me that he thought I would get a lot of use out of it for a long time.
I will let you guys know if I have any problems, but none so far.

 

[Dmace]

Welcome to the Pack!

Started at a CK35 and ended up with a DK45SE, not bad!

Now where's the mandatory pictures...?

 

[PA hayseed]

Welcome.

Glad to hear of your 45 purchase. I think you will be impressed with how easily it moves almost anything in its path, forward and reverse.

Now you have to start your collection of attachments.

 

[IslandTractor]

Welcome. I'm now close to 50hrs on my DK40se and I love it. Your farmer friend was right on regarding the loader. I think the DK35 would be adequate horsepower and size for many people but Kioti really should upgrade the loader capacity on that model.

 

[Four20]

Hi all, I have a 2003 DK35 with a KL1450 loader, and was wondering what you people were needing to lift that the loader can't handle?? I have yet to run across anything that it can't handle, within reason. I believe it will lift something like 2100 lbs. down low and 1500 lbs. to full height. If you lift 1500 lbs. to full height, you may have trouble keeping the rear tires planted.

 

[IslandTractor]

Hi all, I have a 2003 DK35 with a KL1450 loader, and was wondering what you people were needing to lift that the loader can't handle?? I have yet to run across anything that it can't handle, within reason. I believe it will lift something like 2100 lbs. down low and 1500 lbs. to full height. If you lift 1500 lbs. to full height, you may have trouble keeping the rear tires planted.

The main use I have for a loader is tearing out brush and popping out tree stumps or trees. So long as I have a heavy implement on the rear of the tractor, it is loader break out and lift capacity (and roll back force) that determine how long it takes me to get a stump or bush out of the ground.

The KL1450 has lift to full height at pivot pins of 1350lbs and breakout force of 2100lbs per Kioti's website.
The KL351 (DK35se) numbers are 1400 and 2600 plus a rollback force 500mm ahead of the pivot pins of 2750lbs.
The KL401 (DK40se and DK45se) numbers are 2700 and 3700 plus rollback of 4600lbs.

The KL401 is therefore has about 70-90% more lift, breakout and rollback force than the KL351. That's a pretty healthy difference considering the cost of the loaders (and tractors) is not that much different (I forget exactly how much).

I can still trip the relief valve on my KL401 while digging at a stump if I have the BH for counterweight. That means that I really am able to put either about 2700lbs in lift down low or even better 4600lbs of curl force on the stump. That seems to me quite an advantage over the KL351.

I would certainly agree that for moving dirt it would not make much difference as either would do the job but for digging with a grapple it is nice to be able to pop out a tree in a single manuver rather than work at it from different angles etc.

I don't move or stack bales of hay but that is also a task that can easily max out your loader lift, especially at full height.

 

[IXLR8]

IT- Is that a tiller I see on the back of your tractor?? If so.. who's, how wide, fwd/rev till, how much? My neighbor said I could borrow his. But it is a heavy duty unit, he paid about $3800, I would hate to break it. Chance is low... but still, might want to have my own. Jim

 

[IslandTractor]

IT- Is that a tiller I see on the back of your tractor??

Nope. It's a Caroni flail mower. I could use a tiller though. I have been keeping my eye out for a good used one but might end up next season with a King Kutter II as they seem to get good reviews and are much less money than the one your neighbor has.

 

[Evidence8489]

Thankyou for the welcome home.
I borrowed a plow today and went accross the front in one directon and then another, then used a seven foot rake to flatten it all out.
After lunch I started digging up trees along the fence row, getting it cleaned out. The Kioti really works hard and the fel is great.. I only bogged it down a couple times to where it shut off.
Another thing I got insurance on the tractor through state farm who had a policy that if I break it, they pay to have it repaired or replaced,, along with fire, theft ect. The insurance is 20.00 a month

 

[IXLR8]

Nope. It's a Caroni flail mower. I could use a tiller though. I have been keeping my eye out for a good used one but might end up next season with a King Kutter II as they seem to get good reviews and are much less money than the one your neighbor has.

That's right, I remember now reading about some of your adventures with it. My neighbor only buys the best, heaviest duty stuff he can get... I don't know if he knows what "too expensive" might be. In the 4 years I have lived here... I have never known him to use it. I suspect it might have been used a dozen times in the last 10 years on a 20x40 garden.