age checking

rd_macgregor · Jul 2, 2014

I noticed cracks in the front (Titan R-4's) on my 2006 Kioti DK-45 the first winter I had it.

The cracks have widened and spread a bit over the years, but the tractor is stored outside all the time. Interestingly, the rears are still looking good.
Last summer, I destroyed one of the fronts working in the woods, so I have a nice new replacement and only have to worry about the cracks in one tire anymore.

Bob

logcabin · Jul 2, 2014

Mr. rd_macgregor, It is uncanny how similar things are. The only difference is I have Titan R-1 but they are in the rear. The front are Carlisle. In 2011 I had a blow out on one of the fronts. I went to a tire store, dealer didn't have one ( this dealer is horrible ) although I have heard it is under new management. The owner of the tire store agreed with me that the tire blew do to the cracking. There was the slightest scuff mark at the hole. We both knew that this had nothing to do with the failure, we also knew they would say this was the cause. And they did. The tire store got the replacement Carlisle the next day. As you indicated Bob I now had only one to worry about. Within one year you cannot tell the difference between either tire other than the tread. The newer one obviously has better tread. For the first few years the Tractor was kept in a portable garage. As more and more 68 to 72 ski-doo parts accumulated the tractor found itself outside.

On a different note, I drove by a Tractor dealer the other day, they sell your brand, Kioti. I had to stop and take a look. It was the Hydrostatic model, I only tested it back and fourth. I must admit I liked it. What can you tell me about the Kioti brand. I just don't think the Deere is as stout as they should be. I thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Sincerely, Dave. Good luck and be safe in the woods.

rd_macgregor · Jul 3, 2014

Dave,
The only real complaint I've had with my Kioti is that the original dealer (the only one in the province) parted ways with Kioti and closed down. Fortunately, a couple of years ago, another local outfit (with deeper pockets and more diverse business) took up the Kioti line, so I have an easier source of OEM parts, if I need them.

The hydrostatic version wasn't available when I got my tractor in 2006 or I would definitely have gotten it...although I do some snow blowing and mowing, the majority of my work is with the loader, so hydro would have been nice...actually hydro would be sweet for snow blowing, too, since I sometimes don't have enough arms to shift gears (and/or ranges), adjust the chute and blower height, change directions, etc. all at once while on the go.
If you look, you can find a horror story for any brand of tractor...a lemon than made it through Quality Control to an unlucky customer; I don't think Kioti has any more (or less) of these than any other manufacturer. I liked the competitor's offerings well enough (Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Cat...), but the Kioti was a heavier tractor (by far!) than the NH and Deere, and probably $6k less than the "name" brand alternatives (which let me get extras, like the cab, mower and blower, when I bought the tractor). I've heard that the price advantage of Kioti is no longer as pronounced as it was then, though.
I'm not particularly mechanically adept and don't have a shop/garage to work in anyway, so having access to a dealer was important to me...so, I'm relieved that I'm no longer an unserviced customer! There are lots of good tractors, of various colors, but for people like me, a good dealer is like gold.

Bob

oosik · Jul 3, 2014

The rear tires on my previous tractor - Ford 1710 - were 27 years old and still in good shape when I traded it in. No sun/wx checking at all. Actually, I weather checked and aged over the 27 years a lot more than the tires!!! Ha, ha

mfreund · Jul 4, 2014

I would take the problem up with Carlisle. Does not sound like Deere's fault. IMHO all oem tires are not the best available. Cars, trucks, tractors, the oem tires are the low bidder, not best available.

logcabin · Jul 6, 2014

Hi Bob, rd_mac I thought I had lost the previous post, I apologize for a somewhat duplicate post.
Again I thank you for taking the time to reply. As for the Deere I have, I am not one to be a "die hard" brand person, either in vehicle brands or for anything, just as long as they function with "normal service". I went to the local Deere dealership to talk to a high school friend of mine and to talk about tractors. Thinking I may have a better chance of getting a better deal. We go back a long way and he was always (jokingly) angry at me for pitching a no hitter in high school. He was a pitcher too. Good enough to be drafted by the A's right out of high school but a snowmobile accident ended that career. Anyway, he said I have a deal that you cannot refuse. This guy bought a 4320 in May of 06 and in September it had 16 hours on it. The reason he didn't want it anymore was because at the time Deere didn't make a cab for it. They made it for the Hydro only. My friend Jeff offered to get him an aftermarket cab, have it painted and put the JD stickers on it. Nothing doing, he wanted a factory cab. He ordered a hydro with cab, Jeff told him he would sell it for him but he no doubt was going to take a bath. He didn't care, he wanted a cab, a factory cab. There are guys out there I guess, more money than anything else. The tractor was bigger than I wanted in all aspects, what do I need a 48 HP tractor for, most people around here have ones in the 30 HP range and are Kubota's. Well I bought the tractor and a Farmi winch. Loved it, probably would have been just as happy with any brand not just the deere. Then came the cracking issue with the tires about a year later. One reply said he parked his in a portable garage. I did mine for the first 4 or five years. It still did it the first year. I went back to Jeff and his reply was put tubes in them, not what I wanted to hear. In 2011 Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont and destroyed a lot of property. My mom owns a small mobile home park, all were destroyed, her house too. She had eleven feet of water. We rebuilt her house and slowly got the park back in service the next year. During this time I had a blow out with a front tire. Of course the dealership had changed and they didn't stock any tires. I went to a tire store and had one the next day. It too came as a Carlisle. I have the Titans on the back, R-1. The tire store owner agreed with me that the tire blew due to age cracking. The catch is there was a tiny scuff beside the hole. He said they will no doubt use this as a way out, and they did. The only difference between the two tires, 06 and 11 is the newer tire has more tread on it. If you put them side by side you can't tell the difference with the cracks in the side walls. The tire dealer made calls to Carlisle and of course they were not aware of an age checking issue. Yea right. Before I find myself in a real pickle with these front tires I am going to check into getting two more, not Carlisle's I can promise you that.

So, again I thank you for taking the time to respond as I do all that responded. I do have a question for you, the latest storm, Arthur, it went up the East coast and headed your way. Did all turn out well I hope?

Dave

rd_macgregor · Jul 7, 2014

Arthur brought a lot of wind to us, but not as much rain as was forecast. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick had much more of both and lots more power outages to go with it.

k0ua · Jul 7, 2014

On a different note, I drove by a Tractor dealer the other day, they sell your brand, Kioti. I had to stop and take a look. It was the Hydrostatic model, I only tested it back and fourth. I must admit I liked it. What can you tell me about the Kioti brand. I just don't think the Deere is as stout as they should be. I thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Sincerely, Dave. Good luck and be safe in the woods.

I am very pleased with my Kioti DK35se.. A full featured deluxe tractor for an economy tractor price. Heavy duty, well built machine.

logcabin · Jul 7, 2014

Bob

You mentioned in an earlier post that when you bought the Kioti is was heavier than other brands you looked at. What does your Kioti weigh? You had me wondering so I went and looked mine up, the Deere 4320 48 hp weighs 3850 without the loader and loaded rear tires.

Dave

rd_macgregor · Jul 14, 2014

The weight thing was a bias of mine; now, I don't really think it is as significant in terms of real capabilities, since I've added lots of weight (loader, loaded tires, heavy implements, etc.). Before adding the cab and loader, the Kioti was about 800 lbs heavier than the comparable Kubota (L4630) and about 400 lbs heavier than the Deere 4320. I'm not sure that weight relates well to strength/durability or capabilities. For serious traction, you can always add more weight; I think tires make a lot bigger difference in the long run (what most of us have, industrials, are a compromise tire IMO) than the bare weight of the tractor.
Bob