Farm Pro 25, NH TC21D, JD 430 ????

[indianatruck]

I'm trying to decide between these 4wd tractors--Farm Pro 25 hp, New Holland TC21D and the JD 430, with a 4' bucket and 4' King Cutter rotary mower. It will be used 2 times a year for bush hogging 5-10 acres. The bucket will be used for moving dirt, a few logs under 500 lbs, and snow removal. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[spm22]

You are comparing very different tractors - not a fair comparison, and I am assuming you mean a JD 4300...anyhow, assuming all are new I would expect the Farm Pro (tractor only) to be 60% of the cost of the other two main line tractors. The reasons are many, and chinese tractors like the Farm Pro require an owner willing to do repairs him or herself, and parts may be tricky to locate etc. If you are comparing a new chinese tractor to used japanese tractors, and the price is equal, I would buy the used japanese tractors because of the strong resale, parts and service availability, and the superior design and assembly of the japanese tractors. There is a lot of good reading in the chinese forums if you are serious about a Farm Pro.

 

[bluechip]

The Farm Pro 2425 can handle a 5' brush hog, it is a bigger tractor than the others you mention. You can get a new tractor with a warranty built by a factory who WANTs to ship parts to the USA for about the same cost as a used gray market Japanese tractor without any warranty and with factories trying to STOP imports and parts to the USA. IMO your usage is ideal for a Farm Pro especially if you have the support of a local dealer. I recommend the Koyker loader avaiable only from dealers as opposed to the Chinese zl-20 loader sold direct by Homier.

 

[Matt_A]

There are plenty of places to get parts. My Farm Pro is used very little each year and I'm glad I don't have a payment on it every month. You do have to turn a wrench or two but you learm about the tractor.

 

[JohnS]

I agree with Bluechip and Matt. Only thing I will add is to make sure you go try all three. If you have only sat on the JD or NH, just have to make sure you will be happy with the "basic" tractor of the Farm Pro. The Farm Pro will do all the tasks you have mentioned, probably easier than the smaller NH and JD.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

You are looking at different types fo machines.

The JD 430 is a garden tractor. (are you sure this is the right model #)
The NH TC21D is a small frame cut, 21hp with about 15 or 16 pto hp.
The Farm Pro 25 is larger/heavier than the NH but still modest in size, 25 hp, about 20 pto hp.

Hook a chain up to either the NH or the Farm Pro and they will pull the little JD around the yard like that thing is not even attached. No garden tractor can effectively compete with either the NH of FP.

The NH is generally considered a deluxe tractor, the fit and finish will be top notch, ergonomics on NH's are considered excellent, servicing dealers & parts network well established. Very likely the NH will have R4 tires.

The Farm Pro is a budget machine, fit and finish are below average, ergonomics are rudimentary, parts are generally available from many sources, dealers are typically independant operators. Very likely the FP will have R1 tires.

Now that said, the Farm Pro is going to out work (because of the greater HP) the smaller New Holland and likely cost far less but will probably be rougher running and less comfortable. So it boils down to what you WANT because both tractors will do what you NEED to do.

 

[SevenCorners]

Guys I simply don't get it, why do all non Chinese owners feel like they can tell other potential Chinese owners that parts availability is limited. This is simply not true and I would also add that parts availability is probably better with Jinma's than either of the big 3. And for that matter a whole lot cheaper!
So listen up, All you non Chinese tractor people once and for all parts availability is a non issue with Jinmas.

 

[bluechip]

Hey Seven,
Bob said that parts are generally available from several sources. I took that to mean that parts availability was good. I thought he was pretty much on target with his assessment. Others in the past have posted less objective opinions.

The way I see it is the parts are like the tractors, with a network of independent dealers and importers stocking parts the demise of one importer will not curtail the supply. The independents are now supplying the parts for many Agracat customers and that was a fairly large concern at its peak.

The added benefit is the competition keeps the prices in line not just for the tractors but also for the parts.

 

[JohnS]

Seven,

Agree on the Jinma parts availability and price. Where the big 3 still have an advantage, is their vast distribution networks. Most areas you can easily drive to a big 3 dealer and possibly lay your hands on that part, that day. There are still many areas where you just can't do that with Jinma. Not an issue with myself, since I don't need that type of response time. Mail/phone order or online ordering is fine for me.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> Hey Seven,
Bob said that parts are generally available from several sources. I took that to mean that parts availability was good. I thought he was pretty much on target with his assessment. Others in the past have posted less objective opinions. </font>

Yup, I said parts are available from MANY sources. I never said the availability was not good. There is no real organized dealer network to get the parts from, but there are dozens of importers who sell parts in addtion to Homier & Northern Tool. From what I can tell, Jimna probably sells more tractors here than some of the more known brands, possibly more than Mahindra and Kioti and certainly more than Century, Zetor, Branson, etc. The numbers for Jimnas are hard to come by and I have no real proof that they outsell Mahindra or Kioti. But there are so many people importing them and so many places to buy them that they are obviously selling a bunch of them, but because no ONE source is counting their sales it is hard to determine what their real market share % is. But it would not surprise me if they were #4 or #5 in the small tractor sales behind the big 3, and possibly Mahindra, which I understand is #4???