Nigel Dean is the experienced superintendent of the Beaudesert golf course. With a team of eager volunteers to help, he performs essential maintenance and improvement of greens, tees and bunkers to keep the course in top notch condition for golfers of all abilities, all year round.
Twelve months ago, Nigel was in need of a versatile workhorse tractor with a lighter footprint. He took delivery of a brand new Kioti DK4810, part of Kioti’s compact range of tractors, with 48hp, ROPS frame, 4-in-1 bucket and the all-important hydrostatic transmission. Then he and his volunteers put it to work.
Some 450 hours of day-in, day-out toil later and the verdict is in.
“One of the best tractors I’ve ever used,” says Nigel. “Strong, solid and well made. It gives us more versatility; the turf tyres mean we can perform multiple jobs. When building sand tees we can turn without the tyres digging in. It’s so comfortable – the seat, the working platform and the controls.
“Because it’s safe and stable and the hydrostatic so easy to use, a lot of our volunteers can operate it. They put 20 litre drums in the bucket and go around the course watering plants, take a bucket of sand to fill divots, or clean up around the base of trees and fill the bucket with debris.”
Highly manoeuvrable yet built tough – think of the 3-point linkage, 1232kg rear lift capability and 62.4 l/min hydraulic pump flow – Nigel and his team employ multiple attachments and implements on a daily basis.
For one, a 13-foot wide PTO driven Lastec mowing machine to go around the greens and, for another, a sprayer for spot spraying creek banks, tree bases and fence lines.
“We also use a large rotary hoe and we’re about to trial a telescopic flail arm on our creek banks,” he says. “The Kioti is ideal for constructing tees with the bucket, plus we put a levelling bar on it when we’re levelling parts of the course. The quick release mechanism for the bucket is fantastic.”
Nigel ordered his Kioti DK4180 through the esteemed local dealer, Dover & Sons. He admits to having close ties with them; his wife Jodie is in charge of the service department!
“But I was going with Kioti anyway,” he says with a smile. “I did the homework and what you get for your dollar is hard to beat.”
