New to TBN

[IslandTractor]

Stopped and looked at a brand I had never heard of until I found this website. Kioti tractors. .... Are they Kubota knockoffs? Does Kubota make them? Are they cheaper than Kubotas? Are they any good?

This will start the sparks flying....

As you have no doubt noted on TBN, just about everyone loves their tractor and favors that brand. Kubota and Kioti owners are no different. My orange tractor has a black bucket (=Kioti).

Well, yes the Kioti's look like Kubotas but the similarity is only paint deep. I believe Kioti used to make some of the early Kubotas under license but that was a while ago. They are completely separate companies. I'd say it's fair to state that every CUT manufacturer is trying to copy Kubota's success and Kioti is no different (except for the brash use of orange ). They are sometimes cheaper than Kubotas. That is to say that they list a bit less than equivalent Kubotas but with most Kubota dealers discounting, it depends on whether the individual Kioti dealer discounts to know if they will be cheaper to buy. I think most folks have gotten over thinking the Kioti's are off brand tractors and having compared them head to head with Kubota's I'd say they are very competitive in quality and value.

There are some Kubota/Kioti matchups that are fair head to head comparisons but the CK's don't compare exactly to either the Kubota B or L series. They typically have more features and are heavier than the equivalent HP B series Kubota and are not as large as the L's. You might think of the CKs as small Grand L's but that is not real world comparison as there are no small Grand Ls. Kioti only recently announced HST transmissions in 35 and 45hp tractors and they are not yet in dealer showrooms.

The real advantage Kubota has is their second to none dealer network and market share. You are much more likely to live near a Kubota dealer than a Kioti dealer. Also, Kubota dealers are likely pretty well established medium to large size dealerships where as most Kioti dealerships are small to medium sized. Of course the individual dealer is the critical factor so you'd need to search out your local dealer and judge for yourself.

 

[daTeacha]

I looked at both orange ones -- having a Kubota bias from my old B7100 -- before deciding on a Case. I agree with Island Tractor, who as noted, owns a Kioti. The nearest Kioti dealer for me is 35 miles, while there are 3 Kubota dealers within a 20 mile radius.

Sitting on the Kioti compared to the Kubota left me feeling like I was more or less standing up on the Kioti while the Kubota was trying to make me slide forward off the seat. The actual driving experience was pretty similar as far as I could tell. The prices were about the same for the same size tractors -- wheelbase and horsepower. The Kioti was considerably heavier.

If you plan to mow lawn with it, the Kubota will be easier on the lawn. If you plan to do heavy work with the loader, I would guess the Kioti would be more stable.

Don't forget about Red, Blue, and Green. There are several brands of each color out there.