Looking to purchase a DK...

[Blstr88]

Ive owned an LS J 2023H since 2014, I bought it brand new when we purchased our 40-acre home. The tractor has had zero major issues of any kind, other than normal maintenance and wear/tear items its been flawless for me. Currently sitting at 425-hours. Used largely for moving mulch/loam/stone/etc as well as brush hogging fields/trails. In the winter it wears a front mount LS 50" snowblower and helps move snow.

For the past few years Ive felt I really could use a bigger tractor. The J2023H does what I need but just...slowly. A bigger more powerful bucket that can carry more material would save me trips, a bigger brush hog that can mow a wider strip and thicker vegetation would save me time there too.

Enter the Kioti DK, specifically the DK4720. I actually wasnt even really looking just a few weeks ago but I got an email saying they were offering 0% financing for 120-months on CK tractors...that piqued my interest. The more I started looking into them though I decided the DK was more what I needed. I ended up calling a dealer and to be honest I was kind of surprised at the price, they were less than I thought.

He quoted me the following. These are for 72-months @ 3.99%

DK4220SEH Cab - $37,312
DK4720SEH Cab - $38,677
DK4720 open station - $31,600

First, Im blown away how close the 4220 and 4720 are...at those prices Id certainly go with the 4720. Same machine but has a turbo is my understanding so 45hp versus 40.

Im undecided if I'd want the cab or not. For some applications I see the cab being great (snow removal and brush hogging fields) but some things I see open station being better (brush hogging some tighter trails or just the general on/off work I do frequently). The $7000 savings is significant as well.

What are everyones opinions of the 4720? I assume the extra weight/power will be a significant improvement over my current tractor? Any known trouble/issues with them? Im very hesitant about buying a tractor with emissions equipment on it...I gotta believe they've pretty much worked the bugs out of them by now and it's no issue? Are the prices I quoted above about right?

Any input at all, thanks. I like the tractor a lot but I'd hate to sell my 2023H to buy the DK and then start having issues...my little LS has been trouble free for 12-years so thats kind of hard to beat. Thanks!

 

[anomad]

The finding the perfect machine struggle is real... LOL I don't have any experience with the LS, but I looked up the specs on tractor data and it seems very similar to my little Kubota B2601. A couple years ago I bought a Kioti CK3510SE with the cab. The CK is a much more capable tractor. In retrospect I would have gone with a DK sized Kubota on turf tires. Still might go that route and replace both tractors.

Kept the Kubota to see if I wanted them both. And I did. But since I almost strictly use the Kubota for mowing I am looking at a Kubota ZD series mower in my future pretty hard. Would it be fiscally viable at all to buy a cabbed tractor and keep the LS until you had some time with them? The cab is amazing for me. I can bush hog on 4th of July when it is 900 degrees and 1000% humidity for hours and sit down at the dinner table clean as a whistle. We only got one or two good snows last year, typical, but scraping it off in the dark with the heat on was sure nice.

Cab versus open station. You have to determine your priorities there. I moved two pallets of CMU block yesterday. I was in and out of the cab about a million times. That got old. Doing tree work by myself I will use the open station for just that reason. Even though I have to take smaller bites. If I lived in snow country I'd want a cab for sure! You could move snow in your pajamas in heated comfort.