why i will never buy bobcat again, why i will preach it and why you shouldnt either

[Bad Boy Biker]

Should not be those type of issues with a new machine.

 

[Big River]

Didn't Bobcat sell tractors something like a decade ago, then they quit selling them and supporting what they had sold. They told the owners of those tractor to go to the dealer that made those tractors since Bobcat doesn't actually make them, they just paint them white and charge more money for them? I forget all the details, but for me, that removed Bobcat from ever being a choice when buying.

Now they are back selling tractors again. Who makes their tractors?

Partially true. Yes, Bobcat sold tractors about 10 years ago. After that, those are not the facts. I'm with a Bobcat dealer - that doesn't make me a Bobcat tractor fanboy, just someone who lives it 5 days a week for 18 years so I'm kind of plugged in. Bobcat never stopped supporting tractors or any other product they've sold. If they do, it's only because a supplier stopped supporting products that go into the Bobcat product and they have no option. Or, it could be a lousy dealer that doesn't want to support a sub par product.

Bobcat tractors, then and now, are built by DAEDONG, as are Kioti Tractors. There are some minor differences but they come out of the same plant. I couldn't tell you if they charge more money for them or not as I don't have access to Kioti Pricing other than what is on the street and frankly we don't bump heads with them much, even being a [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] dealer as well that is just down the street. It's fun for people to paint that picture though, that the big Gorilla will always charge more. In my experience having both Bobcat and [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] on the lot (back when a dealer could have inventory on the ground). Bobcat was the cheapest giveaway on the market except for the TYMs rebranded in several colors and the like. In there first go around several years ago they were giving away a free loader and 0% financing. they were desperate to buy market share. Bobcat had a 5 year agreement with Daedong and when that time was up, no more Bobcat tractors (for the time being). As I said, we are also a [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] dealer which I'm spoiled because of that. We sold way more Kubotas than Bobcats but many were lured by the pricing. The much higher percentage of [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] tractors went out and stayed out. Almost every Bobcat we sold had issues and the most frustrating thing was there was no consistency in the failures. As the oldest Bobcat dealer in the world it was not easy for us to make the decision to send Bobcat tractors packing after 6 months of having to sell them. We were not interested in selling problems. Bobcat opened up a Bobcat tractor dealer from us 2 miles down the road and when Bobcat abandoned tractors, that dealer took on the Kioti line. I just found out now that that dealer now has Branson. That has to be frustrating for the customers that bought Bobcat, then Kioti from that dealer, to see them flop around like that.

Bobcat put the squeeze on us to pick up the tractor line again when they came with them a couple of years ago. They must have had some leverage because the ownership group did. Much to my surprise from a reliability standpoint they have been rock solid. I've been burned on some logistics like ordering a cab, waiting 9 months and the order getting kicked back 2 days before it was to ship having to wait another 4-5 months. So I don't promote them. If someone is dead set on a Bobcat, I'll take their money. I do believe something has happened at Daedong to improve the quality. I give Bobcat no credit for that. As far as features, fit and finish, attachment availability etc, they are still sorely lacking. Of course the OPs experience proves otherwise, but I'd say that's a bit of an anomaly. He should take it to a different dealer to see if he can get any traction. I know that is easier said than done. The selling dealer should be the one that has your back. I wish him the best.

 

[AaronD81]

Daedong is the parent company. Kioti did not make Bobcat tractors, Daedong made tractors for both Kioti and Daedong. That was true then and it's true now.

Fun fact - Bobcat is now building the CT2040 themselves, the first to transition to building their entire lineup. We'll see if the quality gets any better. Or worse.

Doesn’t daedong own the kioti brand? Like GM and Chevy, it’s just a brand of a company so there isn’t really a practical distinction. Kind of like saying a corvette isn’t a Chevy, it’s a GM.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Doesn’t daedong own the kioti brand? Like GM and Chevy, it’s just a brand of a company so there isn’t really a practical distinction. Kind of like saying a corvette isn’t a Chevy, it’s a GM.

A little more like Nissan and Datsun, so far as I understand; a name more appealing to the North American market, masking the parent company.

 

[Big River]

Doesn’t daedong own the kioti brand? Like GM and Chevy, it’s just a brand of a company so there isn’t really a practical distinction. Kind of like saying a corvette isn’t a Chevy, it’s a GM.

That is a good question. I'm not familiar with the corporate relationship. Do we know this to be fact? There are a lot of manufacturers in the global equipment market that make their own product as well as rebranding others. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for raising that question, unless it was more of a state, either way, thank you.

After checking, yes, Kioti is the official brand for the Daedong overseas market, per their website. That doesn't mean Kioti builds Bobcat Tractors, Daedong does, at least for now unitl Bobcat builds their entire lineup on their own. That would be like saying Chevy builds the GMC product.

​

 

[wisconsitom]

Sucks hearing about that. My 2025, bought n June 2020, has been great. Contacted the nearest Kioti dealer around that time who did not have anything equivalent in stock-I suppose the 2610-and could not come within $5000 of what I got my tractor for. So there's that. Sorry to hear of your grief.

I knew a guy at the [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] dealer, and was actually working towards one of their units when I became aware of the new Bobcat line. Needless to say, the price discrepancy was even steeper in that comparison.

 

[ovrszd]

It doesn't matter what decal is on the machine or what color the paint is when it's functioning properly. When there's a problem it matters.

With price it's the opposite. A functioning cheaper purchase price tractor is awesome. When there's a problem and you can't get parts or service support it's not.

 

[Checkoutmyjunk]

I keep wondering how much cheese goes with the whine?

Interesting, I keep wondering if you are in fact whining about some one that’s having a real problem. Are you offering help or just being a whiner?

 

[5030]

Interesting, I keep wondering if you are in fact whining about some one that’s having a real problem. Are you offering help or just being a whiner?

Neither.

 

[Checkoutmyjunk]

Neither.

Well thanks for, um, not whining and not helping. Excellent contribution (?) for the history records here on the forum.

Come to think about it, you never really made a point. What is your point?