Bobcat CT235 ~ 2 hour mini review (Kioti CK35 clone)

Hey Melensdad, thanks for the response. My biggest concern is fuel consumption, roughly how many hours do you get per tank full?
I'm only getting 4 hrs, mostly cutting but also loader work. This is the first HST I've owned and I have the throttle full out all the time, whereas with previous gear tractors I've run them with a foot pedal just increasing fuel as required.
So with the 235 is 4hrs about what you get also?

Thanks for any more input.
 
I get a lot of debris on the screen filter, as well but remember there is a huge amount of suction there. Not unusual.when bushhogging. I would not run it full out. There is a tach position bordered by two red lines that should be your rear PTO spec speed. I would cut here and you should save some fuel. I cut mine same my neighbors field, about 6-7 acres and still had fuel left. Not sure but maybe as much as half a tank. Try it in that range and see what happens.

The range levers will stick on any tractor as will all wheel drive selectors as well as engaging PTO's and a simple nudge of the tractor hydro pedal will resolve.

Attach your dust caps together and orient them ABOVE the taps, not hanging down in their most vulnerable position and you will find they will stay protected and out of the way.

One other thing, you may find, as I have, that the all wheel drive knob way down there by your foot can be conveniently manipulated with your heel! With that big burley knob on the end I wonder if it was not designed as such.



Too many people trying to run around in fields, up hills with heavy implement and engaging them in high range. 3rd range is for road travel. 4-ways flashing, 16mph, all the way to the corner gas station. Low and Mid for working. I don't even mow with a finish mower in high range on flat manicured grass. That is only asking for overheating trouble.

Watch your cheap Bobcat oem battery for leakage. These are famous for spilling acid and will corrode your nice engine compartment. Recomended to replace these with an agm dry cell. I have 45 hours on mine and although no leakage, there is the beginnings of moisture.showing on one dust cap.
Love this tractor! Lots of weight to throw at things with the loader
 
Hi Lockport thanks for the reply. With the fuel wide out it runs about 2800 rpm and the pto speed is 2500 rpm so with this field it has a gentle incline and as I go down hill it's at 2800 but going up it's at 2500. I've done a fair bit of loader work, with my 1991 Kubota L2550 shuttle shift and foot throttle it is quite easy to vary the speed as needed. But with an HST I find it easier on the machine to just leave it wide open and use the foot pedal to change ground speed. I also have a Kubota BX1850 that I use for harrowing riding arenas and cutting grass, that one I also leave wide open all the time and I get 8 hrs per 5 gal tank. I also have a Bobcat 425 mini excavator that I run wide open and I get about 12 hrs per tank.
I can live with all the minor complaints and hard shifting, it is strictly a fuel issue for me. Any decent size machine should be able to run for 8 hrs on a tank IMO.
I've got 32 hrs on this now and I complained to the dealer that 4 hrs after I got it it was almost out of fuel, as a matter of fact I dipped the tank because I couldn't believe the fuel guage. Every 4 hrs I'm putting 5 gals in. I've checked the specs and it has a 30 litre tank (about 6 1/2 Canadian gals) the same size as the next 2 smaller Bobcat tractors.
Had I gone to the CT335 it is only 4 more hp and 50% bigger fuel tank. So I would probably get 6 hrs use?
Even the dust issue I can live with, as it is very dry right now and the field was 2-3' high with lots of seed.
I have cut this same field twice with my Kubota and used about 1/2 the fuel, it took a little longer as I have a 5' wide mower on the Kubota and a 6' wide on the Bobcat.
The salesman has offered to try to work out some deal to take back the machine, so I've parked it and using my Kubota until we can resolve this issue.
I really like the CT235 (love the loader) but as a contractor I can't see filling the tank every 4 hrs.
The question I would really like answered is not the size of field you cut but how long in hours does one tank last?:thankyou2:
 
As for the fuel, I probably get 5.5 hours per tank, maybe 6. BUT I do adjust the RPMs based on the work I'm doing and will throttle it down a bit as needed. I've been dragging trees out of the woods, I throttle up while dragging but down to idle while hooking up the logs, etc.
 
Yeh, I agree with that, I throttle down when off the tractor, but when moving I'm at full throttle as I feel it's better not to lug the engine. Thanks for the hours!
 
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