Jinma how reliable

[alpha]

I am new to tractor buying and I was wondering how good Jinma is; are they strong and reliable or prone to any problems? also what size 4wd unit is good for a loader back hoe to fix up a gravel drive way and dig up small stumps and brush?

 

[SPIKER]

Hi Alpha;

well lets ee, for as reliable goes, like anything they need regular maintenance. I've had one for 2 years and haven't had but one problem with the oil pressure gauge, adn I simply put in a cheap dirrect reading one which I liked better as it has US measurements in PSI rather than the old arrow pointer.

I have TLB it is a JM284, (28 hp 4 wheel drive, get the nomenclature here?) Mine is nearly identical to the JM254 but mine has higher RPM limit which means it will out put a bit more HP. Only real difference is the Injection pump govenor limit. My FEL is the import ZL20, and I like it OK, but many prefer US made Kokers or Great Bends. I don't know as I haven't seen or used one of them. I also have the Import HOE the JW03. it is OK but lacks a good digging depth, only really good to about 5 feet. after that it goes really slow cause you can only move about 2 feet at a time to get the last 18" of dig depth. I also have Import Finish mower, (stay away, the price is not good enough to off set it's import parts problem and blade/belt problems, though it is frame wise one heck of a heavy bugger!) the improt tiller is good but others say they have tine breakage brobs, I've done lots of vigin soil / sod tillage and haven't breoken one yet, I think it is cause they were trying to go too fast!

there is the CTOA which has a NEW site and It is set up as a helping place to goto for answers to common problems with them and many not so common problems.

they do make shuttel shifts now, fairly NEW so may have a few buggs in them? I would not suggest anything smaller than the 254 for a back hoe, and fel work you HAVE to have the 4wheel drive version too, as the FEL and 2 whdrive spindels are too weak.

anyhow go to ctoa site and look for dealer links, and the NEW bb. (I hate it myself. liked the old BB 100 times better. here is link to there http://www.homestead.com/ctoa/

next best site is Johns site, he has a 284 as well and loves his too, so much so he has compiled all this info on his site and is only for his and others enjoyment, http://johnstractor.homestead.com/ great amount of info at these to places.


this is the old BB parts board, for CTOA http://wc1.worldcrossing.com/WebX?14@19.rdE0bnZlphI.289518@.ef0c611

and the old BB for added info but it may be gone soon?

http://wc1.worldcrossing.com/WebX?1@19.rdE0bnZlphI.289518@.eec20e0

anyhow there is a lot of comroddery for us china JINMA owners, best part is we can rib those big three buyers to the fact we paid 1/2 as much! lol

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[DIYGuy]

The reliability of a Jinma tractor is directly related to the attention to detail used when assembling it stateside. When done correctly they are absolute work horses. Simple minded, but work horses.

I put mine together myself and have had two issues, both user inflicted. I didn't properly purge the fuel system before firing it up, and I didn't pay close attention to the wiring when putting my dash board together. Both easily fixed once I figured out what I had done.

The full story is available @ www.DIYQuest.com under the chinese tractor link.

Fow what I paid, I'm a very happy camper. I have a 224, you'll need at least a 254 for what your doing, the differences between a 254 and a 284 are top end RPM only. There is no real difference between them.

I have the 224, a 6" chipper, a 60" RFM, a 62" snowblower, and a 48" boxblade. Total cost: $9700, all new, all assembled by me.

Most dealers charge about $500 for assembly which also comes with some level of parts/labor guarantee.

If my website doesn't answer all your questions, take a look at The CTOA , or send me a private message.

FWIW,

DIYGuy

 

[Tractors4u]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( best part is we can rib those big three buyers to the fact we paid 1/2 as much! lol )</font>

I really don't get that. If you bought a Chevy Cavalier would you rib the guy who bought a Cadillac? Not to rib you who bought a Chinese tractor but that point really isn't valid. Now if you bought a John Deere 4310 as I did and you got it for 1/2 the price then you could rib me. The Chinese tractors and the big 3 are not comparable as for features, warranty, off the lot reliability, and resale. For the price of the Chinese tractor you get a good deal in a heavy powerful tractor. If you buy one of the big three brands you can get a big powerful tractor with every option imaginable, a rock solid dealer presence and a product that will probably last longer.

 

[Durbob]

DIYguy , is the 224 the same physical size tractor as the 254 or 284 with only a smaller motor? I'm wondering also if the 224 will run a 6' finish mower, a 5' cutter and how big of a snowblower will it run?

Thanks
Durbob

 

[DIYGuy]

There are two basic drive line sizes. The 180/184/200/204/220/224 are all the same size. The 250/254/280/284 are all the same size, and a bit bigger than the the 224 and its' ilk.

Big differences are tire sizes, rear braking mechanism, weight, and 3pt. lift capacity.

I know the 354 is even bigger. I don't know where the 304 sits in the picture.

Furthermore, the only difference between the 254 and 284 is the top end RPM of the motor.

DIYGuy

 

[DIYGuy]

The 62" snowblower is as big as I want to run on it. It handles a 60" RFM with no problem, and can scrap pretty deep with a 48" box blade.

I believe bush hogs use a lot more power than an RFM. I don't have one, but the common thoughts on the CTOA are that a 5' hog is max for the smaller units.

I run my 6" chipper just fine. The chipper is just about at the max lift capacity for the 3pt. and PTO horsepower.

DIYGuy

 

[bluechip]

from what I gather the 304 and 354 are basically the same with different RPM rating for the different HP much like the 254/284 models. both have the 395 engine. The chassis is much larger than the 184-284 machines.

I have heard of 224s having 16" front tires like the 254/284 and others with 12s like the 184-224. If the 224 has 12" front wheels, drum brakes and battery directly in front of radiator, it appears it is the same as the 204 3 cylinder. It could be that one of the models of 224 is the two cylinder version of the 254 (rarely imported if even still offered).

I read somewhere that the 254/284 are based on a chassis originally designed for 18HP. I have noticed that most of the gear train/front differential parts are the same from 184 thru 284. The bigger tractors get a bigger clutch and as DIYguy says, disk brakes.

As for reliability, weve sold several Farm Pro versions of the 180/200 and 254 and have only had a few minor warranty issues (gages, voltage regulator, etc) and one bad front diff on a 254 with Koyker 160. This customer does work his tractor more than most of our customers. We had to replace a curl cylinder on the loader earlier on, not sure what happened, he only had a "few" large rocks in the bucket at the time it failed. Still, he is very satisfied with his tractor which replaced a tired 8N Ford.

The larger 304/354 are not near as popular as the 200 series and have not been available for as long so user testimonials will be a little harder to come by, you might try the CTOA site.
CTOA

I read somewhere (unverified) that Homier sold about 6000 Farm Pro tractors, don't know how many JINMA and other brands of JINMA have been sold, but there are a LOT of these tractors out there now and still very few used ones showing up for sale indicating (IMO) that across all brands, most owners are at least content with their purchase.

The key is to understand what you are buying. These are basic machines still a little rough around the edges. They will do the same jobs the big name tractors will do, they may take a little tinkering from time to time, they will cost about half as much as a big name tractor to buy. THere are multiple part resources so spare parts should remain available at reasonable cost due to competition.

I recommend driving before buying, know what to expect so you'll know if it exceeds your expectations!

 

[RWB]

Hi Alpha. I was in your shoes last August. With the many boards help and many of the owners I bought a Nortrac 204C. It is a Jinma with new label. I love it. If you don't mind a little maintainance work it is a great tractor. I have a 7' snowplow on the front. Moves it around like it isn't there. I love it /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif http://nortrac.proboards26.com/ /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Chinese tractors and the big 3 are not comparable as for features, warranty, off the lot reliability, and resale )</font>

I agree completely. Not an apples to apples comparison. The big 'value' on the jinma is the price. For instance.. the 30hp jinma for 9999 is great for a new tractor... however I paid 9500 for my NH 1920 with 720 chassie hours 4/engine hours(rebuilt), and 4years old when i got it... all that said.. they are similar in weight and size... except the NH 1920 is head and shoulders above the jinma etc..

If you are doing a task that doesn't need a 14K$ dollar tractor, the jinma is the way to go however...

Soundguy