Will the CK27 be "enough" tractor

[Gittyup]

Wow $3900 difference from a 27 gear to a 35 hst. The 27 gear is definitely the best bang for the buck.

 

[kiotiken]

The CK27 was $16,000, CK30 $16,700 and the CK35 was $18,700. All were HST and included a FEL with hooks welded on. For gear drive models subtract $1,200.

Interesting. I can definitely appreciate that a $2700 jump from the CK27HST to the CK35HST is a significant amount to consider, but a $700 jump isn't so bad. I'm going to agree with everybody here that the CK27 is "enough" tractor, there's no doubt about it, but I'd put forward that $700 over 10 or 15 or 20 years is fairly insignificant and will likely be returned fully when you sell the tractor anyway.

I'm going to be buying a snow blower sometime this year (just waiting for the right deal). My dealer says he thinks I'll get away with a 72" blower because I've got a fairly level area. If I do go for the 72" blower, I'll be right on the edge of what my tractor will handle (if not a little over) and I wouldn't have been able to consider it with the CK27. You never know what you might need a little extra hp for in the future and even with 30hp vs 27hp, I still find times I feel a few more would be nice (I didn't say needed, just nice. I'm not trying to re-ignite this thread!).

Thanks for the info, you've put me at ease a little. I never looked at the CK35 only the CK25 and CK30. For $2000 more (than the CK30), I wouldn't have done it either, my CK30 is awesome and does what I need it to, but I'm glad I spent the extra $700 (from the CK27).

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

[IslandTractor]

The CK27 was $16,000, CK30 $16,700 and the CK35 was $18,700. All were HST and included a FEL with hooks welded on. For gear drive models subtract $1,200.

I would tend to agree with KiotiKen that either the CK27 or CK30 would do the trick. A couple of extra HP is not likely to be noticed but then again $700 as an upcharge isn't bad. The CK35 price however is further evidence that Kioti marketers know they can gouge the "want the most possible HP" guys. No way is that upcharge justified as a manufacturing cost.

$1200 for HST seems reasonable too though I certainly share Gittyup's perspective that the CK27 gear is the overall best bang for the buck. If you are doing a lot of loader work that $1200 may be well spent though. Kinda the equivalent of getting an automatic transmission on your car/truck if you will be spending a lot of time in city traffic.

 

[kiotiken]

Wow $3900 difference from a 27 gear to a 35 hst. The 27 gear is definitely the best bang for the buck.

Look, it's been pointed out that the OP wants an HST tractor. You're argument is like saying a Silverado is a better value than a Suburban , they're not the same!

You read things the way you want to read them. Try reading it this way, a CK 30 gear is $700 more than a CK27 gear. Not so bad now. Yes a CK35 gear is $2700 more than a CK27 gear, and I don't think I'd do that either, that's a nice snowblower instead. If the OP was up in the air about gear vs HST, you'd have a valid point, but that's been decided and you're not helping him with your argument!

 

[IslandTractor]

Look, it's been pointed out that the OP wants an HST tractor. You're argument is like saying a Silverado is a better value than a Suburban , they're not the same!

You read things the way you want to read them. Try reading it this way, a CK 30 gear is $700 more than a CK27 gear. Not so bad now. Yes a CK35 gear is $2700 more than a CK27 gear, and I don't think I'd do that either, that's a nice snowblower instead. If the OP was up in the air about gear vs HST, you'd have a valid point, but that's been decided and you're not helping him with your argument!

I wouldn't say Gittyup was being argumentative, he was just pointing out the "bang for the buck" factor. As noted earlier, I agree with him though in any given situation it may be worthwhile paying for the convenience/capability of the HST. It's not a Silverado vs Suburban argument, more like Suburban with or without DVD. Without the DVD is the best bang for the buck but if you consider the benefit of entertaining the rug rats it may be worth it to some to pay the upcharge for the DVD.

 

[kiotiken]

I wouldn't say Gittyup was being argumentative, he was just pointing out the "bang for the buck" factor. As noted earlier, I agree with him though in any given situation it may be worthwhile paying for the convenience/capability of the HST. It's not a Silverado vs Suburban argument, more like Suburban with or without DVD. Without the DVD is the best bang for the buck but if you consider the benefit of entertaining the rug rats it may be worth it to some to pay the upcharge for the DVD.

Reading my comment back, it came across a little harsh and I apologize for that. There's nothing wrong with a gear tractor, plenty of people prefer them, but the OP wants an HST. It's the same thing for cars, you pay less for a manual Civic than an automatic Civic and it'll be faster and better on gas, but I'd take a guess that the automatic version outsells the manual version several multiples to one.

For working around my property moving dirt, picking stuff up with the FEL, clearing snow etc, I'd never buy anything but an HST, even if it's a little more $ and robs me of a little power, it's well worth it IMHO.

 

[Gittyup]

Sorry to ruffle ur feathers there Kenny. I was under the impression the op was a tad on the fence on the gear HST question. Pardon me for participating, and maybe missing that point (if I did indeed.) Btw I own both gear and HST. Used to think HST was so much better, and is for some tasks. But after using the shuttle now for nearly 6 years doing mostly loader work, I'm now of the opinion there isn't that big of a difference, especially if it means robbing power when power is marginal. Now I'll go away and let u tell him all he needs to know.

 

[kiotiken]

Sorry to ruffle ur feathers there Kenny. I was under the impression the op was a tad on the fence on the gear HST question. Pardon me for participating, and maybe missing that point (if I did indeed.) ... Now I'll go away and let u tell him all he needs to know.

In my house, that's what we call a suck attack, of course my kids are 4,3 and 20 months. I apologized if my previous email had tone it wasn't supposed to. You didn't ruffle any feathers here, I'm just pointing out that after the OP started the thread by saying he was looking for an HST and after he returned to say he'd been to the dealer and got prices on HST tractors, it's getting obvious that he may be looking for an HST and not gear.

You made good points, and I've appreciated your opinions in this and other posts. Sorry if you're a little sensitive and I hurt your feelings.

 

[Fastpitch]

I really like the Kioti tractors but I have found a new 2010 Bobcat CT230 with loader for $14,000. It is 4 hours away and I am going to look at it on Friday. I know that the main differences between Kioti and Bobcat are the FEL and warranty and I like the orange better than the white, but for $2,700 less than a CK30 I have got to go take a look. I called the closest Bobcat dealer to me (45 min) and he said it was a very good deal and if I bought the tractor he would honor any warranty work. If it doesn't look weathered, and the dealer says it doesn't, I am probably going to buy it.

 

[IslandTractor]

If it doesn't look weathered, and the dealer says it doesn't, I am probably going to buy it.

So would I. Same tractor. Nothing special about the KL130 loader. In fact I'd guess the Bobcat version might out lift it.

 

[Gittyup]

Great price! Worth the 4 hour drive. Good luck.

 

[miramadar]

I'd go for the Bobcat too. That's a good price.

I'm late to this thread. I have a CK27 gear. I admit that the loader seems a little underpowered at times. But the tractor itself is a beast. I couldn't see spending any significant money on a different CK tractor. DK, yes...CK, no.

I have to agree with Giddyup that once you get used to using the shuttle shift, the absence of HST with loader work isn't a big deal at all. Sometimes I worry about wearing out the shuttle shifter...can that happen??

Regarding stalling/spinning, I've had mixed experiences. Most often, I will start spinning. But sometimes, when I dive into a pile, curling, lifting and tramming forward, the machine will bog and would eventually stall if I didn't hit the clutch. I don't know. I've learned this though...dirt work takes practice. I've got nearly 400 hours on my CK27 and now feel that I am fully competent. But it did take some time...like 150 hours or so.

Regarding speed, I like doing things slowly...for a couple of reasons. One, my land here in the Appalachian mountains is seldom flat. Slow is SAFE. I don't want to flip. Second, travelling at slower speeds is easier on the tractor. Last summer I spent a couple of weeks, off and on, filling in my sewer's leech bed with #4 gravel. The delivery guy wouldn't put the gravel any closer than about 70 yards away from the pit because of the terrain. So I ended up tramming the gravel (about 100 tons!) across the 70 yards and dumping into the leech bed. A bucket of gravel is pretty heavy. I had my tractor in 2nd gear, low. It was slow, but with that kind of weight on the front end, I didn't want to go any faster fearing that it would put unnecessary wear on the front end/loader. I could have travelled in 4th gear, but I probably would have broken something.

I have a 6' box blade too. My CK27 has never bogged down with the teeth down unless I hit a huge rock or root. I agree with other posters that the CK27 gear is the best bang for the buck in the CK lineup. I've been very pleased with my machine and would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Good post all!

 

[Gittyup]

I ferried over 1000 tons of dirt and 140 tons of gravel. I used 1st low to dig into the pile, then 1st high to transport. Worked great only having to change ranges at points where I had to stop anyway. Not hard on the clutch either; in low digging into the pile was a breeze. Got my range lever broken in pretty good too.

 

[Fastpitch]

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your advice on purchasing a tractor. I did buy the Bobcat CT230. It only had 2 hours on the tractor and I could not tell the difference between it and a 2012 model. I am having dual remotes installed and they are supposed to deliver it to me next week. The only thing that it did not have is the quick attach bucket, but for what I paid for the tractor I can add the quick attach and I still would be spending $2,000 less. I know this is the Kioti forum but I will post some pictures after it is delivered. Again thank you for your input.

The bad thing about reading post on this site is that when I first started thinking about buying this tractor, all the attachments I thought I wanted was a tiller, mower and a box blade. Now I want a tiller, box blade, top n tilt kit, grapple, bucket hooks, a garden package, and a flail mower. The good thing about reading post on this site is that I have learned about these attachments, read reviews by people who have purchased and actually used them and I know where to purchase them and hopefully stay within my budget.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your advice on purchasing a tractor. I did buy the Bobcat CT230. It only had 2 hours on the tractor and I could not tell the difference between it and a 2012 model. I am having dual remotes installed and they are supposed to deliver it to me next week. The only thing that it did not have is the quick attach bucket, but for what I paid for the tractor I can add the quick attach and I still would be spending $2,000 less. I know this is the Kioti forum but I will post some pictures after it is delivered. Again thank you for your input.

The bad thing about reading post on this site is that when I first started thinking about buying this tractor, all the attachments I thought I wanted was a tiller, mower and a box blade. Now I want a tiller, box blade, top n tilt kit, grapple, bucket hooks, a garden package, and a flail mower. The good thing about reading post on this site is that I have learned about these attachments, read reviews by people who have purchased and actually used them and I know where to purchase them and hopefully stay within my budget.

Sounds like you caught tractoritis. :shocked: Irreversible 99 out of 100 recorded cases. :cool2: Once you adapt, you will most likely move on to stage 2 or even stage 3. Just as a side note, stage 2 & 3 are irreversible. :thumbsup:

Oh yeah, your "TnT" kit will run you $530 + shipping and worth every cent.

 

[miramadar]

A tractor is just a slow mode of transportation without attachments! The longer I own mine, the more attachments I want. Currently I have a BB and a couple of plows, and a set of bucket forks. I have borrowed a neighbors bush hog and think that will be the next attachment I purchase. I'd love to have a grapple, but that's a bit more $$ since I'd have to change the plumbing a bit.

 

[IslandTractor]

A tractor is just a slow mode of transportation without attachments! The longer I own mine, the more attachments I want. Currently I have a BB and a couple of plows, and a set of bucket forks. I have borrowed a neighbors bush hog and think that will be the next attachment I purchase. I'd love to have a grapple, but that's a bit more $$ since I'd have to change the plumbing a bit.

Cheapest grapple solution is to add at least one set if remotes. Easy to control a grapple with rear remotes.

Wildkat economy 48" grapple is the current best bang for the buck. If you install the rear remote yourself, you could be fully operational with the Wildkat for a total of just about $1000 if you already have quick attach. Fantastic implement if you clear brush. if you don't have QA you can convert your bucket to a bucket grapple which is still great.

 

[ddb123]

Well I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I have been considering a smaller and lower HP tractor for some time now, and brought up similar questions in a different thread. I think a smaller tractor would actually be MORE useful in many cases, and the loss in HP would make little or no usable difference (for my purposes). It was really interesting reading through all of the different points of view on this topic.

Great thread, thanks to all who contributed. Here is the other thread where I posed my original question, if anyone is interested: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/237787-has-anoyne-ever-traded-down.html

 

[tman1020]

just finshed reading this interesting thread but noticed that no one mentioned that the hst ck 27,30 and 35 all use the same relief pressure on the hydro drive. so the only advantage to more hp should be at the pto for the hydro models. plus acording to spec sheet hp difference between ck 27 and 30 is less than 2 hp. i don't think that that would even be much of a noticeable difference. that being said anyone use a 6 foot finish mower on a ck 27 hydro?

 

[IslandTractor]

just finshed reading this interesting thread but noticed that no one mentioned that the hst ck 27,30 and 35 all use the same relief pressure on the hydro drive. so the only advantage to more hp should be at the pto for the hydro models. plus acording to spec sheet hp difference between ck 27 and 30 is less than 2 hp. i don't think that that would even be much of a noticeable difference. that being said anyone use a 6 foot finish mower on a ck 27 hydro?

I used a 5ft finish mower on a CK20 and it did just fine. Unless you are trying to cut foot high lush grass quickly, I don't see why a CK27 wouldn't handle a 6ft finish mower.