Foton 404 - Starter makes winding sound

Affordable · Jul 18, 2012

Ricky, if you don't get the warm and fuzzy on fixing it, now is the time to get most of your money back and go on down the road.Will he get a deal at that price, maybe so but you will also getmost of your money back, being non- mechanical and you have not heard this tractor run yet ,I think the offer is fair.Because once you do get it going you don't know if you will have to do anything else.Think about it before you walk away from it. He's going to spend $ 700.00 - 800.00 on a new crankshaft, bearings, gaskets, if thats what the problem is. Plus the labor,oil, ect.

Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
"Your Jinma Paerts Superstore"
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

Diamondpilot · Jul 19, 2012

I doubt its a broken crank because when i rotate the motor from the front side the flywheel follows.

Chris

EE_Bota · Jul 19, 2012

Ricky, this tractor has you trapped temporarily. Every trap is a new opportunity to make a new decision based on alternatives. Look at the repair alternatives, look at Craig's list etc for alternatives to spend the money he is offering, and look that the prices of alternative tractors that will do the same things you want done. The answer should drop out pretty quickly right into your lap. You are still not a psychic predictor of the future, including future problems with this tractor, or the next, so don't take up that burden; it's a back crusher that causes paralysis.

Be cool, calm, and make decisions you know are right based on what you know about your self and your own situation, and you will win.

rickyddriskill · Jul 20, 2012

Well, I'm meeting the buyer tonight on this tractor. My wife and I determined we did not want to take the additional risk. It just really bothers me that this guy is so excited to purchase this tractor. It's like he seen something on it that we have not found. I've checked around and I will not be able to find anything really close to what we're looking for but it is just too much of a gamble for us to keep the tractor. Thanks for all your advice and assistance guys!

Rich Waugh · Jul 20, 2012

Yep, the guy is looking to do a quick fix and make some bucks - at your expense. I sincerely doubt that crank is broken at all! My guess is a slipped ring gear and that's not a n expensive fix for someone who knows how to split a tractor. I've split mine and I know it can be done by an average mechanic, because that's all that I am - on my very best day.

The final decision is yours, but don't sell it to that gonif! Find a guy with some DIY skills, tell him what you know and see what he offers. Your asking price is reasonable, maybe even a bit low, I think. If it was available near my home, I'd buy it in an instant at that price and laugh all the way to the bank.

I'm actually tempted to send you the money and have you hold on to i far a month or two until I can get up that way and get it to my friends place and fix it it - he could really use that tractor and he's plenty good enough to do what needs to be done to it. If I hadn't just spent the last three months and most of my savings on cancer treatments, I'd be all over that deal, or just come up and help you fix it one weekend. Timing is everything, I guess, drat it. I just hate to see you take that hit unnecessarily.

As Tommy noted, the guy may be less of a gonif than he looks to me, but there's a difference in perspective between dealer and user/owner, of course. Dealers do have to make a profit and they're entitled to that, provided they make it without lying to you to get an advantage in a deal. That I don' t like one bit, and I really distrust his comment about the broken crank being common on those - never heard that before anywhere. If Tommy was making the offer, I'd consider it a businesslike offer - and still reject it. But then, I know Tommy is dead honest.

If I can help in any way, you can call me - 340-277-6857 - I'm currently in NC for the next three weeks before I get to go back to the Virgin Islands.

rickyddriskill · Jul 20, 2012

Bob Rooks said:
I agree with Chris and Greg. He's a businessman too. Buy low, sell high. Your tractor is becoming a known quantity to you, I'd keep it.
Why is labor so cheap (inexpensive) in Indiana?

Labor is so cheap because we're in the boondocks!

rickyddriskill · Jul 20, 2012

Rich Waugh said:
Yep, the guy is looking to do a quick fix and make some bucks - at your expense. I sincerely doubt that crank is broken at all! My guess is a slipped ring gear and that's not a n expensive fix for someone who knows how to split a tractor. I've split mine and I know it can be done by an average mechanic, because that's all that I am - on my very best day.

The final decision is yours, but don't sell it to that gonif! Find a guy with some DIY skills, tell him what you know and see what he offers. Your asking price is reasonable, maybe even a bit low, I think. If it was available near my home, I'd buy it in an instant at that price and laugh all the way to the bank.

I'm actually tempted to send you the money and have you hold on to i far a month or two until I can get up that way and get it to my friends place and fix it it - he could really use that tractor and he's plenty good enough to do what needs to be done to it. If I hadn't just spent the last three months and most of my savings on cancer treatments, I'd be all over that deal, or just come up and help you fix it one weekend. Timing is everything, I guess, drat it. I just hate to see you take that hit unnecessarily.

As Tommy noted, the guy may be less of a gonif than he looks to me, but there's a difference in perspective between dealer and user/owner, of course. Dealers do have to make a profit and they're entitled to that, provided they make it without lying to you to get an advantage in a deal. That I don' t like one bit, and I really distrust his comment about the broken crank being common on those - never heard that before anywhere. If Tommy was making the offer, I'd consider it a businesslike offer - and still reject it. But then, I know Tommy is dead honest.

If I can help in any way, you can call me - 340-277-6857 - I'm currently in NC for the next three weeks before I get to go back to the Virgin Islands.

Rich, I would really love to keep the tractor but I just cannot seem to find local mechanical support. (Chris has been a huge help but he is very busy with work and family, like myself.) This is a big issue for me since I really don't have the necessary tools or skills. I know I could learn to work on this tractor but I just need someone to work with me on this big of a repair.

EE_Bota · Jul 21, 2012

Rich Waugh said:
Yep, the guy is looking to do a quick fix and make some bucks - at your expense.

Learning how to fix the tractor was at that guy's expense, and Ricky was able to do other things, perhaps better things too, with that time and money he could have deployed on preparedness to crack tractors apart. All I'm saying is Ricky should make the next incremental decision in this long series of decisions, many of which started decades ago, based on where he is at this moment in time, not the preexisting disparity in mechanical ability.

rickyddriskill · Jul 30, 2012

My brother drove by the tractor dealership of the guy that bought my tractor. He has it listed for $7250 and said he found broken camshaft bolts. He told me it only goes for around $5500 when it is running and good condition.

Diamondpilot · Jul 30, 2012

rickyddriskill said:
My brother drove by the tractor dealership of the guy that bought my tractor. He has it listed for $7250 and said he found broken camshaft bolts. He told me it only goes for around $5500 when it is running and good condition.

I have a feeling it was broken crank shaft bolts, not the cam. That would explain the flywheel not making contact with the starter.

Chris