Looking for opinions and experience on DK35HST Kioti

[John Bartley]

Hi folks,

First of all ..... if this is the wrong area to post this in, please let me know!

On topic : I'm looking at buying a small 4wd tractor to use on our 6 acres that we'll be building on. The uses will be 1-snow removal with a rear mount two-stage blower, 2-very light landscaping, moving soil and gravel, pulling a small back blade, 3-lifting pallets out of transports (I'll be running a small engine business again), 4-moving logs and lumber around the sawmill - nothing more than about 1200lbs, and misc other light tasks.

I've looked at the Kubota, the Massey, the New Holland, and the John Deere, all in the 30 to 45 horse power models. I have almost decided on a nearly new DK35HST, with a quick-attach loader, a bucket, a set of forks (pallet type) and a rear mount blower. I'd like to know if anyone has anything negative to say about the quality of the tractors and their accessories (the Kioti accessories). Have you had any persistent troubles, anything that broke that shouldn't have, any trouble with parts access, anything at all?

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you

John Bartley
Iroquois Falls, Ontario

[woodmills1]

I had a lk3054 for  9 years and now have a dk40se

anything that broke on the 3054 was my fault or the previous owners fault.  the sector shaft broke in the steering box, but showed 3 actual breaks from observing the rust.  the prvious owner hit the pittman arm with a log

I love my 2008 40

[roger 4400]

Hi ! if you go on the site   ** tractorbynet** there is a lot info on any make of tractors. Good luck.Roger

[John Bartley]

Thank you for the replies. The tractorbynet site was definitely helpful.

cheers

John

[scsmith42]

John, I have a DK65C Kioti that I bought new in 2003.  It's been a great tractor, with zero unscheduled maintenance until now (I need to replace the expansion valve on the air conditioner).

I can definitely recommend Kioti's.

Scott

[John Bartley]

Thank you Scott.

John

[LOGDOG]

John,

   I have a DK45C. I've enjoyed it thoroughly and in fact will spend most of the labor day holiday in it bushhogging. The compressor did go out on my air conditioning system last summer with about 550 total hours on the tractor. That was disappointing but it's fixed. I will say this, in our extreme heat down here the air conditioner has trouble keeping up. Not sure what to do about that but everything else is great.

[Holmes]

I would recommend your tractor have  a cab  with a heater  . It will make snow removal much more comfortable . I have a Kubota B3030 with cab,very handy tractor, but the loader will not pick up a 1200 lb log. Holmes

[John Bartley]

LogDog & Holmes :

Thank you for your input. I'm starting to get a more comfortable feeling about the Kioti product due to the opinions that I've read here and at other forums.

A cab is something that I'm considering.

cheers

John

[Harvey]

John,  I have a CK25,  a little smaller than what you're looking at.  I have almost 300 hours over the past four years,  no problems,  some of the older models did have problems with the loader frame cracking,  but they're changed this.  Good Luck.

Harvey

[scsmith42]

John, a couple of comments that I'd like to add...

The hydraulic capacity on most farm tractors is well below the capacity on most construction equipment.  The loader works ok - but slower than a skid steer or backhoe.

The cab is great not only for the heater, but also because if you're mowing a dusty field you're not eating the dust.

Landon is right about the AC sizing - mine has been ok since new but not necessarily great on 100 degree days.

I dont' know if it's an option on the smaller models, but on my DK65 I had the option of getting the "universal skid steer" attachment system on the loader, and it's the only way to go.  Basically any skid steer attachments can then be used on your tractor.  You can add a hydraulic splitter that will let you have auxilliary hydraulics for the loader too (such as for operating a 4 in 1 bucket).

The other thing that I'd recommend is that you get the R4 industrial tires instead of the Ag tires (must be ordered this way from the factory in order to get the correct gearing).  The R4's have a wider footprint, and are a much better option when you use the loader a lot.

[John Bartley]

Harvey & SCSmith,

Thank you for your comments. I'm still debating the cab idea, and a lot of my thoughts are centered around the fact that it will spend most of its time in forested areas. I'm afraid that I'll be forever knocking things like lights and mirrors off or breaking the cab itself. I've done enough snow blowing on a tractor without a cab that I know it's a pain, but I won't be doing snow for a living, soooo.......I'm still debating.

The industrial tires are already on the unit I'm looking at, and it appears that most of the Kioti's up here are ordered that way, so that's a bit of a bonus.

I'll ask about the skid-steer attachment system - many thanks!

cheers

John

[LOGDOG]

John,

   I've got a cab with heat and air on my DK45C. In regards to your fears about knocking the lights and mirrors off or busting out the glass in the cab ... I have to say that the glass in the cab is extremely tough. I recall several instances where I got in tall, tall vegetation and got into limbs that slapped the glass on the cab so hard that I thought for sure it would have broke but it took it and left no signs that it had even happened. My mirrors do get torqued out of place if I'm catching the limbs of the treeline sometimes. I broke one piece of glass in one mirror to date. If it bothered me enough, I could just unscrew them and take the mirrors off. The lights on the cab itself have held up terrificly. I bushhogged until 9 p.m. last night with my lights. They've withstood going undercountless tress with limbs dragging over them etc. It's really nice to be able to mow vegetation 6'&7' tall with loads of spiders, insects,etc crawling around in it and climb out of that cab clean as a whistle.

   By the way, mine has the skid steer attachement system. It's the only way to go.

   John I'm curious, what do those little tractors go for up there in Canada?

[John Bartley]

Hi LogDog,

Good information on the cab - thank you!

This DK35SE HST that I'm looking at is in 95+% cosmetic condition, has industrial tires, no cab, ROPS frame, a loader with bucket & pallet forks, 61 hours on the clock, and full factory warranty as if sold new - the price is $27361.00 + tax.  What the dealer is doing is including pallet forks in lieu of hours on the clock, so it's basically selling for new price. I haven't bought it yet. The John Deere dealer can get a zero hours 5045E with a loader for $28000.00 + tax, and the 5045E is 1300lbs heavier and 10hp more.....it's very attractive.

cheers

John

[LOGDOG]

John,

   You may want to check www.traderonline.com in the machinery section. I've seen a good number of Kioti's on there very reasonable second hand. That's where I found mine. Even paying that tax (what is it ...a GST tax) that you have to pay to bring goods from the USA into Canada, you may save a bundle buying one that has been preowned. On your deals, that John Deere is a no brainer unless the Kioti dealer comes off his price. If you like green that is.  ;D I'm more of an orange and yellow kind of guy.

[shinnlinger]

John,

I will offer that my neighbor has the shuttleshift flavor of that machine and another has a big Kioti.  Both are lesser quality rigs than Kubota or JD.  

That doesn't mean I think Kiotis are junk, maybe more like a Black and Decker instead of a Milwalkee.  They are way better than Harbor Freight Jinma's  and sound like it will  be fine for what you are doing, but they seem to be not as well made and parts seem a little expensive when they need to be replaced.  The other day my neigbor was making hay when she noticed she was loosing fuel.  It turns out their was a hairline crack in the PLASTIC filter bowl.  A new bowl was $22 and it was just the tupperware bowl.  The gasket was another $8 and the spring even more.  The dealer had a pile of them which suggests it is a common problem.

Neither neighbor is completly pleased with their machines or the dealer, which is another question for you.  HOw is your dealer?  Will he service it?  Does he give prority to folks who buy new JD's from him?  Do you know others who have dealt with the service department?  Did they like it?

I will also suggest that unless your driveway is paved, I would get LOADED Ag tires. not R-4's.

Things to consider.

Dave

[John Bartley]

These are great replies fella's - they are all very much appreciated!  When I'm about to spend $30,000, I like to see all sides of the puzzle.

cheers

John

[LOGDOG]

John,

   Food for thought ... $30,000.00 is a good chunk of change to spend on one machine. Don't get me wrong, we do that all the time on various machines. But you know, as I sit and think about things (including the way I've spent money on certain machines) I realize that it's hard finding one machine to do everything well.  Take for instance my Kioti, it's great for mowing, moving dirt, debris, grading etc. I have the pallet fork attachment for it and it comes in handy to move things around from time to time. But a log that's 1000 lbs? It's grunting and wanting to stand on it's nose. Keep in mind the loader is actually a Rhino though, not Kioti. In fact, unless I have my 6' bush hog on the back of the tractor I have a hard time picking up my morgan edger. Now compare that to a little 4000 or 5000 lb yard forklift like Ironwood has listed (or had not sure if it's still for sale), a guy can get into one of those for $4000 - $5000.00 and they'll pick the weight up easily and safely day in and day out. For the money though, (mowing aside) a good size backhoe is extremely handy around the home, shop, mill site, etc. Truth be told, you could get a nice used tractor for $15K and a decent used backhoe for $15K or less and have far more capacity and capability.

Just food for thought. One thing I thought about today while mowing, if I had to climb in and out of the cab because what I was doing required me to get on and off the tractor, I'd probably have to re-think the cab. For me it's not an issue because I spend hours in there at a time without getting out. May be a factor for someone else though.

[John Bartley]

Hey LogDog,

That was a good post with a lot of food for thought - much appreciated!

thank you

John

[John Bartley]

First of all - thank you to all for your input and for the link to tractorbynet. The information was all very useful.

Second - the decision has been made, and the cheque has been given to the dealer. The choice was a DK35SE-HST, 61 hours on the clock, with the quick attach loader, 66" bucket, pallet forks, and 68" Meteor two-stage blower, delivered to my door (a two hour drive for the dealer), all for $29350 + tax. The tractor/loader is being sold as a new demo with full four year factory warranty, and all the attachments except the bucket are new/unused. The 50 hour service is being done prior to delivery at the dealers expense. It should be here in a couple of days.

cheers and thank you again.

John

[LOGDOG]

Welcome to the Kioti family John.  8)

[scsmith42]

Welcome to the Kioti family John.  8)

+1.  Congrats on the new toyl!

[John Bartley]

Thanks  guys!  Apparently it will be here tomorrow.

Pictures to follow....

John

[den]

Since Bobcat is the same tractor (Kioti) how do they compare price wise.