where is the bargain?

heith · May 16, 2003

northern tool is selling jinma 30 hp tractor for around $14,000 with a loader.why would you buy that when you can buy a johndeere 790 with loader for $14,500 here in richmond va.like jd or not ,it's a much safer tractor then that notrac.A fool and his money will soon part,when buying the wrong tractor in this case. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Anonymous Poster · May 17, 2003

Well if you can buy a 30 h.p. john deere ,4 w.d, with a loader for 14,500 than I guess its a no brainer.If you step down to the nortrac 25 h.p.,which will do just about every thing the 30 h.p. will do,than you ain't going to even come close in price,to the namey brands,and the 25 h.p. is a fairly large frame tractor compared to the namy brands.Also remember,a john deere is just a yanmore,which is also a good tractor,but still one of those hated greys. RICHARD GAUTHIER

heith · May 17, 2003

yes,that JD was with 4wd and you are right Richard,the smaller the horse power the more they become a value option.Even still,when compared to let us say the 20hp with a loader 4wd nortrac at $8500 ,would you not have to think long and hard to spend 20 percent more for name brand.Of course when you crate a jinma you save at least 20%off a nortrac.If you like to gamble and tinker ,then that seems like an economical way to go. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Anonymous Poster · May 17, 2003

I see your point,and its a good one.Sometimes it depends on how you are paying for something,finaceing it or cash,I mean if you are saving your money to pat cash for something,than the difference in the price takes on a whole new meaning,i.e.,I can buy this now or I'll save another year and try to get that next year,seems to me like it was about $ 4,000 dollars differents in what I paid for a 254 nortrac and the comporable big two or three,and they were a smaller body size,no loader,at least I think thats about right.Mine doesn't have a loader either,john deere must have a good price going on the loader packages.But yeah I believe I would look real hard at that j.d. before buying the 30 h.p. nortrac,but I'd probably not be buying the 30 h.p nortrac,they had them last fall when I bought my 25 h.p.,and the loader for mine ,if I got one would cost another 3,000 dollars,so I bet you they won't be selling many 30 h.p. with loaders on them either.Now as far as those crate tractors,I know there the same tractor as mine and all that,but I actualy drove mine part ways home from the store I bought it at,just up on my hill,and I won't even,anymore,buy a small thing,[lawnmower,etc.],unless its put together.To much agravation for me,but to some I guess its an adventure,I've had all the adventures I want. RICHARD GAUTHIER

heith · May 17, 2003

I agree about the adventure part Richard, I've had all the big money surprises I need.From what it sounds like,you bought yours when 25hp is all Nortrac offered and the big 3 were just gettig started in smaller hp compact 18-25hp tractors.And at that time assembled jinmas were a good deal.The one thing I liked about the jinma tractors when i was shopping was the weight of the machine,that can't hurt when doing FEL work,but I ended up with A BX22 Bota.I had to have a back hoe and needed a gauranteed parts source.Thou,I don't think that will be problem with the notrac. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Tractors4u · May 17, 2003

A grey market tractor is one that was not intended for new sale in a particular country. Since Yanmar manufacturers the JD 790 for the American market it is not a grey market machine. Nor are the Yanmars that were sold new in the U.S. back in the 70's and 80's.

Anonymous Poster · May 18, 2003

You are right of course,but still,being that john deere hates the name yanmor,they are considered by some on this page,NOT BY ME,a little off color,maybe not grey but maybe a cream color,but you are right they are not now allowed to sell new purebred johndeeres by the name of yanmore any more,just used ones and ones that have been painted green. RICHAED GAUTHIER

Inspector507 · May 18, 2003

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( they are not now allowed to sell new purebred johndeeres by the name of yanmore )</font>

They never did sell a purebred JD under the YANMAR name

Anonymous Poster · May 18, 2003

That sounds like one of those john deere guys calling now! RICHARD GAUTHIER

Anonymous Poster · May 18, 2003

northern tool jacks up the price. Ive seen most places carry Jinma for 7k but you build it yourself and a loader would cost maybe $2500.

Inspector507 · May 18, 2003

But they sure did sell a heck of a lot of JD's made by YANMAR . Oh, by the way, I have one of those hated greys a Yanmar.

Anonymous Poster · May 18, 2003

No,no,they are not grey,they are creamy colored,my neighbors is red,well maybe they are a red creamy colored tractor. RICHARD GAUTHIER

heith · May 18, 2003

I have also seen them in a nice blue! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

DIYGuy · May 19, 2003

A new JD with loader for $14k? Even the little 20hp gas powered garden tractors from JD are $13k. When I asked for a ballpark figure for a 20hp diesel with a FEL I was given the number $27k from my local guy. So, $8k vs. $27k is a bargin in my book.

Tractors4u · May 19, 2003

I priced a JD790 a while back and was given a price of $13,900. If someone quoted you $27K for a 20hp with loader they thought you were an easy mark with deep pockets.

heith · May 19, 2003

Yea,I agree with Brent.You must have sucker written all over your forehead. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

usedcarz · May 19, 2003

i haven't checked out northern site in a while, but sounds pricey to me. i sell jinma 304 tractors for $9900 and koyker loaders for $2950 installed or around $2500 you put on. as far as one of those $14k john deere's, i sure would like to see one! apparently things are a lot cheaper there /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif than they are in ohio! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

JohnS · May 20, 2003

Apples and Oranges. It seems like you are comparing the advertised price of a larger Jinma 304 to an aggressively priced physically smaller JD. HP wise the JM304 compares to JD790, but don't think the JD can handle a 6' rotary cutter, 6' box blade, and other implements the the 304 can. A better comparison is the Jinma 224/254/284 to the JD790. Jinma 200 series is still much heavier and could be important for some types of work. A "normal" price comparison then would be $7600 for Jinma 254 to $13900 of JD790. Around a 40% difference. There are many other factors to consider, that all depend on the buyer and their needs. For many, JD will be the right answer, but for some others the Jinma is going to perform the tasks they need.

Rick Jay · May 20, 2003

I don't wish to bad mouth Northern, 'cause overall I think they're a pretty good outfit. Their prices are usually fair, but the shipping adds up quick.

In looking at their Nortrac tractors, I have to admit that the tractor prices look attractive. However, if you price in a loader and backhoe (as I did with mine), there doesn't seem to be any break in price. In fact, sometimes those prices are more than other OEM or namebrand aftermarket mfg's. Plus, I wanted a hydro, so that differential had to be figured in as well.

I decided that if I was going to spend $2500 on a loader and $5700 on a backhoe, it was worth it to spend a couple extra grand for peace of mind and buy a major brand (in my case Kubota) from a local dealer. Others may feel different, but in my mind, these tractors are a bit more of a gamble (dealer support issues, mostly, and future parts availibility) than I was willing to accept.

I'm sure they're fine tractors, they just weren't right for me.

~Rick

JohnS · May 20, 2003

Northern's FEL and Hoe are US made, so there is no cost advantage. Since the implements are more than the tractor price, it drives that percentage much lower. You made an objective evaluation, and that is all anyone can ask. You could purchase the Jinma FEL and Hoe, and save some money on them, but they are not as good value as the tractor is. The FEL is slightly less than US made one, and the backoe is probably around $3K. There is additional issues to deal with, though. Again, not an apples to apples comparison.

In reality, the chinese tractor sales are not taking away from new big 3 sales. While some people might brag it up, that you can buy two Jinmas for the price of a big 3, in reality they were probably not close to allocating that much money to a tractor. The 2nd tier, Kioti, Branson, Long, etc are the ones nipping away at the big 3. Most of the people that I know, that are purchasing Chinese, are doing so instead of buying used or grey, or alternative to renting.