Eureka Moment

Farms & Farm Machinery looks back at some of its most popular reviews from the last decade. This month, four of our best

small tractor reviews

REWIND

eureka moment

Mark Fouhy experienced an epiphany when he tested Kioti’s smallest tractor, the CS2610, in 2014

Above: The 24.6L/m hydraulic pump, provides plenty of power for loading jobs

Kioti sub-compact tractor CS2610

Engine Three-cylinder, 1,131cc Shibaura Power 26hp (19.4kW) @ 3,000rpm; 20.5hp (19.3kW) power take-off Trans Two-speed hydrostatic; 2WD/4WD/rear diff-lock 16.6km/h forward/11.2km/h reverse PTO 540rpm rear, standard; 2,200rpm mid, standard Hyd 24.6L/m hydraulic gear pump Linkage 318kg lift capacity, Cat I ball ends I travelled to Eureka, near Waikato on New Zealand’s North Island, to test the Kioti CS2610 – a Swiss army knife-type machine for the lifestyle block owner, or a handy addition for some of the smaller jobs on a bigger farming operation. Its three-blade, 60-inch (152cm) mid-mounted mower deck made for some serious cutting in the back orchard where I tested it, with steel that would appear to be twice the thickness of your average lawn tractor, and replaceable wear plates on the front, for years of mowing. The Kioti can also operate the deck independently of the rear linkage, with the adjustment mechanism located on the left-hand guard. One improvement I could see was the addition of castor wheels on the front of the deck, which moves the most when locking around tight corners, preventing it skidding over the ground. Given the dampness of the ground and tight corners I was mowing through, the little Kioti made minimal mess with the industrial tyres fitted. Being fitted with a loader I would certainly see no real advantage in fitting turf tyres. After completing the lawn service, we removed the cutting deck, which is easily enough done but would be much faster the second time around, once you know what you are doing. Ground clearance with the deck on is good, but I had a shed site to start preparing, which involved shifting some soil, and digging out a couple of tree stumps. The Kioti is fitted with a front-end loader, with some bigtractor features built in, including stands incorporated into the frame with quick-release hydraulic couplers, making loader removal quick and simple. You can grade with the back of the four-in-one bucket, powered by the loader’s third service valve, instead of wearing the cutting tip down, or use it to pull posts (within reason), as well as a variety of other jobs. The only problem I had was resting my hand on top of the joystick loader control, which activates the third service, but that was just the operator not used to the different placement of the function. The low range of the two-speed hydrostatic transmission works best for digging work. With the industrial tyres and mechanical four-wheel drive and rear diff lock, it is a handy little loader tractor — not a 10-tonne excavator, but certainly better than a spade and shovel. Controls are well laid out, with an almost flat operator platform. Lights, horn and indicators are included in one unit on the left of the steering wheel with the hand throttle on the right. The illuminated dash shows fuel/temp/rpm etc. Adjustable seat, loader controls and twin forward/reverse pedals are features to offer a comfortable driving position to suit the operator for repetitive work. Being a new machine, some of the controls, such as the throttle and forward engagement, were stiff, as you would expect. One feature I think could be improved is the park brake. I found it hard to tell when it was on or off – a dash light may help with this.

ENGINE

Kioti has fitted a three-cylinder Shibaura 26 horsepower (19kW) diesel to the CS2610, providing 19.1kW of power at 3,000rpm. The main job of the engine on this machine is to power the 24.6L/minute hydraulic gear pump, which will drive the two-speed hydrostatic transmission, rear linkage and loader functions. The little diesel engine is an economic option as it’s fairly frugal on fuel, with a 25-litre tank you won’t be filling up after two hours’ work.

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1. Bonus of the package – a handy four-inone bucket 2. Industrial tyres come standard and are good for digging or on concrete, but fine on turf also 3. There is a Category 1 rear linkage to take care of a range of tasks 4. The simple, well laid out and comfortable

Kioti operator platform

HYDRAULICS

The Kioti has a hydraulic flow rate of almost 25L/minute available for power steering, plenty for drive, ample for loader work and enough to run the wood splitter if you want. Lift capacity on the Category 1 linkage is rated at a hefty 318kg.

POWER TAKE-OFF

The Kioti is equipped with two independent power take-offs (PTOs), one 2,200rpm mid-mounted to operate the mower deck, and another 540rpm at the rear for those who would rather a rear-mounted mower set-up or for the use of a small rotary hoe type implement.

Pluses

Heavy construction, plenty of steel in axles, loader mounts etc. Sensible layout of controls makes for easy familiarisation Lock out of mower deck/three point linkage (TPL) controls so operation of one is not affected while using the other

Minuses

Park brake — a visual light to show it is on would be good

LOADER

With the addition of the high-spec loader (mechanical selflevelling, third service, four-in-one bucket, and quick-attach system) coupled with heavy construction, the CS2610 is more versatile and useful around the lifestyle block or farm. While destroying tree stumps, I certainly didn’t feel like the Kioti was going to break in two, although, with ample hydraulic power, a rear counterweight could be quite beneficial.

SAFETY

As with most machines in the ride-on/sub-compact class of tractor, there is a cut out if you leave the seat while the tractor is in gear. A seatbelt is standard as well, to prevent you from falling out of the seat, and a folding rollover protection structure (ROPS) allows access and manoeuvrability in spaces with low head room, as well as protection in case of a rollover. With a wheelbase of 1,400mm and width of 1,181mm, the tractor is pretty stable, but any implements added or loads carried will alter this to some degree.

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SERVICING/WARRANTY

It’s good to see Kioti applying some of the design features from its bigger tractors, making daily servicing and checks easy with a one-piece lift bonnet, radiator removable screen, and easily accessible engine/transmission oil sights and fillers. Lengthy service intervals are also good, at 100 hours for the engine, 200 hours for the transmission filter and 400 hours for transmission oil change. Like all Kioti tractors, the CS2610 comes with a two-year, 2,000-hour warranty.

FINAL WORD

As a lifestyle machine, the CS2610 is an excellent option. You could look at a ride-on mower for lawns and an old Fergie for the bigger jobs instead, but if you take into consideration the warranty and price of the Kioti, and that it’s a well-built machine, the cost of two units may not be worth it. For those on a bigger farm, a smaller machine to clean out the calf barns, or scrape around the feed pad, etc. can be quite helpful. If I had one, doing the lawns around home might cease to be such a chore.

Looking for a

Kioti?

Search for ‘Kioti’ on

TradeFarmMachinery.com.au

or type the TA or DIY code shown here into the keyword search field