Hey from the Hills of Ohio

Pompier

New member
Hello y'all, I am a soon (hopefully) to retire Fire Fighter.

Though I have operated tractor for years they belonged to someone else. I just did whatever I was told.

Now I am in the process of buying my own. I have more than 50% settled on a Kioti....because their rep was the only one to get off his butt and do a contact with me at our county fair -- thats in ~25 years!

I will have close to 15 acres some field, some woods, mostly brush. I plan to clean it up and maintain it until........

Any othe Kioti owners advise on HP, type of transmission, implements, etc?

Thank you in advance! :tiphat:
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Hi Pompier.
You must be close by me. I'm in SE Ohio and have my share of hills all around. I'm right on the Ohio River in Meigs county. Pomery is the county seat.
Welcome to Net Tractor Talk. I was in the same decision making process as you 7 years ago. It was so hard deciding on what might fit the bill ....I went round and round.
I ended up buying a 30HP Kubota 4x4. I was planning to get the Kubota B-2710 that was available at that time but the dealer helped me out and the price was cut on the L-3010 so I went for it and I'm sure glad I did.
I bought the front end loader right up front, not sure if I really needed it and I had thoughts of putting off the FEL until later ...what a dumb idea that was. The FEL is a godsend. It makes the tractor so worth it and save my back big time.
Sounds like you'll also need a rotary cutter / bush hog to clean up them fields. I hate mowing but love bush hoggin. You can see such a difference when done and you don't have to do it every week. :D
I bought the hydrostat tranny and am tickled with it. My Ford 8N and my Mitsubushi tractors both were standard shift. Have no issues with the clutch. But hydro is just easier for switching from one direction to another. If you will have horse stalls to clean or any work that requires lots of forward / back motion you'll be glad you went with a hydro tranny. It does cost a little more, and it takes away from overall HP, but I've never found that to be an issue for me.
I look forward to hearing more from you. Enjoy and post often. :thumb: :D
 

Pompier

New member
Hi Doc, thanks for the information. I am from the Cambridge area and love my hills. Thought being called a hillbilly was a slur until I joined the USAF.....lot of flatgrounders there ;)
 

OhioTC18

Well-known member
Gold Site Supporter
Welcome Pompier. :tiphat:

I think you'll find a few pleased Kioti owners here. They love those tractors.
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Hi Doc, thanks for the information. I am from the Cambridge area and love my hills. Thought being called a hillbilly was a slur until I joined the USAF.....lot of flatgrounders there ;)
Boy that's for sure. :yum:
I get to Marietta fairly often, and Cambridge once in awhile. Not far at all.
I don't know the dealers up that way though or I'd help as I could.
 

Pompier

New member
The gentleman that took the time to talk to me was named Darrin. His dealership is located in Graiot which is just east of Zanesville. There are some others around too...the Kioti website has probably three in the area.
 

Erik

Member
welcome to the forum!
have you looked at any of the Kioti's yet?
the CK series are their smaller frame machines - less ground clearance, fairly wide for their height, so not so tippy feeling on the hills - but the operator platform is tight. even so, check out the CK30 & 35.
the larger frame size if the DK - and those aren't bad, but just this year they came out with a "value" line -- which gives the size and power of the DK series for the price of the CK. Downside is losing a couple of bells & whistles. (like Doc's hydrostat)
35 HP at the wheels will translate to 30HP at the PTO. Brush hogging takes about 5 HP per foot of mower, so 30 PTO HP = 6' mower.

if you're spending time in the woods, the CK may be a better bet, because they're not as tall - so you won't be eating as much tree. If you're going for open pasture, then I'd look at the larger machines for weight (traction) and ground clearance. you may also want to get your tires filled for extra weight/traction/stability (lower CG = a good thing on hills)

good luck and keep us posted!
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
It's good to have multiple dealers within a reasonable distance. The dealer plays a very important role in the tractor buying process. Pick one that you feel you can count on for any repairs that might come up, and good service after the sale. He'll probably be around longer than a dealer without a real service department.

Do you know what tires you want. Ag or R4's (Industrial). If you plan to mow iwth the tractor R4's are a good compromise. Otherwise Ag's get the best traction by far or in the field or in the mud. I compromised and got the R4's since I used mine to mow for a few years (until we got a ZTR). If I ever wear the R4's out (doubtful) I'll get Ag's next time.
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
It's good to have multiple dealers within a reasonable distance. The dealer plays a very important role in the tractor buying process. Pick one that you feel you can count on for any repairs that might come up, and good service after the sale. He'll probably be around longer than a dealer without a real service department.

Do you know what tires you want. Ag or R4's (Industrial). If you plan to mow iwth the tractor R4's are a good compromise. Otherwise Ag's get the best traction by far or in the field or in the mud. I compromised and got the R4's since I used mine to mow for a few years (until we got a ZTR). If I ever wear the R4's out (doubtful) I'll get Ag's next time.
 

jwstewar

Senior Member
Staff member
Just wanted to say hi and welcome to the site from another Ohian.

Enjoy the tractor shopping experience. I enjoyed my experience and maybe one of these days I'll get to do it again.

I agree with everything that has been said so far. I ended up with a New Holland with the hydrostat and the R4 industrial tires. Still think that was the best choice for me and how I use my tractor. I love the hydrostat - most of the time. There are times that I wish the relieve valve didn't trip and I could just spin the tires, but then most of the time I love the quick direction change. Especially when bush hogging my creek bed and I'm backing down the ditch and immediately go back forward to get me up out of the creek. If I had to mess with brakes and clutching, I don't think it would work as well for me.

Enjoy and post often.
 

Pompier

New member
Doc, I think the Ags will serve me better. I will eventually be mowing, but for right now I will be pulling (or digging) a bunch of small stumps and clearing a brushy area. I want to make a sled run something like I had in Gnadenhutten growing up for the grands!
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Thanks Jim, I think the most fun will be delivery day!!
Yep, you'll be like a kid on Christmas morning. I know I was. :D

Before you buy it is a good idea to sit in as many seats as possible. Different layouts and ergonomics can play into your comfort. Checking out a lot of them can make the shopping experience fun, but delivery is the most fun of all by far. :thumb:
 
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