Hi There-
I'm most definately a proud owner of a Kioti DK 45. I searched high and low, reviewing Kubota, NH, John Deere and Mahindra, grey market Yanmars and Chinese Tractors. After taking a look in person and test driving several, I chose the DK 45 over the Mahindra 4110, partly because of the few extra horsepower and mostly because of the dealer (more about that later).
I've had my DK 45 since July the 3rd and have loved every minute of it. I've used it to pull hay rakes, hay trailers, do bush hogging, box blade/scraper blade work, loader work, dug post holes, scraped snow, etc., etc. It has started up everytime, from extreme heat (over 100 in the summer and down to below 0 just a few weeks ago). I've given it it's first servicing (oil change, fuel and air filter(s) changed, hydraulic filter/oil change). Everything was easy to get to and exchange - just needed a funny shaped funnel to pour the hydraulic oil into the tranny port. In short, I love my DK 45 and wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another one or recommend to anyone. In fact, I hope to in about two to four years have enough pennies rolled together to get a DK 65 with a cab (or whatever Kioti tractor is the highest available horsepower) for our serious haying tractor (to replace our Ford 5000).
Aside from the quality of the tractor, a huge factor in my determination to purchase a Kioti was my opinion of my dealer. I bought my tractor from James Little of Little Tractor in Metropolis, IL (about an hour away from where I live). My wife and I went to the dealership just to look around one day and James went over all of the different models, from the smallest to the largest, let me drive around a DK 50 with a cab and loader, and set me up with all the literature I could tote. I mulled it over and decided to sell my Belarus and get the Kioti. James also did one of my favorite sales gimmicks: he gave me his best rock-bottom price up front and said he couldn't drop another dime (and I believed him, because I searched the internet and called a couple of other dealers and never found a better price). James did have two DK 45s in stock, but sold both before I got my Belarus sold. I called him and told him I was ready to buy and James moved heaven and earth and got a DK 45, delivered from North or South Carolina (where ever it is the Kioti's come into the states at) to his shop, assembled and delivered to my house in two days, just so I would have it in time for the 4th of July weekend. That type of effort seems exceptional nowadays, I think.
But the story doesn't end there. I bought my tractor without a front end loader, because I had a '64 John Deere 2010 Tractor/Loader/Backhoe. However, after having such a nice tractor, fiddlin' with the old backhoe just wasn't that much fun. I contacted James and he let me use the backhoe as a trade-in for a Rhino 2409 loader (which I think is the same as a Kioti 249 loader). I had a friend with a lowboy pick up the Kioti and Backhoe to haul to Metropolis (although James offered to do the pick-ups, but I hated to put him out for two trips) on a Monday. The tractor came back to me on Wednesday with the loader attached and ready to run - a really good turn-around considered that James was receiving two truckloads of equipment on Monday and Tuesday. While the tractor was at James' place, he corrected the only two issues that had come up - one front wheel was bent and the fuel gauge was not working correctly. Both items were fixed at no charge.
In closing, I would say that the DK 45 is a great tractor for the price; in fact, it is a great tractor at any price - easy to operate, easy to service. Similarly, Little Tractor is an excellent dealership - I wish he sold dishwashers, cars, deodorant, anything, I would buy it from James. I think it's rare to get a dealer that good anymore. I know that James sells tractors from his website and delivers nationwide, so he's an option no matter where you are (unless maybe you're oversees). I would recommend Kioti tractors and Little Tractor to anyone.
Sorry for the long post, but when I get talking about my Kioti tractor and dealer, I just can't shut up.
Good luck with your tractor search. Take it easy.
Tim Gray
