DK90 shopping

[Jd5203]

Jd5203,
man your not far from me.......you are more than welcome to come run mine and you can see what it can do for yourself. The 4x4 is awesome and I take mine up and down some extremely steep terrain. Then if you like it I will take you down and meet my dealer. He has 1 in stock right now too.:thumbsup:

Thanks, that's nice to know about the terrain, I went test drove one at the nearest dealer and was very impressed. Unfortunately I will not be the one paying the bill otherwise it would probably already be here. Have you ever been up to the maple festival?

 

[MBRCompound]

Man it's been years ago. I pmed you my number. Give me a call if you wanna come down and run my tractor.

 

[MBRCompound]

What dealer you working with?

 

[Jd5203]

MBRCompound, thanks for the offer but I don't think I'll need to come test yours, I've been around tractors all my life and can tell how they will last depending on the way they are made. I'm dealing with Rockingham new holland as my dealer.

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

Holeycow how has the DK90 been working for you now that you've had it a while? It was interesting reading your observations regarding gearing when doing pto haying work. Thats important to me as I got to have the gears to feed the square balers consistantly. I had a customer come by today telling me all abou the DK90 model as I mentioned I was thinking of upgrading my current 80hp tractor to something a bit bigger/newer. I never concidered Kioti as I didn't think they made anything that big. He was saying I should check them out this winter. I looked online but I couldn't seem to find a speed chart for the transmission. My loader tractor the 825 Belarus has 18 speeds but they are all straight cut gears no sycro. So its not great for baling as you have to come to a stop to grab a gear. I do use it for raking and tedding but then I can adjust the speed with the throttle.

 

[holeycow]

Well,

I have just under 300hrs on my DK90 at this time.

I learned to work around the gearing issue by travelling a hair too fast or a hair too slow. There is no other way. My cutting machine works best within a 200rpm spread and so does my baler, which makes a slight difference to work with, is all.
It is a great baling tractor. It seems perfectly matched to my NH853 baler (yup, old chain baler in really, really nice condition which makes superb bales with net or twine). The tractor steers beautifully and is just wide enough/tall enough to clear a big swath while cutting or baling (I was worried about that).

Kioti lists the transmission as "fully synchronized". It is not what I thought, as you have to come to a complete stop to shift the ranges. Main gear shifts are still a little notchy, but continue to gradually improve. The old Deutz 7110 shifts both ranges and main transmission on the fly like silk. Nice. The Kioti is not like that. Ergonomically the gear shifter is a little too far "outboard" for me which makes it a little more difficult. I may (probably will) figure out an offset shifter extension to bring the knob closer for a more direct forward and back pull/push. The forward/reverse lever works well, but has a very long throw so it is a little tiresome (if we are being nitpicky).

The clutch linkage still rattles at times (hmmmmm), the transmission is noisy at working revs/speed (noisier than the engine), the lights are marginal, the reflection in the cab is significant at times (I have a certain red shirt with white graphics on the front which really reflects on the windshield). This curved glass, while attractive, is not good in the reflection department, for sure. It's only annoying under certain, infrequent conditions. The climate control in the cab is really, really good. I don't like the appearance of the button pad for this, but is has an excellent range of adjustability and this type of pad is exceptionally durable in my experience. The seat is comfortable, but I would like it to be not quite so level. I'll probably make some wedges to tilt the seat base up in the front slightly. I want it to fully break in first, as it may "sack-out" a bit to feel fine.

Fuel mileage is OK I guess, but less than that of the old Deutz (which is a 6 cylinder 110pto hp tractor). The Kioti has plenty of power for its size; plenty. The Perkins mechanic that replaced the waterpump was surprised that it was rated at only 91hp. He figured that it probably produced more, rather than less. I would tend to agree based on feel alone.

I am still on the fence regarding this tractor. The good points exceed the bad ones by quite a margin, so I am satisfied. When I have 2000hrs on it I will have a genuine opinion. Overall, if it is durable, it is excellent value for the money.

regards

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

Interesting about the trans so its like I assumed it has 4 ranges and another 4 speed gear box thats a sycro which is shift on the go with clutching. Sounds like though they way the gearing is you need to shift the range box often. The sycro shuttle works the same you push the clutch in to grab reverse or Forward with the tractor stopped?

Square baling the balers have to run at Rated RPM to make things work good. I don't do the baling much I do the picking but nothing worse then having the guys drive to fast or too slow because they don't want to stop to change gears for different parts of the field. If the crop is nice and even then sure its not so bad.

thx.

 

[holeycow]

More like you almost never have to shift the range box. Pick a range and go. The gears are 1-16 thru the 4 ranges. Each gear goes faster than the last. L1234,m1234,h1234 in ascending speed. Yes it requires the clutch to go from forward to reverse.

I have made thousands upon thousands of square bales. This tractor would work fine for that, just like it does for round baling. The choices are just limited, unfortunately. The best square baling tractor is an old JD630 2 piston diesel, IMO. They just feel right pulling a square baler along. Beautiful old tractor if you can appreciate such a thing. I forget, but they run at something like 800rpm and match the k-chunk, k-chunk rhythm of the square baler nicely.

One thing I have noticed is that I look forward to running the DK. Maybe because it is still new, IDK.

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

I'll have to check again to see if I can find a trans speed chart on the DK 90 as I need to have the right gears for the next tractor what ever make it is.

Finding a lower priced JD series like the 6115D peaked my interest as I know a fellow who has one like it. But with JD only offering a 9 speed trans in this series it doesn't leave many field gears once you take off the road gears. JD's other models with the better transmissions are way out of my price range of what I want to spend. Below is the actual JD 9 speed sycro trans chart from their.

I still make around 30,000 every year in sm. squares so we do a lot of baling through out the summer/fall. Right now the main tractor is the Valtra. With its 36 speed trans its great for finding the right speed to feed the balers consitantly.... no reason to make bales too long or too short!! Also whats nice about it is its so quiet in the cab partly because at 540 RPM it only runs at 1540 engine rpm. It's max rpm is only 1900rpm which is what it runs at for 1000 pto.

We also use old Case's (1978) 2090 and the (1974) Case 970 for cutting and raking. Belarus runs the 3pt hitch tedder when needed and other odd jobs. The Cases (12 speeds) have good gearing just sometimes when we are baling double rows at times they can't go quite slow enough. The Belaurs has lots of gears but no shifting on the go and no a/c so its not used for baling. Tedding it isn't too bad as your travelling faster and with the doors open its not too bad.

JD 6115D TRANS mph Chart at rated rpm.


1.7

2.4

3.1

4.1

5.7

7.3

9.9 - Road

13.7 - Road

17.6- Road



ATTACH=CONFIG]349377[/ATTACH]

 

[holeycow]

from the DK90 owner's manual:

L1 1.15mph
L2 1.65
L3 2.21
L4 2.78

M1 3.45mph
M2 4.93
M3 6.61
M4 8.30

H1 8.44mph
H2 12.13
H3 16.23
H4 19.14

creep range omitted as it is plenty slow enough in all gears, LOL.

hope this helps : )

 

[holeycow]

oops! double post

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

Hmm those are pretty good gear selections actually for my needs. Idealy it would be nice to have a couple more in the mid range but its not bad.

 

[holeycow]

Idealy it would be nice to have a couple more in the mid range but its not bad.[/QUOTE]

I agree

 

[MBTRAC]

As an update:

- Our "first" DK1002 has now clocked up c.900hrs+ with no drama/no disappointment
- We've now had 2xDX100's delivered & running around the farms for sometime, though it's still early days I'm certain they'll be as good as the DK1002
- We're so happy with these machines we've also accepted the c.1200hr DK90 (below) in part exchange/trade for a truck we were selling
- Will I buy another Kioti/Daedong, you bet !! Balancing the $'s for HP & quality it's too hard to pass up the value equation - just wish they'd bring out a 200hp+ tractor too.:cool2:

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

I'm going to check that DK 90 out for sure. I checked out a Kubuto M8540 at guys place I was hauling hay to today. Bit smaller but for how much more Kubota wants I thought it woudl be a little nicer cab inside. Maybe the bigger model which would be what I'd want is a little different. Don't get me wrong its nice but definately a smaller cab and lighter tractor then my old Belarus 825.

Holycow have you checked out those LS tractors as I see there is a dealer in northern Alberta in Grande Prairie? The make a comparable one with a more gears, left hand reverser, 3 speed pto and it looks quite similar inside the cab. The dealer in Camrose Advertises them for 58K with loader I see on Kijjiji. More stuff means more things to go wrong I know and I imgane the Kioti will be less $$ too then. LS being a newer line out west here there is not many dealers around I think only 3 in Alberta.

This would be the the same hp as the DK90 I think.

 

[holeycow]

Haymaker,

I did not look at the LS tractors, but in hindsight I probably should have. I do like the simplicity of the Kioti and I would be wary of the more complex LS. However, it would be a good idea, IMO now, to compare both. That LS price you were quoted is high I think??? If you shop seriously I think you will find that the Kioti is slightly more than the LS for less features, but I could be wrong. The wet clutch in the LS is certainly appealing...There was a dealer in Saskatchewan advertising a 7040 in the late spring/early summer for a lot less than 58000.

This is "out there" but years ago I dismissed Suzuki quads due to there complexity (3 ranges, independent suspension all-around, 3 gear shifters and cables and things everywhere. It turns out that they were one of the best, most reliable quads ever made. Could be the same with the LS tractors, IDK (although I'm sure they could never be considered as a premium tractor at this point...maybe in the future).

That 7040 is 97 engine HP I think. It is not as heavy a machine as the Kioti, but a considerable amount of weight in the Kioti is due to the cast wheels. One thing I was attracted to with the Kioti is the Perkins engine. Just because.

Let us know how the LS and Kioti compare. I'm curious too.

PS, read MBTRAC's review of the dk1002. It is very accurate.

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

Well was in town this morn checking out a snow blade and they had a little DK90 in stock sitting there. I had a quick look at it and I'm impressed as its better than I thought it would be both tractor and loader. Sure has a lot heavier built draw bar than that Kubota I looked at the day before. Gonna have to try it out and see how high that loader lifts and its reach compared to mine. Think'n though if I spend that much coin i should go up a size but if I can get away with that one that would be good enough for me.

 

[holeycow]

Yes that drawbar is heavy. A little overkill I'd say. Some of my old gear barely fits on it. The drawbar is pretty high off of the ground too, which made me re-set all of my gear (even though it has all worked on 3 other tractors after setting for one of them). I still have a little tuning to do on the haybine because the "angle of attack" of the cutter bar is slightly wrong now. The baler dealt with it fine. The DK is a fine haying tractor for me.

Like I said, my DK90 feels like it has all of 90 HP and then some....

I would have preferred to buy a used higher-end FWA tractor for less money, but a good one is really hard to find. Around here chore tractors normally have a pretty hard life. I would love to be able to get away with a 2wd tractor chore tractor, but I can't.

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

My Valtra has a thick heavy draw bar also which makes it difficult hooking up some stuff at times. I"m sure its the same one they use on thier 200hp tractors. I never noticed if the DK's hitch was high off the ground or not but thats good if it is I like them higher up like that for haying. DK90, loader and a bucket is $54K now all rebates in and so forth. Sounded like its take it or leave it and... go see what a similar JD costs

 

[holeycow]

The problem is that to get the same tractor weight you have to look at a fairly high-end tractor and then the price differential is BIG. Or else you're comparing to a mini tractor. You know, one of those little things that boasts 100hp and looks like a lawn tractor.

Don't forget about the cutting edge on the bucket. I did. So I couldn't get it "thrown-in" after the fact. A good edge is a $300.00 touch.

The little fridge/warmer thingy is kind-of handy, but a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It will fit a couple of sandwiches, a couple of drinks, and some other small stuff though. I haven't used it very much, but it does work well and it carries a medium sized lunch.