The King Kone lineup has a lot of parts — trays, inserts, metering trays, packing fingers, closers. Most of the confusion comes from one thing people don't realize until after they've ordered:
Cones run 169 per tray. Straight tubes run 115. They are different platforms, and they need different components. Everything else follows from that one fork.
Here's how to build the right setup, in order.
Step 1: Cones or tubes?
This is the only question that really matters, because it determines every part you buy after it.
| Cones | Straight tubes | |
|---|---|---|
| Per run | 169 | 115 |
| Sizes | 60mm, 70mm, 84mm, 98mm, 109mm | 9mm through 14mm diameter |
| Needs conversion kit | No | Yes |
| Packing fingers | 169 standard or 169 slim | 115 tube or 115 extended |
If you're running cones, the machine is ready out of the box for three of the five sizes. If you're running tubes, you need two additional parts before you can pack anything — see step 3.
Step 2: If you're running cones, which tray?
The machine ships with a standard two-tray set that covers 84mm, 98mm, and 109mm. The bottom tray handles 84mm (the 1¼ size); the thinner top tray works with the bottom tray to handle 98mm and 109mm King size.
So if you're producing those three formats, you don't need to buy a tray at all. You already have it.
You need an additional tray top only for the two smaller formats:
- 60mm (JT size) — requires the JT Tray
- 70mm (Dog Walker size) — requires the Dog Walker Tray
Both still run 169 cones per run, same as every other cone tray. Swapping is simple: pull the original tray off the machine, drop the new one on, load, and go.
JT Tray — 60mm · Dog Walker Tray — 70mm
Step 3: If you're running tubes, you need two parts, not one
This is the single most common ordering mistake, so it's worth being blunt about.
The Conversion Kit is the outer shell only. It does not include an insert. On its own it cannot pack anything. You need:
- The Conversion Kit — the modular platform that holds the insert
- The insert tray in your diameter — 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, or 14mm
Together they pack 115 straight tubes per run. If you produce more than one tube diameter, you buy one conversion kit and one insert per diameter — the shell is shared.
King Kone Conversion Kit — 115 Tubes
Step 4: Metering tray — pick your fill weight
The metering tray is a volumetric measuring device. You load it to height, mount it, pull the sliding plate, and a precise dose drops into every pre-roll at once. It's what takes the guesswork out of weight consistency.
It comes in three fill weights: .35g, .5g, and .7g, in both cone and tube versions.
Pick by target weight, but note the recommended approach: pack your load in increments rather than one dose. Two passes with a smaller metering tray gives better density — especially down at the crutch, where under-packing is most visible — than one pass with a larger one. That's why the smaller volumes exist.
If you're running infused or sticky material, add the matching clearing tool. It pushes product out of the metering tray cleanly instead of leaving it packed in the pockets.
Step 5: Packing fingers — match them to your format
Packing fingers compress the material at the end of the run, closing off the end and exposing more paper for the closing step. There are four versions and they are not interchangeable:
- 169 Standard Cone — for 84mm, 98mm, and 109mm
- 169 Slim Cone — for 98mm slim, 60mm, and 70mm
- 115 Tube — all tube sizes
- 115 Extended Tube — all tube sizes, with height adjustment
The extended tube version is worth the upgrade if you run sticky or infused product. The adjustable height lets you add a pack at any point in the process rather than only at the end, which is how you reach density at the crutch on material that resists it.
Step 6: Closing
The Dutch Crown Closer finishes full trays rather than closing pre-rolls one at a time. It uses receiving trays sized to your cone format — 70mm, 84mm, 98mm, or 109mm — so match the tray to whatever you're running.
If you're hand-closing today, this is usually the second-biggest labor line in the operation after loading.
Dutch Crown Closer · Receiving Trays
The loading problem, and the actual fix
Once your setup is right, the remaining bottleneck is almost always the same: a person loading 169 cones into a tray one at a time while the machine sits idle.
There are two ways to attack it.
A spare tray set lets you load the next run while the current one is on the machine, so loading happens in parallel instead of as downtime.
King Stax attacks it at the source. The cones arrive already seated in trays, so you drop in a full row at a time instead of handling cones individually — rated at up to 30% faster loading. The 169 Series ships 7 trays of 169 per box (1,183 cones), four boxes to a case. There's also a 100 Series for Knockbox-style systems. Add the matching pusher to seat material evenly across all pockets in one motion.
If you only change one thing about your process, change this one. It's where the hours go.
Bundle or piece it together?
Bundles exist for each format — 60mm, 70mm, 84mm, 98mm, 109mm, and each tube diameter from 9mm to 13mm — and each one groups the machine with the correct tray, metering tray, packing fingers, and closer for that size.
Two reasons to take the bundle: it's cheaper than the same parts individually, and more importantly it removes compatibility guesswork. Every mistake described above — wrong fingers, conversion kit without an insert, receiving tray that doesn't match the cone — is a mistake the bundle makes for you correctly.
Piece it together instead if you already own a machine, or if you're adding a second format to a line that's already running.
Frequently asked questions
How many pre-rolls does a King Kone tray hold?
169 for cones, 115 for straight tubes. The tube platform uses a different tray system, which is why the count differs.
Which cone sizes work without buying an extra tray?
84mm, 98mm, and 109mm. The machine ships with attachments for all three. You only need an additional tray top for 60mm (JT) or 70mm (Dog Walker) cones.
Do I need anything else with the conversion kit?
Yes. The conversion kit is the outer shell only and does not include an insert. You need the matching insert tray in your tube diameter — 9mm through 14mm — for it to work.
Which metering tray size should I choose?
.35g, .5g, and .7g are available. Choose by target fill weight, but consider packing in increments with a smaller tray rather than one dose with a larger one — it produces better density, particularly at the crutch.
What's the difference between standard and slim packing fingers?
Standard fingers fit 84mm, 98mm, and 109mm cones. Slim fingers fit 98mm slim, 60mm, and 70mm. Tube production uses the separate 115 tube fingers.
What's the fastest way to speed up production?
Fix cone loading. Either run a spare tray set so loading happens while the machine runs, or switch to pre-loaded King Stax trays, which load up to 30% faster by letting you drop in a full row at once.