# Kioti CK30... the first 100 hours



## 1953NAA

Thought I'd update everyone on my CK30 HST with some observations. I purchased the CK30 to "retire" my 53 Ford NAA and now have slightly over 100 hours on it. 

Overall, great tractor. I've had zero problems with it aside from a fault loader valve mentioned in a previous post. After adding a tooth bar to the bucket, have excavated many yards of dirt in the process of building a pole barn. The HST transmission was great for the continuous forward and back motion needed for this. The extra weight of the CK really comes in handy when gouging a bucket full of shale soil. The bucket will lift enough to make the rear of the tractor really light so I strongly recommend a rear weight as a counter balance. We had an extra-plentiful year of snow in central PA so the bucket came in handy moving snow- I added a roll-bar mounted light since the bucket does a great job blocking the headlights. Of course I did this after accidentally pruning a rhododendron bush. 

On the other end of the review, I have a couple of additional observations to consider for anyone purchasing a tractor to replace an older one. The HST drive is inefficient so plan on dropping at least 7-8 HP in the drive line. For the CK30 HST, this means the 30HP rated tractor only gets around 22-23 HP to the PTO. Contrast this to the 30HP PTO rating for the NAA. In the 'HIGH" setting, the tractor will only go top road speed when it is perfectly flat. Any slight hill and it loads up. Secondly, I'm used to pulling a two bottom 16" plow with my NAA. The Kioti couldn't do it- again, probably due to the power loss in the HST. In hindsight, I should have sprung for the CK35 to have a more equivalent tractor to replace the NAA. 

To close, the CK30HST is a great all round tractor. Suitable for a 1 bottom plow and 6' disc or a 5' brush hog and certainly perfect for moving around snow or dirt. So far at 100 hours, no issues so we'll see if this trend continues.


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## pogobill

Thanks for the update. This is great information for those members that are considering a new tractor.


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