Poll of CK owners on adding backhoe

[IslandTractor]

This poll is generated by my noticing that this season, a high percentage of new CK20 owners seem to have bought a backhoe as part of the original purchase. My impression is that the percentage is higher than with CK25/30 owners. I thought I would start an informal poll to see if 1) my impression is correct and 2) what the reasons are.

So, for CK owners interested in this issue, please report A) which tractor you bought and what year, B) if you bought it packaged with BH or added a BH later and C) what influenced your decision on the BH.

For my $$ the CK20 plus backhoe was a tremendous bang for the buck and yet the total cost at list price is only a few thousand more than the much less capable (but still nice) BX24. I was one who looked at the (then) BX23 before deciding to look at a bigger frame but having seen the BX still wanted the BH as part of the overall package. I looked first at the B7510 with BH but that did not compare favorably (outdated, less lift from FEL, lack of position control etc) with the CK20 plus BH at roughly the same price. So, that is how I ended up with my CK20 TLB. I actually paid less for mine than a new BX23 would have cost because my tractor had 28hrs on it.

In my case I did not want a tractor as physically large and heavy as the CK25/30 but another factor in my thinking was that the extra money for the bigger series could be put towards the BH which would give me a more versatile tractor overall.

I wonder if the CK25/30 owners come at the decision from a different perspective (not thinking about the TLB concept as much as focusing on the HP) and that maybe it is the closer comparison of the CK20 to the BX series that gets a lot of CK20 owners to seriously consider buying the backhoe up front.

Your thoughts gentleman? (of note, I don't think we have any female CK owners on TBN yet )

 

[Greg - Kioti CK20 TLB]

I bought my CK20 HST in June of 2006 and I purchased the backhoe with the tractor. The reason I got the BH right from the start is to remove tree stumps and excavate several ponds on my property that have filled with sediment. I also plan to use it to plant trees and shrubs on I restore the pond shorelines and put up a split rail fence along the property line to discourage people from wandering onto my land! The 0% financing clinched the deal and made the BH a no-brainer.

Although I was torn between the CK20 and CK25, I picked the CK20 because of it's smaller frame size. The price difference wasn't really a factor in my decision. The smaller size is a plus on my small, heavily wooded lot. When I first bought the property there was barely enough open space to walk so everywhere I want to take the tractor I have to clear a path. I also have a lot of hills so maneuvering can be a challenge.

I had always planned on buying a loader and backhoe and wanted a tractor with a three-point hitch for versatility. I had a few friends that recommended dedicated purpose TLB machines but a tractor has so many uses. Who knows what I dream of doing with it in the future?

Well Ed, that my story...the long version!

 

[coasterez]

I have a CK25 gear, purchased in 2006 with a Rhino 75 backhoe. I also purchase with it: 12" bushog phd, Woods 84" blade, digging bar, loaded tires, grill guard, rear remotes. I originally was thinking CK20 HST. But, the price difference was only about $1700. I was looking for a digging machine, and the much heavier tractor with larger bucket and bigger backhoe of the CK25 was a better choice for my intended tasks. I never plan to mow with it and manueverability is not such an issue.

 

[coasterez]

I forgot to mention, I got the KL130 loader too. No cracks......yet.

 

[Rocky Kioti]

A) Bought CK20HST in July 06

B) With Back Hoe/ Front Loader/ 6' Back Blade and loaded tires.

C) Needed to remove many stumps and ditching to install drainage pipe. I seriously shopped for a tractor for over a year and decided on the CK20 because of size,ground clearance,and heavy weight of tractor for my 50+ acres of hilly, narrow roadways with timber. So far the back hoe has impressed me more than anything. (Very Strong) So far I'm very pleased with my purchase...........................

 

[williekioti]

A) Bought my 2006 Ck30 in May last year w/Woods 1012 FEL.

B) No BH

C) Did not look into a backhoe last year because my neighbor has a TC35A with a Woods 9000 w/thumb that is available for my use anytime. It is parked within 100' of my driveway. I am revisiting this now because they are moving away this year.... so goes "my" Woods 9000. I really like the looks of those GB 80x with curved boom, may be adding one soon.........

 

[jimb1724]

i bought my ck20hst new packaged w/ BH and FEL in 2004. it was my first real tractor. it cost about the same (maybe slightly less) as a bx23package at that time. my primary purpose for the machine was driveway maintenance (plowing and grading) so i wanted a tractor not an over grown lawn tractor. we (the boss) wanted a backhoe to do some major landscaping projects (garden projects) in the future but since the price for the kioti package was similar to the bx23 we decided to go with the BH for the Kioti. Even though we don't use the BH all the time, it's nice to have and when you do have the need.... it's a great piece of equipment.....

 

[Harvey7]

I bought a 2006 CK25 gear, no backhoe, this was a private sale and at a price I couldn't refuse. I may get the BH down the road but it's not in the budget at this time.

 

[albmn10]

Bought a Ck30hst with the Woods 1012 loader in March 2005. After having the tractor for a year i realized how much more i could get done with a backhoe so I bought the Woods 80x Backhoe in June06. I bought the hoe because of all of the projects i started like footings for my garage, trenching for water, tons of stump removal, tree removal, have a lot of underground to run now for foutains and lighting around my Koi pond and property.Built a bridge, set coverts, Now that i have the backhoe i can customize my landscape for the next 10 years..The hoe gets used alot.. The hoes use will double the value of my property.. The cost of the hoe is peanuts when you take the property value into account. Plus its fun to use..

 

[IslandTractor]

Looks so far that most people are either buying the TLB initially or then adding or at least planning to add a BH. There obviously is some reporting bias here as BH owners are a bit more likely to answer the poll but the results so far are consistent with my impression from the new owners self reports on TBN. However, we haven't heard from many CK30 owners yet and I suspect they make up the majority of CK owners on TBN. Maybe they are all sitting around bemoaning the fact that they don't have BHs.

By the way, has anyone recently priced a BX24 in comparison to the CK20 TLB? I mentioned that because I got my CK20 TLB slightly used it was definitely less money than a new BX23 but I wonder how close the new BX24 is in price now.