Change my LB1914 for a CK20 HST ?

[pierrepicco]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to this forum. Let me introduce myself. My wife and I are running a small riding center, in Belgium, for children and handicapped people.

We have an LB1914 with FEL. We have approximately 4 acres, which quite big for Belgium (much more inhabitants per square meter than in the States!).

The LB1914 has now 250 hours. I'm very satisfied with the tractor and it has been running flawless so far. Now, I'm considering to change it for a CK20 HST because I'm tired of changing gears when running back/forth with the FEL. Also, the LB has some drawbacks that the CK doesn't.

(I'm going to post a complete review in the "review" section.)

So, my questions:

Do you consider the HST a good choice to work with a FEL in term of easyness and reliability ?​

On the LB1914, switching between Hi/Lo range gear is often difficult (need to clutch several time before being able to engage). Does that issue exist with the CK20 ?​

I'm able to draw a 3.5T trailer in 8th, even in slight slopes with the LB. Will the CK HST be able to do that or is there a loss of power due to the HST ?​

Any other comment on the CK20 (pros/cons) ?​

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Dmace]

Do you consider the HST a good choice to work with a FEL in term of easyness and reliability ?

I have done some major excavating with my CK20 HST and never found the hydro tranny to be the weak link, especially if I leave it in two wheel drive. It will push and work until the wheels spin. Having the HST makes it so easy to go from forward to reverse, it becomes second nature when driving. A must for FEL work.
​

On the LB1914, switching between Hi/Lo range gear is often difficult (need to clutch several time before being able to engage). Does that issue exist with the CK20 ?

I use the clutch to switch between high and low but also I press on the brake, because any slight movement while your in between high and low and you will have a hard time getting in to gear. Holding the brake solves this problem easily, I never had trouble switching gears.
​

I'm able to draw a 3.5T trailer in 8th, even in slight slopes with the LB. Will the CK HST be able to do that or is there a loss of power due to the HST ?

How fast are you traveling in 8th gear? The HST high gear goes up to 11mph, so it gets pretty tall. The beauty of HST is if the tractor starts slowing going up hill, just let off the pedal a little and you instantly just lowered the gear ratio. You will find the sweet spot for climbing that hill and when you do, just set the cruise control at that spot and let it go.
​

Any other comment on the CK20 (pros/cons) ?

I garauntee you will be much more comfortable on the CK20, it is much beter ergonomically designed. The CK20 is a moster for it's size. Get the KB2365 backhoe too, it moves rocks bigger than the FEL and is incredibly powerful.​

 

[IslandTractor]

I agree with Dmace. The CK20 HST is very easy to use with FEL operations. I have zero trouble moving from high to low and back again. I use high mostly for road travel however as I find even relatively small hills to be a challenge with any implement functioning while in high range. The tractor will go almost anywhere in low range though. I climb 15 degree slopes with FEL and bush hog cutter operating without any trouble. Overall, I'd say that I am operating in low range 75% of the time at least. I am quite sure you can tow just about any trailer so long as you are in low range. That will limit your speed obviously so it is something to think about. The CK30 has a three range HST which is probably needed more on the CK20 than on the CK30.

The CK20, especially with the new suspension seat which I assume they also added in Europe, is very comfortable.

Overall, I have been very pleased with mine and would highly recommend it.

 

[pierrepicco]

Thanks to both of you for your advices and answers!

Dmace, the LB1914 goes at about 17 km/h (10.5 mph) in 8th.

Yesterday, we went to the "Foire de Libramont" (the biggest agriculture fair in Belgium). I discussed with my Kioti dealer and he said that ... he doesn't recommend the HST to operate FEL! I was rather surprised. When I asked why I just got vague answers.

I went to Kubota. The guy there was much in favor of HST with FEL because 1) ease of use and 2) you cannot overload the tractor. He said he often sees premature worn clutch with FEL because driver tend to slip clutch to slow down speed, rather then using lower gear.

Kubota has a new model (2530) which looks nice. But when I saw the price ... it didn't look so nice ~€21,000 vs ~€15,000 for the CK20 HST (respectively $27,000 and $19,500). Now, may be I'm wrong and should rather compare it with the CK25 ?

Another question: my LB1914 is fitted with a KL120 FEL. According to Kioti website, it should get the KL1210 while the KL120 is for the CK20. The dealer says that I can refit my KL120 to the CK20, but for some reason (!) I don't trust his tech advices 100%. Do you know if I will be able to fit my KL120 from the LB to the CK w/o having to change any part ?

Btw, yes, IslandTractor, the CK20 in Europe has the new seat.

 

[IslandTractor]

The KL120 is the correct loader for the CK20 so unless someone modified it to fit the LK1914, it should be easy to swap.