Which to buy

[jimmyj]

The forks I have are old forklift ones. They are heavy, probably 200lbs for the pair. I originally got them (they were free) thinking I could use them for a 3ph application someday. Maybe they would be too heavy on the front end with the bucket but the horst bracket would probably be OK.

Anyone ever thought of cutting a forklift fork in half longways to make two long narrow tines instead of the one wide one?

 

[PA hayseed]

Thanks everyone.

Anyhow, details aside, when it comes time to buy I will take 2 of my bales with me to the dealer and do a bale test on the 3ph and the loader. The Kioti guy near me also rents, so I am thinking that a couple of bucks in the spring to rent a machine for the weekend would be the best test drive money could buy.

Alot of dealers will set up a test drive at your location. So don't "offer" to rent, instead, say that your in the market for a new tractor and see if he will set up a demo for you. That way you won't have to haul the bales to his location.

besides, you'll need to save that money for attachments.

 

[MotorSeven]

Jimmy, i made my bucket forks out of used Brick Forks. They are the long narrow ones used for moving pallets of bricks. I don't see why splitting standard forks in half would not work, but you would need a heavy duty plasma cutter to make 'em purty. I welded a 3x3 angle along the top of my bucket, and a bracket on the top back side of the forks so it just slips onto the angle & i can slide them to any width i choose.
RD

 

[jimmyj]

Good idea for the "test drive" - I would have just walked in and said "how much to rent" and cost myself a bundle.

 

[jimmyj]

Would you guys think I'm crazy to buy a CK 25 and use the 3ph to move my 600 to 700lb round bales to save money? I just don't think I can afford to buy a 30 or larger.

I've looked at JD, Kubota and New Holland and I really think the Kioti is the best buy in our area. Warranty, great dealer, solid weight, decent power, strong 3ph, very good loader, fair price- these features are hard to beat.

Also, anyone heard worries about the CK25 being a bit underpowered for the weight. Ideally I think a 30 would be best but my budget was only 15k and I'll already be over it with the CK25 (wonderful Canadian prices).

 

[IXLR8]

Also, anyone heard worries about the CK25 being a bit underpowered for the weight. Ideally I think a 30 would be best but my budget was only 15k and I'll already be over it with the CK25 (wonderful Canadian prices).

R U going HST or Gear, with/without Backhoe? All that I have heard is that no issue with the Gear 25, but the HST 25 with BH and hill climbing becomes a small issue where you might have to go down to low range. I can say that my CK30HST, in mid range, handled my 7' rear blade clearing 5-6" of snow no issue. I did have to back off the pedal a little when it came to the hills, they are short but steep. But I was only running it at about 1700 rpm, so I suspect that a 25HST running greater than 2000 rpm would work out about the same.

 

[jimmyj]

I would prefer HST. I have only actually ever had HST so I should test gear before I make up my mind though.

I don't need a backhoe, my neigbour has a full size and a mini hoe that I can borrow any time (yes, he gets free beer and food from time to time!).

The challenges for my uses will be moving manure and round bales. The rest I can do with other equipment (all smaller or borrowed).

 

[Gittyup]

For the uses you've given, a gear model might suit you just fine. Try it out. The shuttle is quite fast. If you can live with the gear, then you might be able to step up to the 30 and stay close to your budget.

I have a CK25 gear. No power problem. Great Tractor. A brute for ground engagement tasks. For my uses I couldn't justify the extra money for the 30, nor for HST. I love HST for mowing and back-n-forth stuff, but in my case, it didn't bring enough to the table for the uses intended to justify the extra cost.

 

[rcrcomputing]

For what it's worth, I've moved around Rounds on my CK30 w/the Woods 1012 FEL, loaded rears and rear blade on. It lifted them fine, but I was a tad light in the rear.

There is no way in **** my ck30 will lift a 5' round bale. My BH will pick them up, but my front end goes off the ground.

Admittedly, I've always thought my bucket was weak but have not gone to the trouble of buying a bunch of concrete or something to stack up to test the theory.

 

[jimmyj]

How much do you think the 5' bales weigh rcr?