Buying Advice KAMA advice, KM 454 & TS 354C

greg_g · Dec 9, 2004

( Greg has had more problems with his than most of our other customers his was one of the earliest we brought in )
I'm quite surprised to read that Chip. Perhaps your other 454 customers just didn't give you as much feedback. You got blow by blow emails from me, simply because I WAS an early customer. I figured my experiences would help you help subsequent 454 buyers.

After two years of Jinma aggravation, I found the KAMA to be comparatively and refreshingly trouble-free. I consider the problems you described as trivial, only one of which (the fuel line) actually resulted in a brief work stoppage. Since putting about 70 hours on the tractor, I've never run into a single problem that I couldn't fix myself with simple tools (and parts support from Chip). The Jinmas on the other hand, were in the dealers shop I'll bet a half dozen times before they even logged 50 hours. There are still a few minor issues to work out on the KAMA, but they should go away too - shortly after the warranty parts arrive.

//greg//

greg_g · Dec 9, 2004

( What dealer did you buy from? Southern IN vs Western KY might not be much of a diff. )
I actually got mine sight unseen Patrick, selected strictly based upon features/specifications/price. The first time I physically laid eyes on one, was when it was delivered to me from Arkansas. To my knowledge, there are no brick and mortar KAMA dealers in (Western) Kentucky yet.

Following up my earlier response; at $10K for a parts only warranty and no delivery, I'd absolutely positively walk away from that deal.

//greg//

GRUMPA · Dec 10, 2004

Paddy I've had very minor problems with mine. Leaky steering cylinder, Rust in sediment bowl, bad reverse switch. And I just got a file from a member here for radiator hoses. Seems the chinese hoses dislike american anti-freeze, which means they dont last long. With the exception of the radiator hoses the dealer sent me parts with a simple phone call. The only thing that took time was the steering cylinder, that was a 6hr job. But lets face it I've never done it before so I was going at it kinda slow.

greg_g · Dec 10, 2004

( Leaky steering cylinder, Rust in sediment bowl, bad reverse switch. And I just got a file from a member here for radiator hoses. )
FWIW, my leaky steering cylinder just turned out to be a torque issue with the inside banjo fitting. The cylinder itself was good. Because of its location, I could never get a torque wrench on the banjo bolt, and was afraid of stripping/breaking if I overtightened with an open end. Eventually the light bulb came on, and I put a 7/8" (22mm) crows foot on the end of my torque wrench. Seems my previous tightening attempts never went over 50 ft/lbs. With the crows foot I was able to determine that 65 ft/lbs is a safe torque, cuz it's never dripped threre since.

The green/black stuff in the sediment bowl will go away with time, as the chemicals in fresh US fuel slowly kill off the algae and mold that grew in the Chinese fuel. But the rust won't go away till you clean out the tank. Short of actually taking it off the tractor, you need to remove the sediment bowl AND the connector tube. The tube sticks up a full two inches inside the tank, and keeps the bottom two gallons from ever coming out. THAT's where all the crud hides. With the tube out, that last two gallons will drain out, bringing a lot of the crud with it. Unfortunately, there are at least two baffles in the tank that will still hold some back. But at least a good portion of it will come out with that bottom two gallons. Repeat as necessary.

I've had no issues with the KAMA cooling system like I did with the Jinmas. By 20 hours I'd already replaced hoses/cap/clamps, reverse flushed the radiator and block, and replaced the rusty water with antifreeze mix. I also had to remove the battery to clean the lower radiator fins out with compressed air. Since I've seen none of these problems with the KAMA, I'm assuming that ShanDong uses a better grade of cooling system components on their machines. 70 hours, no overheating - no leaking - no cooling system issues at all.

And that file you got, I'm pretty sure was limited to Jinma crossovers. Other than on the Y385 engine, I'm not sure you'll find it useful for a KAMA/TS.

//greg//

bluechip · Dec 10, 2004

Greg,

I didn't mean to make you out as a complainer, if that is how it sounded, I retract. What I was trying to say is that you have pretty much experienced most of the common problems that we have faced with the KAMA tractors, they have been very solid performers. We did ship a starter to another customer. I wasn't saying you had a lot of problems, although you have had a few minor ones, and I do appreciate the feedback as we address these issues with the factory and they are improving consistantly, albeit slowly.

I would be doing a diservice if I said they didn't have any problems. My main point is how much more I think of the KM series than the TS series for the modest price difference.

Paddy · Dec 10, 2004

I thank you again. This is what I was looking for dealers/owners discussing..issues. Sounds like small stuff. I think the small diff in price quickly will justify the KM 454.

I have not visited any dealers..yet. And as I noted the KM 454 was listed at $10,000 via the web site. What price should I expect with a fel? I could see from this website it was located in a residential area, houses next door and all. I would feel beter to buy from an established tractor dealer.

Are there decent owners/repair manuls?

BlueChip, you deliver to Southern Indiana?? What's your web site?

I'll be off to Vienna/Prague next week but, hope to be able to check in with my new tractor friends. When I get back, I'll be shoping for my x-mass present!

Patrick,

ptm@bluemarble.net

Conway · Dec 19, 2004

I recently purchased a Kama 554 tractor in a crate. While setting up the tractor I found that tractor has a 24 volt starter. The tractor has a 12 volt alternator and was shipped with one 12 volt battery. The tractor does not start in the cold. If I hook up a second battery in series to create the 24 volts will this damage any of the other electronics.

Scozz · Dec 19, 2004

Conway you'd probably do better bringing the starter to a rebuilder and having the solenoid changed. I think that would be the best solution for the long run .. Scozz

greg_g · Dec 20, 2004

( If I hook up a second battery in series to create the 24 volts will this damage any of the other electronics. )
First thing I'd do is get on the horn and order up a 12V warranty replacement. That will only leave you with a temporary starting problem.

In the mean time, we need to help you find a temporary starting solution. To determine if a 24v jump will do any harm, I need to know if your engine is the direct injection model, or if it uses thermal start assistance; like glow plugs? Thermo-Start?

//greg//

Conway · Dec 20, 2004

Thank you for the help. The tractor has direct injection. As a test a mechanic friend and I disconnected the wires to the rest of the tractor and used a second battery in series. The two batteries and the 24 volt starter REALY cranks the motor over nicely and it was about 10 degrees. Disconnecting the wires is not easy for the long term. I was told there maybe some kind of switch that after the tractor starts it would put the system in parallel. This switch maybe be built in now but we don't know.