I found the tractor I want, at a $ I can afford!

[docjered]

I have been searching for a tractor, about 35 horsepower, 4 wheel drive, with enough accessories to meet my immediate and near future needs. I have found it! An AG King, AK3540 with loads of accessories and a trailer for under $16,000. This website has loads of affordable units, new and used.
http://www.tripleddd.com/

Jered

[Deberosa]

Good for you! Is this your first tractor? If so you will really appreciate what you can get done with it!

[DM]

Jered,

I assume you realize that tractor is made in China? I've yet to see a chinease tractor i'd spend any of "my" hard earned money on...

DM

[docjered]

I know it is made in China... what isnt made in China anymore?

Rather than walking around angry all the time, I just decided to fight the battles I can win (or at least make a difference).

It will take government intervention to stop the bleeding in outsourcing and import, and that just isnt going to happen, because we want to consume like millionaires; each and every one. Besides, reversing the trade imbalance *at the cost of heavy government restriction would be a mixed blessing at best.

Sigh

Love the tractor, though :) Cant wait to buy my first tractor!!!

I DONT CARE if the Chinese become the Tractor Kings of the world... at least it is working toward food production: the primary purpose of the beast!!!

[DM]

Listen, i'm going to explain myself better.... Please don't take this personal!

My snipe at chinese tractors "isn't" because they are from china, it's because they are not up to the standards we are use to here.... They have too many problems, and are of LOW quality... (read have problems)

I know folks who have bought them and every single one of them now wished they had NOT! In every case they bought them because of the price!

The day will come when china sends us a decent tractor, but in my honest opinion, it's a waaaaaaays away yet!

DM

[Eastex]

Doc, DM is really shooting straight with you. A much wiser investment is buying Kubota or JD. Some of the Korean tractors are nice, but overpriced IMO. Mahindra has some good tractors. Nothing I've seen built by the chinese was worth buying. I think you'll be sorry with that purchase.

[docjered]

Thanks for the advice.... I wouldnt take a John Deere as a gift, though. They may be good machines, but I hate all companies who engage in price fixing, and John Deere is the king!!!

On another note, Triple D sells JD, Kubota, Cub and others, at great prices too. The company I work for (Depot) sells AG King in its stores in China and it gets rave reviews there... I want to test drive and see for myself.

I get a little sensitive about the buying unAmerican, though, as I get hit about it every day at work, as we outsource so many product lines to China these days. Seems like the union guys who complain the most are the same ones buying the Chinese imports and trying to haggle about the price. Funny.

[SPIKE]

Docjered,

I have brought an old thread back up that discusses Chineese tractors. It came up in the farm/garden.........( I guess that is because the catagories have been changed since the thread was started ) catagory. I have been pleased with my purchase, so far.

SPIKE

[BIGGKIDD]

Docjered,

So did you get your Chinese tractor? I ask because I have one and yes I had some problems with it when I first got it but since then I have put 134 hours on it and found it does everything I have asked of it. Not to mention it feels stronger than my dads 55hp Kubota. Mine is a Jinma 354 which is 35 hp at the PTO and 43 at the wheels. Just wondering. I am very happy with mine. And all the money I saved not buying a name brand got me a back hoe, box blade, bush hog, Post hole digger and front end loader. In another year at the rate I am going it will have paid for itself and all the attachments. Not to mention its been putting food on the table for the better part of this year. *

I bought from Smiths enterprise they had the best price and in stock there warranty is good too they stand behind what they sell.

http://www.smithsenterprise.com/

Larry

PS Here is a good site for Chinese Tractor Owners
http://ctocf.proboards54.com/index.cgi

[old_grump]

I truely hope it works the best for you!
For myself I could never buy a foriegn made tractor-- just would go against all I belive in.......

[DM]

For myself I could never buy a foriegn made tractor-- just would go against all I belive in.......

First of all, how do you buy a new under 100 hp tractor today that "isn't" foreign?? All the major brands are foreign!

I have put 134 hours on it and found it does everything I have asked of it. Not to mention it feels stronger than my dads 55hp Kubota. Mine is a Jinma 354 which is 35 hp at the PTO and 43 at the wheels.

It would HAVE to be one sad POS Kubota that would have less power than "any brand" of tractor with 20hp less to feel stronger!!! 20hp bigger is "huge" when it comes to tractors.

Mine is a Jinma 354 which is 35 hp at the PTO and 43 at the wheels.

35 PTO and 43 at the wheels?? Do you mean 43 at the drawbar?? Every wheel tractor made has MORE hp at the PTO than it does at the wheels/drawbar, so those china tractors must be magic!

Last wed. i was sitting at a gas station putting diesel in my truck and tractor when a guy walked up to me. He asked if i had any idea where he could get hydraulic parts for his tractor? I said, what kind.... He stumbled around a bit and said, well i bought one made in china, and i'm haveing a heck of a time... He said it's been down for leaks and other repairs and now he needs more parts...

That's the same old story i've heard many times before, and all i could tell him is to start looking online for some help, as the two dealers we had around here quit selling them long ago... I'm glad someone is having some luck with them, but too many aren't....

BTW, you shouldn't have any problems at all on a lot more than 134 hours! My newest one has more than 1000 trouble free hours on it since i bought it new and it's still on the job every time i need it...

DM

[BIGGKIDD]

DM,

My understanding is that any time a shaft passes through a gear set or set of bearings you have some loss of power. On a tractor the power goes from the Eng. to or through the transmission, to or through the rear end usually into a reducer for RPM and finally out the PTO. I guess its possible that this is wrong but it goes against everything I have learned in school and at the race track in my years. As to comparing the two tractors there is more to consider than just the size. He has a cab and AC/heat, HST, Radio and who knows what else all of which are robbing power. Where mine is strait drive with no cab ETC. Though there is not as much physical size difference as I thought there would be.

Larry

[DM]

DM,

My understanding is that any time a shaft passes through a gear set or set of bearings you have some loss of power. On a tractor the power goes from the Eng. to or through the transmission, to or through the rear end usually into a reducer for RPM and finally out the PTO. I guess its possible that this is wrong but it goes against everything I have learned in school and at the race track in my years. As to comparing the two tractors there is more to consider than just the size. He has a cab and AC/heat, HST, Radio and who knows what else all of which are robbing power. Where mine is strait drive with no cab ETC. Though there is not as much physical size difference as I thought there would be.
Larry

The PTO power goes through the tranny to a gear to reduce the RPM's and out the PTO.... When going to the rear wheels, it has many more paths to take, through several gears, then reducers to the rear axle, and finally it has to deal with the loss' through the tires ect. too...

As for the Kubota... These days you "loose" about 8 "PTO" hp using a hydro over a gear tranny. That's not much! As for the cab, it's a plus, as it adds weight over the rear wheels to add traction, but it does nothing to the PTO hp... The only other power robber would be the air cond., and that's only if it's on, otherwise you wouldn't loose much.

You could easily gain that back, if the Kubota had planetaries, where the china has bull gears...

Lots of things to consider, but when comparing hp of tractors, it's always best to compare PTO hp. That will tell you how much work that tractor can do, compared to another one...

DM

[BIGGKIDD]

Hi All

Just thought I would drop a note in here. My China tractor is almost a year old now with 171 hours on it. Its a Jinma 354. I did have to work a few bugs out when I first got it but since then its done some hard work. I tow it all over to work so far it hasn't let me down. One thing I will say its hard to start in the cold. So I put a lower hose heater on it problem solved. I also broke the american made FEL bucket and had to get a new one. Pushing over large cedar trees is not what it was ment for. It was my fault it broke so instead of wining I ordered a new bucket for it. I still say that unless you have some mechanical background this may not be the way to go.

But if you do and like to save a few bucks and don't mind occasionaly dirty hands then jump in its been a great tractor for my needs. No I don't have a farm or work it at my own place yet but I will soon. I have plans to clear 5 - 10 acres thats heavy in timber and rock. Then build a house for my family and this tractor has a big part in this project. There is no way I could do it without.

KIDD 8)