Buying RK Tractor for those who don't live near Rural King

[scottz]

I drove 9hrs each way to pick up an rk24. RK was great to work with, made it clear they would work with me, sending parts if possible, but anything major may require me to bring the tractor to them.

I will look into making the trip again to get the quicktach conversion, 3rd function and grapple. Depends on the price.

 

[scottz]

Tennsawdust,
I was shopping for a dump trailer today, and the place next door had a kioti 24hp. It looked similar to the rk24, but I think the tires are smaller and the drivers station wasn’t as nice or ergonomic as the rk. Does the Kioti allow for a backhoe? I didn’t check pricing.

 

[Walter L]

Well i bought a LS XG3135 SS w/loader for $18,000 with a remote added out the door with tax from a dealer with a shop 25 miles from me that has been a dealer for LS since they came in the US market and got a offer from a large LS dealer in Louisiana 250 miles for $16900 +tax i also talked with RK and TYM for a tractor in the 35hp range with shuttle shift none could beat the price with tax. I like both the RK and TYM but they had no dealers with a shop close by and LS has a cheaper price with just as good tractor in my openion.

 

[supermegaultrachimp]

So interesting to read what you guys are experiencing/have experienced. I'm honestly so torn about this decision.

Just got back from Kubota and for the price of a RK37 Tractor WITH A CAB, I can get a less featured machine with 33 hp. Seeing similar pricing from my local TYM dealer as indicated above.

 

[atsah]

So interesting to read what you guys are experiencing/have experienced. I'm honestly so torn about this decision.

Just got back from Kubota and for the price of a RK37 Tractor WITH A CAB, I can get a less featured machine with 33 hp. Seeing similar pricing from my local TYM dealer as indicated above.

So what is the savings from other brands with the cab compared to the RK37 you are looking into?

 

[supermegaultrachimp]

So what is the savings from other brands with the cab compared to the RK37 you are looking into?

Sorry, I should clarify. I recently learned that the cab for a 35-40 hp CUT won't fit in a 7' garage door, so sadly the cab is out. I just mentioned it to emphasize how much cheaper RK is.

For pure comparison, I'm seeing pricing of 33.5k for a 37 hp kubota with hst and backhoe, 27.5k for the same spec from RK, 27k for the same spec from TYM. 31.1k for the Deere 3038e with a Deere Backhoe. All prices pre-negotiation/haggling. Kubota and JD have 0%, 0 money down, no similar offer on the competitors. However, Kubota also requires buying their insurance for another $1500. Unclear on JD insurance requirements.

So, basically, I'd be spending 6-7k more for a machine with less features, but better service and a more distinctive name and paint color.

EDIT: Still waiting for pricing from Mahindra, Massey and Kioti. Interesting, the JD E series is a lot cheaper than Kubota.

 

[atsah]

Sorry, I should clarify. I recently learned that the cab for a 35-40 hp CUT won't fit in a 7' garage door, so sadly the cab is out. I just mentioned it to emphasize how much cheaper RK is.

For pure comparison, I'm seeing pricing of 33.5k for a 37 hp kubota with hst and backhoe, 27.5k for the same spec from RK, 27k for the same spec from TYM. All prices pre-negotiation/haggling. Kubota has 0%, 0 money down, no similar offer on the competitors. However, Kubota also requires buying their insurance for another $1500.

So, basically, I'd be spending 6-7k more for a machine with less features, but better service and a more distinctive name and paint color.

I see you're dilemma. So if you can turn a wrench, not care about resale value because at this early stage RK resale value is not something we can accurately establish, if they will send you parts through the mail and you have the cash to pay for the tractor it might be worth the risk of having no local servicing dealer..

It's a tough one, that's a lot of money in savings providing you have the cash to buy the tractor outright the problem is, IF the tractor had some kind of major issue, then you would be in a tough spot..

 

[Tennsawdust]

Tennsawdust,
I was shopping for a dump trailer today, and the place next door had a kioti 24hp. It looked similar to the rk24, but I think the tires are smaller and the drivers station wasn’t as nice or ergonomic as the rk. Does the Kioti allow for a backhoe? I didn’t check pricing.

Both Kioti and LS offer a backhoe. The dealer had examples of both on the lot. He has a MT125 TLB with MMM for $17,500. The MT125 is a little bit smaller than the RK 24, but I can see why people like it.

It gets a bit confusing because LS and Kioti (and others) build multiple 24-25 hp models that bracket the RK24 (even TYM does this). The RK 24 weighs 1610 lbs and has 10" front and 15" rear rims. In the Kioti lineup the CS2510 weighs 1485 lbs and has 10" front and 12" rear rims. The CK2510 weighs 2260 lbs and has 12" front and 16.5" rear rims (if equipped with R4 tires). In the LS line you have three options: MT125 which weighs 1444 lbs and has 10" front 12" rear rims, the XJ2025H which weighs 1609 lbs and has 12" front and 16.5" rear rims, and the XG3025H that weighs 2434 lbs and has 14" front and 20" rear rims.

In the subcompact category RK has a pretty good position staked out with the RK19 and RK24. They could maybe use something in between the RK24 and the RK37 (just big enough to run a 5 foot brush cutter would be great!), but that can come later. I'm sure they are working hard enough to eat the parts of the elephant they have already bitten off.

 

[Tennsawdust]

Sorry, I should clarify. I recently learned that the cab for a 35-40 hp CUT won't fit in a 7' garage door, so sadly the cab is out. I just mentioned it to emphasize how much cheaper RK is.

For pure comparison, I'm seeing pricing of 33.5k for a 37 hp kubota with hst and backhoe, 27.5k for the same spec from RK, 27k for the same spec from TYM. 31.1k for the Deere 3038e with a Deere Backhoe. All prices pre-negotiation/haggling. Kubota and JD have 0%, 0 money down, no similar offer on the competitors. However, Kubota also requires buying their insurance for another $1500. Unclear on JD insurance requirements.

So, basically, I'd be spending 6-7k more for a machine with less features, but better service and a more distinctive name and paint color.

EDIT: Still waiting for pricing from Mahindra, Massey and Kioti. Interesting, the JD E series is a lot cheaper than Kubota.

It seems like JD and Massey both have some models they can really sharpen their pencil on and others they can't. I was a bit stunned by how high Mahindra came in on the two I had them quote.

Good luck on your decision. I'm sure you will be happy with whatever you buy, but it isn't something you do every day and it is a lot of money. It's worth some time and research.

 

[Diggin It]

I was a bit stunned by how high Mahindra came in on the two I had them quote.

Same here. I think they were among the highest I got quotes from.

 

[supermegaultrachimp]

Sorry, I should clarify. I recently learned that the cab for a 35-40 hp CUT won't fit in a 7' garage door, so sadly the cab is out. I just mentioned it to emphasize how much cheaper RK is.

For pure comparison, I'm seeing pricing of 33.5k for a 37 hp kubota with hst and backhoe, 27.5k for the same spec from RK, 27k for the same spec from TYM. 31.1k for the Deere 3038e with a Deere Backhoe. All prices pre-negotiation/haggling. Kubota and JD have 0%, 0 money down, no similar offer on the competitors. However, Kubota also requires buying their insurance for another $1500. Unclear on JD insurance requirements.

So, basically, I'd be spending 6-7k more for a machine with less features, but better service and a more distinctive name and paint color.

EDIT: Still waiting for pricing from Mahindra, Massey and Kioti. Interesting, the JD E series is a lot cheaper than Kubota.

Alright, well I made a decision. Went with the L3301 with the backhoe. Turns out the Kubota L3301 is the same as the L3901 with an ECU detune. So, if I want more power I'll just get a new ECU sometime. Kioti was amazingly expensive and I never did hear back from anyone at RK about RK Tractors in NY. Deere 3038e seems really small and underweighted compared to the other vendors.

Thank you all for all your help!

 

[Ishkatan]

I went ahead and ordered a Rural King RK37HC around October, 2021. I got delivery mid November and have 15.1 hrs. on it by Christmas. I bought it partly because of specs, good YouTube reviews, and of course $ Price. I could get a cab version for the price of only a little more or the same as an open station on others. And part of it was the Harvest card giving me 5% back - charged almost all of it but had to make multiple trips to the store because of a $5K limit. (They just changed the rebate terms of the card.) But a major reason was because when I drover it around the dealership if 'felt good'.

I was told it would take 5-6 weeks for it to get shipped so figured during that time I would use the Harvest card to pay for it and take advantage of the 5% money back on RK purchases. Turned out the store would not take the credit card over the phone, even though they had seen the card in the store for the first payment. I had to drive over an hour each way to make payments (they made it a layaway). The tractor arrived at the store in about 3 weeks (what shortage?) and sat on the lot while I had to wait for the credit card to process each payment, even though I deposited the full amount in the account. PIA. At lest the drive is nice. I just heard they changed the credit card terms so you can't get the 5% anymore. Also, the store does not have a transport option but they pointed me to a guy. A bit expensive, but renting a truck and trailer was not much cheaper. If you don't have a truck capable of towing 7500 lbs. you need to add the cost of transport to the price of the tractor. Don't forget the tax.

So far everything seems to work. I thought it was a bit weak a few times but revving the engine seems to help a lot. I'm finding little operating tricks - emptying the bucket is slow and gentle but push harder and it does a quick dump. I like the slow gentle motion but if I want to shake it then just move it to the dump position gently, return the stick to center (key), then move the stick again suddenly and it bumps and shakes. The second most annoying thing is the level of noise in the cab when brush hogging... the radio is useless unless you tie it in with sound canceling headphones and there is a really nasty whine from the hydraulic drive. Those noise canceling head phones are a must. The most annoying is the narrow stance that make going across a 15 degree slope a clenching experience. The cab adds ~300 lbs. well above the center of gravity. Mowing up and down the hill requires low gear and revving up. 6" Bora spacers are here but the bolts are wrong so I'm waiting to talk with them next week. I am developing a list of negative nitpick things, even though overall I still really like it, and I love having a powerful loader/bucket.

I am using the loader bucket quite a bit, not only for moving mulch but to move things and break tree branches that might damage the cab. Not neat but works well with a Piranha bar. The loader requires adjustment (raising) when transitioning from a 15 degree hill to a flat area or it might dig in. I am always adjusting it for terrain transitions around the house. On the agenda after 6" wheel spacers are pallet forks and a finish mower.

 

[hornett22]

I have 4 RKs in my area. None of them have impressed me. Every time I'm in one, there's no one working in service. I applied for a mechanic position 2 years ago when they claimed to be desperate for mechanics, never heard from them. I've heard they pay poorly, moral is low and the can't keep managers long.

 

[solo machine]

When I was shopping for a tractor/loader I looked at RK hard. Great prices, but service was iffy.
Then I ran across a web site about all the problems they were having with their tractors.
That did it for me. Rk is 1 1/2hr away from me. i never could talk to a guy in service. so, nope.

 

[6701michiana]

I drove 9hrs each way to pick up an rk24. RK was great to work with, made it clear they would work with me, sending parts if possible, but anything major may require me to bring the tractor to them.

I will look into making the trip again to get the quicktach conversion, 3rd function and grapple. Depends on the price.

Wow! I drove like 20 min. That is a seriously long drive.
I will monitor the RK experiences and also after speaking with them. I have only looked and sat on tractors in the lot which is plenty.
If there is someone responsible to speak with I’ll keep them on the list vs Kioti/Bobcat.

 

[6701michiana]

Same here. I think they were among the highest I got quotes from.

Mahindra is way high in my area.