I am not familiar with the McConnell tractors but from what I see on the web site they look like the old Tiashan or Benye. I do think it is true that you get what you pay for, with that said I don’t think everyone needs a 10000hour machine to clean stalls or mow a couple acres twice a month. I have had good luck with Jinma, Dong Feng and Kama. There have been issues to work out for sure but at this point nothing bothers me about them anymore. I sell them for what they are and nothing more. There have been many times that I had to turn people away who wanted to buy a Jinma because I new they had no idea what they were getting into and it was not a good tractor for them to own. Sometimes price is a huge blinder to reality. TYM and the other Korean made machines are a totally different tractor with different expectations. If I planned on making a living with a tractor I would feel confident I could do that day after day with a TYM, Century, Kioti ect.
I have more mechanical problems with Chinese machines, nothing big usually. Most go out and we never hear form them again. I try to set the customer up to expect some problems so when it happens they or we fix it and they move on.
I have more burocratic problems than mechanical problems with Korean companies. The "Mini Napoleons" that are trying to make there mark get tiresome to listen to. They burst into town, tell you they have the best tractor (they have confirmed reports that JD is shaking in their boots...sure..), demand you do this and that, tell you how you should sell tractors (thank God, I have been just sitting here waiting for someone to show me how to do it), pump you full of water bed salesman accounting then their gone. I think Korea has a great product and I do think they are offering a better product right now than the big three in some ways. But company longevity is the only true mark of excellence in tractors.
We wont know who the winner is today for 20 more years. Allis Chalmers built a great compact tractor, 20 years later…..survey says!
