CK4010SE HCB Cab or NX4510 HSC Cab

[finn1]

I'm about to pull the trigger on one of the subject tractors to replace my John Deere 240 Series II skid steer.

Primary use will be snow removal with a front mounted snow blower on three, possibly four properties, and I'll likely eventually add a backhoe.

The situation is this. I own and maintain two lakefront properties, essentially next door to each other, and a shop about a mile up the paved county road towards town. I also have a fourth property in town, about 11 miles away. The properties are in Upper Michigan, near Lake Superior, in the lake effect snow belt. We average 180" per year, but can get in excess of 300", albeit infrequently.

The drives at the houses are only about 250-300 feet long, and the shop needs to be plowed on all four sides to access the overhead doors. I plow about a half acre at the beginning of the year, but that tapers as the season progresses and the snow piles increase.

I currently manage the snow removal with a short bed regular cab K1500 and Boss 7.5' plow and an F450 dump with a Boss 9.5(?)' straight blade plow.

Towards spring I remove the snow piles with the skid steer, as there is literally no place to stack the accumulated snow. Because of the property layout, much of the snow removal involves backdragging, uphill, and onto the (dead end, but with some traffic) county road.

The plan is to get rid of the skid steer and replace it with a small tractor and blower, loader, and box blade. I'll keep my pallet forks.

The NX looks like the best fit in all aspects except physical size and maneuverability. Price of the NX is about $3000 more than the CK, and about $11000 less than a Deere 4046R (no box blade on the Deere deal). The CK fits the garage better, and has easier entry and exit, but the controls seem clumsier and less intuitive. The CK would be easier to trailer, if I eventually have to maintain the driveway of the house in town, but the plow truck may work there.

Deere and Kioti are the only two players, as they are the only local dealers.

Questions: No small tractor will have the capabilities of a skid steer, but given the options, which comes closest? Consider physical size and performance. It's the NX overkill?

Is the Deere worth the price premium over the NX? It almost looks like the performance specs, except horsepower, are closer to the CK.

Is it reasonable to drive a 15 mph tractor with blower a mile on a (light traffic) county road 3-6 days per week for December through March?

 

[HONDAFIXER]

Just keep in mind the salt covered roads will eat that tractor up in a short period of time. Seen it happen in NH.

 

[finn1]

Unlike the state highways, the county rarely salts the local roads, except for major intersections.

The county roads are mostly hard packed snow from mid December until late February.

 

[coobie]

Unlike the state highways, the county rarely salts the local roads, except for major intersections.

The county roads are mostly hard packed snow from mid December until late February.

Are you located in Michigan?

 

[finn1]

Yes, in the UP.

 

[coobie]

Glad to hear that have a Kioti dealer in the UP.

 

[Threepoint]

On your third question, don't plan on getting a constant 15 mph unless the road you're speaking of is dead flat, and maybe not even then. Even a percent incline will drop you way down in high gear with the 4510HST. That's only a problem if you really must maintain full speed.

 

[Threepoint]

On your third question, don't plan on getting a constant 15 mph unless the road you're speaking of is dead flat, and maybe not even then. Even a percent incline will drop you way down in high gear with the 4510HST. That's only a problem if you really must maintain full speed.

Meant to say 5 percent grade.

 

[finn1]

Much of the distance travelled is parallel to the lake and dead flat. There is probably a net rise, with some up and down, of 80-100 feet over 2/3 mile, or less.

The real issue is, are these things readable or are they suitable for low speed field or site use only?

When I lived in Europe for a few years back in the 80s, "roading" with small to medium (~40-100 hp) tractors was quite common, as very few farmers had access to any sort of pickup or commercial trucks.

I'm going to go with the ck4010, as it seems to be ok size wise, barring any negative input.

I may miss the extra six inches of blower width of the NX, and will certainly miss the dirt working capability of the skid steer, but neither machine comes close to that capability.

The dealer is giving me a trade allowance of exactly what I paid for the skid steer in 2009.

The big time saver is that I won't have to clear a large area in December and January anymore. The blower will probably be "roaded" in February and March. I'll use the truck until the banks become overwhelming.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I sent you a PM also. I'm on my second Kioti and happy with it, as well as the local dealer which I suspect is also your local dealer.

However, have you considered a Bobcat utility machine? There are two models that might work, the 3650 with PTO, cab, and front mounted snowblower, and the larger, more expensive Toolcat, which has all the skidsteer options and more. The 3650 fully setup was around $30k when I priced one out a year ago. That would be a better choice for road transport, still has a cab, and is probably similar to the CK in snow blowing capability. The Toolcat (for far more money - it was closer to $70k) offers lots more capability, but at the price it wasn't a real option for me.