Another confused first timer

[deereman75]

It's not just the tractor. It's the dealer network, parts availability, long term support, long term likelihood of still having a dealer, ect ect ect
Daewoo/Doosan (the parent of kioti) makes a fine machine. Where they fall down is on long term support. The kioti tractors haven't been around long enough for it to be an issue yet. But a lot of the Daewoo (pre-Doosan branding) construction equipment is already running into parts no longer being available. Give it another 10 years or so and chances are you will start having trouble getting parts for your earlier kioti tractors.
And they are probably the best alternative of the lot. I'd be shocked if you could get much of anything for a 20 year old LS or Mahindra.

Where as with Deere you can walk into the tiniest small town middle of nowhere dealer and have parts for just about any tractor they ever made within a day or two. Some dealers still stock parts for the two cylinder tractors made in the 40s and 50s! Not can order in, keep them in stock.
Same deal with caterpillar in construction equipment. That is why people pay the premium for them.

And that is well proven to translate into resale value. Look at ag tractors from the 60s and 70s. A nice 20 series Deere is bringing $15-20,000 these days. The equivalent International, Case, or Allis Chalmers you'd be lucky to get $5000 for.


This isn't falling for marketing... And as I said there are reasons to go with other brands at times. And I don't really care what anyone else chooses to buy. Just make sure you are really aware of all the factors before you write that cheque.
The dealer is the most important factor if buying new. Easily so. Especially if you are planning to trade in on a new machine before it gets too far off warranty.
If you are buying used or planning on keeping a machine long term, think real hard about what you will still be able to buy parts for and still have a dealer for in 25 years.

 

[DK35vince]

Daewoo/Doosan (the parent of kioti)

No its not.
The parent company of Kioti is Daedong

Any parts I have ever needed the past 20 years I order online and they are at my door within a few days
Easy

 

[paulfun9]

I have no response to that.
The only reason someone buys other than Deere or Kubota in the compact market is because it's either all they can afford or because the dealer is enough better than the competition to be worth the shortcomings.
Half my fleet here is orphaned or less than desirable machines.
You're talking to someone who has a Warner & Swasey yard forklift and a rear steer Case loader.
I have those because they were all I could afford when I needed them. No shame at all in saying that.
Would caterpillar equipment have been better in every single measurable way? Absolutely. Is money the only reason I don't have caterpillar? Yep.

Make whatever decision is right for you, or make the best of what you can do. But at least be honest to yourself and others about it.

Deere and Kubota in compact, Deere in AG, and Deere and Caterpillar in industrial are the market leaders for a very good reason....

What do you really think that someone who walks into the dealership with a handful of cash and drops it on the salesman’s desk would not be able to do the same at the deere or kubota dealership?

Just because you are forced to make all your decisions based on your lack of funds does not mean Myself or others are all in the same boat!

Also understand the only consideration my dealership got besides price was I prefer to support my local community only when if they are worth dealing with. This most likely means to mean something different than to you.

In your post you state the only reasons are cost and dealer. So now please rethink that and ask why a long time JD and Kubota owner that also owned other brands, that is not short on cash and doesn’t need the dealer for more than filters, chose his Kioti over the others?

By the way in your next post you state parts availiablity as being better. I have never had any better luck with parts availiable from JD or Kubota then others. It seems no matter the brand the wait time is he same.

That small town dealer you talk about is no longer there, JD forced them out and now I would be forced to support a dealership that I didn’t like doing buisness with when I had a choice.

Sorry to bust your bubble but you don’t even know who makes what brand again proving my statement of spoon feed bull crap that is spread at random to the minds of easily manipulated people who need to boost thier own ego!

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I just wanted to respond to the final part of your post - we had a smaller country property before and knew exactly what we were getting into. As a matter of fact the wife and I both relish the lifestyle and the tasks a great deal. I knew a tractor was on the horizon a long time ago, Its just trying to figure out a) the right one, and b) how to wisely afford it

I completely understand. We are in the same situation. My father is retired but I am running everything for him and it's a fixed income every month. I don't know what your personal situation is and it's none of my business but it looks like interest rates could be going up a considerable amount in the next 12-18 months. If that's the case then you could get a 10 year treasury that could pay out a good dividend which may offset a huge expense like this especially if you finance it at a low rate. I will also recommend you consider looking at financing through a local credit union as you can often times get rates as low as 2.3%. So since you think you will get a Kubota what I would do is get an equestrian membership which will allow you to take the cash offer of 20% off MSRP and then finance it through a local credit union at hopefully a 2.3% rate.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

You asked for opinions, so here is one:

Ask both dealers if they have a service truck so that they can come to you if necessary. Or do they offer trailering - especially during warranty. Both of those things are often the mark of a dealership with a more professional service dept.
And then ask both for some customer references...neighbors you can talk to.
rScotty

Scotty that's really good advice/perspective.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I agree completely. My property came with a Ford 1710 25 years ago with rear Finish mower. Unless it is open mowing the time spent turning around things is a a lot of waste. Keep in mind when an implement is on the three point and you are going around something the implement is always moving away from what you are going around.

I went from the 60" RFM, to a 48" front deck rear wheel steer mower and cut my mowing time almost in half and my yard is very open without a lot of things to mow around. I then went to a 60" front deck zero turn and cut my mowing time by almost 30% again. The last move also put me into a very solid mowing machine and with the front deck I cut my trimming time around trees and bushes and such by about 70%. Also a lot less fuel usage and you do not have to hook it up each time.

Zero turns are wonderful but they are one trick ponies. They do great on properties that have flat, smooth terrain but are less than desirable on properties that are sloped and or rough terrain. They also are just very efficient finish mowers. Finish mowers are not made for large volumes of grass which is their big weakness. This is why so many people are getting into flail mowers now.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Half of the reason that some of the other brands can’t break more firmly into the market is due to the naysayers who just repeat over and over again the same garbage they have been spoon fed for years.

My favorite is when the uneducated say things like they didn’t see the quality as being the same but yet have no real understanding of the processes needed to ensure quality and no clue the quality parts needed for longevity are not the parts we can see when we visit the dealer to start looking.

I will say loudly that my Kioti has been the best tractor purchase out of all brands I have owned over the years and that includes a lot of years of experiance going back long before Kubota was even a real player. I can actually remember some folks back then saying some of the same things about them then as they do now about other brands. The only real difference then was more people were smart enough not to listen to bull crap, propaganda, and statements that clearly showed the persons ego needs uplifting and support.

Paul I can see and hear your passion for Kioti. Please join my thread: Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?

 

[paulfun9]

Paul I can see and hear your passion for Kioti. Please join my thread: Value Proposition: What Makes Your Brand Of Tractor Better Than The Others?

I am not brand loyal and honestly if I were to buy a new tractor next week it might be a different brand. With that said right now I don’t for sure what brand I would bring home not sure if Kioti makes the best for my needs right now. If they did then that would be what I brought home but it wouldn’t be based on some myth, heresay or misguided understanding from a brainwashed perspective.

It would be because that particular model, in that particular wieght and size would check more boxes on my list then the others but it would not make everything they sell be the best for everyone.

Shop around look at all brands and and don’t be fooled by those who preach only one thing over and over for they are not you, usually have more limited experiance and don’t have experiance on every size and model made let alone experiance with multiple brands. There is a reason I have not owned only one brand and it would be very insulting to the die hard koolaid drinkers if I were to get picky and in dept with all the issues and reasons I sold some of those tractors.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I am not brand loyal and honestly if I were to buy a new tractor next week it might be a different brand. With that said right now I don’t for sure what brand I would bring home not sure if Kioti makes the best for my needs right now. If they did then that would be what I brought home but it wouldn’t be based on some myth, heresay or misguided understanding from a brainwashed perspective.

It would be because that particular model, in that particular wieght and size would check more boxes on my list then the others but it would not make everything they sell be the best for everyone.

Shop around look at all brands and and don’t be fooled by those who preach only one thing over and over for they are not you, usually have more limited experiance and don’t have experiance on every size and model made let alone experiance with multiple brands. There is a reason I have not owned only one brand and it would be very insulting to the die hard koolaid drinkers if I were to get picky and in dept with all the issues and reasons I sold some of those tractors.

Paul how far is your Kioti dealer from you?

 

[paulfun9]

Paul how far is your Kioti dealer from you?

About 25 min.

I would like to point out that after choosing what I was going to buy that I then proceeded to shop different dealers for the best price and deal on that model. So my local dealer had to earn that buisness based on price compared along with other factors.
Things like did he and his staff have good knowledge of the machines they sold, was he able to answer in dept questions, deal with the heresay without cutting the competition did he carry reasonable normal maint parts as in stock items based on what he has sold. Did he answer call promptly and did he have a reputation for standing behind the customer if there were problems.

Sometimes with a new dealership some of those questions can’t be answered and one might have to choose to roll the dice but in this case he has been in buisness for many years and his father used to sell NH before passing. Then he inherited ownership and not long after switched to Kioti.

He has a long standing relationship with the community and a very good relationship with most customers. Unfortunately all buisness owners will be forced to deal with that customer that is never happy at some point but the majority + seems to have nothing but respect and he still services and carries things for the more common needs of those who purchased NH tractors from him years ago.

Definately a plus to have a good dealer but an overpriced machine would easily outweigh that in today’s world.

So in basic he had to earn my buisness on more than one factor by far and that he did by a good margin.