Jinma Reliability

[RonMar]

I have a 2005 284 with around 250 hours on it. Only part I have had fail is the key switch, and it was delivered with that bad. Dealer had me one in 24 hours... Simple to work on as I have had all the covers off mine to inspect and while doing certain mods. Having someone who knows, go thru and verify certain things like the clutch travel setup, is good. But if you are a competent wrench, the setup info is available here and on other websites. I went with the Jinma 284 because of the number of dealers. I tend to hold onto things, and someday I will eventually need parts. After the few mods I have done, I havn't really had to work on it other than basic maintenance and inspections and some minor repairs liks straightening a bent tie-rod. In fact, I have probably been taking it for granted lately. I just hop on and go lately. It is about due for an oil change though, so it will get an hour or two of TLC looking for loose hardware pretty soon.

It is heavy, but that is why it is such a work horse. Torque is nothing without traction, and that requires weight... It is not fancy, but it will get the job done. I wouldn't call it half the tractor that a Kubota or Deere is, in fact it will probably out pull their comparable HP models due to the added weight, but it was half the price... I had certain jobs to do and a limited budget. It is allowing me to accomplish my goals so that drove my decision.

Good Luck whichever way you decide.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a 25 hp Jinma that I got new from Farm Pro in 2005.I have a small horse farm in Chester Co PA. I have had problems since day one.I saw your post as I was looking for info on what to do next with My backhoe.I can only tell you from My expierence You will spend more time working on the tractor then using it.Parts are harder to find and what I saved upfront would now have bought a Kubuta.

The problem with your tractor is you bought it from Farm Pro. They are about the worst selling these tractors. And the parts for these tractors are easy to come by if you know where to look. You should have found this site the first day you got the tractor. I have a Ford tractor and the parts are twice as much and 5 times harder to track down. Also, the backhoe you got is not the tractor. Farm Pro was selling a cheap $1000 BH they marked up to $3000 and they are junk.

Chris

 

[Affordable]

If you decide to purchase a Jinma,Spring Valley Equipment is a good choice in your area,he has over 30 years tractor experience,several of that with John Deere.As far as parts,we have one of the largest Jinma parts inventorys in the USA,from O-rings to complete engines,we have a online parts store or you can call us but most parts ship out the same day,you can ask others about our service.We help many Jinma tractor owners as well as supporting the dealers all accross the USA

Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
"Your Jinma parts Superstore "
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

 

[Diamondpilot]

Tommy is right and a great dealer there at Affordable. I have ordered parts from him on Monday and had them in my hand by Wednesday.

Just shows you how good a guy he is sending you to a quality dealer like Spring Valley in your area instead of trying to sell you a tractor halfway across the country and ship it to you.

From what I have seen and head of Spring Valley they are one of the top 10 dealers I would recommend to anyone buying a tractor and is the most logical choice for your area.

I guarantee you can get a tractor cheaper somewhere else but will get no support. Remember you get what you pay for. These dealers here on this site give hours of free advise everyday. They have earned all our respect and rightfully so. In the long run a crate tractor that you put together over a fully assembled ready to use tractor that is $1000 more will cost you more in the first year. It will cost you nearly half of that $1000 just getting all the fluids and flushes done once together plus tracking down the missing parts, and fixing any defects. Trust me, been there done that.

Chris

 

[doxford jim]

dreeds,

As other have said, most Jinma owners have gone through something similar to what you are experiecing. When I started looking at tractors I very nearly went with Kioti, but the total cost with the options I wanted was quite high. Being retired, the $$$$'s spent matter to me.

I went with the Jinma and bought the 554 with the Jinma FEL. The price was 25% of what the Kioti would have cost - crated deal. The assembly is not hard if you are mechanically minded.

I went with the crated deal for purely cost reasons. Being retired and having somewhere to work on the machine, allowed to make some good savings. The crated deal means you must go through your machine thoroughly, to avoid mishaps down the road. I have had a few minor electrical problems and one mechanical (steering failure). The steering failure was caused by a broken component which Jinma replaced free of charge - 12 month warranty on parts only.

Would I do it again even if I had the extra cash - yes I would. The machine has performed well and although not perfect (read better models), is easy to work on and maintain with no computerized gizmo's to throw you off or cost you extra money. They are basically a 1960's - 1970's solid machine. Maintenance is easy and as cheap as you can get. There are better machines out there but you pay a hefty premium for them. My JM-554 compliments the other tractors in my fleet - mainly a 1959 MF-65, and outperforms it in a big way.

I think you will find this thread is going to be pretty positive and give you an idea of what to expect. The other mention tractor makes - Foton, Kama, Dong Feng, are all good and can offer good - no, excellent value for your money.

HTH

J.

 

[bjr]

I'm in your area. The two guys that were selling Jinmas here stopped selling them. I needed some parts and had to get them from Jinmaparts.com. No big deal for me. But if your the least bit concerned about walkin dealer support be sure and go talk to who know sells Jinma and see their operation. I bought a JM354 crate tractor with essentially no warranty and no support and I am fine with that and that was 5 yrs. ago and it's been a good tractor for me. I have no FEL as I really feel there's a issue with the stress they put on the tractor front end. Your asking the right questions. I feel Jinmas are not everyone's tractor, but for me it was the right choice. bjr

 

[dreeds]

OK thanks everyone - great responses and information. We discussed it and agreed that's the way we'll go. I spoke to three dealers and all recommended away from the Shuttle Shift option as it was extra parts to fail and brought little gain over using the standard shifter. We're going to go with the 284 as it seems like the perfect size for our needs and there are apparently oddles of them out there. Now I just need to do my implement research...

Dreed

 

[3RRL]

We have the standard shift 284 Jinma.
I don't know if the shuttle shift is available on that model or not, but I sure wish we got that instead of the standard for the kind of work we do with it. Reverse in low range is VERY low and slow. You have to shift to high range to go anywhere in reverse. We don't do a lot of plowing or tilling (yet), but we do a lot of grapple work, boxblading and bucket work. Some of the guys who have the standard trans came to my place and drove my Kama 554 which has shuttle shift and they loved it.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[psj12]

I would also vote for the shuttle if you plan on using the FEL much.

 

[jinmared]

Hi dreeds , I live in eastern washington also and have a 354 jinma 2004 model and it has been a great tractor with no problems . I use it to haul pine logs , to pile brush and to clear snow with my FEL and Backblade. Where are you moving to in this great state?