Korean tractor dilemma

[MichiganIron]

As proof of the ability of less developed countries to often do a better build than a developed country on the same item;
If I offered you a US made AKM, a Russian, a Chinese, an Egyptian, and a Yugo; I'm guessing anyone in their right mind would pick the Amercian one dead last. I would go Russian Fed, Yugoslavia (Serbian), Chinese, Egyptian, and last, US. Now, I do understand voting with your wallet, and non logically reasons, and if offered a Bosnian (Bosnian half, not Republika Srpska half) I would take amercian before it, for strictly non logical reasons.

A compact tractor, although it has some tech involved, isn't a space ship. If you Really are worried; I would look for the tail end of a long run on the exact same model. So, if longevity is the #1 priority, a tractor in the 8th and final year of production would win over a machine in 1st or 2nd year of production (and possibly last... never know). People Love their old Ford 8Ns, but it's cause there is what, 20 years of production, and over a million machines sold, so parts will be readily available for 50 more years. They did Not go 8000 hours without breaking down; the old guys just replaced the broken parts and kept working.

Point, Kioti CK series started in 2015, and ran for 9 years. That's a long run.

JD 3038E ran for like 12+ years

An LS MT357 is in its 5th year

The Kioti NS6010 ran 2022-2024 and ended; so maybe I wouldn't buy an NS6010

The KIOTI NS Series has NOT been cancelled. The KIOTI NS Series has now replaced the previous NX Series, that KIOTI had introduced in 2014.

Hope this helps

 

[paulsharvey]

The KIOTI NS Series has NOT been cancelled. The KIOTI NS Series has now replaced the previous NX Series, that KIOTI had introduced in 2014.

Hope this helps

Oh, I was under the impression the NS was getting dropped; maybe that was fake news

 

[tacticalturnip]

Oh, I was under the impression the NS was getting dropped; maybe that was fake news

The NX was dropped, but the NS ought to be around for a minute. It would still be nice to see an update to it.

 

[paulsharvey]

Ok, then let's use Kubota LX models as a point, we are going on 4 years of those. We probably are past the initial design issues, but if we were in year 1 or 2; even with Kubota, I would prefer others do the "beta testing"

 

[tacticalturnip]

Ok, then let's use Kubota LX models as a point, we are going on 4 years of those. We probably are past the initial design issues, but if we were in year 1 or 2; even with Kubota, I would prefer others do the "beta testing"

That's my thoughts on first year products.

 

[caleb90]

Called dealer. Nope still untouched, they said we under stand if you take it some where else.. well there is only 2 ls dealers within 100mils of me in kentucky soooo im kinda stuck here. Yeah i did buy the tractor out of state, the closer dealer blew me off completely. This one said bring it down. You buy a car or truck and it does not matter what dealer you take it to. Why does it matter with these. Non the less calling the regional rep on monday. This is a joke

 

[Mud2Money]

Called dealer. Nope still untouched, they said we under stand if you take it some where else.. well there is only 2 ls dealers within 100mils of me in kentucky soooo im kinda stuck here. Yeah i did buy the tractor out of state, the closer dealer blew me off completely. This one said bring it down. You buy a car or truck and it does not matter what dealer you take it to. Why does it matter with these. Non the less calling the regional rep on monday. This is a joke

See I was lucky the new LS dealer said not a problem. I asked first thing when I got filters from them. I did not purchase my tractor with you but I like your service. It is under warranty will you service it under warranty. They said absolutely so long as it under warranty. Took it in for a crank sensor and they got it all covered in a few days.

 

[Yander]

The oil pan i was living with, decided i would fix it down the road. The hst pump leaking was a different story. Thats what drove me to take it in. Yes equipment leaks but at 50hrs? Come on now. 500hr maybe.

Things break at 50hrs. if you are expecting perfection in your equipment, you have to by whatever 5030 has, the perfect tractor. It doesn't exist.

The guys on here with no breakdowns probably don't even use their equipment beyond getting the mail. They all breakdown my friend. All of them!

You bought a Korean made tractor, so you paid less, stop whining about it not being perfect. Korean made equipment is pretty damn close to Japanese made and other makes.

I still say that Yanmar is the best Japanese made bang for the buck but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Korean made tractor. They are building great tractors.

 

[caleb90]

Things break at 50hrs. if you are expecting perfection in your equipment, you have to by whatever 5030 has, the perfect tractor. It doesn't exist.

The guys on here with no breakdowns probably don't even use their equipment beyond getting the mail. They all breakdown my friend. All of them!

You bought a Korean made tractor, so you paid less, stop whining about it not being perfect. Korean made equipment is pretty damn close to Japanese made and other makes.

I still say that Yanmar is the best Japanese made bang for the buck but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Korean made tractor. They are building great tractors.

Your right. How dare i

 

[paulsharvey]

Caleb, I don't know about everyone on here; and I speak only for myself; I think there are 3 or 4 things going on at once;
1) you bought what is too me an expensive purchase, it didn't live up to your expectations, and you mad. That's fine, and I get it
2) I think your expectations might be too high. I think you would be displeased with my CK2610, because yes, I have had to tighten bolts, I have a non venting fuel cap issue that I need to deal with, I had a solid locked down front axle pivot, and the loader valve hose routing is kinda poorly thought out, the front axles were well low on fluid from dealer. I am happy with my machine, and I know it's not perfect.
3) You are probably letting emotions control your decisions too much.
4) You come across as kinda pissy, and what you really should be focusing on, instead of Korea vs Japan, is the correct machine for your specific use.

Most of us, I think, do hope you find the right machine, cause even if an LS or TYM or Kioti is "cheap" it's still an expensive purchase.

 

[Yander]

Caleb, I don't know about everyone on here; and I speak only for myself; I think there are 3 or 4 things going on at once;
1) you bought what is too me an expensive purchase, it didn't live up to your expectations, and you mad. That's fine, and I get it
2) I think your expectations might be too high. I think you would be displeased with my CK2610, because yes, I have had to tighten bolts, I have a non venting fuel cap issue that I need to deal with, I had a solid locked down front axle pivot, and the loader valve hose routing is kinda poorly thought out, the front axles were well low on fluid from dealer. I am happy with my machine, and I know it's not perfect.
3) You are probably letting emotions control your decisions too much.
4) You come across as kinda pissy, and what you really should be focusing on, instead of Korea vs Japan, is the correct machine for your specific use.

Most of us, I think, do hope you find the right machine, cause even if an LS or TYM or Kioti is "cheap" it's still an expensive purchase.

I've had my Yanmar to the dealer for a small warranty item. I need to call them about the hood splitting apart, it is a known issue. I would still buy the same tractor 100%. I love the tractor.

 

[caleb90]

Caleb, I don't know about everyone on here; and I speak only for myself; I think there are 3 or 4 things going on at once;
1) you bought what is too me an expensive purchase, it didn't live up to your expectations, and you mad. That's fine, and I get it
2) I think your expectations might be too high. I think you would be displeased with my CK2610, because yes, I have had to tighten bolts, I have a non venting fuel cap issue that I need to deal with, I had a solid locked down front axle pivot, and the loader valve hose routing is kinda poorly thought out, the front axles were well low on fluid from dealer. I am happy with my machine, and I know it's not perfect.
3) You are probably letting emotions control your decisions too much.
4) You come across as kinda pissy, and what you really should be focusing on, instead of Korea vs Japan, is the correct machine for your specific use.

Most of us, I think, do hope you find the right machine, cause even if an LS or TYM or Kioti is "cheap" it's still an expensive purchase.

I dont expect a machine to be perfect. I went through the entire thing when i got it and checked bolts, hose routing , wire routing ect. Moved hoses and wires so they wouldnt rub, checked all fluids and topped off. Did the same with the tym when i got it.

I am just having a hard time getting past the fact that this is the second tractor that didnt make it to 100hr before needing major work. So yeah it does make me a bit pissy.

As far as the korea thing, i deal with working on and fixing korean built forklifts daily. Aswell as seeing how they operate and treat the end users. It is litterly a mirror image of how tym and ls operate from the experiances ive had with both.

As far as what machine i need, i have that figured out. A full framed 25hp compact in the 2500-3000lb range. Kubota L2502 kioti ck2620 tym 2515 ls mt 226. All im using it for is keeping a 2acre field bush hogged, food plots rototilled and garden rototilled along with other odds and ends around the property.

Not letting emotions get in the way. The tym i had was a turd, the ls i have now is a turd. Both companies customer service is terrible. Most dealers for both are fly by night and or lawn mower shops selling tractors but cant service them. If i have had some sort of good luck with one of them i would feel differently. But my experiance with the twos brands has been the same.

 

[Torvy]

When everything around you seems to be a "turd", may it's time for some introspection. Maybe you are just the most unlucky guy ever.

Thousands of people run these machines with no issues.

Every brand has occasional issues. Tractors are not cars. They are more complicated and are asked to do many more things.

I grew up with an IH dealership as the family business. The vast majority of issues with tractors were due to abuse or lack of maintenance. Not saying that is you, it's just the facts.

Maybe getting another brand will get you one that doesn't break. Maybe you'll be back saying they don't work.

I think the point is that as others have said, you come across as someone who is hard to deal with. If you act like this with the dealers, it's not surprising if they slow walk your repairs.

As dad used to say, you catch more girls with honey than with BS.

 

[paulsharvey]

Based on the above; if it was me, I would just keep the LS once repaired. It might not be perfect, but you will get it repaired. No need to loose about $4000 on resale; and then spend an additional $6000 over and above on the Kubota. I can learn to deal with a lot for $10k. I would atleast keep it while scouring for a good deal. I would kinda make a mental note to yourself, and not buy an LS in the future.

If you're in a better money situation than me; I would go pick up a brand new Massey 1835M in a heart beat. The Kubota L2502 is fine; but lighter and less "over built" then you might think.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, let's look for clarity by changing this a bit; instead of tractor, we have Ram 1500, Chevy 1500, GMC 1500, Ford 150, Tundra. You own a Chevy 1500, and under warranty, your transmission goes out. It takes longer than you want, and are annoyed by the whole thing. Would you really eat all of the depreciation on the repaired Chevy to give a brand new, same specc'd Tundra a try?

 

[polarred21]

I wonder how does one become an LS dealer. It seems to be an easy add on for the lawnmower shops.

 

[caleb90]

I wonder how does one become an LS dealer. It seems to be an easy add on for the lawnmower shops.

they have an online form. I cant find any requirements that you need to have. Kubota, massey, deere and even kioti require the dealer to meat certain criteria

 

[caleb90]

When everything around you seems to be a "turd", may it's time for some introspection. Maybe you are just the most unlucky guy ever.

Thousands of people run these machines with no issues.

Every brand has occasional issues. Tractors are not cars. They are more complicated and are asked to do many more things.

I grew up with an IH dealership as the family business. The vast majority of issues with tractors were due to abuse or lack of maintenance. Not saying that is you, it's just the facts.

Maybe getting another brand will get you one that doesn't break. Maybe you'll be back saying they don't work.

I think the point is that as others have said, you come across as someone who is hard to deal with. If you act like this with the dealers, it's not surprising if they slow walk your repairs.

As dad used to say, you catch more girls with honey than with BS.

First a tractor is not more complicated than a car or truck. Second ive never had any issues with my older equipment. Pretty sad a cheap chinese excavator has out lasted 2 of these new tractors. The problems arnt from abuse, have not had them long enough to abuse them.3rd i have been nothing but nice to the dealer. I call and ask for an update, they say no up date and there hopping for next week. I say ok thank you.

Im pretty easy to please, like i said i was living with the leaking oil pan. The hst pump leaking was the final straw. So your saying i should be ok with the fact the tractor needs to be split at 50hr? Like its no big deal?

 

[caleb90]

So, let's look for clarity by changing this a bit; instead of tractor, we have Ram 1500, Chevy 1500, GMC 1500, Ford 150, Tundra. You own a Chevy 1500, and under warranty, your transmission goes out. It takes longer than you want, and are annoyed by the whole thing. Would you really eat all of the depreciation on the repaired Chevy to give a brand new, same specc'd Tundra a try?

I would skip this whole issue by just buying the ford from the get go haha. But for conversation sake, depending on how long it took and how the dealer and gm handled it. Yes i would

 

[Mud2Money]

The hydrostatic pump is probably a purchased assembly from a OEM MFG and bolted in on the assembly line. I came from major automation. Most things like this are purchase components. Which can lead to difficulty getting parts.

As for South Korea. We had a huge gm line over there for powertrain. It was one of the best jobs we ever had and smoothest. Plant was amazing from what I heard and was one of the fastest to get up and running. I spent 7 years traveling the world installing machines, seeing others process. I have plenty of faith in Korean built tractors. Our laws may muck them up a bit with emissions etc , support may seem distant. But they make good products and quality.

I’ve seen plenty of new parts out of the box bad. Imagine shutting down a production line for 8 hours to install a $36000 spindle only to find out it’s bad internally from new. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost and another shift. We all have to face the growing pains.

Friends with the local kubota dealer/owners. Seen and heard enough head scratchers from them as well.

Pick your poison and how much weight out of the wallet you care to loose and work to happiness. Unfortunate it’s that way but it happens. I couldn’t justify the $20k more for a kubota with the options I needed. These are tools and part of our jobs for some of us. So valuable consideration goes into the purchase of these units. Especially when you get north of 50k.

I think a good majority of issues are how people use them. They think Hp/implement size when that’s completely wrong. Your ground will determine your needs. I have heavy clay here and it’s abusive and hard on equipment. Eats a lot of hp ,hard to dig in etc. Always step up a bit bigger then you think you need if you can afford it. My mt5 sure has great loader specs. Stick it in this clay and you will easily bend a frame if you abuse it. Moving loose material not a problem all day.

Hopefully you will find something you are satisfied with in the end.