TSO
Elite Member
So.... knowing that Kioti owners are a more tolerant and objective bunch than some other die-hard color fans.... thought you may appreciate this. I started shopping a few weeks ago to step up to a larger tractor. Started researching all the brands again (boy did I learn TOO MUCH about global production, and who really makes tractors now :confused2: ) and quickly ruled out Massey (Iseki), Deere, Yanmar (Cub), Mahindra, and Kubota due to the much higher pricing and/or lack of incentives. Finally, it came down to Kioti and LS, two "new kids on the block."
LS is part of LG Corp, they've been making tractors since the 70's. They are made in S Korea. They used to make the FarmTrac (Ford) tractors, and more recently have been making the New Holland Boomer series, as well as the Case (red) tractors. They also make Montana and McCormick tractors (although I heard that the contract was now closed with McCormick, and that Daedong was going to start building for them)... In '09 they decided to start selling their own "LS" branded tractors here to attempt to compete with, and take market-share away from, the big boys. Ironically, the Boomer-40 is nearly identical to the R4041, with the exception of stickers and the headlights are a bit different. NH puts their own loader (Rhino I think?) on the Boomer, where as LS uses their own. The funny thing about that is, the LS loader is actually much more capable than the one NH uses
. NH also orders them built without certain "add-on" features like dual rear-remotes, which are standard on the LS. To top it off, NH jumps the price up roughly $3,000 for the same tractor! LOL... So, then I heard that there was some kind of fight happening between LS and CNH (Case-NH [Fiat]) which may be why LS decided to market their "blue" tractors under their own name now, in the US market. Subsequently, I heard that CNH may be leaving their contract with LS, and possibly returning to Shibaura, who used to build some of the older Ford/NH tractors & equip, and who still makes some of the larger stuff I believe. I also read something saying that Daedong bought some of (or all?) Shibaura. CRAZY GLOBAL BUSINESS!!!
So anyhow, it came down to the Kioti DS4510 (best dealer price $19,481), DK40SE ($20,500) --- and the LS R4041 ($19,200) (Shuttle Trans for all).
DS4510: Definitely a more rugged, less refined tractor than the others. It has good HP for the price, but I was not thrilled about the operators area, and didn't like the joystick location. I think it was only an 8 or 12 gear shuttle. The loader hydraulics seemed slow. I'm sure there is a place for this tractor, but for the minimal price jump, the DK is a better buy, although I like the "looks" of the DS series more.
DK40SE: Nice, open operators area. A little more "industrial" feeling than the LS... (just like the Kubota's feel more "industrial" than the Kioti). Everything felt well positioned, and I especially liked the tilt-column setup on the Kioti. That foot lever that easily rocked the whole column was very nice. The loader still felt a bit slow and unrefined compared with the LS. I also did not like the "view" looking over the loader arms. You'll notice in the pics below, how much taller the arms are on the Kioto vs the LS... much better visibility with the LS loader. Of course the trade-off is that the Kioti lifts about 11" higher (at the pins). The DK came stock with 1 rear-remote setup, telescoping arms, no rear work-light, no "installed" trailer wire connector. 12x12 Shuttle
LSR4041: Nice operators area, comfortable, but not quite as open as the Kioti when getting in. Dual hydraulic pumps which really seemed to speed up (and smooth out) the loader controls. (I drove 3-4 different Kioti's and 3 different LS', and the LS were consistently smoother with the loader). LS uses a Mitsubishi diesel. Obviously I can't comment on longevity yet, but the Mitsu sounds really smooth! I'd say 20+% less noise than the Kioti's. The LS comes stock with dual rear-remotes, a rear work light, 7-pin wire harness... telescoping arms, suspension seat (like the Kioti). It's a 16x16 Syncro shuttle. To be honest, there really wasn't much "driveability" difference between the LS and the DK.
Specs wise, the R4041 & DK40 are very close:
--------------------DK--------------R4041
HP -------------41 (34 pto)---------41 (35 pto)
3-pt lift -----------2493--------------2755
Loader (at pins)
Lift height---------107.8"-------------96.1"
full height lift------2761lbs-----------2500lbs
breakout----------3727lbs-----------4354lbs
Transmission------12x12 SS---------16x16 SS
DIMENSIONS
Length------------134.2"------------132.2"
Width--------------63.9"-------------55.9"
Wheelbase---------72.8"-------------69.2"
Weight w/o loader--3935lbs----------3813lbs
So, as you can see... they're both pretty close in specs. The DK is slightly larger, but weight is about the same. The DK lifts 261lbs more to full height, the R4041 has 600lbs more breakout force.
It really just came down to feel, options, and pricing. For $1000 less, the LS has dual remotes, a rear work light & trailer pin... (several hundred $$ to add those) ... and slightly smaller dimensions for a bit better maneuverability. They were both really nice tractors, and I don't I could have made a bad purchase getting either one.
I still have my CK20S. I'm going to put it up for sale, but in the mean-time, it will be the wife's tractor :cowgirl: --- We might just keep it as long as we can afford both, as there will be times with the size of the CK20S will come in handy.
PICS:
Bringing her home:
With the CK20S
Comparing the DK & LS (one of the dealerships I shopped carried both brands :thumbsup: (these were actually both HST which I test drove too, but preferred the Shuttle)
LS is part of LG Corp, they've been making tractors since the 70's. They are made in S Korea. They used to make the FarmTrac (Ford) tractors, and more recently have been making the New Holland Boomer series, as well as the Case (red) tractors. They also make Montana and McCormick tractors (although I heard that the contract was now closed with McCormick, and that Daedong was going to start building for them)... In '09 they decided to start selling their own "LS" branded tractors here to attempt to compete with, and take market-share away from, the big boys. Ironically, the Boomer-40 is nearly identical to the R4041, with the exception of stickers and the headlights are a bit different. NH puts their own loader (Rhino I think?) on the Boomer, where as LS uses their own. The funny thing about that is, the LS loader is actually much more capable than the one NH uses
. NH also orders them built without certain "add-on" features like dual rear-remotes, which are standard on the LS. To top it off, NH jumps the price up roughly $3,000 for the same tractor! LOL... So, then I heard that there was some kind of fight happening between LS and CNH (Case-NH [Fiat]) which may be why LS decided to market their "blue" tractors under their own name now, in the US market. Subsequently, I heard that CNH may be leaving their contract with LS, and possibly returning to Shibaura, who used to build some of the older Ford/NH tractors & equip, and who still makes some of the larger stuff I believe. I also read something saying that Daedong bought some of (or all?) Shibaura. CRAZY GLOBAL BUSINESS!!!So anyhow, it came down to the Kioti DS4510 (best dealer price $19,481), DK40SE ($20,500) --- and the LS R4041 ($19,200) (Shuttle Trans for all).
DS4510: Definitely a more rugged, less refined tractor than the others. It has good HP for the price, but I was not thrilled about the operators area, and didn't like the joystick location. I think it was only an 8 or 12 gear shuttle. The loader hydraulics seemed slow. I'm sure there is a place for this tractor, but for the minimal price jump, the DK is a better buy, although I like the "looks" of the DS series more.
DK40SE: Nice, open operators area. A little more "industrial" feeling than the LS... (just like the Kubota's feel more "industrial" than the Kioti). Everything felt well positioned, and I especially liked the tilt-column setup on the Kioti. That foot lever that easily rocked the whole column was very nice. The loader still felt a bit slow and unrefined compared with the LS. I also did not like the "view" looking over the loader arms. You'll notice in the pics below, how much taller the arms are on the Kioto vs the LS... much better visibility with the LS loader. Of course the trade-off is that the Kioti lifts about 11" higher (at the pins). The DK came stock with 1 rear-remote setup, telescoping arms, no rear work-light, no "installed" trailer wire connector. 12x12 Shuttle
LSR4041: Nice operators area, comfortable, but not quite as open as the Kioti when getting in. Dual hydraulic pumps which really seemed to speed up (and smooth out) the loader controls. (I drove 3-4 different Kioti's and 3 different LS', and the LS were consistently smoother with the loader). LS uses a Mitsubishi diesel. Obviously I can't comment on longevity yet, but the Mitsu sounds really smooth! I'd say 20+% less noise than the Kioti's. The LS comes stock with dual rear-remotes, a rear work light, 7-pin wire harness... telescoping arms, suspension seat (like the Kioti). It's a 16x16 Syncro shuttle. To be honest, there really wasn't much "driveability" difference between the LS and the DK.
Specs wise, the R4041 & DK40 are very close:
--------------------DK--------------R4041
HP -------------41 (34 pto)---------41 (35 pto)
3-pt lift -----------2493--------------2755
Loader (at pins)
Lift height---------107.8"-------------96.1"
full height lift------2761lbs-----------2500lbs
breakout----------3727lbs-----------4354lbs
Transmission------12x12 SS---------16x16 SS
DIMENSIONS
Length------------134.2"------------132.2"
Width--------------63.9"-------------55.9"
Wheelbase---------72.8"-------------69.2"
Weight w/o loader--3935lbs----------3813lbs
So, as you can see... they're both pretty close in specs. The DK is slightly larger, but weight is about the same. The DK lifts 261lbs more to full height, the R4041 has 600lbs more breakout force.
It really just came down to feel, options, and pricing. For $1000 less, the LS has dual remotes, a rear work light & trailer pin... (several hundred $$ to add those) ... and slightly smaller dimensions for a bit better maneuverability. They were both really nice tractors, and I don't I could have made a bad purchase getting either one.
I still have my CK20S. I'm going to put it up for sale, but in the mean-time, it will be the wife's tractor :cowgirl: --- We might just keep it as long as we can afford both, as there will be times with the size of the CK20S will come in handy.
PICS:
Bringing her home:
With the CK20S
Comparing the DK & LS (one of the dealerships I shopped carried both brands :thumbsup: (these were actually both HST which I test drove too, but preferred the Shuttle)
