45hp Chinese tractors

[doxford jim]

Hi everyone,

I have been reading the posts here and on the CTOA forums for several weeks now. Have posted a few questions but the answers have been few and far between. So here goes with a few more questions and I hope I don't bore too many of you with them.

I live on 150 acres on undeveloped land that is mostly treed, with hilly (5-10% slopes) terrain - mixed soils from gravelly areas, clay and rocks. The area around the house is about ten acres and cleared. Current tractor an old MF-65 which has a FEL but is 2WD and tired (1958). I would like to replace the Massey with a new 4WD unit of equivalent horsepower. Three tractor brands seem to keep surfacing that look to be really good replacements - Jinma, Foton and Kama. I am retired with limited funds so cost is a big factor (got to sell some equipment to pay for the new one). I have a large heated workshop and am mechanically inclined, so the maintenance part would not be such an issue for me.

From my reading of previous posts, there seems to be only Kama related posts for mostly the 554 model. The other two brands seem not to have many posts or subjects - is this because owners are by and large satisfied with their purchases and have had few problems?

I really like the looks of the Jinma 454 - 45hp at PTO (which would relate to around 52hp at the engine). The size and weight would be comparable to my old Massey. The 4WD would be a big help on my land. I would get both FEL and BH and a snowblower for work I have in mind (drainage ditches, fencing, levelling, mowing, snow clearing etc.) Any comments on the Jinma v's Koyko implements welcome.


Well, I guess what I am trying to ask is for opinions on performance of the 45hp size tractors. How good a service have they performed and what problems have you had with them? Most of the posts seem to be for 20-25hp range , there has gotta be some 45hp owners out there!!!

Thanks for your patience - any comments on the units would begreatly appreciated.


mariner

 

[greg_g]

Can't speak for the new EPA version, far as I know none have arrived on these shores yet. Matter of fact, I'm not sure which version gets imported into Canada. Regardless, I have to question where you got your horsepower rating. My pre-EPA FeiDong and KAMA manuals show the KM454 as 33.1KW engine/28.2 PTO. The KM554 is listed as 44.1 KW engine/33.0 PTO. The KM554 sounds good on paper, but consider that it's only a mere 50 kilos heavier than the KM454. All that extra horsepower can go to waste, if it can't efficiently be converted into tractive force.

One factor of effective tractive force is the actual ground you're working The amount of wheel spin demonstrated on my rocky hillside makes me glad I didn't spend the extra bucks for a KM554. If on the other hand you have nice flat loamy ground, more horsepower per pound might be to your advantage.

I had three of those 24-25hp jobs; one Japanese, two Chinese. None of the three of them were up to the job of tending 30 acres of hillside pasture and woodlot. This KM454 can do everything they could do, better - except for turning in a smaller circle. I was so pleased, I bought it's little 35 hp brother for the light work. Took some trial and error, but I think I now have the right tools for the job. I hope this will help you figure out which is the right tool for YOUR job.

//greg//

 

[3RRL]

Hi doxford jim,
Are you looking for 45 PTO hp? From your post, that is what I gather. There are several dealers on this site that may be able to tell you more about the Jinma 454, but as Greg said, I don't think it would have that hp at the PTO. You'd have to go up to the 554 series ... of course, I could wrong there? I personally have the Kama 554 and have been thrilled with it's performance and power. There are the Foton tractors too that may fall into line with what you're looking for.

You might want to visit this Chinese tractor site to see if you can get more information too. Many of the same dealers also post on that site and are very helpful:
Chinese Tractor Owners Club Forum