We're not just talkin', we're walkin': We gave up our Kubota dealership to deal Kioti

[TractorTidy]

Dargo, where in IN are you?

 

[SLIMDOG]

It is definately a different reality up here. We now have 30 dealers in Ontario and it seems like more are joining all the time. My concern is more that they over do it with dealers. Quite a few New Holland dealers have added Kioti. We even have our first ever dual line Kioti / Kubota dealer in Ontario. I didn't think that the day would come.

I cannot speak to your market, I trust what you say, but up here the tractors are well received and dead reliable. Our market share in the 20 - 50 hp compact segment is 32%.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[cdaigle430]

What the heck is a Kioti? I've never heard of them... sounds like another Daewoo


Actually-I found out there was a Kioti not far from me and would have given them some serious thought but the financing wasn't there at the time.

 

[TripleR]

It is hard to get good market penetration with a product being so sparse, there have been threads on this on the Kioti site about dealers closing. In my area, I drive around quite a bit and have yet to see a Kioti that was not on the dealer's lot some fifty miles away and they only had about ten tractors there when I was shopping last year.

Hopefully they will stay in business and expand as competition is good for all of us.

 

[TractorTidy]

Hey everybody, give Kioti a chance and quit bashing them. Most of you are armchair quaterbacks and only know what you see and hear which most of the time is not true. Kioti is really makiing an effort to clean up the mistakes of poor dealers from many years back. It's awhole new regime now, especially since they opened up their new facility in NC.

Thay have a great product, well designed, heavy and reliable. Just becasue they are not in your area doesn't mean they are junk. Most of the threads on here concerning the product is good., @85-90%. You're going to find the same thing w/ the other colors as well, and yes even the almighty Kubota.

Kioti has a concentration in certain areas of the country, maybe not yours yet. And it is hard to find a "good" dealer that is established and knows what he is doing. As far as my area, Kioti is growing and adding a few dealers in IN. One in central IN, one in NE IN and now in SE. That puts @ 8 in IN.
Go to the IN state fair this year and you will see Kioti there.

It's all about the dealers. The guy w/ the barn in the middle of nowhere obviously didn't cut it. They know that and are going a different direction. So give them a chance and quit bashing. They ARE wanting to grow the market and get their name out there better. The product is actually a diamond in the ruff, once people grab ahold, they like it.

 

[wallace]

Good thoughts Jinman. We did not carry the whole Kubota line up. Had we been construction and everything else it may have been a more difficult decision.

As for Bobcat; it gets interesting. I had been trying for 3 years to get a Bobcat dealership. The closest dealer to us at that time was 1 hour away and we live in the GTA (ie 3.5 million people).

They did finally call and say that they were willing to look at us. By then we were well on our way with Kioti and we felt that we would be better off working for the manufacture Sorry but you are not working with the manufacture. You are working with Kioti USA. A branded tractor made by Daedong. rather than a company that only had a 5 year contract.:laughing:

Right now it looks like a good call. We suspect that the Bobcat deal won't be renewed which is why Dae Dong has entered into agreements with Landini and McCormick. It isn't reasonable that this would have happened if all was well in the Bobcat deal.

I am old enough to remember Toyota being a big joke in Canada. Who's laughing now. I think / hope that Kioti is the emerging brand as Toyota was.

Cheers,

You need to start reading between the lines of the BS your Kioti rep is filling you with.

Why did Daedong sign contracts with Bobcat in the first place? Because Kioti sales were week and Daedong needed to sell equipment.
Why is Daedong signing contracts with McCormick? Because between Bobcat and Kioti they are still not turning the numbers Daedong needs.
Kioti USA needs to thank New Holland for their issues with their suppliers. Alot of New Holland dealers took on Kioti just so they would have something to sell.
My opinion on all this is....I think we as the dealers will suffer the most...Haveing 1 supplier take care of 3 different companies can result in long wait times for either machines or parts.

 

[wallace]

Hey everybody, give Kioti a chance and quit bashing them. Most of you are armchair quaterbacks and only know what you see and hear which most of the time is not true. Kioti is really makiing an effort to clean up the mistakes of poor dealers from many years back. It's awhole new regime now, especially since they opened up their new facility in NC.
Thay have a great product, well designed, heavy and reliable. Just becasue they are not in your area doesn't mean they are junk. Most of the threads on here concerning the product is good., @85-90%. You're going to find the same thing w/ the other colors as well, and yes even the almighty Kubota.

Kioti has a concentration in certain areas of the country, maybe not yours yet. And it is hard to find a "good" dealer that is established and knows what he is doing. As far as my area, Kioti is growing and adding a few dealers in IN. One in central IN, one in NE IN and now in SE. That puts @ 8 in IN.
Go to the IN state fair this year and you will see Kioti there.

It's all about the dealers. The guy w/ the barn in the middle of nowhere obviously didn't cut it. They know that and are going a different direction. So give them a chance and quit bashing. They ARE wanting to grow the market and get their name out there better. The product is actually a diamond in the ruff, once people grab ahold, they like it.

and get rid of the real good ones!

 

[TripleR]

Hey everybody, give Kioti a chance and quit bashing them. Most of you are armchair quaterbacks and only know what you see and hear which most of the time is not true. Kioti is really makiing an effort to clean up the mistakes of poor dealers from many years back. It's a whole new regime now, especially since they opened up their new facility in NC.

Thay have a great product, well designed, heavy and reliable. Just becasue they are not in your area doesn't mean they are junk. Most of the threads on here concerning the product is good., @85-90%. You're going to find the same thing w/ the other colors as well, and yes even the almighty Kubota.

Kioti has a concentration in certain areas of the country, maybe not yours yet. And it is hard to find a "good" dealer that is established and knows what he is doing. As far as my area, Kioti is growing and adding a few dealers in IN. One in central IN, one in NE IN and now in SE. That puts @ 8 in IN.
Go to the IN state fair this year and you will see Kioti there.

It's all about the dealers. The guy w/ the barn in the middle of nowhere obviously didn't cut it. They know that and are going a different direction. So give them a chance and quit bashing. They ARE wanting to grow the market and get their name out there better. The product is actually a diamond in the ruff, once people grab a hold, they like it.

Saying they don't have good market penetration in one's area is not bashing, simply stating facts. I have never nor will I ever "bash" Kioti quality, I don't bash any manufacturer.

I can only evaluate what is, not what may be at some point in the future.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Hey everybody, give Kioti a chance and quit bashing them. Most of you are armchair quaterbacks and only know what you see and hear which most of the time is not true. Kioti is really makiing an effort to clean up the mistakes of poor dealers from many years back. It's awhole new regime now, especially since they opened up their new facility in NC.

Thay have a great product, well designed, heavy and reliable. Just becasue they are not in your area doesn't mean they are junk. Most of the threads on here concerning the product is good., @85-90%. You're going to find the same thing w/ the other colors as well, and yes even the almighty Kubota.

Kioti has a concentration in certain areas of the country, maybe not yours yet. And it is hard to find a "good" dealer that is established and knows what he is doing. As far as my area, Kioti is growing and adding a few dealers in IN. One in central IN, one in NE IN and now in SE. That puts @ 8 in IN.
Go to the IN state fair this year and you will see Kioti there.

It's all about the dealers. The guy w/ the barn in the middle of nowhere obviously didn't cut it. They know that and are going a different direction. So give them a chance and quit bashing. They ARE wanting to grow the market and get their name out there better. The product is actually a diamond in the ruff, once people grab ahold, they like it.

1st and foremost, I'm not seeing "product bashing".....I'm seeing first hand poor dealerships in too many areas. I'm seeing poor product support as a result. I'm seeing a relatively new brand falling on its face regarding marketing strategy. I'm seeing far too many unsatisfied customers.

2nd...I sure hope you aren't lumping me into the "armchair quarterback" group....In the past 4 years, I've spent almost $550,000 on new tractors for my business. I've bought 17 new tractors in my lifetime. (I've lost count of USED tractors...) Just a hunch, but I'm probably a little ahead of the curve on new tractor purchases compared to "Average Joe". If anyone has a right to an opinion on what makes a good dealer and what brand support SHOULD be, I'm near the head of the table.

3rd EVERY business that ever opened their doors is "wanting to grow the market and get their name out there". Kioti hasn't cornered the market on "want".

4th. I know PERSONALLY, 6 different Kioti owners who wish they'd have bought something else....ANYTHING else....Not because of the product....because of PRODUCT SUPPORT (ie non existant dealership after the sale in way too many areas.

International Harvester was a GIANT in the equipment industry. 5 years before the brand essentially collapsed, no one would have ever believed they would be forced into a fire sale. And if you know the history of Harvester, it's demise was the direct result of poor managment. Their product was upper echelon. That alone isn't enough to save a brand from failing. IMHO, Kioti will survive, but the stigma attached to poor dealer support in many areas will follow them into eternity. It's tough to undo a bad reputation.

I don't need a spiffy display at the state fair....I'm like most everyone else... I need a dealer in my county, one that stays there for more than a year before it turns into a used furniture store...

 

[Dargo]

If I'm being accused of 'bashing', please read my post again. I just looked on Kioti's 'dealer finder' and there is 1 dealer within 85 miles of me and he is so new that he has no inventory yet. There are quite a few Kioti owners here who know I have a high regard for the tractors. It's just their corporate strategy that gives me enough pause to still not consider one once the dealer reasonably close to me gets inventory. I wonder what they will carry to be honest. Before they appeared as a new Kioti dealer their most expensive mower was a ZTR Snapper.

Don't get me wrong, they are actually very good people to deal with and I've purchased several Stihl items from them and a push mower. However, there is a big difference between those items and a 90 hp tractor (the only size that would be in the range I'd consider). I've never met Mr. Wallace, but I do know some people he sold to. I'll admit right now that hearing that Kioti dropped him concerns me. I've not heard of a single customer complain of his service and it sure looked like he was the largest stocking Kioti dealer I've personally seen. Anyway, I very sincerely wish the new Kioti dealer good luck. With the name known in their area they may not have the impossible uphill battle a new dealer around here would have. If the new dealer in my area prices his units higher than Kubota and Deere like the last guy, he will not last long. He's going to have to take some short deals and earn some respect for his brand and get some of his brand out in service if he is going to survive.