"At 800 hours, a front right wheel bearing disintegrated and mixed silver bearing pieces and flakes into the oil .It was very costly to replace the oil . I had to take the left side apart also to flush all the silver bearing flakes out. I must constantly lubricate the foot HST lever because it is always sticking in the drive position. Even with the right clutch pedal pressed in, the transmission is often very hard to get out of any range. The front shift arm in the transmission broke at about 1000 hours. I had to change it and flush the transmission to get the broken peaces out. Replacement oil and filters very expensive."

"I live on a hillside on a narrow lot with cross fencing. I originally had a JD 1151, but found that I was constantly fighting the steering and shifting gears (MT), so I stepped up to a new 4WD power steering HST model and picked the Kioti for price. And also because the guys there were the only ones around here who really seemed interested in taking care of me and my tractor. This tractor has plenty of power for rough mowing and tilling. The bucket is respectable, in fact I think this 30 could just about do everything the JD @ 55 could do. If you need to sling around round bales, though, you have to go up a class---probably 80 hp. min. The HST has 3 ranges, but because of the slope I can realistically use only 2 ranges. I first tried the CK20S for about a week, but it only has 2 speeds of which I could only use the lower range, so it was WAY too slow (if you're not on a hillside, though, definitely try it out). The 30 is tough to shift, and I do find I have to shift a lot still because of changes in slope. Basically if there was a way to have separate forward/reverse shifters, that would be perfect. I could put the forward speed in low and keep the reverse in medium for most of the work. I do still need that extra-low reverse speed for certain areas, though. Oh yeah, 2WD is useless, I slip on my driveway in 2WD. I have had issues with batteries discharging, possibly my fault, but I'd keep an eye on that and see if others are reporting it as well. The bucket operates fast and I like the quick-change. I wish it had extra hydraulic connections for running some of those skid-steer attachments though. I would love to have a finishing mower as well, but realistically the 30 is too big. If that 20 had 3 HST ranges that probably would have been the perfect fit. Stupid hills! Oh yeah, I filled the tires, so that might be why, but this thing feels tippy when going cross hill. The 1151 was very tall and narrow, yet I know I went on much more severe "leans" without feeling unstable. With the 30, even areas that I would drive my truck along without a second thought, it just feels like it's going to tip. Maybe it really is a lot more narrow than it seems. Or maybe it's the fluid in the tires (industrial - turf tires would definitely spin on these hills, and I had Ag tires on the JD and it would occasionally bite into the lawn, so I picked industrial.)"

"The only reason I downgraded performance was the amount of weight the front end loader can handle. The size of the bucket (60") is more than the tractor can lift if you fill it full of sand or gravel. Beyond that, one shortcoming: the tractor is easy to use, has never caused me any problems and has made life around the property much easier. I looked at several models when I purchased this tractor. Green paint is expensive and not made in the USA anymore. Red paint has plastic parts on the rear end that I thought I might break and the other orange tractor was more expensive for the comparable product."

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"I have used it to clear land, move brush piles, drag trees around, moving loads of building material for an addition on my house and plowing snow in the winter. I have not been easy on it that is why I wanted to see how it was running after a couple hundred hours. I have lost some pins, broke some grease fittings, etc all easy fixes. The only problem I had that was from the factory was pinched o-ring in 3pt hitch valve which was covered and repaired w/o any cost to me. I believe that paying more for another brand would have been no gain to me. Anything I have needed to do it has came through. "

"Great tractor at an affordable price. I use this tractor for everything from plowing snow, moving dirt and moving logs w/ forks. Have a small sawmill so am moving logs quite a bit. I put some pretty large logs on the front end, probably too big so if something breaks, it's my fault. Bought a grapple this summer, that 's a handy thing to have. No problems w/ the tractor, highly recommend. Don't pay the high price for green or the other orange. "

"This tractor has been a God-send on many occasions. I bought it primarily to clear snow; but have found that it is a back-saver for many other chores. It couldn't be better for moving and spreading blue-stone. The front-end loader has never complained. It developed a hydraulic leak early on and was fixed promptly. The fuel shut-off also failed early on and was replaced promptly. Fortunately, there is a dash-mounted manual fuel shut-off. I'm 70 years old and don't expect to need another tractor. It was purchased from Dave at the Enfield, NH Kioti dealership. It has never needed chains and always starts, regardless of the temperature. "

"Tractor has performed flawlessly since purchased. The optional Kioti cab is well designed and quiet however tends to get very hot inside without A/C. Removing the doors helps a lot in this regard. I find that the HST rocker pedal is hard to get used to especially when using a rear mount snow blower. Also, having both brake pedals on the same side as the HST pedal makes turning with brakes awkward. Owners manual has numerous errors and inaccuracies in it."

"Kioti tractor has not only performed as advertised is has done so reliably. I use this tractor to assist with my logging work. It can drag several logs at a time with little effort. I also us it to grade my mile long dirt road using a eight foot long blade to cut the road. I have found that that the blade cuts best going up hill (and our road is steep). Would I buy again or recommend Kioti - you bet! One final think I like about the Kioti is weight - it is over 1,000 pounds heavier than comparable models of Kubota or Deere. And with tractors weight is everything."

"So far this has been a great tractor, I have a FEL and backhoe with it. I've been surprised how powerful the backhoe has been, its a woods model. I've also used a York rake, 72" plow, Ratchet Rake, pallet forks, a PTO driven post hole digger and PTO chipper. I was concerned it wouldn't have enough HP to run the chipper but it did fine all day. Hard to say enough about how nice the FEL control feels, allows precise loader work easily and very comfortably. "