info please, Kioti vs Kubota.

[Knobby1]

really appreciate all the info on this, sounds to me like the Kioti will perform and is reliable. Nobody bitching or moaning. I know Kubota's are good machines that is no secret, but they seem to be overly proud of them, and parts are very expensive too. As some have said, the price of a Kubota grand L4240 is getting to nosebleed country.

 

[art]

We get a lot of trades of different makes and often have to fix them to resell unless there is so much wrong that we just send them off to auctions.

I don't know that I've seen any manufacturer that doesn't have parts that comparing to another manufacturer that might seem over priced! Sorry it's just the way that it works. Now when your talking a fifteen or twenty year old tractor that you can't even find the manufacturer of, thats fun! I'd rather have a high priced part!

To talk the weight, I'd rather be able to add it where it is needed then to have an unbalanced tractor that is just to heavy for other then loader work. The driveability for the other chores makes a totally different and more enjoyable feeling! It will be noted in the fuel consumption as well as in tire wear just getting started on the list.

 

[ON84]

Two years ago we compared tractors in the 40-50 hp range. We looked at Kubota, NH, JD, and Kioti. In that range, Kioti appeared to have a larger frame and better overall quality of construction. We bought a Kioti DK45S. No regrets. It has given us 320 hours of problem free use. If you use the FEL with heavy loads or the backhoe to remove stumps, you will appreciate the extra weight.


DK45s

 

[northcreek2624]

Art,I can't agree with you on the parts/price thing although you seem to have more exposure to it than me.
I can tell you that a complete inner and outer tach drive cable for my Kioti was $8 an oil filter was $6 ,having bought various Kubota parts I know that you will never walk away from a Kubota parts counter without dropping $50 and that's on a good day.
My International is 20 years old but, parts for it were rediculously high when it was two years old,a transmission bearing might be $35 from IH but,if you could cross reference it you could get it at the bearing store for $15....I guess those little IH boxes with the logo are expensive to make?.....Mike.

 

[IslandTractor]

I like both Kubota and Kioti tractors and have comparison shopped them twice. I bought the Kioti both times and have been very happy. Love the Kubota but they just don't compare in the bang for the buck department compared to equivalent HP Kiotis unless you are primarily mowing lawns.

CK20 won out over a B7510 (and would still be competitive vs the newer generation B from Kubota though I do love the new 3range hydro on the new B). Loader strength was a serious consideration for me and the Kioti's just seem to have stronger loaders at a given HP point when comparing lift and breakout at pivot pins. Loved the CK20 and someday I may go back to one.

DK40se won out over L3940 due to loader and about $6000 price difference. The DKse is a brute and yet is very comfortable and well layed out with excellent features. The Kubota has a more sophisticated HST but I don't miss it whereas I couldn't do efficiently what I need to do with the loader Kubota offers.

The fact that Kubota dealers are reduced to arguing about resale value and hypothetical parts availability issues should tell you something about the bang for the buck offered by Kioti.

I don't think anyone on the Kioti board has anything bad to say about Kubotas but there isn't enough extra "goodness" to justify their 20% price differential.

 

[Knobby1]

Yes Island Tractor; this is where I keep winding up at too. I am certainly not disrespecting the Kubota. But the Kioti appears to me, and from what I am hearing from folks, to be well worth the money, and functionally appears to work just fine. I will be brush hogging and working on 40 very hilly and hard rocky ground, very little soil. Weight and power seem important to me. If I were mowing level soft ground then I would not be as concerned. If I can save money I will, but I will not throw it away on inferior product.

 

[JoelD]

I've owned two kubotas and loved them, they were 30 year old machines and ran and operated perfectly. Build like a brick XXXX house. I wanted to get another when I upgraded in size. I looked at the B21 and the B7800. Then I looked at Kioti. The one thing that stuck out was loader capacity, the Kioti was far more. I bought used, and saved at least $4K over the Kubotas (used), and I really wanted to get a Kubota, I've got the t-shirts, hats, jackets the whole shabang.

The Kioti has proven to be strongly built and trouble free so far, if or when I hit the lottery I'll be first in line for either a Deere 110 or Kubota L39, but until then, I'm totally pleased with my Kioti and frankly, would strugle to justify the need for the deere or Kubota referenced above.

I think bottom line is, the Deeres, Kubotas and Kiotis are close in quality and when comparing price and capacities, tough to dismiss Kioti.

Joel

 

[Knobby1]

yeah buddy, Kubota needs to be careful here, Ford/GM ridiculed Honda, uh, hello? Deere, IH, etc snickered at Kubota......are they laughing now? Kubota seems guilty of starting down a path they should know better than to go down.

 

[PaPaGus]

Just to add to the list of names...I have a ck 25 and I am very happy with it. I didn't purchase it from Wallace, but he took care of some issues for me a couple states away. Have nothing but good to say about both. The tractor has surprised me more than once on it's power and STARTING IN COLD WEATHER. It just gets tough to make it look like work when the better half is watching. I even bought a mini barn 12 x 24 and call it the Dawg House. (Grand kids get a kick out of it....and so do I)

Good luck to you and take pictures of the new tractor (baby) and share with us.

 

[Knobby1]

Thanks Gus, apprecitate the info on your machine. I know what you mean about making it look like work, takes some imagination sometimes. Glad to hear your equipment is working as intended. And keep outta the "dawg house"!!

 

[Typhoon]

Of course keep in mind, that when asking the question you are asking in the Kioti forum, your answers are going to be a little biased! But then again, where else are you going to get Kioti info?!? My last tractor was a New Holland TC29D, and I loved it! It did everything I ever asked of it, and more. So when it came time to upgrade, I was 99% dead set on another NH.. probably the TC34DA. Well, I live out in the country and noticed that several guys up and down my road were buying Kioti's, and had stopped and talked to a couple of them about them. Some of them are farmers, and have owned their share of tractors. I heard the same from each owner. "Best tractor for the money, heavy built, incredible loader capacity, no problems!" So, I started looking at them myself (crawling underneath, test driving, etc). When I saw how heavy they were built, and saw all of the nice features that the NH didnt have, I was sold. Not to mention I saved about 5K. I have put 40 hours on my DK40SE so far, and have been very impressed with it, and have had no problems whatsoever. I would recommend Kioti to anyone.

 

[JoelD]

I agree with the heavy built comment, my brother's first comment when we went to a Kioti dealer was, wow those front axles and steering cyls. look hard core heavy duty. I guess you could say that goes for most of the machine. There is just nothing, from the ROPS, to the loader frame thickness to the metal fenders on my machine that feel in anyway flimsy or fragile.

Joel

 

[Knobby1]

Typhoon/Joel, yes sure there will be some puffing, bragging, etc but you get that on the Kubota and JD sites too. But your experiences are better than BS I get from someone who owns a NH, JD, Kubota, etc. At least with regards to Kioti for sure. The property I own and will be working on is rocky, very hilly (pucker factor extreme in some cases) and generally rough enough to just beat the crap out of a machine when mowing, hogging, etc, its not soft soil, so just moving across it will create a beating on the equipment. Heavy built is good in this case for sure. Appreciate your comments on all this .............. thanks. PS, typhoon how heavy a brush hog will you machine handle, or what are you using?

 

[IslandTractor]

Regarding how heavy a brush hog the DK40se can handle, I'd say it could handle a 6ft heavy duty model if you really needed one but I cannot imagine that for non commercial use you'd need more than a medium duty like a Bush Hog 296 or something equivalent. I imagine it could handle a 7ft hog as well but most people seem to put 6footers on. I have a six foot flail on mine and the tractor hardly knows it is back there.

 

[Knobby1]

Yes I.T. thats about what I've got in mind, 6' med duty will do me fine.......thanks.

 

[woodyacres]

Have you posted a similiar question in the Kubota or Deere pages? I would be curious to hear how they "justify" spending more money for less power and weight?

Resale value??? If that's the only argument, I have a house to sell you!!

I am biased as I own a Kioti DK35. However, like you, I did my research too. I wanted a Kubota really bad at the time because they were supposed to be the best. Well, my research showed they were only second "best" to JD, in price!

 

[Knobby1]

Woody, no I have not posted a question directly to those sites, but I have had info given me from those owners mentioning that; Kioti may not exist in 10 years, Kioti uses inferior materials & so more of it must be used in the build so thats why they weight more, & "you get what you pay for" discussions. Curiously nobody really has anything bad to say about how the Kioti actually does its job, or that it broke continuously, etc. I have heard a comment or two about bad Kioti dealers or poor warranty response, but I have heard that from Kubota owners bitching as well (maybe even more). So, I am not seeing too many red flags waving as far as Kioti is concerned. Sometimes you can tell a lot just by looking. BTW do you have a shuttle unit, if so how do u like it.

 

[IslandTractor]

Kioti uses inferior materials & so more of it must be used in the build so thats why they weight more.

I love that argument. They like to think that Korean steel is somehow inferior. I doubt there are many more modern steel plants in the world (and certainly not in the good ole USA) than in Korea. They do build more supertankers than just about any other country after all.

I think most know better but some Kubota guys just parrot BS that dealers like to bring up in an attempt to bamboozle newbies or gullible shoppers. I'm sure the JD and Ford dealers did it to Kubota twenty years ago. Toyota dealers still try to do it with regard to Hyundai (oops, did Hyundai just win a car of the year award and higher ratings on JDPowers than most of the Japanese car makers....must be that inferior steel they are using).

 

[Highbeam]

I have logged 754 hours on my CK30 that I bought new instead of a GL3130 from Kubota at great savings. Other than one attachment issue, the Kioti product has performed above all expectations and I have been very happy.

I am supposed to adjust the valves or some such thing at 800 hours so I guess I'll have to finally put a wrench on this thing.

 

[woodyacres]

BTW do you have a shuttle unit, if so how do u like it.

Yes, I have the shuttle and I love it. I have never owned a gear unit, so my background is limited. However, with using the FEL it has been great! I am glad that I went that way and paid a little extra. The one thing that settled my decision on the shuttle were I had only 3 controls (throttle, range, and pedals) verses 4 on the gear (clutch). Plus I love how quickly I can go from forward to reverse effortlessly. This also comes in handy when plowing with the 3PH. The one down side is I have some big hills that I can, at times struggle to get up in Medium and I need to shift to Low gear.