G'day from Australia, Assessing New Chinese 60 HP 4WD FEL Tractors

[TBN Support]

Welcome to the forum!

:welcome:

I'm going to move this thread on over to the buying, pricing and comparisons section so we can keep it going. Best of luck with your tractor purchase!

 

[doxford jim]

Jon,

Thought I would add my 5 cents. I had a well used MF65 that was a 1959 tractor with nearly 12,000 hours on it. Had to do quite a bit of work on it but did manage to improve it no end. I really wanted a newer unit and considered used again, but my gut said whoa! Why buy someone else's troubles and problems - none of the used ones I looked at seemed to be very well maintained.

I researched the Chinese route and did a lot of digging (I live in Canada, about the middle of British Columbia near the town of Prince George) and spent a few months going over what to do. I eventually decided to go the "crated" route (dis-assembled and crated) as it was by far the cheapest. I have a 40' x 80' heated workshop so the "putting together" part I felt would be very doable. It was and I have a good working 55hp 4x4 tractor with FEL.

Not everyone wants to go that route and I understand that. Being in NA there are options available that may not be doable in Australia. I had my tractor crated and sent to Prince George and I collected it from the trucking company depot. The tractor and loader cost $15,000 US including shipping. An equivalent main brand (JD, MF etc.) in Canada would have been over three times that cost (a rule of thumb that seems to work is $1,000 per HP, making a 55hp JD around $55,000 Canadian).

I have had a few problems but nothing that couldn't be fixed - some self inflicted. The tractors are test run after being produced and then dis-assembled and crated for shipping. I had a one year warranty on parts only. Given the high cost of parts for NA made tractors, the Chinese prices are very reasonable and readily available through dealers. Money was a consideration as I am retired eleven years now.

For me it has worked out well and I don't regret it one bit. My Jinma isn't bad and there are numerous other brands to consider. Some good ones are Foton and Dong Feng that I have heard only good about.

Anyway, just thought I would mention that some of us do own and enjoy working our cheaper Chinese tractors.

Cheers
Jim

 

[jthorne]

Thanks Catherine, much appreciated! regards, Jon

 

[jthorne]

Thanks Jim, for your suggestions. There would likely be no problem obtaining a crated tractor from China and delivered in Australia. There are shipping ports in Brisbane and Sydney both about 500 kilometres away, it would just be a matter of getting the crate into my property along my driveway which needs a bit of work, hence part of the reason for purchasing the tractor. I'm guessing the main tractor engine transmission rear axle are done, it would basically just be fitting guards, wheels, ROPS, canopy, FEL and hydraulics and a bit of wiring; I'll have a read of the TBN crated tractor forums to get an idea. My other consideration is timing, I need to do some slashing and driveway repairs before Christmas as our family will be visiting and camping down by the river. Saving a considerable amount of money is very attractive, I might explore that option if/when I buy my next tractor. From what I have read, including your experience the Jinma tractors sound like a reliable Chinese brand but I don't know what they are badged here in Australia if it isn't simply Jinma, there aren't too many results when I google Jinma Tractors Australia and most of the results are in Perth which is over 2,000 miles away.
All the best Jim,
Jon

 

[Texasmark]

Love the photos, Jon. The war photo looks like a graduating (received their wings) photo... all Sergeants & Flight Sergeants. I noticed quite a few of them are sporting 'referee whistles' in their button-holes, there must be a reason for that?

Crays are bloody expensive these days, mostly due to the algae blooms they've been having. Still, it's the alternative to a traditional Christmas luncheon, eh?

Probably for signaling help in identification like when down behind enemy lines. I learned that they used frog clickers in Normandy for that reason.

 

[jthorne]

Hi TexasMark, could be I can't think of any reason other than maybe bailing out of the aircraft if hit an its going down to tell all on board its time to jump. Don't think its for playing footy! (football, that is rugby or soccer). I'm going off buying the MF 435, just done a 300 km round trip today to look at the 2008 MF 235 and cant justify paying $35,000 AUD for a tractor 8 years old with only 3 months drive-train parts only warranty. The Kubota L4600 caught my eye for the same price with a 4 in 1 FEL and a 5' Australian made HD Slasher and although it is only 46 HP, after discussing spe cs with the dealer it seems that it will do what I need, so have decided to go with it. Must admit that I am relieved now that I have made a decision to buy a new Kubota, I am looking forward to delivery next Thursday. I'll post how it goes when I've done a bit of work with the loader and the slasher. I'll buy or make a box blade down the track to get the driveway in tip-top condition. All the best, Jon

 

[Wagtail]

Hi TexasMark, could be I can't think of any reason other than maybe bailing out of the aircraft if hit an its going down to tell all on board its time to jump.

I reckon the whistle has more to do with aircraft ground manoeuvring. IE: 'Stand clear, CONTACT!' and/or 'Remove wheel chocks!' An airfield is a very loud environment.

The Kubota L4600 caught my eye for the same price with a 4 in 1 FEL and a 5' Australian made HD Slasher and although it is only 46 HP, after discussing specs with the dealer it seems that it will do what I need, so have decided to go with it. Must admit that I am relieved now that I have made a decision to buy a new Kubota, I am looking forward to delivery next Thursday.

Good stuff! As I said earlier, a good dealership will sell you the tractor you need... if you want any 'pretties', that's up to you. Congrats on the new rig!

 

[jthorne]

Thanks Wagtail, yep I was looking at the Kubota's about 3 months ago at the local dealership and was pretty keen then, but as I was looking at the bigger models with corresponding bigger price tags I decided I couldn't afford them hence checking out the second hand tractor offerings. Glad I had a rethink and downsized a tad to the Kubota L4600 as I'm sure it will be a reliable unit. The slasher is a new 5' HD Jarrett. Cheers, Jon

 

[doxford jim]

Jon,

Congrats on your new Kubota - I am sure it will serve you well. Obviously you can afford to buy it - many Chinese tractor owners didn't / don't have the money, hence going with Chinese brands. That being said, I looked very hard at new Kioti in 2007, but $47,000 was a lot more than I could afford. Used is dicey as there is a reason the machine is sold - often not good reasons.

Yep, if I could have afforded it I would probably have had the Kioti, but it wasn't to be.

Don't forget - we want lots of foto's mate - forum requirements and allows everyone to drool !

Cheers

Jim

 

[jthorne]

No worries Jim, I'll take a heap of photos when it's delivered and can start slashing the long grass in the paddocks and fixing up my 1 mile long driveway that's up hill and down dale all. There will be Brown snakes, Black snakes, Tiger snakes, Death Adders and Goanna's leaving my bottom paddock when I start taming the grass. They can move very fast and will get out of the way without too much drama. I've seen Black snakes in my bottom paddock over 10' long. Having the tractor and 5' Slasher keeping the grass nice and park like will make for much more relaxed walks from the cabin down to the river for a swim. There's something about walking through long grass and hearing a slithering sound a few feet away that I find fairly unsettling.
We get on average over 90 inches of rain here each year, so there is plenty to do with washouts etc and very fast growing grass. Totally agree with your thoughts about used machinery, there's always a good reason why a used tractor is on the market, some honourable and some not so honourable. I'm stretching my finances to buy any tractor but think I've made the right choice going new, at least I'll be able to do what I have bought it for and won't be in the situation of having a tractor sitting around that needs repairs that I can't afford. Thanks for the good wishes, Regards, Jon.