CK20

[RSKY]

Been looking for a year or more. May retire this spring and need a toy to play with. This forum seems to have more knowledge and experience that anywhere else I have found.

Three questions I need answered.

Will a CK20 pull a subsoiler? If not will a CK27?

Has anyone put a grapple on a CK20 or a CK27?

Shuttle Shift or Hydro?

See, just three simple questions, LOL.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

 

[lockhaven]

I would look at gear CK30, size is good in the woods and has enough power. If you look at some of the threads about the hydro being fast in high but no power and very slow when not in high, I'm happy I have a gear driven tractor.

 

[Dmace]

Has anyone put a grapple on a CK20 or a CK27?

Shuttle Shift or Hydro?

I can't answer your question about sub soilers but a user on here (IslandTractor) had a grapple on his old CK20 and loved it. I'm sure he'll chime in with some great action photos.

As far as the transmission, the HST is great for loader work where you are back and forth a lot and in situations where you need to inch forward or back very carefully as the speed variable is infinite. With that said, it sounds like you will be doing more ground engaging work like running a sub soiler which is a better job for a manual tranny like the shuttle shift where you set the gear and let it run. You will get more HP from the PTO as well vs. the HST.
450 hours on my CK20HST and it's still an amazing machine! :thumbsup:

 

[jimmyj]

CK20 is a great tractor! I am not sure about the subsoiler but I think it may depend on your soil to some degree.

What are you going to do with the tractor? Certainly the CK20 can do a lot but the more you share the better the TBN'ers can help.

 

[RSKY]

I only have an acre lot that my house is on. But my two daughters need work done on their places and both my mother (150 acres on two farms) and father in law (40+ acres) have work that needs done. I have access to a larger tractor, 50+ hp, for bush-hogging and cultivation. What I need is a plaything to move limbs, till small gardens, move dirt and mulch, and generally play on. Some retirees buy bass boats or Harleys and there is nothing wrong with that. I think I can get a small tractor with implements and a trailer to move them for less money. And in five to ten years I can sell it and get most of my money back.

What I don't want to do is get something that is too small to do the work I want to do. And I don't want to tie money up in a tractor larger than I need, so big it will tear up yards and be too bulky to get in the places I need to get into.

I have priced a DK20 with FEL, tiller, box blade and trailer. I have also priced a Kubota B2320 with the same implements. The Kioti won out because of: (1) price, (2) higher FEL capacity, and (3) weight of tractor.

This will be a retirement toy. Not a money producer.

 

[JDL538]

I agree with the ck 30 very good all around tractor, can't beat them.
Subsoiler you could easily pull one with the 20.

 

[fcamillieri]

I made a ripper that my CK20HST has no problem pulling though rocky NE dirt. But big rocks and roots will stop it. I find the CK20 a nice size to get around in the woods, much better than my Ford 3000 and it doesn't tear up my lawn too much with industrial tires.

 

[NOTV8]

Did you look also on a Bobcat to compare? They are twins but... check it out.

 

[RSKY]

No Bobcat dealer around that I know of. NH dealer two miles from my house but he is pricey on his small tractors. Large JD dealer five miles away. They sell combines and 150+ hp tractors by the dozens. They aren't too interested in selling a CUT. Three Kubota dealers within 25 miles. They are very proud of their tractors. The Kioti dealer is about 35 miles away and I believe he sells more than any other dealer in the U.S.. Very good reputation for dealing and service.

I probably won't go any larger than the CK27 or 30. Just don't want to tie up too much money especially since I will (hopefully) soon be taking early retirement.

Also will be towing tractor around with a Toyota RAV4. It's not rated to tow much more than the 20.

What I really want to do is talk to CK20 owners and find out what they can and can't do with their tractors. Then I will decide whether or not to pay the extra bucks to get the CK27 or CK30.

RSKY

 

[Dmace]

What I really want to do is talk to CK20 owners and find out what they can and can't do with their tractors. Then I will decide whether or not to pay the extra bucks to get the CK27 or CK30.

RSKY

Besides lifting more than about 1200lbs in the bucket, there is nothing I can't do with my little CK20. It may take a little more time vs a larger machine like using a 4ft boxblade instead of a 5 or 6ft and a 6.5ft backhoe vs a 7.5 or 8ft but it will do everything I need it to.
I can set the teeth on the boxblade as low as they go and the only thing that stops my tractor is a large rock or root and even then I can sometimes just lift the 3pt hitch and rip the rock or root right out of the ground! The 5ft rear snowblower will eat through the toughest snow banks I can find and the backhoe is so powerful that I strap the tractor to a tree or my truck so it doesn't pull me into the hole.
This little tractor is tough as nails and will run an 8 hr day on about 4 gallons of diesel or less!

 

[Gittyup]

The CK20 sounds like the right size. The question is will the HST perform well enough. There are many complaints about the high range in all the CK HSTs. The CK20 manual tranny is not shuttle shift, which only gives you two reverse speeds. This, to me is a big draw back with the CK20 gear.

But, if you want to be sure you get enough tractor step up to the CK27 gear. You'll get the shuttle shift tranny and much more weigh and hydraulics. It doesn't sound like you need a lot of PTO HP. That's why I'm recommending the CK27 vs the CK30/35. But the bigger HP will have more resale apeal.

HST is much more enjoyable to operate. But, you will give up some pulling power with it.

Now it looks like trailering is in the mix. Here, the smaller CK20 will be much easier to tow.

 

[fcamillieri]

I found the HST worked much better in high range after about 50 hrs.
I had a maple tree cut down that was 3 ft in diameter and after the stump was ground down I decided to dig out the roots. My CK20 took a while but got them all out. It took most of a tri-axle full of gravel to fill the hole.
Index of /frank/tractor

 

[Josh61513]

While I'd love to have a mid-range on my (C20S HST) tractor, high range is still usefull when used properly...this was about 8,000 lbs. combined and I pulled it in high range for about 4 miles. The terrain wasn't very hilly but not flat either.

 

[wade simpson]

While I'd love to have a mid-range on my (C20S HST) tractor, high range is still usefull when used properly...this was about 8,000 lbs. combined and I pulled it in high range for about 4 miles. The terrain wasn't very hilly but not flat either.

8000 lbs !! Well, I guess I can stop worrying about pulling my truck up my hill.:laughing:

 

[darkviper]

Yes the CK 20 HST will pull a subsoiler. While a 30hp will do it better i have no problem with mine and i can pull it almost the full shank. Soil that hasent for 5+ years you might have to do twice. I have all 4 tires filled with water for the extra wieght. If the 20 is the size you want i would not hesitate.

 

[rimshot]

I have darn close to 800 hours on my CK20. It runs a five foot rear blower kicking snow out of sight, Has probably dug 80 stumps with the backhoe and never met one it could not handle. I've picked up fallen mature maple, Ash and White Pine tree's that I have cut by the butt section and skidded he whole tree out of the woods. It's been just the tractor for me and I would do it again.

rim

 

[JonKioti]

RE: "What I don't want to do is get something that is too small to do the work I want to do. And I don't want to tie money up in a tractor larger than I need, so big it will tear up yards and be too bulky to get in the places I need to get into."

Exactly the criteria I have. I bought my first CK-20 HST in 2007, then sold it in 2009 to get the CK-20S HST with a Kioti backhoe.

I dug out the foundation for a 1500 square footprint extension, removing 50+ tree stumps with the CK-20 in the process. I've pulled friend's cars out of snow with it, placed 12 tandum loads of 4" minus stone with the loader, and lifted a diesel reversing plate tamper out of my truck and back in a dozen times with the loader. I plow my driveway, a 1/4 mile lane and three driveways off of that with the 72" snowblade, and I can throw anything I can't plow with the 54" snowblower on the back.

There is nothing I want to do (or should be doing) that I can't do with this tractor.

Sure, the high range of the HST will have less power than the low range - that is true of any transmission. But around here, with large rocks, roots, hills and snow, I can do anything I need to do.

Bear in mind the CK-20S will fit under a 7' garage door, but the CK-27 is a bit higher than that. I tow mine behind a Nissan Frontier truck. With the tires fully loaded (industrial tires), the load is close to the limit of what I am comfortable with. I would hazard a guess the CK-27 would be a little much for your RAV4, depending on if you have your tires filled and what attachments you leave on when you move it.

Feel free to PM me if you need any more detail. This tractor has been one of the best purchases I have made, hence buying it a second time without hesitation.

Enjoy -

Jon

 

[Gittyup]

RE: "What I don't want to do is get something that is too small to do the work I want to do. And I don't want to tie money up in a tractor larger than I need, so big it will tear up yards and be too bulky to get in the places I need to get into."

Exactly the criteria I have. I bought my first CK-20 HST in 2007, then sold it in 2009 to get the CK-20S HST with a Kioti backhoe.

I dug out the foundation for a 1500 square footprint extension, removing 50+ tree stumps with the CK-20 in the process. I've pulled friend's cars out of snow with it, placed 12 tandum loads of 4" minus stone with the loader, and lifted a diesel reversing plate tamper out of my truck and back in a dozen times with the loader. I plow my driveway, a 1/4 mile lane and three driveways off of that with the 72" snowblade, and I can throw anything I can't plow with the 54" snowblower on the back.

There is nothing I want to do (or should be doing) that I can't do with this tractor.

Sure, the high range of the HST will have less power than the low range - that is true of any transmission. But around here, with large rocks, roots, hills and snow, I can do anything I need to do.

Bear in mind the CK-20S will fit under a 7' garage door, but the CK-27 is a bit higher than that. I tow mine behind a Nissan Frontier truck. With the tires fully loaded (industrial tires), the load is close to the limit of what I am comfortable with. I would hazard a guess the CK-27 would be a little much for your RAV4, depending on if you have your tires filled and what attachments you leave on when you move it.

Feel free to PM me if you need any more detail. This tractor has been one of the best purchases I have made, hence buying it a second time without hesitation.

Enjoy -

Jon

RAV4??? I don't think a RAV4 can pull a CK20 much less a CK27, with any kind of attachments at all. CK20 is 1700 lbs, loader 800 lb. That's 2500 lbs with no other attachments. A trailer to haul it safely will go about 1500 lbs. That's 4000 lbs minimum. The CK27 is at least 1000 lbs more.

I have a CK25, loader, backhoe, loaded tires. It goes about 5500 lbs. This pushes one to a 10K lb trailer, add another 2700 lbs for the trailer. That's 8300 lbs, then and fuel, chains, binders, tools, and other attachments. Then you are quickly over 9000 lbs.

 

[JonKioti]

"That's 4000 lbs minimum. The CK27 is at least 1000 lbs more...."

Perhaps he can fill the tires....with helium?

 

[RSKY]

You are correct. It would be over the limit for the RAV. But not for the two other vehicles at our house. The CK20 will probably be what I go for. The 27 is too much for what I need. I do wish the 20 had the three range hydro or the shuttle-shift. But then the price would be higher.

Thanks to everybody who has responded. You have pretty well made my mind up for me. But don't let that stop you from telling me more good things about the 20!

Now to just get this retirement deal over with !!!!