Chinese yes or Chinese no way??

[Tractors4u]

You will hear this over and over in regards to Chinese tractors; You need to be mechanically inclined or You will need to do some wrenching yourself. There are only a couple of franchized brands of Chinese tractors. FarmPro is one and they are distributed by Homier, the traveling tool sale people and through independent dealers. Nortrac is another, they are sold by Northern Hydraulic. Both tractors are built by Jinma. You will see a lot of Jinmas sold under other names by independent dealers. Here in lies the problem. Say you buy a Chinese tractor through a Homier Tool Sale and the next week it breaks. Sure you have a warranty but who do you take it to? The independent Chinese tractor dealers are popping up faster than the grey market tractor dealers now. These mom and pop dealers offer their own warranty but if they go belly up so does your warranty. There is a guy close to me that sells FarmPro but it is pretty much a shade tree dealership. If Jinma had U.S. corporate presence they would take the market by storm. If you buy one you better have a rock solid dealer to buy from or a mechanic standing by.

 

[PBinWA]

I would spend the time looking at all the tractors and then decide if you still want a Chinese tractor. I looked at every tractor brand I could find recently. I was seriously tempted by the Jinma tractors but in the end I went for a Mahindra which is made in Japan (AFAIK).

I guess it might be considered below the top three but after doing the comparison I found it to be as good as (or better) than the equivalent models from the top three. The biggest thing the top three are going to get you is re-sale value. You will get a lot more for a used JD/NH/KB than you will for a used Jinma.

I have a neighbor with a 20 year old Rhino tractor and while it is certainly beat up he is still using it and can get parts for it.

Go out and look at the different models in the real world. That was the best education for me.

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> but in the end I went for a Mahindra which is made in Japan (AFAIK).</font>
Which Mahindra is made in Japan? All of the smaller ones are made in Korea and the large ones are made in India, from what I have seen and read.

 

[shvl73]

The 15 series are Mitsubishi's

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

The only issue that no one has brought up is resale value. This often gets some people upset when the issue is raised, If you don't have a NH, Deere, or Kubota, don't plan on having any kind of substantial resale value unless that off brand extremely strong in your area. I often talk to people who want to trade up a lesser brand tractor and simply can't sell it without taking a huge hit. Actualy a week ago I delt with some one with a really nice Mahindra that was going to loose about 60-70% over just 3 years. If your going to keep it forever thats fine, but I would not commit unless you know your never going to want a bigger or more feature rich tractor.

 

[To20Chris]

I think your point is valid, in that resale is based on customer perception of value. If people believe one brand is worth more than another, then it is. Presently, in the eyes of most, Kubota, JD, and NH command more name regonition and the perception of value than Mahindra, Kioti, and others. The others are not all equivalent either.

However, since you are a dealer, and a big 3 one at that, I wouldn't expect the best dollar for my Kioti trading it to you. You have to sell it, so you must value it based on what the general public values it.

Also, I think it inappropriate to list one worst case example of poor resale value and leave it to be inferred that any tractor other than a big 3 will loose about 60-70% over just 3 years. What is the most that a big 3 would loose over 3 years? And what are the deatails about that 60-70%?

As far as resale in general goes, keep in mind how much more you have to pay, up front, to buy that higher resale value later. And since resale values change based on perception, if the relative vlaue of different brands change by the time you sell it, then you may loose that money.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Chris, my NH dealer just picked up Branson as a value line. I was talking with my salesman recently becuase I traded in a RFM and had them install a MMM. While talking I naturally asked about the new tractor line and he seemed pretty blunt about why they picked up the line and what they expected out of it. The tractors are good, but he doesn't expect the value to hold.

Turning value to cars instead of tractors, a guy I worked with picked up a small car for his daughter. She put in ALL her savings as down payment, he added enough to make it a 20% downpayment. Less than 1 month old, the car was destroyed because she was hit (not injured) by a drunk. The insurance policy was not a replacement policy, it was a value policy. They depreciated that 20 day old car almost 30%. Here was a new car less than a month ago, with a car loan that exceeded the insurance value. She ended up with no car and she had to make several car payments to the bank becuase the insurance policy didn't cover balance.

I doubt the Neil was stating worst case, I think he was just giving a real life example. The reality is the minor brands often bring a reponse that is similar to "hmmm, I never heard of that brand. . ."

 

[To20Chris]

Bob,

It does not matter what brand you buy, you lose money the moment you dive it off the lot - the issue is the relative difference between brand x and brand y (and for that matter between model 1 and 2). If you loose 40% for brand X, and 50% for brand Y, but you paid 10% more to get brand X, you're still even (actually ahead). And we all know about the difference between resale and trade in values.

I'm not arguing that Kubotas & JDs have a higher reasle value than my Kioti, they do right now, and I knew that going in. But there are an awful lot of variables determining what your resale value will be when you go to sell. Are you selling it privately, or trading it? How many years old is it - remember that public brand recognition can change. What particular brand and model is it?

I don't even doubt that as far as trade in values go, that a particlular Mahindra lost that much value in 3 yrs. I just don't think that one depreciation value is representative of all non-big 3 brands. I can gaurentee you that if I had found a 3yr old LK3054 with my FEL nad BH for $8000, I would have bought it in a heartbeat.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Chris. . . I'm not trying to get into an arguement but I am looking at CURRENT reality. Many tractor buyers have never heard of some of the brands. I can't figure out why, but many tractor owners have never even heard of TBN. So, currently the trade in values, or resale values on lesser known brands are lower. Will your Kioti maintain its value over time? Probably, it but that seems to be because Kioti is a "breakout" brand that is growing dramatically in sales and name recognition. But the fact that Kioti is growing rapidly does not mean that all the brands are going to be as successful. Massey has been around for a generation or two and it seems to be languishing as a brand with no real direction. Too bad becuase they have good machines, especially the GC series. I think Farmall will be another breakaway, but only becuase dealers were already in place and becuase the name is so well known. The new Farmall is only 1 year old, but it is probably going to sell well and maintain value better than any other non-big 3 becuase of its name. JMHO.

 

[BotaGuy]

I agree with the resale reality 100%. Sometimes peoples needs change....if you read enough on TBN you will see that theme often. Sometimes we move to the city, sometimes people buy more land, get divorced, business goes south...etc.

As far as the lack of warranty. In the case of the low cost Chinese tractors I am not sure that becomes such an issue. While it's nice to have the peace of mind of a 2 year warranty, thats part of the reason the "Big 3" tractors cost so much more.

If a Chinese Jinma tractor, 25 HP, costs $6000......does the warranty matter?? My point being, if you find a 25HP Kubota, New Holland, or Deere in the 6000 range, used with probably over 1000 hours....what warranty do you get with that?? None.

I have looked very closely at importing a container of tracors as the Jinmas are priced right....but I just don't have the free time to mess around, but you all have to admit they are awful tempting to buy for a spare unit especially when you can buy them for 3000-6000!!!