Hi everyone,
After putting about 110 hours on my 2008 DK40SE shuttle shift over the past four months, thought I would offer some observations on my experience thus far.
First, I purchased the tractor and loader with 44 hours on it, paying about $5k less than my best quote on a similarly equipped new DK (this was in April, when they were offering the free loaders, so dealer quotes were coming in a smidge over $20k). At 44 hours, and having been stored indoors, I was essentially getting a new machine, minus the warranty. I felt as if the savings justified the risk, though I can see how others might think differently. I also think I could have done a little better if I'd held out for a while, but I needed a tractor and everything else about the deal felt good, so I went for it. As an aside, the only other machine I seriously considered was a new Mahindra 4035, but after driving both that and the DK, it wasn't a hard choice. The 4035 is very, very nice, but the DK just felt more polished and "fit" me better.
I was a bit nervous about buying the DK because my previous machine was a Long 510DT, which while being a rather crude and unreliable tractor, was substantially bigger than the DK and had about 10 more hp. I was worried that trading "down" in these departments would prove to be a mistake.
It wasn't. For anything other than horsepower intensive PTO work, the DK is far, far more capable. Yes, the Long could lift as much or maybe a bit more, but because the Kioti is so much more user friendly and maneuverable, I can get a LOT more work done in the same time. It also uses less fuel. Frankly, I have been extremely impressed at what this little tractor can do and it just goes to show that horsepower isn't everything. Another aside: After operating a friend's Kubota L3400, I was shocked at how small and crude that felt, for being only a few HP less. I know it's not the same category of tractor and I'm not knocking it; just trying to point out (again) that HP is only ONE factor - and sometimes, not the most important one - regarding a tractor's capabilities.
I have had essentially no issues to date. A friend managed to deadhead the hydraulics during first cut haying, but I seem to have lucked out and not suffered damage. I have since installed a loop on the remotes. For a period of about 20 hours, I was experiencing an intermittent clunk from underneath the tractor during heavy loader work. I could not find a loose bolt, and the clunk has disappeared as mysteriously as it showed up. Otherwise, no issues. Based strictly on performance and value, I would rate this tractor very, very highly.
However, I am extremely concerned about some of the customer service-related complaints I've read on this forum. I will reserve final judgement until I have these issues of my own (which, knock on wood, will hopefully be "never"), but I must say, they cast a cloud over the Kioti brand. I sincerely hope the dealers that frequent this forum are passing along this information to Kioti brass. If they really want to compete for the long haul, they're going to have to iron out these kinks. I'm sure other brands are not without their customer service flaws, but the fact is, Kioti is an up-and-comer, not a fully established brand that can rest on its name. They should be bending over backwards to ensure that current owners spread the good word.
One other note, regarding tires. I almost didn't buy this machine because it came equipped with R4's, and all of my work is off-road in steep, hilly terrain where R1s typically shine. However, I have been pleasantly surprised at the capabilities of the R4s and have actually come to prefer them in the woods, where they seem to add some stability and be less susceptible to damage. I do have chains for winter use, and expect that I will need them. The only conditions in which they really suffer (at least in my experience) is slick mud over a hard base. In those situations, they're pretty useless. But I can usually avoid those situations.
Other random stuff: Love, love, love the fender-mount joystick. I know some folks don't care, but I love it. Linkages on all shifters seemed tight and balky at first, but have loosened up considerably with use. Otherwise, can't think of much. This is a very nice tractor and I'm using it quite a bit, averaging about 25-hours per month. I only hope it will continue to be so reliable for the next few thousand hours!
After putting about 110 hours on my 2008 DK40SE shuttle shift over the past four months, thought I would offer some observations on my experience thus far.
First, I purchased the tractor and loader with 44 hours on it, paying about $5k less than my best quote on a similarly equipped new DK (this was in April, when they were offering the free loaders, so dealer quotes were coming in a smidge over $20k). At 44 hours, and having been stored indoors, I was essentially getting a new machine, minus the warranty. I felt as if the savings justified the risk, though I can see how others might think differently. I also think I could have done a little better if I'd held out for a while, but I needed a tractor and everything else about the deal felt good, so I went for it. As an aside, the only other machine I seriously considered was a new Mahindra 4035, but after driving both that and the DK, it wasn't a hard choice. The 4035 is very, very nice, but the DK just felt more polished and "fit" me better.
I was a bit nervous about buying the DK because my previous machine was a Long 510DT, which while being a rather crude and unreliable tractor, was substantially bigger than the DK and had about 10 more hp. I was worried that trading "down" in these departments would prove to be a mistake.
It wasn't. For anything other than horsepower intensive PTO work, the DK is far, far more capable. Yes, the Long could lift as much or maybe a bit more, but because the Kioti is so much more user friendly and maneuverable, I can get a LOT more work done in the same time. It also uses less fuel. Frankly, I have been extremely impressed at what this little tractor can do and it just goes to show that horsepower isn't everything. Another aside: After operating a friend's Kubota L3400, I was shocked at how small and crude that felt, for being only a few HP less. I know it's not the same category of tractor and I'm not knocking it; just trying to point out (again) that HP is only ONE factor - and sometimes, not the most important one - regarding a tractor's capabilities.
I have had essentially no issues to date. A friend managed to deadhead the hydraulics during first cut haying, but I seem to have lucked out and not suffered damage. I have since installed a loop on the remotes. For a period of about 20 hours, I was experiencing an intermittent clunk from underneath the tractor during heavy loader work. I could not find a loose bolt, and the clunk has disappeared as mysteriously as it showed up. Otherwise, no issues. Based strictly on performance and value, I would rate this tractor very, very highly.
However, I am extremely concerned about some of the customer service-related complaints I've read on this forum. I will reserve final judgement until I have these issues of my own (which, knock on wood, will hopefully be "never"), but I must say, they cast a cloud over the Kioti brand. I sincerely hope the dealers that frequent this forum are passing along this information to Kioti brass. If they really want to compete for the long haul, they're going to have to iron out these kinks. I'm sure other brands are not without their customer service flaws, but the fact is, Kioti is an up-and-comer, not a fully established brand that can rest on its name. They should be bending over backwards to ensure that current owners spread the good word.
One other note, regarding tires. I almost didn't buy this machine because it came equipped with R4's, and all of my work is off-road in steep, hilly terrain where R1s typically shine. However, I have been pleasantly surprised at the capabilities of the R4s and have actually come to prefer them in the woods, where they seem to add some stability and be less susceptible to damage. I do have chains for winter use, and expect that I will need them. The only conditions in which they really suffer (at least in my experience) is slick mud over a hard base. In those situations, they're pretty useless. But I can usually avoid those situations.
Other random stuff: Love, love, love the fender-mount joystick. I know some folks don't care, but I love it. Linkages on all shifters seemed tight and balky at first, but have loosened up considerably with use. Otherwise, can't think of much. This is a very nice tractor and I'm using it quite a bit, averaging about 25-hours per month. I only hope it will continue to be so reliable for the next few thousand hours!
