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Nortrac Tractors vs Kubota Quality

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BurnNotice
Join Date: Dec 2010
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2010-12-30          176037

Hello folks. First I like to say hello. I am wondering for just general work......like using the front loader to haul mulch or carry wood; using a snow blade to push off snow; and using a rear bucket to dig trench lines is the NorTrac 20 HP 4WD tractors worth the money???? They are appealing at their price but I don't want something that breaks every other month.

No heavy work, just basic stuff. Also, can you get a finish mower for these machines?

I have a Kubota lawn tractor that I love for lawn maintenance but am looking to get a tractor for other uses.

Kubota's are great but pricey!

Any feedback is welcomed.



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greg_g
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2010-12-30          176039

Consistent with their price, PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE is mandatory with Chinese tractors. That's pretty much how you keep anything from "breaking down every month". If you are mechanically inclined and have a decent toolbox, NorTrac will meet your needs. If you have to rely on someone else to keep your machinery in top shape, go Kubota.

//greg// ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
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2010-12-30          176044

I have never sat on a Nortac machine but own two Kubotas. I rather take the same dollars for the Nortac and buy used Kubota, John Deere or New Holland in that size machine. If you ever want to sell it think you will find major difference. When you need parts (all do) or service who does it? Yes there are those who have gotten good service from them no doubt. Why I have a drill press to me about same quality and knew it when buying it. The wobble in the spindle is acceptable for the type of drilling I do. When it needs parts if ever not a major issue for have a second again same quality drill press sitting there. Now had I bought a good machine when I first bought would have save a lot of money in drill presses. (would not have two for one thing) Still don't depend on them as I do with tractor. ....

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greg_g
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2010-12-30          176047

Quote:
Originally Posted by kthompson | view 176044
I have never sat on a Nortac machine but own two Kubotas..... If you ever want to sell it think you will find major difference.
Those two statements are at odd with each other KT. You really need to walk a mile in our shoes before you can say anything like that with any degree of credibility. I've had four Chinese tractors since retiring to the hobby farm business in 1992.
#1 I got $500 more than I paid for it
#2 I got $5000 more than I paid for it
#3 & #4 were just traded in on a 2011 John Deere for only $3600 less than I originally paid for the pair 6 and 4 years ago respectively.
So you can see that - in my experience anyway - the resale/trade value of well maintained Chinese tractors ain't as bad as you seem to think

//greg// ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2010-12-30          176052

Greg, if I may, with all due respect, point out that your own statement seems to be a little at odds with itself also.

After telling us how well the Chinese tractors have held their value, you told us that you've just traded in the last two on a John Deere.

A Big Mac is meal, so is a steak.

I read the slogan on the golden arches about how many folks they've served over the years. I can't say I've ever even once been one of those 'billion served' but seems they still exist ok without me.

I like baked 'taters and mushrooms sautéd in butter & a little garlic with my steak......

Best of luck. ....

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kthompson
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2010-12-30          176053

Greg, did my best to be fair I was not familiar with Nortac and if what I said was not simple enough sorry. But had I SAT on a Nortac would that make me an expert on them?

My comment does not say you could not make money on selling a used Nortac or any other brand over what you paid for it. My wife's grandfather bought a Ford and twenty years old could have sold it for 2-3 times what he paid for it. Had been underwater in pond, flipped over backwards and those repaired but not a factory restoration. Some people are good at buying right and then selling right. I think you are one of those by far.

Greg respect you very well, but I do walk in similar shoes and do stand firm with MY opinion, just as I respect yours. We each shared from our brands experience and to me that is about the best we either can do.

Happy New Year, guess the warmer air has hit you by now as it is on the increase here. ....

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kthompson
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2010-12-30          176054

Burnnotice, one thought you did not ask on and may have done it. Find a quite spot with note pad and write down everything you think you might want to do with your tractor before you make a decision. That can help you find the size you need for there is nothing much worse than either too big or too small tractor. ....

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hardwood
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2010-12-30          176057

Burn;
I won't get in this debate as I've never owned either brand.
One word of caution tho,"Never any heavy Work". No matter what brand you buy that rule will be history within the first week.
Frank. ....

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richwaugh
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2010-12-30          176061

Well, since I see Greg is the only one with ACTUAL Chinese tractor experience answering, I'll jump in.

I own a Jinma, (same as Nortrac), and it is a workhorse. I have the 30hp and it outworks a friend's Kubota of similar size, hands down. Yes, you need to be able to do some wrenching if you expect to own any Chinese tractor. Of course, I can't begin to count all the times I've repaired my friend's Kubota that he keeps breaking, too. Tractors break because people inevitably use them hard - fact of life.

I've found my Jinma to be a great value for the money. If I was wealthy I might have just bought a New Holland since that's all that is dealer-supported here, but I'm better with a wrench than I am at making lots of money, so I have a good Chinese tractor.

Funny how on a Chinese tractor forum so many NON-Chinese tractor owners want to chime in when they have no first-hand experience.

Rich ....

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greg_g
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2010-12-30          176062

Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf | view 176052
Greg, if I may, with all due respect, point out that your own statement seems to be a little at odds with itself also.
Can't say that I agree Murf. Perhaps you've forgotten, but I've already explained that in a separate threads here; one about the JD purchase, one about selling spare parts. But to recap, personal circumstances have changed; a cab tractor became necessary in my life. My two current Chinese tractors - a 45hp utility and a 35hp CUT with loader - are being traded for one 43hp JD3720 w/cab and loader.

Chinese cab tractors are pretty much a Canadian thing in this part of the world. It made much more sense for me to get a JD ten miles away from home, than to go up to Canada for a Chinese cab tractor.

//greg// ....

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kwschumm
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2010-12-31          176063

I wouldn't buy one because I've had problems with Northern and because the Chinese are destroying the electronics industry through rampant counterfeiting. Other than that the tractors would probably get the job done as well as tractors made 40-50 years ago.

I did have a Jinma chipper once. A few design flaws in that but after reengineering the feed mechanism it worked well enough. Apparently there's opportunity there because one company was buying Jinma chippers, reworking the flaws, and selling them as upgraded units. Wonder if anyone is doing that with Chinese tractors?
....

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greg_g
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2010-12-31          176065

Quote:
Originally Posted by kwschumm | view 176063
Wonder if anyone is doing that with Chinese tractors?
Actually, at one time there was an American outfit that did something similar. Allied in Ohio comes to mind, but I'm not sure if that's them. Pretty sure whoever it was started up in the early 90s, and lasted for sure into this century. But unfortunately I don't remember the name or location, so I can't verify that they're still in business. There's a chance that when the flood of Chinese direct imports began early this century, they might not have survived the mass-market price undercutting.

What this outfit did was evaluate the best and worst features of the then-current Chinese export models. From the best side of the list, they subsequently cobbled together a unique line of tractors made from those associated parts and/or components. I recall a small line of tractors - probably not more than a half dozen - across the CUT and utility tractor range.

//greg// ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2010-12-31          176070

Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_g | view 176062
Wonder if anyone is doing that with Chinese tractors?
[QUOTE=greg_g;176062] Can't say that I agree Murf. Perhaps you've forgotten, but I've already explained that in a separate threads here; one about the JD purchase, one about selling spare parts.

It made much more sense for me to get a JD ten miles away from home, than to go up to Canada for a Chinese cab tractor.//greg// [/QUOTE]

I was mostly saying that with my tongue stuck firmly in my check Greg, I do recall you saying and can appreciate that logic since I'm in the same boat, a cab is a necessity for me too.


Best of luck. ....

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earthwrks
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2010-12-31          176072

Rich what empirical data do you have support your claim your tractor "outworks" your buddy's?

And what testing data do you have to support your buddy's breaks down more than yours? Simply by virtue of the machines having totally different systems and thusly parts and part quality there is no way to even make such a claim. Unless, that is, it's like a fish story.

It's comical, nay sad really that not unlike---pick an ethnic group---say African-Americans who insist on making that distinction they have African ancenstry REFUSE to be indentified as plain old Americans, Chinese tractor owners have unwittingly done the same. I don't refer to myself as a Franko-German-American no more than I call myself a Japanese tractor owner.

To make any hoopla over being any " x -owner", is well, childish. Yup I said it. ....

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greg_g
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2010-12-31          176073

Imperious question EW, and almost as ridiculous as comparing ethnicity to tractor preference. Way I read it, you ain't all that far from callin' him a liar. The man said he works his tractor side by side with his neighbors. That should be "empirical" enough for anybody.

//greg// ....

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earthwrks
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2010-12-31          176075

Liar. No. Acting like redheaded stepCHILDREN. Yes. And besides I wasn't directing the comment to you anyway. But this is will direct toward you: What's with the wild hair up your bodily orifice? ....

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richwaugh
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2010-12-31          176083

I don't think ad hominem attacks have any place in a discussion such as this so I'll refrain from responding directly to them. ....

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kthompson
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2010-12-31          176091

In all my time (a few years) have never been told a person who does not own a certain brand product can not comment on it. It might surprise some of you there is two ways I know of to veiw this site and the one I does not show what forum it is in (until open). It might be the person who does not OWN one may know more about the issue than a dozen oweners of the product do. So throw out mechanics, engineers and such for info. Then they may be like me and admit up front they did not have any experience with the product but was expression THEIR opinion.

I stated no doubt there are those who got good service from their Nortac. What is the nerve here? I don't get it. This I know it does not offend me for owner of another brand to compare to mine. To me one way to learn. Did not offend me to be told a Nortac is better than a Kubota.

As to a Nortac holding up better than a Kubota take you fully at your world. Never mind the difference in owner also normally reflects differences in service, work load and other factors.

....

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bogman
Join Date: Aug 2010
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2011-01-01          176107

Hello Burn, I'm a bit reluctant to offer up an opinion here as it seems others reading what you say take things the wrong way and get mad.

But I do own a Jinma 200LE which is the same tractor as your NorTrac. It is a 2002 model that I bought used with 8 hrs. on the meter.

Over the 8 years that I have owned this tractor I have mainly used it to pull a 5ft. Woods finishing mower for which it is perfectly suited. Occasionly I use it to haul dirt, pull up small trees, bushhog and disc. It performs all of these functions well.

After Katrina in '05 my place looked like a war zone and it did a great job of cleaning up everything.

The only major problem I've had with it was my fault. I didn't get a manuel with it and didn't know the fuel injector pump assembly was lubed seperately from the engine and I burned it up. I called Northern, ordered a pump and about 3 days later it was here.

Everybody here on the forum helped walk me through the fix and it was a breeze to repair.

I'm glad I have this tractor and would buy it again. ....

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greg_g
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2011-01-01          176109

Quote:
Originally Posted by bogman | view 176107
I'm a bit reluctant to offer up an opinion here as it seems others reading what you say take things the wrong way and get mad.
Thank you for your contribution Bogman, anything relative is always appreciated. Don't let an occasional Neanderthal retort scare you off. As with most public forums, it's important to keep in mind that there will always be a few members who fall a few steps short of twelve.

//greg// ....

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Murf
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2011-01-01          176114

Quote:
Originally Posted by richwaugh | view 176061
Funny how on a Chinese tractor forum so many NON-Chinese tractor owners want to chime in when they have no first-hand experience.Rich


You seem to draw lines pretty finely Rich, so here's my slant on it.

Because we have our own repair shop, and our own mobile fuel / lube / repair truck for our own units we also do service work for others to help defray the cost of workers and facilities that are indirect expenses and can't (usually) be billed back to my customers.

Two of the half dozen or so companies we service have a total of five or six Chinese tractors between them, Jinma/Notracs I believe They've been repainted and so have no decals anymore. They use them for bush-hogging and clearing sidewalks of snow on large commercial accounts.

As far as repairs go, I'd say we probably fix one of theirs as often as we fix one of ours.

We however have a fleet of 42 Kubotas presently, but about 10 or 12 of them get parked for about half the year.

So does that qualify as "first hand experience" in your books?


Best of luck. ....

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greg_g
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2011-01-01          176119

Very fair assessment Murf.

I'm pretty sure what Rich doesn't realize when he posts here, is how TractorPoint pretty much started out life as a Kubota-based forum. He'll soon come to appreciate how hard it can be to teach old dogs new tricks.

//greg// ....

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Murf
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2011-01-01          176123

Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_g | view 176119
I'm pretty sure what Rich doesn't realize when he posts here, is how TractorPoint pretty much started out life as a Kubota-based forum.


I'm pretty sure you're exaggerating just a tad there Greg.

I've been around here for about a dozen years now.

Up until about 2 or 3 years ago there was no predominant brand here, then a couple of problem posters drove away three or four long-time members.

If there's a dominant brand now, overall, I'd have to say it's John Deere.

Best of luck. ....

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greg_g
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2011-01-01          176125

Truce. I wasn't taking into consideration which tractor brands currently get the most posts. What I posted for Rich's benefit was more background in nature - referring back to when the forum was started - relative to the fact that the TP site creator is a Kubota guy. I just figured Rich didn't know that.

//greg// ....

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bogman
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2011-01-02          176136

Thanks for the encouragement Greg. But it's not about being scared off. I don't think anybody is intentionaly trying to make anybody mad, it's just the way it comes across on a forum.

If we were all face to face discussing these things, I'm sure we would all get along very well.

At the mill where I work, the yard dept. has been contracted out. The contractor uses Kubota equipment. He pays low wages and the turnover in employees is pretty good. Those tractors take alot of abuse. They hold up very well considering. Guys I work with that own them, sing their praises. ....

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Art White
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2011-01-03          176168


I don't like to ruffle feathers to much, he he! But the closest thing we have to a nortrac dealer bought a Kubota a couple of years ago from us.
We were told just 35 and we could get them our own preference of colors and could have any name on them including ours!

There is a trade off owning some tractors and it may mean nothing to the owners. Kubota is known for quality and longeveity at a reasonable price. I often find where someone is poking at Kubotas that need some work done are often ten or twenty year old units and some times older. So looking at the age is important.

Kubotas that are built today are not, and do not operate at all the same as they did twenty or thirty years ago. They offer operator features that are leading the industry. This is where some of the price sensitive imports from around the world don't seem to offer the highest or easiest in comparisions.

Kubota's sometimes seem to have a lot of problems on the chat boards, sometimes it goes back to the operator not knowing the proper operating procedures. Sometimes they are just getting old and things do wear. You can still find plenty of dealers to get parts as well as information. The fact that there are more Kubota compacts in north america might also affect the number of issues.

The thing that I like as a dealer and I hope that nobody ever has to go through it but what happens when an importer shuts down and parts aren't readily available when you need them? This goes deeper then just build quality!

I've seen people happy as can be with many different makes and ages of tractors and the same holds true of some being unhappy, basic, loaded, it doesn't make to much difference there is no one seat that fit's every a$$. ....

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candoarms
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2011-01-03          176170

The only Chinese tractor I've owned was the old Rhino. It had a 2-cylinder 20 horse diesel engine, gear transmission, creeper gear, and Front Wheel Assist (FWA). It was dark blue in color, with white trim. Greg might know what I'm talking about here.

It wouldn't be fair to make any comments regarding the quality of that tractor, as it was one of the early U.S. imports. Common maintenance items, such as oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, etc.....very hard to come by. All of the operator labels were in Chinese. It looked and felt a lot like the tractors made here in the U.S. during the late 50s or early 60s.

That little diesel engine was strong, easy to start, and had a lot of low end torque.

The creeper gear was perfect when combined with a tiller, or snowblower. I'd never own another gear tractor without that creeper gear installed. I loved it.

My Rhino didn't have a loader on it when I bought it, so I fitted it with a Koyker, made in South Dakota. The loader was OK...not great.

The Koyker loader, back in those days, wouldn't compare well to the Kubota loader I have now. The pivot pins didn't fit well and would work loose every 20 hours or so. For the money, it wasn't a bad loader. It just needed a lot of care and attention.

My impression of Chinese tractors is limited to the early Rhino. I'm sure the Chinese have improved their quality and appearance over the past 14 years.

The only Chinese tractor dealership that I'm aware of in my neck of the ummmmm.....prarrie......is a guy in Minot who just had a bankruptcy auction. Who knows why he went belly up. I can't say it was because of a lack of business. There are many things in a man's life that can create financial troubles. It's sad to him go. I would stop by when I got to Minot just to see how the Chinese tractors have changed over the years. I saw several improvements that I may have enjoyed.

Joel ....

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txsteam
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2013-12-24          188520

swich to decaff please ....

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RickCarr
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2014-02-05          188831

Hi all, I own an Agricat 254 with a loader, bought it at an equipment auction and had no idea that they were out of business, I didn't know anything about them and had no time to research. The tractor sold so low I couldn,t turn it down. I have had it going on 3 years now and have had to repair the front axel ( who would guess that it wouldn,t jump a 12" rock with an 800 lb log in the bucket).
The total repair cost me $300. I do have some mechenical skells so i was able to do the labor myself. I have to say I am impressed with the tractor you get for the dollar spent. I also have a david brown 40 hp tractor, I won't say there arn't things I like about it better.

Like others here have said, if you know what you are going to use it for you can make a better choice of what tool is needed for the job.

Hope this helps you with your decision. ....

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189756

If anything you should realize that the Nortrac technology is 50 years behind. They are better made than 50 years ago, however they have limits. I bought mine and yes I had to work on it. It seems that the Chinese are not really interested in quality just quantity. When I first started working for General Electric, it was the same issue. Now, 50 years later and consumer magazine has brought companies into the 6 sigma era. I like my tractor, I do PM on it constantly. I know if I'm slack in any area something will break. You really need to know how to work on mechanical, electrical and hydraulics. Most of it is common sense, however you will need to take pictures when you tear something apart if you don't have a manual. I bought a 2005 Nortrac from a friend that had it in storage for 5 years. It sit there without being used and when I started using it, it seemed that alot of things needed to be repaired. First thing was adjusting the clutch, which was a 2 stage unit. This makes it posible to half clutch the pedal without stopping the tractor. You really have to know about them to work on them. I was lucky I found someone in Texas that walked me through it. The diesel fuel separated and water sit in the bottom of the tank and rusted the parts so bad that I had to buy all new. Tractor parts aren't cheap. I also had to buy a new replacement bracket for the oil filter, just so that I can buy oil filters without having to pay out the nose for a simple oilfilter. It cost $60 dollars, however the filters now cost $5 dollars instead of $40. I didn't know that when hydralic fluid gets hot, that when it cools water collects in the bottom reservoir tank from condensation. This is hell for the directional valves which control the lift on the back of the tractor. The directional valve sits in the bottom where all the water collects and since they are metal they tend to rust. The valve stem will get stuck in the body. This will lock your lift either in the up or down position. Mine was down, I thought it blew the main cylinder seal, after tearing it all down and rebuilding it (took me 3 weekends ). If I knew more about it I could have removed just the directional valve and cleaned it, probably would have taken one weekend. The last problem I had is when I picked up a large load of dirt on the front loader and the tractor wouldn't steer. If I dump the dirt it would work. I check the fluid which was good, however there is a cylinder slave which operates off the pump which flows oil up in the directional valve, located in the base of steering wheel shaft. I removed it and order new seals, yet I still had to order special tools ($100) in which to take it apart the seals cost around $50.00. It took less than 30 minutes to remove and another 30 minutes to tear it apart. What was amazing is that the cyclinder shaft didn't have any seals on it. It had a thick seal between the space where the seals were to go, however it work good without them and until it wore out. I place the new seals on it which were cup in a way to catch the fluid to push the shaft through the cylinder. It works great now. Like I said you really need to think it through, whether or not you like to save a lot of money or like to work on tractors. I like to point out that I also had to work on a brand new Kubota, because the company didn't tight en the fittings and compression seals. Everytime you place a load on the front loader it would spray out of the oil lines. They also need to be worked on. If I could upload pictures it would give you some insight about what you'll need to do work on these units. It takes time and a little knowledge. Where else can you buy a tractor for $20,000.00 with all the impliments. It would cost you twice that much for a Kubota. ....

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Huddleston
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 48 United States
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2014-03-24          189757

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189758

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189760

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189761

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189762

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189763

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189764

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189765

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Huddleston
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2014-03-24          189766

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Huddleston
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2014-03-25          189767

This is the lower directional valve block that has the stuck valve stem. There is a larger on that sits on top of this one. ....

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DennisCTB
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2014-03-25          189768

Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_g | view 176125
Truce. I wasn't taking into consideration which tractor brands currently get the most posts. What I posted for Rich's benefit was more background in nature - referring back to when the forum was started - relative to the fact that the TP site creator is a Kubota guy. I just figured Rich didn't know that. //greg//


Who says that I do not read these posts thoroughly hmmmm... Little late here but to set the facts straight Tractorpoint was started in 1998 Greg. Six years before you joined. The forum was called The Compact Tractor Board at the time, I tried to make a slot for the most popular tractors in this category, adding new ones as interest in them rose.

It was not until the fall of 2004 that I bought a Kubota. I am only a fan of anything that does not give me problems. Everyone has their preferences, I just want to use it not work on it. Now that may or may not be the case even if you pay more for a new Deere, Kubota, Cub Cadet etc. But I am willing to pay a small premium to get the warranty period and see how far I get before problems start. For my purposes that makes sense with such light use and pay a premium for manufacturer reputation.

Anyone who is handy and wants to be involved in maintenance and repairs and other projects can do well choosing lower cost used or new alternatives. For the most part things are mostly the same regardless of what you pay, just some are tested better and thought out better and that commands more money at a premium to other options that do the same thing.



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richwaugh
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2014-03-25          189769

Well said, Dennis. ....

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Murf
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2014-03-25          189770

Quote:
Originally Posted by DennisCTB | view 189768
Truce. I wasn't taking into consideration which tractor brands currently get the most posts. What I posted for Rich's benefit was more background in nature - referring back to when the forum was started - relative to the fact that the TP site creator is a Kubota guy. I just figured Rich didn't know that. //greg//
[QUOTE=DennisCTB;189768] I am only fan of anything that does not give me problems. Everyone has their preferences,I just want to use it not work on it.

Now that may or may not be the case even if you pay more for a new Deere, Kubota, Cub Cadet etc. But I am willing to pay a small premium to get the warranty period and see how far I get before problems start. [/QUOTE]

The other part of the this equation is, as Dennis touched on, the motivation to achieve that dependability and how expensive it really is in the end in real, hard, dollars.

Back in 2011 I mentioned in this thread that we service other people's equipment in order to help defray the costs of maintaining our own in-house service department.

Since that time one of those owners has upgraded his fleet and now has no 'off-shore' equipment. The deciding factor to him was purely dependability. He also holds contract positions where he has a claw-back type penalty clause that says he will have 'X' number of machines running during a snow storm. For every machine not working he loses the hourly income for that machine, but also, forfeits 50% of the income of a second machine.

So for example, we say the contract pays $25k / machine / year for standby and $50 / operating hour based on 500 hours per winter. That works out to $75 / hour per machine ($$25k / 500 = $25, plus $50 / operating hour).

So if a machine is unable to perform during a storm the contractor losses $112.50 / hour till it's back on the job. A typical storm in this part of the world takes 12 hours to completely clear up. If the machine is down for the entire event, that's $1,350 off the bill.

You can see how fast a few minor break-downs can add up fast.

The same goes for a farmer, what price do you put on a spoiled crop because a machine was down?


Best of luck. ....

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
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2014-03-25          189771

Murf,

You touched on something that really hit home with me.

Summers are short here in North Dakota. With only three or four months available for outdoor work activities, I need to get a whole lot done every single day.

If I needed three weekends to repair a tractor, that would consume 1/4 of my summer months.......which is time I can't afford to lose.

I bought a tractor so that I could get my work done sooner. Taking time to fix the tractor kills me twice......because I'm not getting my summer work done.......and I'm spending precious time working on a tractor, when there's other things I should be doing.

It was 1 degree above zero here again last night. Summer is going to come late, I believe.

Joel ....

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JimMurphy
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 3 Virginia
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2014-03-30          189853

Re:Nortrac tractors.
I bought a nt204c new about 8 years ago.It has been a great tractor!

One of my neighbors had a Kubota and the other had a new Holland. Mine did everything theirs could do and it was half the price! Plus Northern Tool or Nortrac offers a 5 year warranty where as the others were only offering a 3 year warranty.

I have run heavy equipment for over 25 years and I run the piss out of this from time to time. I have dug and moved well over 1000t of material when putting in my pond. Moved a 4' snow off of my 1500" long driveway.

If anyone has any questions about the dependability of my Chinese tractor please ask.

Something for everyone to keep in mind! Every tractor being sold in the United States that is under 100 hp is a Chinese tractor. ....

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Murf
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2014-03-30          189854

Quote:
Originally Posted by JimMurphy | view 189853
Something for everyone to keep in mind! Every tractor being sold in the United States that is under 100 hp is a Chinese tractor. ....


I think you're a little mistaken on that point.

I don't know about other brands, but know for a fact (I've toured it) that Kubota has a massive plant in Gainsville Georgia where tractors are built.

Their website says "Today, approximately one-half of all Kubota branded equipment sold in the United States is manufactured or assembled at its 151-acre Gainesville, Georgia facility."


Best of luck.
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JimMurphy
Join Date: Mar 2014
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2014-03-30          189855

And where are those parts actually made? China!
John Deer, Case, Massey (all American Tractors)
The majority of the parts that put them together are made in China.
Not until you get into your larger, 100+ H.P.
Just like Ford and Chevy or any thing else out on the roads.
Half the stuff that holds them together is from China.
Even Cadillac is not 100% anymore.
Sorry! That's the way it is.
That's where free trade and being part of an international market has taken us.
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Murf
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2014-03-30          189856

Better do a little research.

Even the engines are made here by Kubota Engine of America, Lincolnshire, Illinois.


Best of luck. ....

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Art White
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2014-03-31          189859


Jim I have been in the industry for a couple of years now and there are tractors built in china, there are parts built in china.
There are major companies that builds part of their tractor line-up in china.
The bulk of tractors are not built in china at this time and neither are the parts at this time. I say it that way as there have been shifts towards china as well as india do to the labor costs as well as the cost of doing business. India is actually the new in place.
Tractors the same as most mechanical things are built for a specific life and with that a certain cost of ownership.
Nortrac tractors will fit some peoples uses and job requirements with good success. There are some who need to put more hours on in a year then others as we have units getting 500 hours a year in some jobs and for some make tractors that is 5 years of it's design life.

Many tractors coming into the market place are designed for the average of 100 hours a year which might be high at this point as an average for compact tractors. A commercial operation normally requires more and as Murf has stated, you not only don't make money, you loose it!

To me where we get to work on many makes and models we get to see design flaws, and more including inferior metal choices in machinery. Parts that fail prematurely as well as some that never fatigue or wear out after many thousands of hours of use.

You can't expect the best of steel and engineering and design at the lowest price.
We have many Kubota's that are well past the 6000 hour marks in our area. These are good tractors and equipment that have not let the owners down. You might find it hard to find a Nortrac in that category. ....

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