CK30HST

[cabin kioti]

Just a few words to describe my CK30HST. Bought this tractor new in 2006 and now is eleven years old with 1,265 hours on it. I know by some standards that is not a lot of hours. I have used this tractor to plough fields, bush hog, finish mower, harrow, loader work dig out stumps that I could not move with the gear selector in low had to move them the backhoe. All said this tractor has been pretty reliable. I live in north central PA and the winters could get pretty cold. I never had a problem starting it in eleven years. I change oil and filter along with the fuel filter in the spring and use 15w40 Rotella and in the fall change filters again and use 5w30 Rotella synthetic. Some folks use synthetic all the time but I don't. I change the HST and tansmission filters every 300 hours. I wash it and wax it a few times a year always garage kept. I had replace the injector pump at 700 hours. There has been no other issues with anything else so far. I think Kioti makes a good tractor and I am very satisfied with it. Just wondering how others feel about this.:cool2:

 

[dfkrug]

Mine is older but with a lot less hours....about 700. I would not be happy if my
FI pump went out, as has happened to you and some others.

I have also avoided the oil cooler and FEL issues, so I feel fortunate. My diesel
fuel cup failed a few weeks ago, and some switches are getting flakey....that's
about it. Good machine.

Tell us more about the problem with not being able to move with the range
selector in LOW.

 

[cabin kioti]

I maybe worded it wrong that after digging out stumps and rolling them out of the hole I could not push them in low range because the HST would keep kicking out. This would only happen on very large stumps. Also the first injector pump went at around 400 hours and that was repaired under warranty and the second around 700 hours. I am still ok with this and satisfied with this machine. The B/H is 2375 and never had any problem. I got the repair kit for the loader cross member also no problem.

 

[dfkrug]

OK, I know that feature. HST relief opens in LOW when pushing an "immovable"
object. At lower engine RPM, you might find that the engine bogs instead of
going to relief.

IMO, the 2 HST RVs should be set a bit higher than their 4000psi. DaeDong has
welded the nuts to keep you from adjusting them. The CK35HST went to a
single RV for both fwd and rev, but I don't recall if they increased the RV pressure.

Most CUTs are designed to spin the drive tires in LOW when pushing an "immovable"
object, even with a lot of weight and AG tires on good ground. DaeDong
engineers made the wrong trade-off here, IMO. Note that gear-trans CUTs also make
this tradeoff. Lowering the gear ratios on the CK is the other variable, but owners
of gear CKs do not report bogging the engine in this scenario.

I can live with it.

 

[xcgreene]

I am aware of similar issues with fuel pumps failing due to lack of lubrication, fingers pointed at low sulfur diesel used today (Unless you are using offroad/marine diesel). Sulfur provided ample lubrication needed within fuel pumps. Now, with emissions regulations swinging hard, diesel fuel has far less sulfur, therefore less lubrication properties. Newer fuel pumps are said to be designed for this low sulfur diesel, though I'm not sure what, mechanically, that entails. Having said that, I always use an additive in my diesel fuel. I'm normally not one for snake oil, but low sulfur diesel, the threat of cold diesel fuel gelling here in the Maine winters, and the benefit of having a biocide, I always add "power service diesel fuel supplement" to the fuel. It takes care of all these things. $11 gallon jug treats 250 gallons of diesel, they have it on the shelves most places that sell oil. I'm sure there are other brands that work just as well.

Perhaps this may not have been the cause of your pump failures, but I thought I would mention it.

 

[cabin kioti]

I have used a diesel fuel additive from the first day I brought this tractor home, I seems that the stop selenoid would shear the teeth of the injector timing gears. I don't know if that problem has been corrected or not but it seems to have been a problem in 2005/2006 models of ck30's.From what my dealer said the gear teeth were to hard and would shear off. I hope this is the final injector pump I will need to repair.

 

[1965]

I am very happy with mine, 2008 which had 275 hours on it when I bought it two and a half years ago and now has 391 hours on it. I bush hog mostly grass and light brush on 40 acres , a little snow removal when I get more then the ATV can handle and I increased the driveway size considerably with it. I went from an International 574 (too big) to this and it is the perfect size. The only issue was I had to replace the fuel gauge sending unit, knock wood. :thumbsup:

 

[IXLR8]

I had a 2006 CK30, with about 500 hrs on it, only issue was the cracked fuel bowl. I 'upgraded' to a DK40... I wish I still had my CK30

 

[ritcheyvs]

I have used a diesel fuel additive from the first day I brought this tractor home, I seems that the stop selenoid would shear the teeth of the injector timing gears. I don't know if that problem has been corrected or not but it seems to have been a problem in 2005/2006 models of ck30's. From what my dealer said the gear teeth were too hard and would shear off. I hope this is the final injector pump I will need to repair.

This injection pump problem began when Kioti switched to a new engine design, where the stop solenoid was mounted to the front of the engine. Different models converted to the new design at different times, probably when the old engines were gone. The previous stop solenoid design (on the right side of the engine) did not seem to have this problem. The original gear teeth were apparently marginal (brittle? weak?) for the new solenoid, which is spring-loaded to drive the IP rack to the off (zero fuel) position when power was removed. The "IP gear problem" occured in 2005-2008 models with the newer style engine; see http://kittrellcommunitywatch.dyndns.org/Kioti_IP_Data
Apparently, Kioti eventually "fixed" this design because newer models don't seem to have a problem. Of course, Tier IV engines don't have this style IP so they are OK too.

For some time, Kioti said the whole IP had to be replaced when one of these IP gears failed, costing $1K and up. But we have learned that these "gears" can be bought from several aftermarket sources for very little money and replaced, either DIY or professionally by a Diesel shop (see link above). The repair is not difficult for someone with mechanical ability and the repaired IP doesn't require re-calibration or timing adjustment.

It's worth mentioning that many (most?) of the "vulnerable" 2005-2008 tractors never had this problem (knock on wood). Some IP parts are lubricated by fuel, such as plungers and delivery valves but these "gears" are lubricated by engine oil. So fuel additives probably won't help this IP gear problem

 

[1965]

There is the "sticky note" at the top of the Kioti threads all around the alternate repair options to the injector pump. I hope I don't ever need them but glad the good folks here have provided them.