Kioti tractors

Strong in the Force this one is . . .

And he very well may have a good point, so buyer beware I guess, some people seem to have good luck with them.

Hey Kodiak Man, I've been called out before on the forum too. I've put my Phone # right in the post. Somebody want to call and have a civil conversation feel free. Sometimes that will clear the air right away hehehehe. No ones ever called yet.

The phone is like the fax machine.

I didn't even know that Kioti made a skid steer. Kioti does make bobcat tractors though. Parts interchange and everything so if you need a Kioti part you can always go buy a Bobcat part instead. Kioti tractors have been around for decades but are certainly not as common as the big brands of JD, NH, and Kubota. You can save thousands of dollars by avoiding those big brands but there is an element of risk.

I don't see any more risk in buying a Kioti today than buying a Kubota 15 years ago.... If long-term parts availability is your chief concern then wkpoor is right, you should be buying green machinery. You really gotta look HARD to find a "bad" tractor out there. The Northern catalog is a good place to start but even those are improving quickly. 5 years ago you could've given me one with a 1 ton Diesel and 10 ton trailer to go with it and I'd have said no thanks. (Anybody who actually wants to do that, PM me... NOW. :lol

wkpoor - I can think of only 1 major brand manufacturing tractors under 100HP in the USA. That includes both engine and tranny. Folks seem to dislike them cause of all the "expensive paint" tho. :roll: (Most, but not all 5000 series Deere's are domestic to the best of my knowledge. Some of the specialty models for orchards and vineyards come from India.)

My 1995 5400 was made in Georgia. Don't know if they still are or not. That 5000 series tractor is a huge bargain IMO and can still be bought for what people are paying for 30-45hp tractors that don't really have 30-45hp. I bought my used with a 520 loader, 1200hrs on the meter for 16.9k without a scratch on the paint. I really like some of the options on the Kioti and Kubota tractors and some I wish I had. But for that price I have a tractor that can lift 3500lbs on the loader and do it day in and day out with out any trouble and if I need a part, any part, I can have it the next day. Haven't needed any yet.

The expensive paint comment has been made by many many farmers here in Iowa and not just talking about runt tractors, big ones too, not a big deal, been that way for a long time, JD's are pricey.

I had an international bulldozer for a few years. I had a hard time finding some parts and made some on a lathe. The john deere dozers, the little JD350/450size, had excellent parts availability. I was jealous.

The paint was yellow though.

High beam , Just curious, didn't You have some problems with Your Fel a few years back ? How was that handled by Kioti ?

For long-term parts availability, buy an American brand, like you know, a Ford tractor. Sorry, Fiat tractor...

i got a New Holland tractor.....made in Italy

I always enjoy these tractor banter threads. In the end, should these "2nd tier" machines be considered for a 40 year investment or is one better off with a used 160 hour green machine like this for mowing, blowing, loading and rototilling?

Well I went with a Ford that had a very good reputation for longivity but a JD in the correct price range would have been fine, I do know any manufactor is capable of putting out lemons so ya buy something you think will last. Why would you consider some of these tractors 2nd tier when most of JD small tractors are made overseas?

If I were to hit loto and want to buy a new tractor I wouldn't necessarily buy Deere as there is a case I really like but I wouldn't cross Deere off the list. They have built quite a reputation of supporting what they make where ever they make it. I have collected antiques over the yrs but never have owned an old Deere. But having owned a modern Deere (farm tractor) they have done a fantastic job of creating a durable product that will survive time probably better than the antiques.

Kioti replaced my loader free of charge with the newly designed loader that has not had any problems. The loaders are actually very capable compared to all other brands when you compare similar sized tractors. Lift capacity is a strong point.

Just this last weekend I used the loader to extract a rented ditch witch trencher that I had buried in the mud.

Nice to see the newer 200CX loader on that machine. Can't read the model # but I'm guessing it's a 4110 or 4115. Either way they were great little tractors. Lift Cap on the loader should be about 800 lbs at the pin if ballasted properly. Wheel weights and the ballast box are pluses especially if you want to mow with that machine. Easy to shed the extra weight when you don't want/need it. At 160 hours it's not even ready for it's 1st real service yet! Only caveat with that one is that the plastics are delicate and wicked expensive. Newer 2x20 series has much more durable plastics.

I'd go up to the mid frames (4210, 4310, 4410 or newer 3x20 machines) If you want to do more than occasional FEL work but if you only need the loader for light duty stuff then that machine will do well.

Yes, I was surprised to learn that New Holland is owned by Fiat.

Not anymore... They moved to Shibaura (same tractor as the little Case/IHs for awhile) Last I heard they were now being made by a subsidiary of LG, in Korea.

Check out two Wikipedia entries: New Holland Agriculture and LG Tractors. Sounds to me as though there may be some LS-New Holland joint venture models sold somewhere (probably Far East markets), but that most New Holland-branded models are manufactured in one of the 22 other plants worldwide listed in the first article.

My 88 Ford has a Shibaura engine in it, I thought they quit those a while back.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-buying-pricing/234338-shibura-built-compact.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-buying-pricing/233637-new-holland-subcompacts.html

Seems to me that most of the New Hollands were Shibaura powered or built to some degree until very recently where LS is taking over. Looks like LG was in on the game for some models too. You guys have me doing some serious digging now, :lol: and by the tone of the dealers in that last thread I linked to, they're getting very frustrated with the musical manufacturers and product gaps. From a dealer's perspective, NOTHING is worse than having a customer walk in wanting a product you should, but don't, have.

I worked the pi$$ out of two Ford 1920's (One a TLB setup and the other is a plain "tractor") and we had a 2910 that while it was loud, leaky and smelly, was pretty reliable despite having 9000 hours on it! Machine pretty much started up at 5am and ran until 1-2pm towing a BIG finish mower. (anybody here know what a Pro-Flex is?) Did that 5-6 days a week from April 1 thru October 31st or whenever the grass calmed down. It was sold/retired last season. The 1920's are getting pretty tired, especially the TLB, but still fire up reliably and work as advertised. Definitely have some respect for Old Blue Iron of the era!



http://www.progressiveturfequip.com/products/pf/videos/pf_vid.php - See it in action.

BTW: Belt drives to each of those decks is a NIGHTMARE! :bug:

Pic Attached of the TLB 1920.

That 1920 looks like my 2120, my loader is the 7109 (I think) but it has the turf tires also. So far I am happy with it, about 2200 hours is all it has on it.

I hope the OP is not getting bored. :smirk:

well my .02 cents
I have a green one and two orange ones
I also had a 1937 green one
I could walk into the dealer and buy parts for it
can not say that about others..............

Original poster here, no i'm not getting bored , just soakin in all the info. Now i'm not sure what direction we are gonna go.Sheesh.