Stumbled into a Kioti dealer today.

[tiogajoe]

Do you have a neighbor that has a tractor? Maybe you could get them to tell you what they think? I know what you mean as far as being able to lean with a smaller mower. On a Tractor you have a lot of variables that can change the center of gravity. Check out the Safety section of this Forum. Lots of good info.

 

[finn1]

A box blade hanging low off the back and the loader off the front make a noticeable improvement in stability.

Had the splitter discussion with my dealer. He sells both pto splitters and traditional engine powered splitters. Which would you rather put hours on, a $1600 splitter or a $30000 tractor?

 

[The Fred]

I mow 19 degrees sidehill with my CK2610 with turfs and a 6 foot rear mount mower and no FEL. I wouldn't dare mow on a sidehill with the front loader attached, the FEL comes off in 5 minutes so no big deal. You get a lot better "feel" for the terrain without the FEL attached anyway. You'll see what I mean when you try it.

It seems scary until you stop and lock the brakes, get off and try to tip the machine over by hand, it's not happening. The mower really helps as a ballast to hold the machine down. The machine will spin out sideways before it will roll over. Be one with your machine take some time like others advised to walk your terrain then drive very slowly the first time, getting off to shake your machine to see how stabil it stays.

Keep in mind I wear the seatbelt and keep the roll bar upright.

The CK 2610 should work perfectly for what you are asking.

As far as your 3rd function front used for a wood splitter it's a no no because the 3rd function electric solenoid will burn up if you lock it on indefinitely as it is designed for short spurts.

You can buy 2 remotes for the rear and they offer them with a detent if you like. I have one with a detent and one without.

Mine is gear and yes only second and reverse are syncronized. PTO is a lever and a 2 stage clutch.

Good luck, Fred

 

[N2DFire]

We have the older CK35 (Shuttle, not HST) which aside from the Tier IV engine is pretty much the same tractor.

To add to what Sawworcs said about width, the wheels for the Ag tires are the ONLY ones that adjust. Turf & Industrial wheels are fixed (1 piece I think).

For the stability question - we are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains - anything under a 10 degree slope we pretty much call level. Lol
We have loaded Ag tires with the wheels set to the widest width. There is no place on our property I *can't* go across the slope - there are places I probably *shouldn't* and most of the time I don't if I don't have to just because why tempt fate?

We almost never take the loader off so that's added weight and the two most common rear implements are a 5' box blade or a 5' rotary cutter so generally something of substance hanging off the rear too.

Coming from many years on a old 8N Ford it took a little getting used to the feel of the CK. If you measure from the center line of the rear axle up to the seat, on the 8N the operator sits much lower on the machine. Due to the flat floor on the CK, you sit a little higher up and when tipped sideways you "roll" laterally farther which makes it feel a little steeper than it really is. Just keep the ROPS up and wear the seat belt till you get a feel for where you can go & what it feels like (you really should use the ROPS and seat belt all the time).

When you are on a cross slope:
- don't hang out longer than you have to. Do what you need to and get off it.
- don't lift the loader any higher than you have to (this is really an all the time thing too) - it raises your overall center of gravity and makes it easier to tip over.

And lastly - listen to your butt (no not gut, butt) If you start to do something and your butt starts to pucker up - that's a warning sign that you might be doing something bad. :thumbsup:


Now, for a 3rd function up front, you have 3 basic options (and pardon me but I have taken to cutting & pasting this response between threads)

Option 1 - Rear Remote (SCV) $
Simply a set of long hoses to one of therear remote valves that runs to the front of the loader. If you go this route you will probably want an additional set of quick disconnect couplers in the hose near where the factory QD's are for your loader to make removing the loader easier should you ever want/need to.

PRO - It's cheap & if you ever decide to upgrade to Options 2 or 3 you can probably reuse the hoses.
CON - It won't be the easiest to operate since you have to move between the loader control and the Rear SCV control.

Option 2 - A Diverter Valve $$
Think of this as an Electronically controlled A/B switch. It gets installed between the loader valve & the cylinders the valve controls (typically the Curl/Dump function). Then you have a single On/Off push button on the loader knob. When the button is Off - the curl/dump function works like normal. When the button is On (Pressed) & the loader control is moved in the Curl/Dump directions, the diverter sends fluid to (in this case) the grapple lid to open and close instead.

PRO - You have proportional control of the operation and are able to gently feather the controls.
CON - You have to pick Curl/Dump OR Open/Close, which means at some point your desired set of actions will require you to press the button, move the stick one way, center the stick, let off the button, move the stick the other way. Folks who have this set-up say that with a little time it becomes second nature and they like having the ability to feather the 3rd function

Option 3 - A "true" 3rd function $$$
In this case you have 2 buttons on the loader control that operate a separate solenoid valve which controls the Open & Close function of the grapple independently of the loader valve.
The catch & the reason I put True in quotes, is that it will only be able to supply the fluid from system that is NOT already being used by the loader valve. What that means in English is that even though it's a separate valve / function it will most likely not operate in tandem with either the Lift/Lower or Dump/Curl functions in operation (unless you are feathering them very very lightly).

PRO - A slightly simpler control set to learn and the ability to come close to getting true 3rd function operation **
CON - These valves are simple On/Off valves so you have no ability to feather other than just making quick "blips" on the control button.

I've run our grapple like that for quite some time and honestly I haven't seen a single issue with not having the ability to feather, but I don't grapple eggs and glass either.


There are several great kits for all three options on the market from forums supporters like Michigan Iron & Equipment and EverythingAttachments, MtnViewRanch (Fit Rite Hydraulics - fitritehydraulics.com) and Kens Bolt On Hooks to name a few.

You also have the option to build your own (for each option). Several folks here (myself included) have done that. I have attached the write-up I did for our CK35 3rd Function if you're interested.


** Michigan Iron & Equipment has recently released a new 3rd function kit that is plumbed / ported in such a fashion as to allow true 3rd function operation. They offer both a simple Off/On like the other 3rd function solenoid version (but with true independent operation) or a Proportional Version that allows feathering like a Diverter set-up. miemachinerydivision
The PRO (obviously) is these allow true independent operation of the 3rd function regardless of what the loader valve is doing.
The CON is cost. As of right now it's $1195 for On/Of and $1495 for Proportional.

 

[LMychajluk]

Thanks for that info, Steve.

I was aware of the different 3rd function options, except not about the feathering feature (the WR Long options were another one I was looking at, and I've poked around at EA and MIE's sites as well). Any comment on why one may need to be able to feater? I don't see it as being essential with a grapple. Picking up eggs, maybe?

Since our place is mostly a weekend / vacation property, we don't have the luxury of time to build stuff ourselves, since we can't work on it in our spare time (evenings, etc...). That's one of the reasons we're looking at a small tractor in the first place - just to save a little time on the work that needs to get done around the place so we can have more tiem to enjoy it.

One thing I was wondering was how one would dig a ditch (for example) with the backhoe that would run across a hillside (again, retaining wall footing, but also maybe for drainage). Can I park the tractor perpendicular to the slope, level it with the stabilizers, and work that way, or is that not a good idea?

 

[N2DFire]

One thing I was wondering was how one would dig a ditch (for example) with the backhoe that would run across a hillside (again, retaining wall footing, but also maybe for drainage). Can I park the tractor perpendicular to the slope, level it with the stabilizers, and work that way, or is that not a good idea?

Just to make sure we're on the same page . . "perpendicular to the slope" If the slope runs up and down (obviously) you're saying park left and right then level up off the slope and go to work.

You should be able to do that, it's obviously not the ideal/most stable set-up. I would be cautious of using the FEL as an additional stabilizer like you would on more level ground because downward force on one side with the other up in the air may end up tweaking the loader arms.

Also try to set up so that you're spoil pile is on the uphill side if at all possible, if not make downhill swings with the backhoe low, slow, and as close to the tractor as possible, otherwise you can shift the center of gravity outside your footprint and tip over.

Again here the pucker gauge is your best indicator. If it starts to feel sketchy, back off and find another way to get there.

 

[xcgreene]

Thanks for that info, Steve.

I was aware of the different 3rd function options, except not about the feathering feature (the WR Long options were another one I was looking at, and I've poked around at EA and MIE's sites as well). Any comment on why one may need to be able to feater? I don't see it as being essential with a grapple. Picking up eggs, maybe?

Since our place is mostly a weekend / vacation property, we don't have the luxury of time to build stuff ourselves, since we can't work on it in our spare time (evenings, etc...). That's one of the reasons we're looking at a small tractor in the first place - just to save a little time on the work that needs to get done around the place so we can have more tiem to enjoy it.

One thing I was wondering was how one would dig a ditch (for example) with the backhoe that would run across a hillside (again, retaining wall footing, but also maybe for drainage). Can I park the tractor perpendicular to the slope, level it with the stabilizers, and work that way, or is that not a good idea?

feathering is useful when trying to grapple something like an awkwardly positioned and shaped rock, feathering the lid down on it allowing you to grab it in just the right spot for the best leverage and grip. or when I'm trying to pick up a specific log out of a pile that I'm going to use for milling. I use a logging grapple, which has 2 lower prongs and one lid, which requires more skill to pick certain things up, so slowing things down in certain situations by feathering is handy. I can see where feathering might be less of a necessity with other grapples like a root rake.