Kioti DK45 4.70 star(s) (23)

Starting Issue
Model Year: 2000

It starts easily in very cold weather, for 25 seconds. Then it chugs black smoke, misses, and runs that way for up to 3 minutes when below zero. Then it smooths out and runs beautifully. I have changed the preheater controller on the firewall and one more plug in. I changed the temperature sender sensor too. Nothing has changed. When it is warm out, it starts and runs smooth. So, I can't continue trouble shooting until fall. Anybody else have an issue like this? I haven't found any posts like this. Thanks if you can help. I call my DK 45 'Wile e. Kioti.' By the way, I put in new air filters and a fuel filter, trans fluid and filter, and oil and filter.

Pros: Starts every time, runs well and has plenty of power, cab and front-end loader
Cons: Smoking issue when starting when it is cold

DK 45
Model Year: 2005

I have had it less than a year. So far I have had to replace the ignition switch which was a piece of cake and it was reasonably priced. I have some issues with the FEL float setting and a slow leak in the right front tire. Other than that the tractor is nearly 10 years old and has stood up to the years surprisingly well considering you can tell it was outside for most of those 10 years.

Pros: Great value for the money
Cons: None yet

Photo Uploads:

Kioti DK45 Eastern Canada---Very Good Tractor
Model Year: 2006

I bought the tractor used with 600 hrs. on the clock. It worked flawlessly until 800 hrs when I started having problems with the fuel injection pump. Apparently, Kioti used a Bosch design and made their own pump with some plastic gears. The long and short of it: the excellent dealer here installed a replacement unit and the tractor continues to give great service (Proudfoot Motors - for a very low fee). I use it in combination with a loader, snow blower, splitter, Bush Hog, box blade and woods trailer. Does all those tasks very well. I would prefer to see the fuel pedal and brakes separated so I could use the brakes to assist steering when pushing heavy snow (I suppose that's a double edge sword though...). Fuel consumption is moderate to good. 4WD is very important and reliable. It would be good to have a skid plate (I'm going to add one sometime). Loader is powerful but a bit too slow. Clutch is a stiff. Can tire your left leg with a lot of loader work. HST might be a good idea. Keep your shuttle lever and 3PH linkages lubricated. Cab is great. Keeps the snow off in winter and grass off when bush hogging. On the other hand, working in the woods is hard on a cab, lights, etc. I put chains on the front tires in the winter. 1/4 long mile driveway with hills. Very icy. Even 4WD is dodgy on sheer ice. Recommend a plow to accompany snow blower. 3PH hookup is well done - extendible links, draft control on the outside, PTO guard.

Pros: Tough, good value, well designed, always starts even on coldest days (and no block heater).
Cons: Can't hear the radio when engine is under load, a bit slow at top speed, lights aren't very bright.

Photo Uploads:

Beware of Kioti Engine Failure
Model Year: 2003

DK45 Dadong engine. Have found on internet several people with exact same problem. In a nutshell mfg. installed a warped crankshaft in this series of engine (don't know how many). First sign is the front oil seal leaking and crankshaft pulley with what seems to be a wobble instead of true round turning. We first thought we heard a faint knock in the engine, but had someone familiar with Kioti engines to say it was their usual sound, nothing abnormal (that's not good). Seems like more and more are popping up with this problem. The crank seems to have wore the front main which is a bushing not a bearing over these few hours to the point it damaged the seal and oil pump gear and oil pump. Talked with Kioti and with the age of the tractor they would not do anything to help other than apologize. No parts, no discount no nothing offered except sorry you got a bad engine. Maintenance on the tractor was a regular thing, so no problem due to lack of oil. Just our bad luck for choosing KIOTI. PLEASE don't forget this next time you are looking to buy a tractor, unless you are looking for a disposable tractor, then choose KIOTI and good luck. They won't have the chance to do this to me again unless they have a change of conscience. We have currently 10 tractors USA made with all over 1,000 to 6,000 hours and no engine failures. This should be a good lesson for all of us. Buy American.

Pros: Versatile small tractor.
Cons: Engine of course.

Teamduster Kioti
Model Year: 2000

Tractor has performed great, and could not ask for any better out of 45 HP tractor. Just this year started having trouble with "cold" starting... chased it for a while, but have ordered parts for the process of elimination! Sometime in the next week, we will be replacing all four glow plugs, along with the strip (rail) which supplies current to the plugs. Hopefully, this will solve the problem.

Pros: Size/performance good, fuel economy good, comfortable to operate. Hydraulic top link and right lift arm is great.
Cons: Cold starting problem.

Definitely the Best Tractor for the Price
Model Year: 2008

I researched every darn tractor out there and then found a deal on a 2008 Kioti. I'm confident it is far better than anything from Deere, Kubota, New Holland, and others for the price. I think I would have like the hydrostat transmission better but overall this tractor is just awesome. Lots of great features like locking differential remote hydraulics, rear three point adjustment lever, very high quality compared to New Holland and even Kubota and so much less expensive. I got a 2008 Kioti DK45 with a blade and loader for $15,500. I drove a new New Holland tractor that just wasn't even close to the quality of parts and less power for $24,000. Kioti is very impressive all around from the frame, seat, hoses, floor mat, stickers, just everything this thing is tough and durable and nothing about it is cheap. One complaint is in Idaho the nearest dealer is almost 3 hours away. Luckily I have had no problems. Gets regular use almost daily and not any problems but it does not run very smooth until it warms up a bit. Starts good but just runs like crap for the first minute sounds like rocks in the engine. Maybe that's normal for a little diesel though. It also might be a bit under powered and has a real hard time in high gear. We do mostly loader and blade work with it but also have a mower and a ripper. The loader has plenty of lifting power and structural strength.

Pros: Every part on it is strong and durable. Unbeatable price. Great looking. Great features.
Cons: No dealer nearby. A few minor design bugs like the loader remote control coming loose and no way to fold down the roll bar without cracking the fender.

DK45
Model Year: 2003

This little tractor is a beast. After almost 1 1/2 yrs of bashing trees, pulling stumps, grading pasture, hauling lawn mower-sized rocks and all kinds of things it was NEVER meant to do, it starts every time (ice, rain or heat). I have used all kind of attachment and it never has even a hiccup.

Pros: Versatility.
Cons: Loader sucks.

Kioti DK45
Model Year: 2003

Good tractor. Backhoe (2384) has had master cylinder problems and is very jerky left to right. It also has very limited leg room. Would be a HUGE plus if controls could be reached by turning tractor seat and saving dismounting. It has loaded tires, but needs wheel weights. The tractor has done a ton of hard work (what it was built for) and performed well. Good fuel economy. I would buy it again.

Pros: Reliable, fuel efficient.
Cons: Light weight.

Pretty Impressed with DK45S
Model Year: 2006

My prior experience was limited to a borrowed 1953 Ford gas tractor with an ancient Woods mower. I was shopping for a used CUT but found very few at local dealers. Also, a friend advised "you can do a lot with a loader" so I wanted a loader and that eliminated most of the available used machines. Almost by accident I saw a local Kioti dealer from the highway and he was selling this used DK45S who's original owner fell on hard times. And the price was right, considerably less than smaller new tractors. To date I'm very impressed. The only unscheduled maintenance was cleaning and lubing the ignition switch, which seems to be a common problem. Most of my use is mowing with a Phoenix (aka SICMA, or Kioti, or many other brands) 72 in mower deck, which is awesome fast and easy compared to my 42 in riding mower. I also use it with a light-duty 72 in House rotary cutter to control brush and saplings that spring up. The loader is really impressive with about double the lift capacity of competing machines. The loader is handy as a "super wheelbarrow" but it is really awesome for maintaining my dirt trails. I had many low spots that collected water to become impassible mud after rain. The loader was great for cutting drainage troughs and retention ponds and then filling the low spots after they dry out. The shuttle transmission is great for loader work although I can see how a hydro-static tranny would be faster if you really had a LOT of FEL work to do. Still, I prefer the manual gears for my purposes (mostly mowing with occasional FEL work) because I expect the gears will be more durable and economical, fuel-wise. This tractor has many great standard features like telescoping 3-PH lower arms, flip-up PTO guard, locking differential, remote hydraulics, etc. that were extra cost options on most of the tractor brands I looked at. After looking at several other brands, this DK45s just looks like a better quality machine, IMO. Now the bad things. Kioti recently fired many of their low-volume dealers so now my nearest dealer is 60 miles away vs 10 miles. Frankly, I never would have bought a Kioti if the nearest dealer was that far away and that's why I graded dealer experience as a 3. However, there still seem to be several great dealers on TractorByNet who will ship parts for good prices. The other bad thing is the older service manuals are very poor: many errors and incomplete. The new manuals are MUCH better and there is a lot of commonality between my old DK45S and the newer DA4510 so that is a help.

Pros: Strong machine, great standard features, great web support.
Cons: No close dealers. Poor documentation.

What a Tractor!
Model Year: 2010

There is no better tractor for the money. This will lift and pull as much a an M series Kubota I have used. There are a lot of nice standard features that are and add-ons with other manufacturers. I would highly recommend this tractor.

Pros: Great tractor with lots for features for the money. Loader and backhoe work better than I thought they would.
Cons: Fit and finish is not that of other models but the price and performance make up for it.

Amateur Review
Model Year: 2004

Not a pro by any means, just an old retired Seabee BUC, so bear that in mind please. The machine seems to be very well built and quite capable for anything that I could ask it to do. It does use fuel a lot faster than my smaller Kubota but does at least twice the work, faster. I truly like the power steering. The "dashboard" instruments fade away in sunlight and being a short guy, visibility is an issue in contrast to the Kubota. The main reason that I bought the Kioti was that it had a folding roll bar which eliminated rebuilding my garage door & garage. No trouble so far but thanks to your site, a possible wiring problem has been identified that will require shielding.

Pros: See above.
Cons: See above.

New Kioti
Model Year: 2009

I traded in my Kubota L3400 HST for a new Kioti DK45. After originally having a B7800 then trading up to the 35 horse L3400 I still was not satisfied with loader lift capacity. I had a B4690 3-point mount back hoe that was a pain to get on and off by myself. The new Kioti has a skid steer quick attach loader bucket, rear remotes 2761lbs lift at pins double the Kubota's. The dealer wanted $1000 to install a quick detach bucket $500 if I welded and fit it myself! We have a new piece of property that I am going to develop and thought what the heck now or never I will upgrade. The blogs on this site were very helpful in making my decision to go with Kioti! We have 3 Kia's and they are great so I figured that the Kiotis could not be that far behind. Time will tell so far happy. I also went with the 2485 sub mount backhoe that takes much less time to get on and off Scott at Cowlitz river rigging in Longview has been great to deal with and helped me to go with Kioti.

Pros: $10,000 cheaper than Kubota equivalent.
Cons: None.

Kioti DK 45S
Model Year: 2006

Good working tractor, but she as had a lot of quirky problems, but dealer has looked after me well.

Pros: Great hydraulics.
Cons: 1 hih needs to be smaller.

Photo Uploads:

DK 45SE HST Cab
Model Year: 2009

This tractor has done everything i have asked it to do. I use it mainly in winter for snow removal. I never had a breakdown issue. It's way more reliable than the 2007 NH TC45DA I traded in for the Kioti. It uses less than half the fuel of the NH, and is a stronger machine.

Pros: Fuel consumption, loader breakout force, & reliability.
Cons: People thinks its a Kubota.

Kioti DK45S
Model Year: 2009

An update on my Kioti DK45S. With over 150 hrs on my tractor now, I have to say boy, what a deal. This tractor has not let me down even a little bit. I can count on it to start and do any task I put before it. This was the best money I have spent in a long time. Already planning on how to talk the wife into another, but next one will have cab.

Pros: Economical, ease of operation.
Cons: None that I have found.

Photo Uploads:

Kioti DK45
Model Year: 2010

The unit came without loaded tires. Would there be significant improvement for use in clay country and in ice and snow conditions?

Pros: none at this time
Cons: none at this time

Works Well on the Farm
Model Year: 2009

We have a small hay and livestock operation. It has been great addition to hay making and cleaning barns. The whole family likes to use it raking hay and it has enough power to run my small square baler also. I can feed and move round bales with ease.

Pros: Great Price.
Cons: Electric PTO.

Kioti DK45S
Model Year: 2005

I have been well pleased with my Dk45. Use mostly for pleasure but have accomplished some serious work with it, but everybody still thinks it is a Kubota by its color.

Pros: User friendly.
Cons: Gear shift lever shifts hard if not kept lubricated on top of box.

Love my new KIOTI DK45S and KL1470 Loader
Model Year: 2009

I bought my Kioti from Chip at ARTRAC and am super pleased with the tractor. It is performing flawlessly and above expectations. I graduated to my first new tractor from a Oliver 77 row crop and Ford 1700. This size of tractor should fit me well.Overall, great value, and a good looking machine to boot.

Pros: Manueverability, easy access to controls
Cons: Needs 2 sets of remotes standard instead of 1

Photo Uploads:

Kioti DK45SE w/loader review
Model Year: 0

Overall, I love this tractor. I bought it with 67 hours on the clock. The ease in which the FEL goes off and on is awesome. I take it off 2-3 times a month, specially in the summer when mowing. I can remove and install the FEL in a few minutes. We have not had any mechanical issues in 260 hours.

Pros: Pulling power, ease of removing and installing FEL
Cons: Not much power in high range but I guess its not suppose to.