Opinions on Kioti's long term stability/viability in the US market?

[BigCountry1689]

No complaints with mine, couple of parts I needed were there in 2 days. I have 3 dealers within 2 hours. I just contemplated trading up to the 55 hp and the dealer offered my $22,500 with NO negotiating for mine. I only paid $24,500, so considering that I had 50 hours of use I don't think $2000.00 is bad at all. I ended up keeping mine and going for the backhoe instead, I will stay with Kioti as long as their around.

 

[VTland2clear]

I am by no means an expert on Kioti, but the fact that they've spent what it takes to stay in the USA market through Tier 4 sure seems like a good indicator that they aren't going anywhere.

That might be the best point, didn't even think of that. If they were going to leave the US market, they would have done it before Tier 4 final. But they are an engine company, so they had to stay competitive!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I'm not making this statement about Kioti, but this question in general. Tractor brands do come and go. When these kind of questions come up owners tend to rally and say it will never happen, but every few years one inevitability fails. Internet forums will be the last indicator that something is wrong. As was said, the better indicator is the health of your local dealerships.

IMO... I don't think Kioti is going anywhere in the short term. If anything changes, my first bet would be an acquisition.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Kubota's economy brand?! Or more outsourcing by Deere?

 

[GManBart]

New member here, great forum! I've been browsing over the last few months as I've been shopping for a new smallish tractor.

I've kind of narrowed it down to a Kioti NX series and I've got what I believe is a very good price on a NX5510HC but I'm a little concerned about Kioti and their long term viability in the US market. One of the things that really makes me wonder is that more than one of the dealers that I've been looking at still have 2014 models in stock and here we are, approaching the 2017 model year.

Is this something to be concerned about or is this fairly normal in the tractor world? I'm not concerned so much about being able to fix a broken down machine in the future, my main concern is what would happen regarding resale value should Kioti sudden pull the plug on operations in the US. For those who plan to buy a tractor and run it forever, resale value isn't much of a concern. I tend to shop hard, buy right and re-sell things while they are still relatively new so for me resale value in relation to purchase price is very important.

(as one might expect, both the John Deere dealer and Kubota dealer that I talked to indicated the same, that resale value would be very poor if I chose to go with a Kioti)

First off, welcome to TBN!

I didn't read all of the responses, so I'm sure much of this has been covered, but I don't own a Kioti, so I think I'm pretty unbiased (although I have shopped them, and almost bought one twice).

First things first, there is no such thing as a "model year" when it comes to tractors. Models rarely change, and when they do, they change model number. There are sometimes slight changes from year to year, but they are generally very minor. Second, the reason you'll see new tractors made in 2014 still on dealer lots is that dealers bought a whole bunch of them prior to the implementation of Tier IV emissions regulations which many people want to avoid (both cost and complexity).

Keep in mind that Kioti has been selling tractors in the U.S. for 30 years (this year) so they've pretty much established their long-term viability. The chance they'll pull the plug is exceedingly low. I'll go out on a limb and say it's more likely that Deere would stop selling SCUTs and CUTs than Kioti will go away....why? Deere has put very little emphasis on the small tractor market, and many dealers don't even have them available to look at. They've really focused on larger operations, with multiple large machines....probably where they make the most profit margin, so it makes sense from a business standpoint. It really seems they only make smaller machines as nearly a courtesy to their customers who buy big stuff.

Further, the whole concept that resale value will be a higher percentage for Deere or Kubota comes mostly from Deere and Kubota dealers and owners. I bought a new LS a few years ago for $21,500, put 215 hours on it in 15 months and sold it for $19,250. I don't think $2,250 for 215 hours is unreasonable at all, and I haven't seen Kubota or Deere private sales be significantly better going off what folks report here. The only thing would be that more people know about Deere and Kubota, so the buyer pool will be larger for those two brands. Still, it's not like people are having problems selling used, clean Kiotis, or LS, etc.

 

[varmint]

The concern over a brand's long term viability almost clouds the important issue of a potential purchases' quality, suitability for intended uses and buyer's sense of comfort with the machine. Unless you are buying a tractor to store in controlled climate warehouse, preserving it for future resale appreciation, I think this discussion about brands is sort of moot. Buy what you want, not what you think someone else will want down the road.

 

[JDL538]

I love kioti's when I was in the market for a new tractor 2009 I never heard of kioti I passed it on the way to JD and Kubota have owned both plus others...I stopped at Kioti and was real impressed after looking I went to JD and KUbota ,They looked like baby toys in the same price range I bought the CK30 NO regrets if money didn't matter I would buy the kioti every time no doubt. My CK is still worth very close to what I payed in 09. JMO

 

[WesternMN]

The concern over a brand's long term viability almost clouds the important issue of a potential purchases' quality, suitability for intended uses and buyer's sense of comfort with the machine. Unless you are buying a tractor to store in controlled climate warehouse, preserving it for future resale appreciation, I think this discussion about brands is sort of moot. Buy what you want, not what you think someone else will want down the road.

This goes against my style of buying and selling. I always consider resale value and demand prior to purchasing since I tend to buy, use for a relatively short time and then re-sell. I guess it probably comes from working in retail sales of large ticket items for a living for a long time. Purchase price is the most important part of that equation but buying a machine that has a decent pool of potential future buyers matters as well. And nothing will put a damper on resale value like a company going under in the target market area.

 

[grm61]

I'm not making this statement about Kioti, but this question in general. Tractor brands do come and go. When these kind of questions come up owners tend to rally and say it will never happen, but every few years one inevitability fails. Internet forums will be the last indicator that something is wrong. As was said, the better indicator is the health of your local dealerships.

IMO... I don't think Kioti is going anywhere in the short term. If anything changes, my first bet would be an acquisition.

An honest opinion IMO
You are much more qualified than my self.
You are thinking the Doosan motor thing on the 3 liter and bigger??

Kioti makes a very good tractor..If they invested a little to get a GOOD dealer network, they would run away with the pie, for what you get for your money.

Perhaps your should think about stepping up??:thumbsup:

I suspect there is a reason you have not this is what Kioti needs to look at...It is the only thing holding them back IMO...Ramblings from someone not in the buisness.:drink:

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

An honest opinion IMO
You are much more qualified than my self.
You are thinking the Doosan motor thing on the 3 liter and bigger??

Kioti makes a very good tractor..If they invested a little to get a GOOD dealer network, they would run away with the pie, for what you get for your money

Perhaps your should think about stepping up??:thumbsup:

I suspect there is a reason you have not this is what Kioti needs to look at...It is the only thing holding them back IMO...Ramblings from someone not in the buisness.:drink:

X2...