Buying Advice Looking at Kiotis

[TJP89]

Hi everyone,

I found this site a while back and it's been a great help with search for a tractor. I'm finally down to my last "contestants", and I need some advice.

First off. I'm situated on about 30 acres, mostly wooded but with some open field areas. For about the last 2 months I've been looking for a tractor to do general utility work around the property. Loader work, snowplowing, hauling, brushhogging, etc. No finish mowing or anything like that, so weight is good, as is anything that adds traction. I've been looking in the 30 to 40 HP class and from I've seen and heard, it seems to be the right one for me. When the H started acting up and being unpredictable, I decided it was time to get a brand new CUT that would last a lifetime. With no brand bias I have looked every tractor manufacturer with a dealer in the LP of MI. I've now brought it down to 2 Kiotis.

CK35 HST w/ loader. This tractor seems right at my preferred power range with enough little extras to make it comfortable, but not loaded to unnecessary costs. It also fits well size wise and has very good capacities in all respects. The one big downside is the live PTO. Because of this there is a clutch, and the brakes and HST pedal are all on one side, with the HST pedal being the treadle as opposed to my preferred separate dual. So no brake assisted turns, and stopping everything to engage/disengage the PTO. No deal breakers here, just annoying, but setup is comfortable to me and I like the idea of being able to stop everything quickly with the clutch. Price = 21600 (finaced) w/ Ags and loader delivered.

DK45 HST w/ loader. I was actually looking for a DK40 but there was not one to be found and the dealer suggested the 45. Obviously it has a lot more power than the CK, but also optioned out a little more and it has an Independent PTO, no clutch, and thus avoids the pedal mixup on the CK. However, it is quite a bit bigger, especially with wise. I would be bumped up from 60" implements to 72" implements. The problem here is there are quite a few tight spots in the woods, where 60 is tight, and 72 impossible. I'll have to do quite some widening either way, but with the 72" tractor, there would be spots I couldn't get to at all. As much of my work is in the woods, this is not desirable. But I'm tempted by the power and standard features of the DK. Price = 24600 (finaced) w/ Ags and loader.

So, do I want a more basic but perfectly capable tractor that I can get anywhere, or a bigger more deluxe tractor that may not get into someplaces? The price difference is negligible to me at this point, and I'm completely torn. Please advise.

 

[murphy1244]

Also a big difference in FEL capability. 2760 lbs of lift on the DK.

 

[jtygoku]

Self-admitted bias here but since you are considering both, I think you'll always be wondering if you go with the smaller - especially if you get into a situation where a little extra grunt would come in real handy. Sure, my DK is a little big to get into some of my tight locations but I've always figured out something - and that muscle has come in handy clearing and grubbing some of those tighter locations into more manageable areas.

 

[SSdoxie]

No way anyone can tell which way to go, but here are some points of interest between the DK & CK.
Live versus Independent PTO. You can shut either one off without touching the clutch on the CK. Turning ON - with DK there is no way to ease it in, you have to idle down, engage then throttle up but here will always be bit of sudden impact/turning. With clutch on CK you can ease the clutch in at any RPM, but good operation would be at a low speed with enough power to keep from lugging engine.
Ability to have split brakes with the 2 pedal system on the DK is an advantage in tight quarters, however using the 4WD on both models tends to let the front wheels pull the tractor around in tighter turn radius (front wheels turn slightly faster than rear in 4WD).
Mention AG tires on both - Ag rims have 4 position width adjustment on both CK & DK. You could adjust the DK narrower or the CK wider, what ever you needed. They both come set in the #3, next to widest width.
Big difference in the loader capacity specs but that stands to reason considering the longer & wider wheel base of the DK. Max weight @ full lift takes into consideration the stability of the tractor with a load that high in the air. The CK with KL130 loader has loader breakout force of 2046#, meaning it has the hydraulic plus mechanical leverage to lift 1 ton off the ground, the rest is stability. Going back to wheel width adjustments - narrowing the wheel width will reduce the weight @ max lift spec of the loader and widening increases it. The specs are written around the "standard" tractor with AG tires @ #3 wheel width position as comes from factory.

I have the Albino/white version of the CK27 so I might be a little bias. I do prefer the Live PTO w/clutch for engagement of post hole digger and bushhog cutter. And having the clutch there for emergency stop everything is nice, have used it several times. If I had to the chance to change or redesign anything on that tractor I would put the treadle peddle on the left side by the clutch so I could still use the clutch but have independent wheel brakes.

 

[k0ua]

I can tell you this much., the split brakes work nice with the dual pedals on the right and the split brakes on the left. I have used them many times on my DK.

 

[Coyote machine]

DK, since $ are not your main consideration, and what the guys above just said in detail. DK is best of line to the NX, (newer bigger) which you don't need.

 

[coobie]

Hi everyone,

I found this site a while back and it's been a great help with search for a tractor. I'm finally down to my last "contestants", and I need some advice.

First off. I'm situated on about 30 acres, mostly wooded but with some open field areas. For about the last 2 months I've been looking for a tractor to do general utility work around the property. Loader work, snowplowing, hauling, brushhogging, etc. No finish mowing or anything like that, so weight is good, as is anything that adds traction. I've been looking in the 30 to 40 HP class and from I've seen and heard, it seems to be the right one for me. When the H started acting up and being unpredictable, I decided it was time to get a brand new CUT that would last a lifetime. With no brand bias I have looked every tractor manufacturer with a dealer in the LP of MI. I've now brought it down to 2 Kiotis.

CK35 HST w/ loader. This tractor seems right at my preferred power range with enough little extras to make it comfortable, but not loaded to unnecessary costs. It also fits well size wise and has very good capacities in all respects. The one big downside is the live PTO. Because of this there is a clutch, and the brakes and HST pedal are all on one side, with the HST pedal being the treadle as opposed to my preferred separate dual. So no brake assisted turns, and stopping everything to engage/disengage the PTO. No deal breakers here, just annoying, but setup is comfortable to me and I like the idea of being able to stop everything quickly with the clutch. Price = 21600 (finaced) w/ Ags and loader delivered.

DK45 HST w/ loader. I was actually looking for a DK40 but there was not one to be found and the dealer suggested the 45. Obviously it has a lot more power than the CK, but also optioned out a little more and it has an Independent PTO, no clutch, and thus avoids the pedal mixup on the CK. However, it is quite a bit bigger, especially with wise. I would be bumped up from 60" implements to 72" implements. The problem here is there are quite a few tight spots in the woods, where 60 is tight, and 72 impossible. I'll have to do quite some widening either way, but with the 72" tractor, there would be spots I couldn't get to at all. As much of my work is in the woods, this is not desirable. But I'm tempted by the power and standard features of the DK. Price = 24600 (finaced) w/ Ags and loader.

So, do I want a more basic but perfectly capable tractor that I can get anywhere, or a bigger more deluxe tractor that may not get into someplaces? The price difference is negligible to me at this point, and I'm completely torn. Please advise.

Make sure to visit Michigan Iron and equipment located in Morris MI.They gave me the best price when I purchased my DK40 cab tractor.

 

[Msamt]

I was inches away from a CK30, ended up with a DK45. No regrets, but since I finish mow5 acres, there are times a lighter tractor would be better. Then I look at the mess I need to clear from logging inmy other 5 acres, and I know the extra capacity, traction, an HP is worth it. I paid 25k for my HST DK with loaded rears and diverter for a grapple last year btw. I hear the DK and CK's are getting hard to come by, so you better act fast. Good luck, isnt shopping for tractors fun?

 

[phiferpharm]

Good luck with your new tractor hunt. I just had to spend my first repair $$$ on my DK after 2+ years and 400+ hours. The $59 I spent for a new PTO switch was reasonable I thought. The tractor has proved to be a really good value for the money and the style of controls on the DK series are very user-friendly.

 

[tman1020]

I recently purchased the bobcat version of the CK 27 and am very pleased with it when I went to this tractor I had to upgrade all of my implements from 4 foot to 5 and 6 foot implements and was very concerned about the width of those on my property. I did have to widen some trails and things but for the most part it wasn't much of a problem and I found that the larger size tractor was a huge plus from my old tractor. My tractor does everything I ever ask of it and mine only has the 27 hp. However I have heard time and time again that if you are debating between two sizes you should always opt for the larger size. In my opinion on the choice between these two tractors the deciding factor for me would be whether or not you need the larger loader capacity. I have been hard-pressed to find something that my mine won't lift. As far as the brakes go yeah they're kind of nice being able to use if you can but I haven't really found myself missing the ability to use the individual breaks for turning on account of the hydrostat being so fast to operate. Either way doesn't sound like you'll be disappointed.