Will the CK27 be "enough" tractor

[Fastpitch]

I have just purchase a 14 acre piece of property that we are planning on building a house on and I am looking hard at the CK series tractors. The land is gently rolling with 1 acre of woods and a 2 acre pond. I will be maintaining a 1,200 ft gravel drive, working a 1/3 acre garden and cutting about 8 acres of grass with the tractor. I want to use a 5' tiller for the garden, 5' box blade for the drive and the combination of a 5' rotary cutter and 6' finish mower or a Caroni 1900 flail for the grass.

I was looking at either the CK30 or CK35 HST but now the free loader program is only good for the CK27. The dealer said the CK27 would handle everything I wanted to use except for the flail mower and he said that he didn't have any experience with that type of mower. The difference between the CK27 and CK30 is now around $3,500 which would go a long way towards purchasing the attachments. Would the CK27 be "enough" tractor for what I want to use it for?

 

[earljr59]

I have a ck 25 and am very pleased with it. It handles my 5ft. attachments great. I use a rotary cutter so can not comment on the flail.At times I am impressed with what the kioti can do for its size.I like the industrial tires,they hardly do any damage finish mowing.It handles the loader very well,although it likes the front wheel assist engaged.I notice I do a lot of jobs with this size tractor and leave the bigger size tractor parked.Good Luck with whatever you buy,you will enjoy any brand you end up with.Just realize a compact tractor cant be expected to do as much/as fast as a big one.And above all enjoy your seat time in this Lovely fall weather.:thumbsup:

 

[Gittyup]

Have you considered the bobcat equivalent?

 

[MotorSeven]

FP if you can swing the extra cash I'd go with the DK40SE. I have a hundred ac, but only tractor on about 15ac..the rest is sheep steep. I initially bought a CK30 HST and put almost 400 hrs on it, but I found my self wanting more loader lift capacity, so I traded up to the DK40SE HST. Huge difference in loaders....1100 lbs lift compared to 2600 lbs and it does everything I ask and having that extra foot of cutting width is nice too. I'm in the mid 500 hrs on the DK and am pleased with it.

Think about it, because if you decide to trade in a few years like I did, you will take a $ hit. However, when I bought my CK the HST was not available in anything bigger, so when the DK HST came out I was done...I knew it was the perfect tractor for me.

 

[Fastpitch]

Thank you for the replies.

I have considered a Bobcat but the only Bobcat dealer in my area stopped carrying the tractors and I have a Kioti dealer that has a good reputation only 15 miles away.

I am not worried about trading up to a larger tractor because we are in the middle of downsizing and the boss says this is the last house we are going to build. We have sold our cows and are in the process of trying to sell a larger tractor, equipment and our land. We realized that there are not enough hours in a day to work a full time job, raise cattle and make it to our children's beauty pageants, plays and softball, baseball and football games.

I still wanted a place that was large enough to require a tractor because I still need my hobbies and there is something therapeutic about that seat time on a tractor. A CK would be the smallest tractor that I have ever owned and maybe I am just doubting how strong a CK27 actually is. Everyone is telling me that I will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Gittyup]

It's not that the CK27 isn't an awesome tractor; I think my 25 is. You just might get more tractor by looking at BC. It rubs me the wrong way a bit for them to only offer the incentives on the CK27. But, hey, I guess they are trying to move specific inventory. You won't go wrong with the CK27. Just realize it's not a big ol brute utility tractor that you may be used to.

 

[DwightD123]

You might get away with it but that one or two times a year you want more out of your tractor you might regret not buying a bit larger. The loader is used so often I would really pay attention to those lifting capacity numbers.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

You are doing enough PTO work that I would be leery of the smaller hp tractor. CK35 would be the tractor for me. Run 6' PTO implements without worry. The 27 may be priced right, but what good is it if it won't do the job that you need it to do and you end up making smaller cuts due to not enough HP.

Just my :2cents:

 

[dustinfox]

I have just purchase a 14 acre piece of property that we are planning on building a house on and I am looking hard at the CK series tractors. The land is gently rolling with 1 acre of woods and a 2 acre pond. I will be maintaining a 1,200 ft gravel drive, working a 1/3 acre garden and cutting about 8 acres of grass with the tractor. I want to use a 5' tiller for the garden, 5' box blade for the drive and the combination of a 5' rotary cutter and 6' finish mower or a Caroni 1900 flail for the grass.

I was looking at either the CK30 or CK35 HST but now the free loader program is only good for the CK27. The dealer said the CK27 would handle everything I wanted to use except for the flail mower and he said that he didn't have any experience with that type of mower. The difference between the CK27 and CK30 is now around $3,500 which would go a long way towards purchasing the attachments. Would the CK27 be "enough" tractor for what I want to use it for?

Are you sure about this? I am in the same position. Trying to decide between CK27,30,or 35 and the "free loader" program still applies to all three. I just need to call him back and let him know which one I want. What price were you quoted on these?

 

[johnrex62]

I think the dealer is correct, mostly. I would feel better with more tractor for the dirt work you plan and a larger tractor will also make the mowing easier.

The CK27 is big enough to do it. A larger tractor will do it easier.

I would like a 40-50hp tractor for regular use like you describe, maybe even bigger if the area it will be used is open and easily to maneuver cause there will always be something you would like to do that you didn't think of today. Yard and tight spaces are the biggest reasons not to go bigger (other than price of course).

I have a 37hp tractor and it can do everything I want to do, but I have found that a bigger tractor would deal with clearing these small groves of trees faster than I can do at present. Worth an extra $5k to me? No. I have more time than money and can go slow, but if I had more money I would have more tractor.

 

[Gittyup]

I think the dealer is correct, mostly. I would feel better with more tractor for the dirt work you plan and a larger tractor will also make the mowing easier.

The CK27 is big enough to do it. A larger tractor will do it easier.

For dirt work, I doubt the CK30/35 would yield any advantage. They all weighh within a couple of hundred lbs of each other, have the same attachments and hydraulic flow. In just about all cases, you will lose traction before you run out of HP. The only advantage the 30/35 has is more pto HP and slightly better traveling power in high range. If you don't need the PTO HP nor travel alot in high range on hills, you are wasting your money. However, the higher HP machine will have higher resale value, and be more attractive to a broader buyer market..

 

[earljr59]

For the $3500 upcharge you wont have enough increase in power of any type to notice.Unless you want to run all bigger attachments you will be fine with the ck27.I see 5 and 10 more hp tractors running the same 5 ft. and 6 ft. attachments as I run on my ck 25. And if your ground is not any smoother than mine,you will be going plenty slow enough you wont even know the mower/cutter is on there. I say take the $3500 and buy some good quality attachments for your tractor.And I say this no matter what brand of tractor you end up buying.

 

[Gittyup]

Save even more money and get the lost hp back by going with a gear model. Sounds like it would work just about as well for your intended tasks. I love my CK25 gear. It's a powerful little beast! The best choices in this line are the CK27 gear and the CK35 hst.

 

[Fastpitch]

Are you sure about this? I am in the same position. Trying to decide between CK27,30,or 35 and the "free loader" program still applies to all three. I just need to call him back and let him know which one I want. What price were you quoted on these?

If this is true then it makes my decision much easier. I was quoted $16,000 for a CK27, $16,700 for a CK30 and $17,700 for a CK35. All were hst with a loader. This was last month and before any negotiating. The dealer knows that I need to sell my current tractor before I can buy again. I thought the free loader program was only for the CK27 starting in October from what I saw on the Kioti website. If the price difference is still only $1,700 between the CK35 and CK27 then to me it would be well worth the extra money. I also like the seat better on the CK35. If the free loader program does not include the CK30 or CK35 then I am having a hard time justifying $3,200 for an additional 1.5 pto hp or $4,200 for an additional 6 pto hp. I am assuming the loader is worth $2,500.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'd opt for the CK27 if the free loader is only for that model. The differences in HP will not make that big a change in what the tractor can do. I have a Caroni TM1900 on my DK40se but I run it at about 1900rpm and medium range most of the time even in fairly thick tall grass. I only need more than that in very lush knee high grass in the springtime. If I can run the TM1900 effectively at 1800-1900rpm then you should have no trouble running it at full PTO speed (2600 I believe for the CK27). There might be a few times you have to go slower or perhaps take a five foot swath rather than the full six foot capacity cut but I don't think that would bother me.

 

[dustinfox]

If this is true then it makes my decision much easier. I was quoted $16,000 for a CK27, $16,700 for a CK30 and $17,700 for a CK35. All were hst with a loader. This was last month and before any negotiating. The dealer knows that I need to sell my current tractor before I can buy again. I thought the free loader program was only for the CK27 starting in October from what I saw on the Kioti website. If the price difference is still only $1,700 between the CK35 and CK27 then to me it would be well worth the extra money. I also like the seat better on the CK35. If the free loader program does not include the CK30 or CK35 then I am having a hard time justifying $3,200 for an additional 1.5 pto hp or $4,200 for an additional 6 pto hp. I am assuming the loader is worth $2,500.

I decided on the CK35HST which is being delivered today. I paid $18,500 which includes filling the tires. My purchase and sale agreements lists "free loader" as a line item. If you can get the CK35HST for $17,700 that's a good deal. I would call a few other Kioti dealers and ask if the "free loader" program is still available on that tractor.

 

[Fastpitch]

I finally sold my tractor, so I am going to talk to my Kioti dealer this week to see what incentives are on for the CK lineup at this time. I still think it my choice will between the 27 and the 35. I have decided on a TM1900 flail mower and will try to find the best bang for the buck on a land grader and a tiller. The dealer carries the Woods grader and the Bush Hog tiller. Maybe I can get a good package deal. I also like the Garden Package from Stevens Tractor. It is a cultivator, hiller and middle buster in one implement. Looks like it wood be a great tool for a garden. I feel like a kid before Christmas.

 

[kiotiken]

I have a CK30HST, but wish I'd gone for the CK35HST. I also disagree with an earlier poster, HST is much better over a gear tractor for dirt work and worth it even if the gear is cheaper and offers a little more PTO hp. Also, the CK30/35 have a slightly higher travel speed, which makes a difference if your moving a lot of dirt a long way. I also disagree with the poster that says you'll be spinning your wheels long before you run out of hp. I have loaded tires and unless I'm in low or in snow, I'm not spinning anything. With a 3 speed HST, low is so slow you won't be using it for loader work. I can also bog the engine a fair bit and have actually stalled it a couple times going into the pile, scooping and raising the bucket at the same time.

I love my CK30HST, but I think this size tractor with it's weight is best with 35hp, especially for loader work.

 

[psdx]

The bottom line is that 99% of the time all the obsessing is for nothing in the end when you're talking about 5-8 hp. If you were talking about 1–2 frame sizes and 30 hp difference, yeah that might be a show stopper. But with what you're talking about, go with your gut and don't look back. You'll love the new tractor and it will become normal and you'll enjoy it. Yes, more hp might make the job go faster, but if seat time is therapeutic then is faster always better?

 

[Ledge End]

I test drove the Bobcat CT122 (22 hp) with a rotary mower and I felt that it was way under powered. I then drove the Bobcat CT235 with mower and for me the ct235 was much more comfortable (better seat) had the hp which made the tractor not bog while running the mower and yet was still quite manageable. I don't remember which Kioti models cross over to the Bobcat line but my experience might be helpful if you were to check it out.

Lastly - if you can test drive the different models, even around the lot, you will get a much better feel for which one is right. If your boss will ever use the tractor make sure that the boss at least sits on the model before making the purchase. My significant other definitely had different comfort levels on different brands/models.