Kioti CK3520SE vs TYM (Branson) 3620H

[bomberodevil]

Kioti CK3520SE vs TYM (Branson) 3620H
Advice for purchasing (long!)

Hi folks, I’m asking for a little advice. I’m close to pulling the trigger on a new compact tractor, and I’m down to the KIOTI CK3520SE and the TYM (Branson) 3620H.

I’m a new tractor owner, but pretty handy with equipment. I do my own maintenance on my vehicles, and plan to perform the maintenance on the tractor. My land is 10 acres in southwest Michigan, and I will be mainly finish mowing 2-3 acres, clearing some smaller trees and shrubs, and maintaining about 700’ rock driveway. The soil is sandy top soil, not many rocks, and I may be doing some snow removal, but not a lot of snow.

The implements I plan on buying and using will be a finish mower, grapple, some FEL work, land plane, and maybe a brush hog 1-2 a year. Both dealers are less than 30 miles away, both are family owned, both are nice people, both have been carrying their brands for years, and both have full shops for warranty work.

The pluses of the Kioti are-
Smaller size for more accessible
Work station seems more open
Long list of standard equipment with the SE model
Can get R14 tires if I want them (do I?)

The minuses of the Kioti are-
Lighter weight-2921 lbs
Fuel tank up higher, have to wrestle five gallon tank for refueling.

The pluses of the TYM are-
Much heavier-3754 lbs (too heavy?)
4 speed HST, higher top speed (but will rarely be on a road)
Fuel tank lower, easier to refill

The minuses of the TYM are
Work platform seems a bit smaller, but not unworkable
Merger of TYM and Branson, will the Branson 3620H be around in a couple more years?
Parts and dealer network for TYM seems less than Kioti

I really appreciate the knowledge and experience of the folks on this group, and I’d appreciate any feedback On these two tractors. Please try to limit comments to these models, as I’m pretty comfortable with these two. Thanks!

 

[hodge]

The Branson is a TYM, so parts shouldn't be an issue.

 

[ptsg]

The Branson/TYM xx20 series is more comparable to the Kioti DK series. While the Branson/TYM xx15 series is more comparable to the Kioti CK series.

Honestly, both great machines, but nothing like going to check them out in place and better yet, sit in both machines, get a feel for it and see which one you fit better and how you like the controls.

Between the Branson built models vs TYM built models, I much prefer the Branson built ones.

 

[aesanders]

Have you sat in both? I find the 3620 quite a bit more roomy than the Ck3520. It’s a frame size bigger. I’d steer toward the TYM. Finishing mowing maybe better on the Kioti, but about everything else the TYM would have an advanatge.

 

[tacticalturnip]

@ptsg hit the nail on the head; a more direct comparison would be the Kioti DK-20 and TYM 20 series, or Kioti CK-20 and TYM 15 series.

 

[bomberodevil]

Have you sat in both? I find the 3620 quite a bit more roomy than the Ck3520. It’s a frame size bigger. I’d steer toward the TYM. Finishing mowing maybe better on the Kioti, but about everything else the TYM would have an advanatge.

I did sit in both, it just seemed to be a bit more “contouring” around to get into the 3620 seat. Once in the seat, it was roomy enough. I’m old, 250 lbs, with 8 knee surgeries! I’m no Gumby anymore!

 

[tacticalturnip]

So I re-read your post; what has you settled on these two? They're quite different.

I've got a CK myself, a 2610, and it's a great little tractor. Excellent hydraulics; however, the TYM would naturally be superior in that regard, it's a larger machine.

 

[bomberodevil]

So I re-read your post; what has you settled on these two? They're quite different.

I've got a CK myself, a 2610, and it's a great little tractor. Excellent hydraulics; however, the TYM would naturally be superior in that regard, it's a larger machine.

I was looking at the CK3520 and the TYM 3515, and there was a 3620 for roughly the same price as the Kioti CK3520. My impression as a tractor novice was the Kioti is fairly refined with a lot of features, but the TYM 3620 is just beefier as far as frame and weight goes. I’m also looking for gently used 2021-2023 models of the same or close equivalents

 

[tacticalturnip]

I mean if you're going on specs, a 20 series TYM will out work a Kioti CK all day long; the TYM is a larger frame size, and therefore a more capable machine. The only way the two will compare is on PTO horsepower.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

My thought would be if you're going to go up to the 20 series chassis size, 35 engine hp and 29 pto hp will likely not be enough to run the size attachments you'll be looking at in that sized frame. Also, from memory, some of the guys who bought the 3620 have said that it doesn't really have enough hp to run it down the road in it's highest range (4 speed hydro).

You've only listed a finish mower and a brush cutter as possible pto driven attachments. Anything else? Wood chipper? Tiller?

That 20 series is going to "want" a 6 foot wide attachment to cover it's larger chassis width. I do run a 6' brush cutter on 32 pto hp myself, and it'll work. But there are times that it's all my machine wants. I'm not a "speed racer" type operator when I'm mowing, as most fields I'm in are new to me and are very heavily overgrown. So I have to go at a quick walking pace due to not being able to see the ground in front of me (too thick).

For driveway work and grapple work, the hp won't really matter. It's all tractor weight and hydraulic lift (both 3 pt and FEL).

If you like the 20 series, I would look at the 4820. Same machine size and lift specs, but more pto hp to work with.

For me (different uses), if I was buying today, I would be looking very hard at a cabbed 5520 with 3rd function and at least 2 rear remotes.

 

[bomberodevil]

My thought would be if you're going to go up to the 20 series chassis size, 35 engine hp and 29 pto hp will likely not be enough to run the size attachments you'll be looking at in that sized frame. Also, from memory, some of the guys who bought the 3620 have said that it doesn't really have enough hp to run it down the road in it's highest range (4 speed hydro).

You've only listed a finish mower and a brush cutter as possible pto driven attachments. Anything else? Wood chipper? Tiller?

That 20 series is going to "want" a 6 foot wide attachment to cover it's larger chassis width. I do run a 6' brush cutter on 32 pto hp myself, and it'll work. But there are times that it's all my machine wants. I'm not a "speed racer" type operator when I'm mowing, as most fields I'm in are new to me and are very heavily overgrown. So I have to go at a quick walking pace due to not being able to see the ground in front of me (too thick).

For driveway work and grapple work, the hp won't really matter. It's all tractor weight and hydraulic lift (both 3 pt and FEL).

If you like the 20 series, I would look at the 4820. Same machine size and lift specs, but more pto hp to work with.

For me (different uses), if I was buying today, I would be looking very hard at a cabbed 5520 with 3rd function and at least 2 rear remotes.

I will likely rent a chipper 1-2 per year, so that’s a factor. Thanks.

 

[aesanders]

I will likely rent a chipper 1-2 per year, so that’s a factor. Thanks.

More PTO the better for a chipper, but if it is only 1-2 times per year, then not a big deal either way.

As far as loader work, the Tym has a good thousand pounds over the Kioti. Keep in mind, Kioti specs the 1800# lift to 60” not full height, so I am sure it is a bit less to full height. I have no idea what you are wanting to lift, so this maybe no big deal either.

I’d definitely recommend you check them both out again. Preferably on the same day. Make sure the seat is way back and tilt steering is up. I have thought some models were tight only to realize the tilt steering was all the way closest to the seat.

I do like both of these models and considered both on my recent purchase, so have had some tire kicking sessions with both recently.

 

[TractorNoob85]

Something else to consider, are you financing or buying outright?

Kioti has 0% for 84 months right now on CK series. 0.99% for 84 months for DK series.
TYM has 0% for 60 months. TYM is 3.99% for 84 months.

That is enough to sway me to the Kioti if I'm looking for 84-month financing. Nobody wants to pay an extra $4-5k by the end of the loan.

 

[tacticalturnip]

More PTO the better for a chipper, but if it is only 1-2 times per year, then not a big deal either way.

As far as loader work, the Tym has a good thousand pounds over the Kioti. Keep in mind, Kioti specs the 1800# lift to 60” not full height, so I am sure it is a bit less to full height. I have no idea what you are wanting to lift, so this maybe no big deal either.

I’d definitely recommend you check them both out again. Preferably on the same day. Make sure the seat is way back and tilt steering is up. I have thought some models were tight only to realize the tilt steering was all the way closest to the seat.

I do like both of these models and considered both on my recent purchase, so have had some tire kicking sessions with both recently.

Kioti needs to really clarify this stuff. The KL4030C lists 1,969 pounds, at the pin, to full height; that's right from the Owner's Manual. Tractor Data lists the same numbers, and also lists the KL4030's numbers, which are similar, and also at full height.

TractorData.com Kioti CK2620 tractor attachments information

www.tractordata.com

 

[Midniteoyl]

Kioti needs to really clarify this stuff. The KL4030C lists 1,969 pounds, at the pin, to full height; that's right from the Owner's Manual. Tractor Data lists the same numbers, and also lists the KL4030's numbers, which are similar, and also at full height.

TractorData.com Kioti CK2620 tractor attachments information

www.tractordata.com

Dealer tells me the 'C' is made in Canada and the only reason it started being sold in the US was due to the Covid shortages, and will probably not be sold here anymore. Seems kinda silly to me to have a better loader and not sell it.

 

[aesanders]

Kioti needs to really clarify this stuff. The KL4030C lists 1,969 pounds, at the pin, to full height; that's right from the Owner's Manual. Tractor Data lists the same numbers, and also lists the KL4030's numbers, which are similar, and also at full height.

TractorData.com Kioti CK2620 tractor attachments information

www.tractordata.com

Tractor data lists the lift capacity at 1.5 meters (which is 60 inches), and Kioti’s website lists both loaders lift capacity at 60 inches.

There is some difference between the 4030 and 4030C loaders, as the C model has 11 inches of reach, instead of 27 that the regular 4030 has. This shortened reach explains the slight increase in lift capacity between the two.

This is the only loader specs like this on Kioti’s site, and I suspect they do it to make their specs look better than they actually are in lift capacity.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Tractor data lists the lift capacity at 1.5 meters (which is 60 inches), and Kioti’s website lists both loaders lift capacity at 60 inches.

There is some difference between the 4030 and 4030C loaders, as the C model has 11 inches of reach, instead of 27 that the regular 4030 has. This shortened reach explains the slight increase in lift capacity between the two.

This is the only loader specs like this on Kioti’s site, and I suspect they do it to make their specs look better than they actually are in lift capacity.

It is rather annoying that they've got that caveat in the marketing; I don't understand why, given the manuals with the equipment rate it at full height from the pin, something like ~95 inches.

Now the worst thing Kioti ever did was create the KL2610 loader; what a piece that was, and the numbers have haunted them since.

Dealer tells me the 'C' is made in Canada and the only reason it started being sold in the US was due to the Covid shortages, and will probably not be sold here anymore. Seems kinda silly to me to have a better loader and not sell it.

I'm under the impression that's what brought the C here, but if it's an option, I would think the dealers will keep ordering it.

 

[bomberodevil]

Something else to consider, are you financing or buying outright?

Kioti has 0% for 84 months right now on CK series. 0.99% for 84 months for DK series.
TYM has 0% for 60 months. TYM is 3.99% for 84 months.

That is enough to sway me to the Kioti if I'm looking for 84-month financing. Nobody wants to pay an extra $4-5k by the end of the loan.

Will be buying outright. Both offer small cash discounts, pretty equal.

 

[Midniteoyl]

This is the only loader specs like this on Kioti’s site, and I suspect they do it to make their specs look better than they actually are in lift capacity.

The loader still out lifts most out there of the same size. I recently used it to unload pallets of shingles weighing ~960lbs (80lbs x 12) from the flat bed delivery truck, however high that was. Was definitely at max and would not lift any more than that though as we started at ~1200lbs and had to remove 3 bundles each. Add in the weight of the forks which Kioti puts at 275lbs, and its a good amount of lift for a small tractor.

 

[aesanders]

The loader still out lifts most out there of the same size. I recently used it to unload pallets of shingles weighing ~960lbs (80lbs x 12) from the flat bed delivery truck, however high that was. Was definitely at max and would not lift any more than that though as we started at ~1200lbs and had to remove 3 bundles each. Add in the weight of the forks which Kioti puts at 275lbs, and its a good amount of lift for a small tractor.

Yes, still really good for its class. Among the best in its class size. The Tym 15 series and new LS MT2 series outlift it. But both of those have substantial subframes. ROCKHILL farm demoed a Bobcat version of the ck35 and noted that the Kioti loader outperformed the Bobcat version, which I found quite interesting.

It’s interesting regarding the 4030 vs 4030c. I think I would rather have the extra 16 inches of reach rather than the bump in lift capacity. Others would want to get every last ounce out of lift capacity. Good options.