Ok, so whats the deal with the NorTrac tractors?

[sd455dan]

Jinma tractors are not for the mechanicly feeble. If you trade your car is off before the warranty is out, because you are afraid of the blinker bulbs burning out, do not even look at these tractors. CTOA.net is a site specifically for Asian tractors. Lots of good info on there. Do your homework, make your own decision. Lots of people have put thousands of hours on them, and love them. I do not know about Northern and how they treat their customers, but there are several dealers in the United States that treat graymarket Tractor owners very well. I can have my parts in my mailbox in less than three days when needed. Mine is 10 years old with over 750 hours and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Rock solid little tractors, little glitzy things that you need to live with. No major failures of any type.

Agree ^^^

Mine is not a Jinma- but has been a very good machine to- for what it cost, going on 1300 hours. hour meter is mechanical and most of the time runs well below rated pto speed , which is how it counts hours If it had an electric hour meter I think it would be close to 3000 hours.


now going on year 23 of use.

Farm Boys has had any parts I have needed and generally for a very reasonable price.


There was a guy on CTOA that bought a 70 hp YTO ( troysie) and last I saw he was very happy with it. here is the thread after he posted

Edit:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/234777-chinese-tractors-4.html plenty more china tractor bashing in that thread to.

The tier 4 pretty much killed the chinese tractors being imported. He got his before it happened.




Maybe if he see's this thread he will give us an update on the now almost 10 year old machine if he still has it, also how Robs 80 HP Duetz copy has held up.

Good or Bad I would still like to know.


One of the draws of these chinese tractors especially when you get above about 50 HP is a Whole lot more machine ( literally) for the same money.

but just like the big name tractors there are differences in quality in chinese machines. also believe that the quality does improve when moving up in size but that is jmo

I am at times surprised at just how little activity-( as far as problems) being posted on that site there are, concerning the owners tractors ( I am also a member) sometimes it is weeks without much activity.

Sold my Ford 3000 - and it was a really good tractor.
but
did keep the more capable, comfortable 4x4 tractor
with suspension seat, full lighting package, canopy, 55 hp heavy built (5400lb. without loader) and easier starting ( in the winter) QUIET running machine.

If you are going to have a local name brand dealer wrench on the tractor you buy- I would not suggest a chinese tractor.
if you do not have basic mechanical skills i would also recommend against it.

as far as parts go I have seen a lot of posts on this site where a much newer Name brand machine than my Rhino, had a whole lot more trouble sourcing a part they needed than I have had.

That being said there are also some chinese tractor orphans that have very poor parts availability.


Before considering buying, check out their availability for sure. The sponsored chinese parts suppliers have a really good idea as to which tractors are well supported.

Would I buy a Rhino 554 again, without a doubt. I have a friend who has tried to buy mine on a couple of occasions- but it is not for sale.

 

[MossRoad]

So I looked at my Northern Tool catalog and it says to go to NorTrac.com for more information....

Guess where NorTrac.com takes you???

Right back to Northern Tool.

Can't find ANY information about how to get it serviced anywhere on Northern Tool's website.

 

[northernsierras]

So i've been looking at the 45XT and the 55XT. These tractors are lower priced than the 30hp Kubota with a loader i was about to buy. I called Northern Tool last night at 11pm pacific time and right away got a hold of an American that spoke English. I was trying to figure out more info on how i can get one with a loader as they dont show them on the website. He told me to call the main customer service on Saturday. I called them and the guy told me how the whole process works. They are assembled and tested in Minnesota. The 45xt and 55xt are new tractors and so may not have all the implements listed on the website. He told me to call Nortracs main number on Monday 952-808-6697. The customer support already seems to be top notch. These guys were very helpful and I didnt expect to get ahold of anyone at 11pm on friday night but i did. Its good to see you can contact Nortrac directly instead of just a random associate for all of northern tool, so there's that.

I need to gather more info on monday, but it seems to me the downside of buying these tractors is mainly about getting repairs done. With a kubota you can just take it to the dealership to get it fixed (i assume) but im sure it would also be very expensive. With the amount of money you save on these tractors, you could buy an entire garage full of every tool you would need to work on these tractors. Personally, I dont like depending on mechanics to fix my stuff when i can learn how to do it myself. If you start fixing your stuff early, you will become a great mechanic in a few years and save yourself a ton of money.

 

[jeff9366]

Do you do ALL your own car and truck maintenance, including transmission work?

What do you know about hydraulic systems?

Find out if the Operator's Manual and Parts Manual are in Chinese, Pidgin English or English.

There are many Japanese and Korean car brands for sale in USA. None from China, though General Motors has the largest car market share in China.


You are a BRAVER SOUL than I.

 

[northernsierras]

I live far away from any cities that would offer tractor repairs. It would take a 2 hrs just to haul the tractor to a paved road, and another 4 hrs to get it to the nearest large city. Then i'd have to drive back home, and then back to pick it up, and then back home again. So for me, anytime my truck breaks down, i fix it myself. If i need a tool, i buy it. If i dont know what Im doing (everyone is here at some point) i research, read the manuals, and figure it out. Painful? YES. But once you've fixed an issue, it takes a fraction of the time to do it again. You build your knowledge arsenal up this way and save countless dollars in the long run.

One of the requirements for me buying a nortrac will be the manuals. If they have good repair manuals and i can talk to someone who assembles these things i'd probably pull the trigger on one.

 

[tcreeley]

I have been seeing Northern Tool (Northern Hydraulic) sell tractors under the Nortrac name for 20+ years. They haven't gone away. TBN folks own them. I've never seen one up close- but it reminds me of my Japanese made Shibaura New Holland. I thought it was American made at first. Nope foreign. - I once owned a Datsun - excellent car that became Nissan. I bought a Hyundhi back in the 1990's and have had 4 of them since. Terrific car. Korean made. Each time there were warnings against them. Parts, dealers, etc.

I bought my TC30 used. I couldn't see paying 8,000 more for a new LS (29hp) that had 600 fewer hours. Nortrack was in the running until I found my tractor on Craigslist. - I stayed away from the pricey green and orange tractors- nice as they looked.

Good luck.

 

[WM75Guy]

Here is the warranty info. With the exception of the $100 deductible after 60 days it looks like any other warranty in that getting it to and from the service center is your responsibility. I would ask where the closest pre-authorized service center is located.

View attachment 511124.pdf

 

[coralhead]

Do you do ALL your own car and truck maintenance, including transmission work?

What do you know about hydraulic systems?

Find out if the Operator's Manual and Parts Manual are in Chinese, Pidgin English or English.

There are many Japanese and Korean car brands for sale in USA. None from China, though General Motors has the largest car market share in China.


You are a BRAVER SOUL than I.

Do YOU drive your tractors to work or do you have vehicles that you have to have functioning every day? What the prior poster meant is that he can do the work if he has the tools to do the work and can figure things out. BRAVER SOUL? Probably not but is more mechanically inclined. Some people can pull wrenches and some use them as hammers.

 

[newbury]

<snip>If you start fixing your stuff early, you will become a great mechanic in a few years and save yourself a ton of money.

I've tried that route with 2 used Kubota tractors since '09. Bought the WSM and parts manuals, basically so far a waste of money. About the only thing I've had to do besides batteries, fluids and filters is swap out a several hydraulic lines and 1 leaking bucket cylinder.
Darn things don't break down.

I've read all the manuals from front to back and THINK I'm prepared, but it definitely has not made me a "great mechanic" or saved me "a ton of money".

I used to own a Fiat 128SL back in the '70's - Now that car was a training tool.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

So I looked at my Northern Tool catalog and it says to go to NorTrac.com for more information....

Guess where NorTrac.com takes you???

Right back to Northern Tool.

Can't find ANY information about how to get it serviced anywhere on Northern Tool's website.

That should tell you all you need to know.