# Why I Like My DS4110



## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Now rate off the bat, I want to say that this is not a premium model. It’s a fairly barebones model as far as gizmos and fit and finish go. I does however have an aftermarket cab with heater in it. 

So why do I like it. It’s simple . . . simplicity. One of my biggest beefs with modern cars and equipment is the over-complexity of things. Like they say, the enemy of reliability is complexity. A good example is my diesel suv. It is a common rail DI with a variable geometry turbo. These turbos are controlled by an electronic actuator made by Hella. These are ubiquitous in today’s turbo diesels and they fail frequently. The problem is, the actuator is not sold separately from the turbo, and in most cases, this is a $2,000+ repair. More often than not the failure occurs due to a small electrical connection inside the actuator, which can be repaired by disassembling the actuator and resoldering it. 

My Kioti DS4110 is a conventional diesel, no $700 unit injectors, no computer management system, just a good old fashion mechanical injection pump. So far the most complex components I’ve come across are the flasher relays. This tractor doesn’t even have a glow plug timer - it relies on good ‘ol common sense to hold the key until the plugs have heated long enough before you crank it over. There’s something to be said about simplicity. 

Now one thing that is not so good, the old style injection pumps usually rely entirely on the lubricity of the diesel fuel for lubrication. This is a problem because ULSD fuel doesn’t have the lubricating capacity of older diesel. Fortunately, there are additives for that which I add in religiously, and fortunately, because it doesn’t have any emissions equipment on it, I don’t have to worry about fouling the DFP. Some day I will likely have an electrical problem, and I’ll probably be able to fix it with stuff I already have in my shop or with the purchase of a $5 relay. There are no $300 electronic or computer modules on this tractor!

Don’t get me wrong, bells and whistles are fun to have, but on my tractor I can do with less. I think the heated cab is a pretty decent luxury. Sometimes, it’s just nice to have predictability and reliability. 

Common rail direct injection engines are great for efficiency and performance, but much of this is cancelled out by modern emissions equipment. And the added complexity has resulted in a high degree of unreliability. The main complaint I hear these days in that people don’t want diesels any more because of the high maintenance and repair costs. 20 years ago, this was not a complaint I ever heard. 

Anyways, it would love to hear others’ comments. 











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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

My 2001 Kioti DK 35 has most of the features I want/need without being overly complicated.
Synchronized shuttle, synchronized mains (forward and reverse), tilt steering, rear hydraulic remotes, extendable lower link arms and sway bars on the 3 point, SSQA on the loader, hydraulic top and tilt cylinders on 3 point, loader and backhoe can be removed/installed in minutes, ETC.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Mark, you have a hoe on there. How could you NOT be happy? That's quite the luxury right there!


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

That hoe gets a lot of use, probably about 40-50 hours alone on it this last summer. It was more of a necessity to me because of the projects I had planned when I bought it. Last summer I widened my driveway at the road - this was the biggest project because it has a rather deep storm ditch and I had to dig out and move the stone retaining wall, lower in a 10’ culvert extension, rebuild the wall, backfill in 15-20 tons of earth, and then top it off with 10 tons of gravel. That project alone would have cost me $10,000 had I hired it out, but I did it for about $600 as I only had to buy the culvert and the gravel. Next year I need to trench out for a geothermal heating install, that will likely be an even bigger project. I think I will either buy a narrower bucket or rent a trencher attachment. 


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

DK35vince said:


> My 2001 Kioti DK 35 has most of the features I want/need without being overly complicated.
> Synchronized shuttle, synchronized mains (forward and reverse), tilt steering, rear hydraulic remotes, extendable lower link arms and sway bars on the 3 point, SSQA on the loader, hydraulic top and tilt cylinders on 3 point, loader and backhoe can be removed/installed in minutes, ETC.
> 
> View attachment 36783


That’s a decent tractor. Fortunately, I’m not too tall, so I don’t need the tilt steering to enable safe passage in and out, but I can certainly see how others might need it. I think you can shift-on-the-fly, which is an option I don’t have. I don’t do any road driving, so I haven’t had any need for it personally, but I can see how if I had a few properties that I was transporting it between, that would be a good feature. 

The hooks mounted to the bucket sure come in handy. I wish I had some on my backhoe for when I was lowering in and positioning my culvert.


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

Here is a picture of my DK 35 with the backhoe on.
8 1/2' Rhino backhoe


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Nice. How does it mount to the frame?


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

It is basically the same setup as the Kioti backhoes I've seen.
The backhoe is bolted (welded now, tired of the bolts coming loose) to the sub frame.
The sub frame comes off attached to the backhoe when removed


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

This might give a little better idea how the sub frame is bolted to the backhoe.
Can't find better pictures.
Sub frames stays with the backhoe, on or off the tractor.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

I just need to figure out a good cup holder solution now. 


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

I clamped a cup holder to my roll bar.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

DK35vince said:


> View attachment 36795
> This might give a little better idea how the sub frame is bolted to the backhoe.
> Can't find better pictures.
> Sub frames stays with the backhoe, on or off the tractor.


That is almost identical to mine. I flip my seat up when not in use to keep it clean. 


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

I do have a thumb on mine though. 


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

DK35vince said:


> I clamped a cup holder to my roll bar.


I thought I saw that there. Unfortunately, my ROPS is on the outside of my cab.


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## deerhide (Oct 20, 2016)

DK35vince said:


> View attachment 36794
> Here is a picture of my DK 35 with the backhoe on.
> 8 1/2' Rhino backhoe


First thing I would do with a backhoe is put a 'thumb' on it !


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

deerhide said:


> First thing I would do with a backhoe is put a 'thumb' on it !


I'm sure a thumb for some is very use full.
But I bought this backhoe for my tractor probably 15 years ago and for my uses I've never come across anything I needed a thumb for.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Mine came with a thumb. It gets in the way sometimes, but comes in handy for picking up objects like big rocks, fallen trees, etc.


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## deerhide (Oct 20, 2016)

Yup, a thumb is good for handling logs and timber like 8 x 8's and such, but they can be in the way too. Your tractor has a nice flat deck, must be easy to get off and on.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Mine has a removable pin that can be used to lock it up and out of the way. I thought it might be handy to put a hydraulic cylinder on it, but that might make things overly complicated. It worked well well I was rebuilding the end of my driveway and I had to place several 200lb stones.


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