New to the farming life.

4 posts
Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:55 #1

Member for

8 years 8 months
ianburgess
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 04/25/2016 - 11:25

New to the farming life.

Hi

My wife and I are so new to farming we don't have a farm yet.

Our daughter has purchased 142 acres near Marmor (45k south of Rockhampton) and is planning to stay for many years, and we will be retiring there in a year or two.

Her plans are to keep her two horses in the front 20 to 30 acre area with the house and run 12 to 20 cattle on the rest, of which half is hills and trees.

We have puchased a Chinese 25 HP tractor (2009 Jinma 254) with a loader and slasher until we sort out what finances remain after renovating a second house on the property to get a bigger tractor, but we think the 25HP will do the slashing to place electric fences judt fine.

This tractor to someone with no experience looked pretty good, but over the past week I have noticed a few problems.

There seems to be a lack of detail surrounding some of what appears to be problems and fixes.

The linkages to the 3PL do not seem correct and there is a linkage just floating around.

Reports indicate that the transmission shares the fluid with the 3PL, but the fluid in the 3PL reservoir is nice and clean, but the transmission fluid is baby poo yellow.

There is a nut on top of the transmission with a hole in it where a copper tube looks like it should be attached but all there is, is a hole. I watched a Youtube video that appears to have a tube rising and curving back over, so maybe it is a vent with the bend to prevent water ingress, and this may be the cause of the yellow fluid being water contamination.

Other little things like the inability to go to 4WD ix another. We don't know how hard we should be pushing the lever, because a softish to firm nudge does not engage it.

I will be contacting  a semi local tractor mechanic to see what knowledge he has on Jimna's and hopefully get some answers.

Cheers

Ian

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Mon, 04/25/2016 - 18:24 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the forum.

Question: is the tractor new or second hand? New, it should still be under warranty.

 

My friend bought a chinese made tractor a couple of years ago (now out of warranty), and he's had nothing but problems. Now 6 months out of warranty and the three point linkage on th PTL isn''t working and he can't change from low to high drive, also the hydraulics were leaking like a sieve. Luckily the hydraulics were fixed before the warranty ran out. the other problems, he's stuck with unfortunately. His is a 60 hp, but has the same problems with poor workman ship that you have. He's in his 70's and can't afford to buy another one. My old Fordson finally gave up the ghost, but then it was a 1949 model and if I had my choice and the money, I'd buy a US made one or British one. So for me, lacking the money to buy one, it is cheaper to hire a contractor when I want work done and I bought a good quality brush cutter to keep the fence lines clear.

 

If you have enough left to buy another one when everything is settled, personally I would avoid the Chinese made ones. So sorry that you have been caught with this one. Korean ones aren't much chop either.

 

All the best,

Barb

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Mon, 04/25/2016 - 18:39 #3
ianburgess
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 04/25/2016 - 11:25

Thanks barb.

The tractor is used, but the previous owner bought it new 6 years ago, and claims to have had little trouble with it.

I had serious concerns about the Chinese factor and conducted a heap of research.

Like many things Chinese, much of the complaints are from people with no first hand experience, or the tractors were imported by people who did not carry out fluid replacement of the temporary fluids used for transporting.

There are legitimate  complaints, but also complaints about the more acceptable names. 

The tractor has over 70 hours of light use, and the seemingly normal problems should have been fixed. Well that is my hope.

The current problems do not look seriously expensive so even spending a few dollars may result in a half decent tractor with loader and slasher for under $8000. Can't do that with  USA or European machine.

I have looked at Japanese and Korean new machines of 35HP and there does not seem to be much of a quality difference now, but I guess time will tell.

Cheers

Ian

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Tue, 04/26/2016 - 14:09 #4
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Ian,

Yes, didn't realise that it was a used machine. $8,000 seems like a reasonable price. Guess it should be able to be repaired for not too much considering you didn't pay a fortune for it. In that case it may turn out to be a good buy.

Let us know how it works out. Hope it's fixed soon for you.

 

Cheers,

Barb

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