Purchasing first tractor! CK30 or B3030?

[Mavrik02]

I'm in the market for my first tractor and have narrowed my search down to Kubota and Kioti.

I have ~20 acres. 15 are woods, ~2.5 are house/yard/driveway, and ~2.5 are field. The driveway is 440 feet long, my underground utility lines (which I must keep clean) are another 440 feet through the woods. There is a stream 11 feet wide that my driveway and bridge cross, lots of hills and several natural springs that need to be diverted.

The house is just being finished and I estimate about 3 yrs of heavy FEL/BH work until I'm satisfied with the layout (and I know 10 yrs later I'll still be moving things around /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I think that a BX23 or CK20 could do most of the work (at a slower pace) but if I can afford it I am going to purchase a CK30 or B3030.

I've seen them both and have gotten to try out the B3030 (if anyone knows where in SW PA I could try out a CK30 I would love to know). I like both tractors and like the extra weight of the CK30 for the heavy work but am somewhat concerned about having that much weight on the lawn (once it is raked and planted that is).

Any insight or advice on my search/choices/etc. would be great!

Thanks - Fred

 

[rico304]

You will get much better technical advice than I am going to give you, but I looked at the bx23, CK20, Kubota 7510,7610and 7800. First, the Bx23 is a SubCUT and much smaller than the CK20. Bx has very little ground clearance and a soft underbelly which limits work in rough areas(very good reputation). CK20 is (in my opinion) more of a work horse. Basically....Bx if you want to do light landscaping and mow your lawn. (you can do heavy, but very slowly) CK is for heavier lifting and rougher work areas. From what I have read it is a very strong machine. You just need to find a good dealer and you would be set. CK20 might be a little on the heavy side for lawns.
CK30 and B3030 are different beasts than those though. Much more capable of handling heavy work, but I wouldn't want them on my lawn towing a mowing deck. The CK20 is right between the BX23 and CK30 or B3030.(I didnt' really look at Ck30 or B3030 because of cost issues.) I think I am going with a Kubot B7610. Fairly light and can use a midmount mower. I was first set on CK20, but I had dealer issues come up and felt more comfortable with my Kubota dealer. (It was m just my Kioti dealer I had issues with. Many very good dealers out there and on this site) Many say cost is a huge thing as well, but both Kioti CK20 and Kubota B7510 were within $200 of each other.
I think you need to try them out and see if you want the larger B3030 / CK30 or a smaller machine. Two different ranges of beasts you mentioned. Once you decide on which size, I'd leave it up to which dealer treats me best. (And I don't mean cost)
Summed up, sounds like the CK20 or a B7510 might be a middle of the road tractor.
Or, I could be way off, but I wanted to let you know what I found. Hope that rambling helps!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[rico304]

Oh yes, and as for Ck30 or B3030, well, /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifI have no idea. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Didn't look there. I only threw my findings in in case, like you stated, you can't come up with the money for the larger models.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Just to fill in a bit where rico304 left off, the B3030 is among the smallest and lightest of the 30hp tractors, it is about 1/2 the weight of a CK30. The B3030 with a mid mount mower is an amazing mowing tractor (I use a B2910 which was just replaced this year by the B3030). The B3030 is excellent for landscape maintainence, but perhaps too light and small for 20 acres unless you really are only using 50% of the land. You said 15 acres are woods so I'd say a 30hp machine would work pretty well, even if you cleared up to 65% or 70% of the total property. That said, I could not really imagine anything smaller either. But to clear the property, the B3030 is not your best choice. For dealing with the 5 acres you have clear, it is an excellent choice.

The CK30 is probably the heaviest of the 30hp tractors, with the weight comes more capacity on the FEL and the 3pt, but the engine HP and PTO HP are pretty much the same. There is no Mid Mount Mower option for the CK30 so if that is something you want, you'll have to look elsewhere. The CK30 would be a better choice for heavy duty tasks, it really is not in the same class as the B3030 since the CK30 is larger, heavier & has more powerful hydraulics. This would certainly be the better choice for log pulling, extensive box blading, etc. It would be a better option if clearing the woods is high on your list, but probably a marginal choice if the 5 acres cleared already is what you really intend to mow & maintain for the near future.

I think people make the mistake of comparing the CK30 and the B3030 simply because they are the same horsepower, but they are different TYPES of tractors in terms of capacities and characteristics so I would seriously suggest you need to FIRST look at all the jobs you want to do. Then rank the jobs by HOURS of USE you expect to do the jobs. Then see which tractor is better suited for the jobs. Once you do that, then you can figure out what tractor is better for your use.

 

[grdngrrl]

You may wish to consider looking at the Kioti "Buying" forum for relevant information from folks who had the same delimna as you now face. I am delighted with my decision to go with the CK 30 HST vs the other shade of orange tractor. There ARE excellent Kioti dealers out there.
Good luck,
Jean Marie

 

[grdngrrl]

Oh, and by the way. My primary requirements for a CUT were for use as a backhoe/loader. I mow the lawn with a little tiddler lawn tractor. I wanted all the weight I could get in a TLB for under $20 K.

 

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I like both tractors and like the extra weight of the CK30 for the heavy work but am somewhat concerned about having that much weight on the lawn (once it is raked and planted that is).
)</font>

Bob pretty much told you the difference between the 2 mchines, which one do you think will best suit your needs over the years?Both 30 hp, but one is quite a bit lighter, which do you think will best suit your needs in the future?

 

[shoppintractors]

<font color="blue">There is no Mid Mount Mower option for the CK30 so if that is something you want, you'll have to look elsewhere. </font>

FYI - Yes and No. There is a Mid PTO option for the CK30. From what I understand, the Mid-Mount-Mower is not currently available, but is in the works....

Don

 

[crown]

As Bob has explained they are two different tractors I would throw in the Kubota L3400 it is not as heavy as the Kioti but more capable dirt mover than the B-3030, however the mid-mount is not available in that model either. I think it would be light enough for mowing but that is just me I don't have a golf course. I would see if the dealers would let you give them a light test run on your property. By the way your place sounds really nice. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Mavrik02]

The local Kioti dealer did quote me a mid mount mower for the CK30 (he didn't give a model number) but he tried to push rear mount as a better choice.

Thanks for the feedback Rico/Bob. You have clearly described the issue I have been thinking over. The CK30 would likely be better for the heavier work, which I will have great need of for at least the next three years, but the B3030 might be a little easier on the nice yard my wife wants. Maybe I'll go to the Kioti forum and ask/research the question about how the heavier CK30 does on the lawn (the dealer was pushing the turf tires for the CK30 as a necessity).

Other than the weight I view these tractors as very comparable and would feel good with either one.

Fred