The YangDong Y385/485 is notorious for hard starting in the cold, even with compression release. So the fact that my TS354C has none does not please me. I was forced to compensate with a few hundred dollars of aftermarket cold start assistance (two oil pan heaters, glow plug and starter relays, 10ga wiring upgrade). Starts fine now, but much of that would have been unnecessary had the **** thing just come equipped with a compression release.
Long story short, consider the 3 cylinder - if for no other reason than the compression release. I've always felt that 3 cylinders ran smoother than 4 cylinders anyway (something about harmonic balancing).
You might want to take a 2nd look at the price difference between crate and assembled again. I can't help but think you're looking at the FOB China price for crates. Add shipping/customs/delivery costs, and I bet the difference is considerably less than $5K. And when you buy crate, you have no local dealer with whom to work out warranty issues. You wait for months to get (warranty) parts on the slow boat, then have to rely on your own resources to install them. That's gotta carve a chunk outa the "difference" too. Oh, and the crates don't come with assembly instructions. I'm not even sure they include parts inventories.
You might also want to add those costs to the FOB price of a Chinese loader, then take a 2nd look at American aftermarket loaders. There is a GOOD selection of demonstrably better quality loaders being made in America for Chinese tractors. I'm betting that overall, US dealers of Chinese tractors sell more American loaders than they do Chinese.
Mechanically, the TaiShan and the Jinma seem reasonably comparable. Either can be had with 3 or 4 cylinder engines and shuttle shift. If ground clearance is important to you, the TS wins. If weight is important to you, the TS is heavier. In the case of a tie, I'd say dealer support would be the deciding factor.
//greg//