Re: Chinese Tractors Aren\'t Worth the Risk
John, Mike, ByuBill et al., thanks for the replies. The dictionary defines risk as the possibility of suffering harm or loss. In the case of a tractor, one would suffer harm, excluding safety issues of course, if the tractor fails to perform as designed. And one would suffer loss if one decides to sell the product and has to offer it at a substantial discount because there isn’t a ready resale market. I made my conclusion that Chinese Tractors aren’t worth the risk (for me) primarily based on the following factors:
1) Reliability - Will the tractor perform as intended with a minimum of hassle and without aggravating quality control problems. I have followed CTOA for a while and know many of you visit there as well. You undoubtedly have seen the same posts I have seen so I won’t dwell on them here. I think we can agree that Chinese tractors have their share of issues, but that most problems can be solved with patience and a few mechanical skills. However, what happens when one experiences more significant problems. Just a couple weeks ago, I saw a post on TBN of a guy who had numerous troubles with has NorTrac and eventually got them to take it back. I will admit that one example does not define a trend but it does serve to prompt additional questions. Reliability is not my most significant concern with the Jinma though. The next two items are…..
2) Maintainability – If I have problems, is there a strong dealer network with good parts availability. This issue is key…dealer support. If there was a local dealer, other than Northern which appears to not have mechanics onsite, then I would be much more likely to consider these tractors. For Chinese tractors, the only qualification to be a dealer is the requirement to fill at least one container for shipment. That doesn’t give me a good comfort level that the guy will be around to help me service the tractor for several years. Maybe other dealers will be…but maybe not.
3) Resale Value – If I don’t like it, can I sell it without loosing half my money. Since Chinese tractors are relatively new to the US, a ready resale market does not yet exist. In fact, I have personally never seen a used one for sale. They are so inexpensive anyway that I guess most people would just buy a new one rather than risk inheriting someone else’s potential problems.
Any one of these factors would not be enough, in itself, to reach a conclusion. But when considering all the factors, I concluded these tractors were not for me.
A note on the “stirring the pot” comments. Some folks apparently think that these discussion forums should not be about discussion, but instead should be little more than cheerleading sections of the respective brands. Any negative comment is automatically viewed as someone “looking to start trouble” and disingenuous. Sorry, but I don’t understand this line of thinking. If someone’s comment appears to be reasonable well thought out, the comment is valid regardless of the underlying motivation. Over on the Kubota forum, I saw a bunch of people “jump on” someone who made one slightly negative comment about a Kubota compared to a Kioti. I don’t believe in wasting time on useless arguments anymore than the next guy, but everyone should be entitled to express and defend their position. In my experience, open discourse often leads to a deeper understanding on the issues.
