Jinma 204 or 284?!?

[GordNovo]

Hello,

I'm close to deciding to purchase a Jimna tractor, but I'm deciding on which one is best suited for my needs.

I'm considering the following attachments:
FEL
Finish mower (pull behind, not the under belly)
Tiller
Blower

The reason I'm considering this type of tractor is because I'd like to have an all-in-one machine that'll handle the weekly lawn care chores as well as the occaisional landscaping, tilling and winter snow removal duties.

The crux for me is deciding if I need the 204 or the slightly larger-framed 284 (the price diff between 224, 254 and 284 is minimal and they all share the same frame dimensions so going to the 284 is a no-brainer!!). The 204 is a slightly smaller unit. Is using this kind of tractor on a weekly basis to cut the lawn overkill? Won't I rack up the usage hours, maintenance frequency, etc. I've also read on other sites that the pull-behind mower works better than the under-belly. The pull-behind has a stronger, more reliable drive system, but the underbelly is more versatile in narrower conditions. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have 10 acres, but only 1.5 acres is landscaped with SOD (a few trees to trim around, maybe 20 altogether), the rest is horse pasture, driveway and ditch around the perimeter.

With the FEL, I'd like to be able to move large round hay bails (for the horses). I'd like to push in the occaisional 4"X7' treated green post (for the electric fencing.. a common technique apparently in these parts of Canada when the ground's still squishy in late spring!) Also, I've got a bunch of packed fill (about 600 yrds, mostly sandy clay, undisturbed for 5 yrs now) in one section of the yard and I'd like to fill in some low spots in the pastures over the next few years (no rush.. no plans on moving mountains over a weekend!!).

I've got about 400 ft of driveway to clear in the winter and it gets quite deep apparently during the bad years! (I just bought the this home in spring and have yet to live through my first winter here!)

My tilling requirements could vary widely, depending on how courageous I get with the pastures. I could have as little as a 40'X60' garden to do 2 times per year but as much as 3 acres of manure to mix in on the odd occaision (once every 2 yrs or so).

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I need the 284 but I'm just concerned that it'll be too big for my lawn even with the lawn treads installed. I hope I won't have to resort to getting a 2nd lawn tractor for the grass!

Does anyone have any thoughts?

I appreciate your input!

Gord

 

[tat2z1969]

I live on 68 acres, but the 4 acres close and around the house I use a lawn tractor, even with turf tires I find the big machine leaves ruts to deep to deal with in my yard, really bad in the spring when its wet.
A 284 sounds like what you need, but go with the koyker 160 FEL if you are moving round bails, the 140 will only lift about 900 lb's the 160 does about 1500 lb.
I use a 39hp tractor for everything except the grass in the yard, soon to buy a Chinese tractor but only 4hp less than what I have now.
The hp on the 284 and weight and creeper gears will do you better for tilling and with horses and what goes with that( I have horses to) THE 284 would serve you better in my opinion.

Jim

 

[billbill1]

I mow with a 284 LE with a FEL that I have never removed. It does a good job of mowing as long as the ground isn't soft. It will print the ground if soft and dig ruts if it's wet. I have ag tires, the turf tires might make a big difference. Also, I only have 3 or 4 trees to mow around so the rear finish mower isn't a problem. I also have the 140 Koyker FEL and I wish I had the larger 160 Koyker.

 

[corvetteguy]

I am not sure the FEL will be able
to lift the round hay bails as they
weigh over 1000 pounds.
I have seen rear lift forks that can do it.
You might look into it.

 

[bluechip]

HI Gord,

It is very hard to get one tractor that can finish mow and move round bales! Just a few things to consider:
The JM254 and JM284 are identical. don't pay extra for a 284 in fact if you get an EPA approved trctor it will be 25 HP regardless of what the decal says.

The 200 series JInma is not big enough to handle round bales, front or rear. The rear lift is only 875lbs. You said "large" round bales so you are between 1000-2000 lbs depending on how big is large.

The problem with 300 series Jinma 30/35HP is no creeper for your tilling.

Have you looked at KAMA? a TS254C with Koyker 160 can be ordered with creeper (16 forward gears) has a much heavier front end for loader work than the 200 series JInma and can be ordered with Turf Tires. The tractor is several hundred pounds heavier, so that may be a disadvantage when finish mowing your sodded lawn. But the 3 point lift is the same used on the 300 series JInma with about 1100lbs of lift.

The ideal solution would be a tractor big enough for your tractor chores and a slick zero turn for the lawn, but then it is easy to spend someone elses money! Best of luck to you!

 

[greg_g]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have seen rear lift forks that can do it. You might look into it. )</font>

Doesn't matter. The JM284 rear capacity is only rated to lift around 810 pounds, the JM204 around 740 pounds.

//greg//

 

[DIYGuy]

The 224 probably won't move the large bales either. I lift my wood chipper with it (~900), but it is unstable (have to back up hills with it). The 204 and 224 are both on the same frame. The 254/284 are larger, but not by much.

As a mower, the 224 with a 60" RFM does a real good job as long as you can turn around. It's like mowing with an F-150. At my house, the mower is complete overkill.

Make sure that your blower is at least a foot wider than the tractor, otherwise you'll drive over snow with the inside wheel going around corners, and sometimes lift the inside edge of the blower from the ground.

FEL - Koyker only. There's a thread on another board called "Badly Broken Tractor" that shows what happens when the Jinma Z series FEL is seriously over loaded. I'd prefer not to abuse the tracotr, but when push comes to shove, I'd rather break the FEL than my tractor.

As for the rated lift vs. what it can do. I can easily lift the front end of my tractor with the 3pt. Not sure how much load that is, but I know I have 200lbs of front wieghts, 8' forward of the pivot point, plus the engine, front axle, and frame.

I'v got a lot of my tractor stuff on my site: Jinma Stuff

 

[bluechip]

most importers have been getting the 224 built on the larger 254/284. The only appearant difference is the disk brakes vs dry shoe. the front axles housings are longer but differential is same, lift box is same, some shafts are longer as a result but transmission gears and the drive ratio is the same.
For about a year the 224 was a great value because it is exactyly the saem tractor, except the engine as the 254/284 but recently the 224 has increased in price, probably because everyone started ordering with the bigger tires and flip up hood... now it is just a few hundred less... I do hope that Yangdong will get EPA cert on Y380 or 2006 will be its last year in USA.

 

[RonMar]

I have 7.5 acres and bought a 284. I still have a Craftsman rider that I will keep to mow around the house(about an acre of nice grass) as it is faster(lots of trees and detail) and the 284 with AG tires would tear things up too much and be hard to maneuver over some of it(liked the Ford F-150 analogy. I went with the 284 because I have quite a bit of terrain and I want to make some pasture and get a fence around the perimiter. The majority of my property is long ago logged woodland so I am moving debris, building burn piles and ripping stumps quite a bit and will be for a few years to come. I got the 284 for it's greater weight, and ground engagement capability. This might be good for you moving snow and running a loader relocating fill and such or running a tiller. Where you might also consider the 284 is if you ever have to mow that other 8+ acres of pasture you mentioned. The 5' brushhog that the 284 will easilly run would be nice for that.

 

[KevinW]

Hey Gord,

After my investigating, I'm going with the KAMA which has the shuttle shift option. The shuttle shift comes in real handy while using the FEL. The TS354C should handle the round bales as well as the finish mowing duties.

TS354C

KM554

SPECS

ARTRAC Company LLC, Providing affordable equipment from Knoxville, Arkansas to you!


Regards,
Kevin

 

[RonMar]

Shuttle shift is great if you are going to be using the tractor mainly as a loader and a mower. But on the 200 series Jinma, you give up your creeper gears for the shuttle and you really want the slow speeds the creeper provides if you are doing any ground engagement work such as running a rototiller.

 

[SPIKER]

HI all:

I have a 2001 284 and have the china FEL (ZL20) with the china back hoe (jw03) as well as china gear drive tiller and china 5' finish mower. I have 22.6 acres of woods lawn / pasture wich is planted in trees of some type it was logged 10+ yrs back. ( I don't handle any animal husbandry of any type right now but will rear a food animal eventually) SO I have a pretty good idea what you are facing. My 284 has handled pretty much every thing I've tossed at it including OLD over grown brush piles and logging debris & partal junk yard clean up duties. (I still hit stuff burried or half burried in the property.) now saying all that I MOW some 6 acres with the finish mower every few weeks and use a 46" 20 hp rider for close up duty to the house & over septic mowingf chores. I TILL about 1/4 acre of garden 3~5 times a year and the creeper is absolutly needed for close inloader work and roto-tilling work the shuttle shift is great for moving piles I'm told and for stall type clean up but it looses much of the needed low speed control needed for roto-tilling mostly.

it is near impossable to get really close to anything with the finish mower unless you are backing up. (one good thing for shuttle I suspose but not sure on thse speed ratio for mowing on the shuttle which I don't have..) Now a good friend has a tractor exactly like mine and moves 2 round bails with his one front & one rear 900~1500 bails according to him and has done so withihs since new as his came on the same truck as mine... now I've picked up & moved rocks over a cub yard & drove them around with mine and picked up front of cars or dang near hole cars so they do lift more than RATED but at a risk to the machine I'm sure... most of this was with the ZL20 FEL. though I also jacked the HYD pressure relife valve to over recogmended pressure to do so and told my friend how to do the same with his. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif for moving dirt I would suggest a box blade which I have a 6' one and just had to repair it some as I backed into an old rotted looking stump with a FEL load of gravel in high revers not paying close enough attension & nearly bent the box balde back aginst the rear tire /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I got loose turned around & dropped the blade over the top of the same stump figureing I'll pull it out or straighten the blade some, well stump didn't move but got the blade to almost back to normal must be an old hickory stump /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif dirt 4 foot around the stum moved a bit as the jinma was clawing at all 4 corners but I think I got maybe 6" out of the bend and with in 2" of straight. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

now all that said I may have been lucky and got a good unit and may eventually really break something but I ahve had the front wheels off the ground many a time pulling a stump or attempting to as well as draging over sized stuff. they DO turn about as tight as an F150 but you can do circles inside the turning radis of those chevies /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif all & all they are a work horse and I got mine when they were just getting to be popular and for a great price which is getting harder to get. if you do get one be sure to go over EVERY nut * bolt for torque! there are a few items which loosen up and maybe not the right tightness from factory. getting one from some of the bigger well named dealers they may have already done this but be safe & do it too. also after 50 or so hrs there is a bit more maintenance needed to pay close eye on.... easy enough to do but will take ave person a weekend of tinkering to make sure that every thing is right. worth wile by all means...


Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif