Jinma ? reliable

[wisc]

Looking for a tractor and thought I had narrowed it down to a Kubota. I must state that I don't know much about tractors so wanted a sure thing.
However, a friend of a friend told me there was a JINMA dealer about 52 miles away.
Please give me your thougths on this brand. I get back to my place about three days out of every six weeks. I want something that is going to work and not waste my time on mechanical issues and I'm not very mechanically inclined.
Thanks

 

[mscott]

If you have a good dealer like a few that advertise on here and you want a good cheap heavy workhorse Jinma tractors are not really that bad. I've owned just about every make tractor and they all need maintence and repairs.
I've put 400 ROUGH hours on a Jinma354 and its holding up amazingly well. Not at all like a lot of people on here will say that they are total junk and a waste of money.

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

As a Jinma Dealer/Importer is it a good tractor as long as it has had a proper service/prep before it is put to work.

The 200 and 300 series are most popular and with parts access in USA.

If you purchase one assembled ... it does not mean it has been properly serviced. You have to do a little home work.

No doubt, if you can wrench a little..... you can save money and have a nice little work horse.


Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

 

[RonMar]

Well you came to the right place to help make a decision. This is an excellent resource for the Jinmas and tractoring in general. Unless you have a dealer VERY close, or are reasonably mechanically inclined, a Jinma may or may not be the tractor for you. Don't get me wrong, I have a few hours on mine over the last two years and it has been perfectly reliable and if you spend some time reading back thru this chinese forum you will see that overall they are pretty good. You will also read about the occasional simple and complex problem. Some due to manufacture, some due to operator inattention or error.

I have made a few modifications to my 284 to help improve it's long term reliability. I also have the tools and experience to split the tractor in half if I have to swap the clutch and can troubleshoot and fix a hydraulic valve or pump in my garage if I have to. I also have enough experience running machinery to know when something dosn't sound right. If you should have what I would call a minor problem like a bad pump or a blown headgasket, having to truck it 52 miles for service will get old real quick, especially if you don't have a truck and trailer that can handle 3K# worth of tractor and loader. Being close enough to a dealer to at least have the tech come to you is a much better situation if they will do it.

If you are a reasonably competent do-it-yourselfer, the 200 series Jinma is a very easy machine to work on. Very reliable in my opinion if set up properly serviced regularly and operated within it's limits. They are a very capable machine and a good value for the money.

My .02

 

[greg_g]

Jinma - reliable ?

In the field of Chinese tractors imported to America, there's nothing remarkable that separates Jinma from the rest. There is however a direct link between long term reliability and regular (and competent) maintenance. Chinese tractors owners need either
(a) be mechanically inclined with a reasonable set of tools and a decent place to work
or
(b) know a competent and responsive mechanic who's not afraid to work on something that doesn't have a shop manual

//greg//

 

[wisc]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[joerocker]

You'll need to do SOMETHING to ANY tractor you buy. If you think you'll buy one and forget it (like a car), well...forget it, move into a condo somewhere and hire a lawn service. Not only is there the tractor to maintain, there is also all the equipment you'll need and maintaining.

"Tractoring" isn't really for the guy who can't/won't do his own maintenance. It gets REAL old having to lug a tractor to a shop (especially if it isn't running!) or paying someone to come out to fix it.

Now, as for reliability...who REALLY knows? I don't know of Chinese tractors (Jinmas) that have been around that long. I've heard of several hundred hours but not several thousand. I'm also not sure how long parts will actually be available. Will I be able to get a part 5 years from now after a design has changed? How about 10 years? I tend to doubt it. So, I may be stuck in 10 years with a lawn ornament. I'm hoping I'm wrong and parts ARE available for 10, 15, 20+ years after they've been out of production.

The bottom line to me was price. At the time I wanted a NEW tractor and didn't want to pay the $10,000+ that the "real" tractors were costing. I bought the Jinma because it was so much cheaper. I CAN do some of my own work and I've had to already. But I figured that I'd saved at least $5,000 and I'll put up with a LOT of trouble for that $5,000 if I have to.

I don't know what to tell you... How is your financial situation? If the double (or more) price doesn't bother you, get a "real" tractor. But, they too have their occasional problems. Me, I have more time than money that I'm willing to spend on a fancy lawn mower. I figure I can do a LOT of repairs with that $5,000 I saved and still end up even with someone buying a "real" tractor. In fact, even if parts aren't available in 10 years, I can buy ANOTHER Jinma and still be even with the guy who bought the "other" tractor.

BTW, I'm happy with my Jinma (FarmPro actually). It does what I need it to do. The problems it's had are minor. As the others have said, change the fluids (unless you KNOW they were changed already), check the valve lash, check ALL the routine maintenance things before you drive it. Mine had the air filter just laying in the enclosure, I didn't notice it for a long time, like 50 hours. Check it ALL well before you drive it!

Good luck...

 

[bjr]

I've had a JM354 Jinma for 4 years now and go 500 hrs. on it. I'm pretty good mechanic also and have had to do maintanance on it. All trarctors require manitenance and mechanical skills. Maybe in your case calling in a custom farmer operator once in a while woud be the way to go. Tractors and associated implements are expensive and need to be maintained in order to be dependable, so don't think you're just gonna continue to hop on the machine and never have get greasy and frustrated and shell out money, ain't gonna happen when it comes to farm machinery. You'll have the decision to make but just be real about it and you'll be happier in the long run. bjr

 

[Soundguy]

Hmmm... Big difference between maintenance and repair.

Topping off fuel, draining water traps.. greasing fittings, changing oil/fluids/filters.. kicking/airing tires.. looking for a loose nut or bolt every now and then.. those are maintenance items... I agree.. EVERY tractor owner will have to do those.

Repair's.. are another thing entirely... I think the forum archives speak forthemselves when it comes to do-it-yourself repair parts... A quick perusal shows that hydro pumps and qds are a common issue.. (former usually caused by the ill-made/fitting latter...) switches, starters.. glow devices. etc..

Those are the nuisance items i believe the original poster is asking about. IE
not having to fuel it.. but hopping on it every 6weeks and reasonable expecting that the key will make the starter turn and get the GP's hot...that the iffy qd's didn't decide to deadhead the pump.. etc.. those issues. Individual part QC stuff....

Lets face it.. 300-500 hours? that's no time .... 800-1000 hours?? That's just barely considered break in time for most diesels..

When these guys get to multi-thousand hour sets.. then we can reconvine the jurry on total cost of ownership.

I'm not knocking them.. I'm just saying lets give a realistic view and let people walk in with eyes wide open.

It's not so much an issue that a starter may be replaced under warranty.. it's the inconvienience of the downtime.. and perhaps haul time involved when you really wantd to hop on your tractor and 'go' one morning.. That is what I felt the original poster was asking about...

Soundguy

You'll need to do SOMETHING to ANY tractor you buy. If you think you'll buy one and forget it (like a car), well...forget it, move into a condo somewhere and hire a lawn service. Not only is there the tractor to maintain, there is also all the equipment you'll need and maintaining.

"Tractoring" isn't really for the guy who can't/won't do his own maintenance. It gets REAL old having to lug a tractor to a shop (especially if it isn't running!) or paying someone to come out to fix it...

 

[BTDT]

I've had a JM354 Jinma for 4 years now and go 500 hrs. on it. I'm pretty good mechanic also and have had to do maintanance on it. All trarctors require manitenance and mechanical skills. Maybe in your case calling in a custom farmer operator once in a while woud be the way to go. Tractors and associated implements are expensive and need to be maintained in order to be dependable, so don't think you're just gonna continue to hop on the machine and never have get greasy and frustrated and shell out money, ain't gonna happen when it comes to farm machinery. You'll have the decision to make but just be real about it and you'll be happier in the long run. bjr

Any pics of your unit? Does it look similar to this, about the same size, is yours 4x4?