Name: Cfong
City, State / Province: Lake Anna, Virginia
Model / Product #: CS2410
I have a 2015 Kioti CS2410 with 4×4, loader, backhoe, 60″ mid-mount mower, clamp-on bucket forks (awesome attachment!), bigfoot backhoe pads, 8″ and 16″ backhoe buckets, industrial and lawn wheels, canopy, and 3-pt. tow hitch. I use it on a heavily-wooded, 1.5 acre waterfront property. I have over 60 hours on it in just over 9 months time. This little tractor is very impressive and has been well worth the purchase price (which was pretty good to start with). Here is what I’ve done with it so far. Dredged leaves and muck from waterfront; built a seawall; removed stumps and large tree roots; hauled or pulled large stumps to treeline (some were just too large to lift but pulling was a breeze); hauled clay, mud/muck, debris, logs, dirt, mulch, and stone with loader; hauled hardwood logs, heavy brush, bulky yard equipment, and lumber with forks; used it to pull and secure trees for cutting using tow straps; plowed and cleared snow; scraped and leveled ground to lay paths; dug a trench, holes to plant trees, and a large hole/pit for a basement window; lifted a boat motor using the loader; lifted and stabilized large deck beams during deck construction; towed watercraft (boats and jet skis) in and out of the water; pulled truck and trailer full of logs out of the mud; loaded dump trailers with debris, logs, and brush; towed an Agri-fab leaf vac/chipper; dumped and plowed mountains of chipped leaves; mowed lawn and towed plug aerator and seed spreader. And I’m just getting started. This is a sub-compact tractor with a 24.5 HP diesel engine and 19 HP PTO, so if you have realistic expectations for its size and price, you might be very impressed with all the things it CAN DO! I considered the comparably equipped John Deere tractor, the 1025R TLB, and while that has some features I found more appealing, I just couldn’t beat the price of the Kioti with all the attachments and extras when compared to the price of the JD with only the loader and backhoe. Also, I have a Kioti dealer about 11 miles from my property, so that has been useful. I also considered the Massy Ferguson GC1710. All three of these sub-compacts have very similar specifications and capabilities, so you probably won’t go wrong with any of them. For me it came down to value and what I could get for a limited budget, and which tractor met my particular needs. It turns out they’re all made from either Japanese or South Korean (or elsewhere) components, so if you think you’re buying “American Made” with the JD or MF labels, you may want to do some research (e.g., the JD has a Yanmar motor). I’ve been more than impressed with the capability of my Kioti and am very happy with my purchase and experience. I hope you find the tractor that best suits your needs!