I have been reading a lot of the information on this forum, and have found it very helpful, but I still don't know what tractor is right for me. I have 4 acres of pasture that I want to mow, and 26 acres of trees and brush that we periodically thin so would like to have a front end loader. Any suggestions? Anyone familar with the Chinese Jinma tractors? Are they any good for the price? Are parts and service readily available. Thanks for any help.
1st time buyer for a compact tractor
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Anonymous Poster
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{A better spot for this post would be in Other Brands as this Forum Feedback is normally used to address technical issues with this website}
First, determine your budget... the last couple of years, street prices in the U.S. on the "majors" compact tractors have tumbled downward... making the offshore orphans much less attractive...
The reliability, parts availability, product & service support are a given for the major players.
It has been helter skelter for offshore. Granted they are trying to clean up their act... but changing sheet metal on the outside doesn't fix the quality control problems that have haunted these imports since conception.
I don't know how you'd feel, but if I spent $8000. for a bargain offshore tractor, then a year or two down the road had to spend $900. for a clutch disc... and waited 8 months to get it.... I certainly wouldn't be a happy camper.../w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Caveat Emptor
(My humble opinion...)
First, determine your budget... the last couple of years, street prices in the U.S. on the "majors" compact tractors have tumbled downward... making the offshore orphans much less attractive...
The reliability, parts availability, product & service support are a given for the major players.
It has been helter skelter for offshore. Granted they are trying to clean up their act... but changing sheet metal on the outside doesn't fix the quality control problems that have haunted these imports since conception.
I don't know how you'd feel, but if I spent $8000. for a bargain offshore tractor, then a year or two down the road had to spend $900. for a clutch disc... and waited 8 months to get it.... I certainly wouldn't be a happy camper.../w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Caveat Emptor
(My humble opinion...)
Just my two cents, but if the budget doesn't allow you to purchase a new one of the big three (Deere, Kubota, NH) then I personally would rather by a good used one of those three, then a new lesser brand. Tractors can and do last a loong time if they are properly cared for. A good used Deere/Kubota/NH would probably end up being a much better choice than a new generic brand with no track record...my personal preference is for the Green ones, but I hear that the Orange and Blue are OK too /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Anonymous Poster
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If your budget is low, Yanmar may be a good chioce for you.
They are well built, and parts are easily found through several dealers on the internet. Yanmar built smaller tractors for John Deere in the 70's, and still builds motors for John Deere's smaller tractor line. You can save several thousand dollars if you dont mind the red paint.
They are well built, and parts are easily found through several dealers on the internet. Yanmar built smaller tractors for John Deere in the 70's, and still builds motors for John Deere's smaller tractor line. You can save several thousand dollars if you dont mind the red paint.
Anonymous Poster
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We have been in the landscape business for 16 years and run 18 tractors of various brands. A year ago my local dealer took on a line of korean tractors and we purchased one since then we have bought 4 more, he also sells two major brands and supplies us with parts for them as well. We have been very impressed with the performance of the korean tractors for 25-35% less initial investment.
WillingtonPizza
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Check out www.power-trac.com. I have a pt425 and love it. I bring it to my friends houses and they are amazed at what it can do.
ERNIEB
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If you look thru the Other Brands forum, or use the TBN search you will find plenty of comments on Chinese made tractors. I have to agree with tjb. I'd sooner take a good used NH, JD, or KB.
Ernie
Ernie
ERNIEB
Platinum Member
At the top of this page there is a link for the search engine. On that page you select the forums you wish to search thru, the time period, and fill in some words to search for. I would suggest "chinese tractors". Past comments made on TractorByNet where the words appear will be displayed. You can also try "rhino", "Nortrac" and "nellie belle" that are all brand names of Chinese tractors sold in the U.S. There is about 3 or 4 others that I can't remember right now.
I will also add this. From my own research there are at least 3 tractor factories in China, probably 4. Jinma is one of those factories. While each produces a slightly different design, they all appear to be about the same "quality". They all are probably staffed by the Red Army. Good luck/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
P.S. You can try searching for jinma, i think there was a past discussion about them. But I don't think they are sold in the U.S. under that name.
Ernie
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ERNIEB on 05/12/01 09:58 PM (server time).</FONT></P>
I will also add this. From my own research there are at least 3 tractor factories in China, probably 4. Jinma is one of those factories. While each produces a slightly different design, they all appear to be about the same "quality". They all are probably staffed by the Red Army. Good luck/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
P.S. You can try searching for jinma, i think there was a past discussion about them. But I don't think they are sold in the U.S. under that name.
Ernie
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ERNIEB on 05/12/01 09:58 PM (server time).</FONT></P>