Go BottomWho makes Nortrac
 | RonCorliss
Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 4 Vermont 
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2010-08-17 173199
Who makes Nortrac? Reliability? Are they really the bargain they appear to be?
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 | greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky 
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2010-08-17 173200
At first they were all Jinmas. But then they started adding higher horsepower Fotons. Not sure where the dividing line is, perhaps around 40hp. So "who makes Nortrac?" depends upon the specific tractor you're looking at.
As far as whether or not they're a bargain, it's purely a matter of "you get what you pay for". Except for stuff required to satisfy EPA requirements, the rest of the tractors are still basic; 1950s-1960s era tractors wrapped up in new paint and decals. For the mechanically inclined, they're easy to work on in the field with basic tools and basic skills. Parts are relatively inexpensive. But expect a need to keep on top of the maintenance, especially preventative maintenance. These tractors are only as good as the guys that keep'em running.
It's meaningful to note that the single largest group of Chinese tractor bashers are the ones that can't be bothered to lift a wrench, then complain bitterly when something breaks. The second largest group of bashers - have never actually owned or operated one.
//greg// ....
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 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto 
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2010-08-17 173201
A good place to ask would be the Chinese Tractor Owners Association. ....
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| greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2010-08-17 173220
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//greg// ....
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 | earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-17 173223
Greg in auer's defense, realistically how many Chinese tractor owners are there here? ....
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| auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2010-08-17 173227
Because the CTOA is a helpful site that does not seem to be well known.
Greg, you're THE or one of the top helpers on this site, bright, knowledgable, multilingual, clear, patient, so I really should have said "ANOTHER good source of info is ...." ....
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| greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2010-08-17 173228
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//greg// ....
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| greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2010-08-17 173229
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//greg// ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173236
Greg;
Maybe I qualify as a China tractor basher with my feelings toward anything not built in the USA. As hard as I try it is almost impossible to buy anything here that is completely built on our side of the drink. I'd have a hard time flying "Old glory" then parking a foreign car beside it.
No, I'm not too lazy to work on anything within my talents and still do my own light maintenence on my farm stuff, a handicap situation prevents the more rugged stuff.
As you said the Asian built tractors are 1950's design with things I don't want to go back to. After growing up with the old crude Farmall, two banger Deere stuff, I consider it kind of a reward of retirement to drive a nice Deere with the high dollar gozmos that I know will fail, but I'm willing to pay the Deere guy to fix it.
Frank. ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-18 173237
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Greg. Greg. Greg. Come on man--what are you talking about? Normally I have great respect for your opinion but this is completely off-base. Your comment has absolutely NOTHING to do with my comment.
And as far someone cannot have an opinion about something that they've never owned or operated is bogus.
It's called empirical data. It's called research. And from my experience an owner of a lesser brand is less inclined to be truthful about their purchase. It's called buyer's remorse. The other side of the coin is inflating or misrepresenting or plain lieing about it. It's called fish story.
Like a good friend says about opinions: opinions are like butts. Everyone has one and they all stink.
....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-18 173238
Frank let's not lump all Asian tractors together. We're talking about Chinese for now. But there are other Asian makers like Korean, Japanese and Indian, to name some. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173239
EW;
What's wrong with lumping them all together.
I know they exist, yes.
I have looked at them, yes.
I have driven one, no.
Do, I remember any brand names, no, I couldn't pronounce most of them, and couldn't read any decals on most of them.
They all look alike to me where ever they are built, and I never took the time to reseach where any of them were built.
That's why I lump them together as "Asian Tractors."
I can name three or four full line Deere dealerships within 15 to 50 miles with a a full line of parts or overnight at the latest for anything I need for all my Deere "Lawn "Toys".
Does Deere anything cost more than an "Asian" as I'll still call them, yes, without question.
Anyone who chooses to buy "Chinese", if you prefer or "Asian" I'll still clasify them is totally free to do so, that's their business.
Frank. ....
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-08-18 173240
Sometimes I know a bog when I see one and this thread could become one.
To begin with each of you do a great job in helping and I have learned from each of you and do read most of your replies as they offer good help and insight.
I have been puzzled by the often reference to the Chinese group also. Not saying anything about them for I have no idea of them other than that reference.
This I will say about Chinese tractors, seems the way China's economy is growing and ours decline we should all be concerned. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173241
KT;
Your comment about the Chinese economy over taking ours does concern me big time.
In my not too well informed mind it kinda boils down to our greedy US?, based corporations. With little concern for our own economy or the quality of things we can buy from the latest Deere plants being built in any country with cheap labor and lax safety standards to the toxic plastic kid toys the Wally World imports from the cheapest source.
I'm not going to pick on any particular political party, because to me they are all a bunch of theives who will sell their vote to the highest corprate bidder regardless of any concern for saving our own economy.
I realize that I'm a one man band trying to compete with a 300 piece orchestra, but I still try even tho it is all but impossible to not buy anything not totally made here on our soils.
You're correct, this thread has gone off track from it's beginnings and with this I've probably already said way too much, so I'm done, for now that is.
Frank. ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-18 173242
Franky, what I was getting at is even some Deeres and New Hollands are made in Japan and then assembled here.
What I think you're saying is anyone who lives in say, Iowa, is cranky. That can't be true. I only know of just one, but ya gotta love him anyway. Friends? ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-18 173243
Sorry for hijacking too. But I have to say that corporate greed doesn't have its foundation in the employees or the management. Whpo owns the greedy corporations who make them go off shore to increase profits?
The shareholders, the investors that's who. So by default anyone you know who for example is retired and gets dividend checks every month is guilty of running our economy into the gound. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2010-08-18 173244
"Maybe I qualify as a China tractor basher with my feelings toward anything not built in the USA."
"What's wrong with lumping them all together. I know they exist, yes. I have looked at them, yes.
I have driven one, no.
Do, I remember any brand names, no, I couldn't pronounce most of them, and couldn't read any decals on most of them."
Frank, unless I'm mistaken isn't your 4310 a Yanmar in a green sweater?
Best of luck.
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| auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2010-08-18 173249
The 4310 has a Yanmar engine. Don't know who makes the other bits. ....
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| greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2010-08-18 173256
FWIW guys, for years now there hasn't been a tractor sold new in the USA - 50hp and under - that's actually MADE in the USA. Despite the color of the paint or the name on the decals, it's gonna be Asian. Underneath they're either Japanese, Korean, or Indian. John Deere SCUTs/CUTs and most utility tractors are 100% Yanmar.
No - none of them are Chinese (yet). Again, it's a matter of getting what you pay for. Folks with high expectations and a bank account to match - pay the price for one of these Asian tractors with American names. Those of us with lower expectations and bank accounts to match, buy Chinese. At least there are no pretensions in the latter category.
But we've veered way the hell off the mark here. A owner of a Chinese tractor Googles for help, and finds a Chinese tractor forum on TP. Three of them actually. So he asks for help, and gets a few responses. What I don't get is the oft-seen response here - and from a guy that apparently has no Chinese tractor experience to begin with - is a referral another forum. I once again refer to my Chevy guy at a Ford dealer example earlier. Now if there's a problem presented that exceeds the capability of our membership to satisfactorily resolve - by all means provide referrals.
Let's put this shoe on another foot. What reaction do you think a member would get after repeatedly posting on the TP Yanmar forum; "try another Yanmar forum"? Head count time. Who's against returning this to a Chinese tractor HELP forum, as opposed to turning it into a Chinese tractor bashing forum !!??
And one more FWIW. I've been a contributing CTOA member myself for as many years as I've been contributing here. I've contributed to at least half a dozen Chinese tractor forums over the years, four memberships currently active. So referring someone to another forum where he/she will get the very same answer(s), is pretty near always a waste of everybody's time.
//greg// ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173261
To all the above:
Yes, I know my Deere has a rice burner under the hood.
My Chevy pickup truck was built somewhere with the lowest cost labor avalable, probably Mexico, I don't know.
God only knows what my Trailblazer was built from, (beer cans?) or where it was built.
My "H" Farmalls I can guarantee were US built, but a set of ignition points for one I can guarantee will come from China or the lowest bidder. I guess the point of all my ramblings is that even tho the stuff under the shell may be made in Antarcita for all I know at least they have a domestic logo om the hood, and that's kind of important to me.
During the last three or four of my working years I helped a pretty good sized Pioneer seed dealer as the head flunky delivering a few extra bags of seed to someone who was running short, that kind of thing. I don't know how many customers they had, maybe 150 or so at the time. The best part of that job was all the nice people I got to meet. Lots of them to this day still call me by my first name while I stumble trying to remember theirs. While doing my delivery dutys I just noticed what kinds of tractors, pickups etc they used, never made any comments about it to them but just noticed.
Now being true midwesteners EW would maybe call us a bit slow, but I'll call us more traditional people here.
The overwhelming majority of real farm tractors were Deere, then CASE/IH, Massey Ferguson, etc., domestic brands. Only one man I remember had Deutz.
Then to pickup trucks, I can't remember ever seeing anything but a domeatic brand in any of their yards.
Oh, one last item, EW, yes friends for life, kissin kin, well maybe not that close. And yes, my "Bidness" would look really good with your name on the door, just bring US currency, a big sack of it and she's yours.
Frank. ....
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| kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-08-18 173264
Not sure where I might have bashed the Chinese tractors but if something I said here implied that did not mean to. What I know of them is way to limited to make any real comment on them. I do have my reason why I would not be looking to buy one and it is dealerships. If there are any dealerships within 75 miles of me not aware of them. As much as I am pleased with my Kubotas would not consider them either if no parts or dealership in reasonable range either.
....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2010-08-18 173266
Frank, I wasn't trying to point fingers here, just pointing out that while as nice as it is to think of you're own country first, it isn't always a good idea, let alone that simple.
Take those Japanese cars, trucks and tractors for example. Japan is country of about 128 million people living in 145,925 square miles. That's barely 2.5 times the size of Iowa.
Where do you think they grow enough food to feed all those people on that little island?
I can tell you where. They grow it in America.
In one year the US exports about $2.6 BILLION dollars worth of just corn alone to Japan. That's 1/4 of all the corn the US exports.
Do you know how many Kubota's US$2.6 BILLION works out to?
Sort of like the barber who drives a Cadillac complaining that the guy that owns the Ford dealer goes to the next town to get his hair cut.
You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, but on a global scale.
Best of luck. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173271
Murf;
Yup, I grew corn for 46 years and our tenant has grown corn on our place for four years since, so I am aware of the foreign trade things.
Guess I'm just too much of a flag waver, and I get a bit carried away.
Frank. ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2010-08-18 173273
Murf, I git it---auction, bid, bidness, minding bidness. I'd like to say that was a good play on words! LOL I'd LIKE to say that tehehehe.
Kenny did you git it? I'll 'splain it to you later. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-18 173274
EW;
Don't forget good ole "Monkey Bidness", still a bit of that goes on. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2010-08-19 173292
Frank,
Nothing wrong with patriotism, not a thing, but protectionism is a different kettle of fish. That only results in a downward spiral for everybody.
The best for everybody is fair competition, the best product sells the best, period.
Best of luck. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-19 173293
Murf;
Yes, I'm far from an expert on foreign trade of ag products. But do know that like any other trade of equal quality products with the freight, tarrifs, political barriers, etc, all cominmg to a bottom line cost the low bidder gets the trade. ....
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| Lwayne
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 95
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2010-09-25 174173
Just to clear things up further, the only reason I had my Chevy in the Ford dealership in the first place is because my other car is a Dodge. ....
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