KIOTI buyer beware

[Hay Dude]

I'm sorry that you've had such bad luck with your tractor. Like most major tractor brands , Kiotis generally leave the shop and never go back until they are tired and get traded. Unfortunately every brand has it's lemons... even Kubota if the rumors I hear are true.

Hah! Only took one reply to drag out the Kioti Kubota comparisons. :laughing:
Sometimes constantly focusing on your competition only helps make the competitor look good, not you.

 

[Jstpssng]

Hah! Only took one reply to drag out the Kioti Kubota comparisons. :laughing:
Sometimes constantly focusing on your competition only helps make the competitor look good, not you.

HAH! IF you had actually read my comment you would have noticed that I said Kiotis generally leave the shop and never go back until they are tired and get traded. Unfortunately every brand has it's lemons...

The last would have been written in the sarcasm font if the site had one.

 

[ckengine03]

So just so more food for thought, I called yet another Kioti dealer that was recommended by my cousin, he is much too far away to help me in my situation but he had some interesting things to say. Basically he said this model of tractor does not have the build quality of other older Kioti DK models. He said they are really not designed for the light farm work that I am doing with mine, and that my dealer should have know this when I told him my plans with the tractor (which I did). He said he tries to market theses to landscapers and estate owners for light duty and mowing applications where them seem to do well. Thought I would put this out there to maybe help someone else looking for a new tractor.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Interesting. First time I have heard that. It is a pretty big tractor for landscaping.

 

[ckengine03]

MESSMAKER I thought the same but I guess it makes sense for loading mulch and dirt into trucks and possibly snow removal

 

[Jstpssng]

When people post asking for advice about purchasing, an oft heard question is bout the quality of the dealer. Your experience reflects why.

 

[ckengine03]

Had more issues with the machine, went out to start it up and it was dead, lights were on but no cranking at all. After 1.5 hour of trouble shooting found that the starter solenoid wire came loose and fell off. Put the wire back on and the machine fired up. I then found that the welds for the doubler on the loader arm pins had snapped while I pushed back a pile of brush. I then went down to the Mahindra dealer 12 miles away and traded if for a 6065 open station. I have never in 20+ years of operating equipment seen any machine with such poor welding. Where the weld snapped had no penetration into the metal at all, it was a tack on something that is rated to lift 2000+ pounds. I will never buy another Kioti again.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I suggested an institutional customer buy a Kubota L series. They are unhappy with it and it is also too lightly made for their application. Stuff out front breaking all the time. You have to look at more than just size and HP,when you buy a tractor.

 

[grsthegreat]

Very odd. My 2010 DK45 has great fit and finish. No structural failures except for a poorly located snd attached tow hook. All welds tight. Have used it to haul many heavy loads with forklift in my generator installation business over the years. This probably led to front oil seal leak a few years back.

Other than that i would buy another kioti without any reservations.

but yours sure seems like a monday built unit.

 

[coobie]

Had more issues with the machine, went out to start it up and it was dead, lights were on but no cranking at all. After 1.5 hour of trouble shooting found that the starter solenoid wire came loose and fell off. Put the wire back on and the machine fired up. I then found that the welds for the doubler on the loader arm pins had snapped while I pushed back a pile of brush. I then went down to the Mahindra dealer 12 miles away and traded if for a 6065 open station. I have never in 20+ years of operating equipment seen any machine with such poor welding. Where the weld snapped had no penetration into the metal at all, it was a tack on something that is rated to lift 2000+ pounds. I will never buy another Kioti again.

Would be nice if you took some pics of this crappy tractor before you sold it.Would love to have seen them.

 

[tradosaurus]

So this is a 10 month review of my Kioti DK5310 se cab tractor, and some hard lessons that I have learned. My background was dairy farming in my youth an then a sub compact Kubota owner for many years so I have run machines from 200 hp to 25 and everything in between.
To start out I got the KIOTI for a decent price other than all the dealers hidden fees. The tractor has performed ok with the exception of the bucket, which is the weakest most cheaply built bucket I have ever seen as well as a few other issues I will discuss later. I unfortunately bought the tractor from a dealer that only offers services at there shop and has no transport or onsite repair. So I have to arrange a trailer any time I want to bring the machine in for service as I don稚 own one myself. Luckily as a mechanical engineer with a well stocked shop I was able to repair all the issues myself but if you buy one of these machines be ready for repairs. I have had to repair the diff lock, the brake springs, the loader stick the HST return springs, several plugs that have become disconnected and weld the bucket cracks after removing several rocks. The machine for a 50hp unit runs much more like a 40hp tractor, torque is poor and the tractor bogs down on any hill even in medium speed with no PTO(3 speed HST). The horsepower weight and lift capacity seem to have been slightly exaggerated on the spec sheet, from my experience. The worst part of this is that now that I致e realized I need a larger machine or something different and looked to other dealers for trade-in value I致e literally been quoted a trade-in value half of what I paid 10 months ago with only 99 hrs.

I would say this is true for most brands of tractor. Kubota seems to be one of the few honest brands that don't inflate their values.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My guess is that many manufacturers don't go to the lengths that let's say Deere and Kubota do. Yes, they all build something that resembles a tractor. Maybe some have labs that examine and test paint, plastic, metalergy (sp?) and so forth. Extensive testing in all climate conditions. All that costs more money. I have no doubt, they are not all the same in this regard. Like I said before. Often you get what you pay for.

 

[coobie]

My guess is that many manufacturers don't go to the lengths that let's say Deere and Kubota do. Yes, they all build something that resembles a tractor. Maybe some have labs that examine and test paint, plastic, metalergy (sp?) and so forth. Extensive testing in all climate conditions. All that costs more money. I have no doubt, they are not all the same in this regard. Like I said before. Often you get what you pay for.

Sometimes you pay too much for what you get.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Also guessing the testing was done without a bucket on it. My Kioti bucket has to weigh around 200-300 pounds. Big difference lifting something with forks compared with bucket

 

[grsthegreat]

Why trade in...you can sell on craigslist for WAY more than trade in value. When i purchased my new kioti in 2011 the highest trade in offer for my older JD870 was $4,000. I sold it on craigslist for $10,500.

 

[DK35vince]

Very odd. My 2010 DK45 has great fit and finish. No structural failures except for a poorly located snd attached tow hook. All welds tight. Have used it to haul many heavy loads with forklift in my generator installation business over the years. This probably led to front oil seal leak a few years back.

Other than that i would buy another kioti without any reservations.

but yours sure seems like a monday built unit.

My 2001 DK 35 has been a fantastic tractor.
19 years and never gives me any issues.
I personally like the older model DK's much better that the newer model DK.