Surcharge For Prepping Chinese Tractor?

[bp fick]

I have wondered about this. Is paying a surcharge to a brick and mortar dealer, to prep a Jimna/Foton torquing everything, fitting, changing all fluids, and so forth worthwhile and preferred?

Or does one just go for the absolute lowest price at a Rural King type seller and doing these tasks yourself?

Thoughts and perspectives appreciated. The difference in price appears to be substantial. How does someone, how did you weigh this out?

 

[greg_g]

First, I should say that - for Chinese tractors - it's currently a buyer's market. You should be able to negotiate much better with independent dealers than with the chains.

But more to the point, it also depends upon how confident you are in your own ability to maintain and repair. These are pretty simple machines, but you still need a larger than normal set of tools, and a decent place to use them. If those pre-requisites pose no problem to you, it's possible to negotiate a lower price from many dealers by proposing a parts-only warranty.

I am personally underwhelmed by the mechanical expertise shown me by Rural King, and would only deal with them on a parts-only basis. If they actually hired qualified diesel and tractor mechanics, they couldn't afford to sell the tractors and implements so chea; Outfits like Homier don't even DO warranty work.

But if you don't know which is the hammer and which is the nail, definitely go with a full warranty from an established and reliable local or area dealership. Might not hurt to see if an extended warranty could be folded into the deal

//greg//

 

[bp fick]

Thanks

Yes, it is generally understood that Chinese tractors require the owner to be competent mechanically.

So, to the questions. It is your position that a dealer can:
1.) provide a superior warranty support system than a "big box" store seller. That's would seem to be a positive thing and reasonable.

2.) offer a better price than Rural King, Northern Tool, et al.


Would you also rate the setup of a dealer to be superior to a big box seller?
Do they generally do a better job of assembly, change of fluids, and re-torquing, or are those items expecting too much?

 

[CurlyDave]

I would be careful with a parts-only warranty. The way it works in practice is that unless a dealer does the repair, the parts are not covered.

Now tractors may be special and I have seen threads here where a good dealer will exchange a bad part for a knowledgable owner, but I don't know of any car or appliance dealers that will do the same.

 

[Diamondpilot]

A good dealer setup tractor will be turn key like any other brand. Getting one from a box store or self importing leave you on your own. I bought a tractor that was serviced properly then took it upon myself to service again at 100 hrs and its been a pure joy to own.

I had a bad thermostat and a the typical Jinma Starter issue in the first 300 hrs. I also replace the oil pressure sending unit and a hydraulic hose, both my doing as far as getting damaged. I would do it all over again but will probably never get rid of my 254, just get a bigger model to complement it.

So yes, its can be worth the money to get one serviced by someone who knows how to do it properly and what little things to look for.



Chris

 

[Bob Rooks]

To look at it from a different perspective, the sale price of a tractor would normally include the dealer prep work, in fact I don't believe you can purchase a new Case, New Holland, Cat, JD, etc., without it. Nor can you purchase one of the aforementioned tractors from anyone but an authorized dealer. Almost all authorized dealers have well equipped shops which requires considerable capital expenditure, and most all authorized dealers have parts departments with sizable investment in stock parts. And the last time I checked I couldn't find any first-rate mechanics, welders, secretaries, parts managers, or GM's that would work for free for very long - and I don't blame them a bit - ya gotta eat and pay the bills! A Bacharach test stand to calibrate fuel injection pumps, test injectors, and set up and test governors will require an investment of over $90,000.00 US. If I had one I wouldn't be doing freebies.
That said, the Chinese and some grey-market brands offer something not usually found in American commerce or business models; a new product drop-shipped directly from the factory for a no-frills dirt-cheap price. This model has it's drawbacks from a customer service standpoint in that some of the importers don't know anything at all about tractors, their business is importing not "tractoring", and several of the small independent guys just want to make a quick buck or two. The tractor box stores like Northern, etc. are bound to have service and parts departments that are staffed. The smaller dealers are similar only usually staffed by several employees and the owners themselves, and to say which gives the better service or price, one could only base that on personal experience, since experiences can, and do, vary widely.
In the end one has to not only consider price, but value as well. The value of a well prepared tractor far outweighs the price difference of one that was directly imported.

 

[greg_g]

The way it works in practice is that unless a dealer does the repair, the parts are not covered.

Not so with Chinese tractors. Not yet anyway. The price on my KAMA for example, was reduced after arriving at an understanding that I would never require warranty maintenance or repairs. Whatever repair/replacement parts I justified, were shipped for a year. I still order parts, but after that first year I pay retail.

Owners who went the crate tractor route - and their numbers are not small - have a similar arrangement. They assemble and maintain the tractor, parts-only warranty for the first six months. And no dealer to get the parts from. They had to deal with getting them across the Pacific (one of the reasons I believe crate sales have dwindled).

//greg//

 

[bluechip]

Most of the warranties, if any, offered on Chinese tractors come from the importer, distributor and/or the dealer and not the manufacturer. The factories in China really don't understand warranties, most handle it by a "parts allowance" shipping a percent or 2 in spare parts free with the tractor orders. The "parts only" warranty helps keep the selling prices down. I have distributed tractors with and withour labor included in the warranty and they both have pros and cons. We have always included free labor to install warranty replacement parts on our chinese tractors for local customers and used UPS to ship parts to distant customers. The idea behind the parts only is to avoid paying an inexperienced local shop big labor charges on a repair. The tractors don't require a lot of special tools, and are fairly easy to troubleshoot over the phon or on a forum like this. The customers who buy at rock bottom price will end up doing their own work. better dealers charge more, do more prep, and stand behind their product with parts and labor when appropriate.

 

[bp fick]

Most of the warranties, if any, offered on Chinese tractors come from the importer, distributor and/or the dealer and not the manufacturer. The factories in China really don't understand warranties, most handle it by a "parts allowance" shipping a percent or 2 in spare parts free with the tractor orders. The "parts only" warranty helps keep the selling prices down. I have distributed tractors with and withour labor included in the warranty and they both have pros and cons. We have always included free labor to install warranty replacement parts on our chinese tractors for local customers and used UPS to ship parts to distant customers. The idea behind the parts only is to avoid paying an inexperienced local shop big labor charges on a repair. The tractors don't require a lot of special tools, and are fairly easy to troubleshoot over the phon or on a forum like this. The customers who buy at rock bottom price will end up doing their own work. better dealers charge more, do more prep, and stand behind their product with parts and labor when appropriate.

Thank you. That was helpful. I would LIKE to think that a good dealer would assemble, re torque, drop all fluids, etc I would like to think that his margin and profit would benefit the buyer. Do different dealers give you a "check list" or some sort of statement in which they detail their efforts?
Do they clearly state just what they do to prepare the machine? Do different dealers go to greater lengths? I have heard of replacing belts and battery. Is this kind of thing true? I'd like to believe my questions are the kind most anybody might ask, or maybe I'm just being weird. LOL

 

[Bob Rooks]

I have heard of replacing belts and battery. Is this kind of thing true?

FWIW, I replaced the V-belt on my 2006 Jaing Dong engine after only ~75 hours.The date code on the OEM belt was 1946. I replaced it with a link belt. I will never have to replace it again.