Nuggety DK punches above its weight

08/11/2018

Working as a farrier across the Greater Waikato throws up its own challenges for Greg Hocking, so the tranquillity of the 13 acre lifestyle block he shares with wife Laura provides a welcome deviation from feisty equines.

It also allows Greg to take the reins of the Kioti DK5810 ROPS tractor that arrived around a year ago demonstrating its versatility and performances normally exhibited by larger agricultural models. 

Weighing in at only 1,550kgs, the compact Kioti uses a 4-cylinder Daedong engine to deliver a nuggety 55hp in a manner that Hocking describes as “punching beyond its weight”. Mated to an 8 forward/8 reverse speed transmission that’s good for up to 35kph, clutch-less forward/reverse movements are achieved with a dash-mounted shuttle control lever, so makes loader operation a breeze. At the rear of the tractor, lift capacity at the rear arms is a useful 1,300kgs, while hydraulic flow of 55l/min is right up there with much larger agricultural tractors. Add to that specs which include 4WD and a tight turning circle provided by 58 degrees of steering angle, Auto PTO, rear view mirrors and indicators, then this tractor ticks all the boxes. 

On the property the Kioti earns its keep harrowing horse paddocks, it has recently completed a round of springtime rolling and even been called upon to tidy up Laura’s muck heap, although Greg is quick to comment that Laura usually runs a very tidy ship. Add to that pulling out a few areas of redundant hedging, then you start to get a better idea about the tractor’s capabilities. Indeed, Greg comments “It never ceases to impress me as to what this little tractor will do. The 4 in 1 bucket first caught my attention, proving particularly useful for grabbing horse muck, pulling out fence posts and even clearing silt out of some shallow drains we have on the property.”

Hocking also notes that the factory front-end loader is extremely easy to remove and re-attach, so takes it off when undertaking field work, making the ride smoother for the operator and removing deadweight that is not required. Ease of use also comes in for praise, with wife Laura and work colleagues confirming that access and exit from the operators’ platform, alongside a logical control layout, makes using the tractor a breeze.

Greg sums up the tractors arrival by commenting “Our neighbour JP Chapman, is a product specialist at Power Farming, and suggested we give the Kioti range a look. A demo and follow up by Mike ‘Ox’ Whitburn from our local dealer Power Farming Te Awamutu showed us the 5810 was ideal for our needs; being compact, versatile, easy to operate and importantly, was excellent value for money".