Or - you can look at it as a learning experience. I knew nothing about Chinese tractors prior to buying my first one (I've owned four). I have a fair mechanical aptitude, but nothing specific to Chinese tractors (had one Japanese prior). I already had a reasonable selection of basic hand tools, so didn't spend a lot there. I did however pre-order quite a few spare parts, those that common sense said would either be needed for preventative maintenance - or those with anticipated high wear rates. I did have trouble getting other spares for the first two (Jinmas), but that was a dealer issue. The 2nd two came from Chip, and parts were pretty consistently 2nd day delivery. The tractors don't come with shop manuals, but do come with exploded diagrams in the parts books. Those diagrams helped considerably when trying to figure the inner workings.
All previous tractors had been open station. One was a 24hp 2wd Yanmar, two were 25hp 4wd Jinmas. My last two 4WDs included a 45hp KAMA and a 35hp TaiShan w/loader. There's an old fella down the road that can't afford a tractor, but I didn't want to make the 4 mile round trip in adverse weather. So I rented the 35hp to him for $100/month. But he eventually became a bit too feeble to safely operate a tractor/loader, so I decided to trade both for one with a cab and loader. That way I could drive down the hill to do his tractor/loader work for him, without regard to weather conditions. Given that cab tractors are taller than open station tractors of the same horsepower, I needed one that would fit through my shed door. Chip didn't have what I was looking for, so I shopped the local "big name" dealers. Of them, only John Deere offered enough horsepower in a tractor that would fit. So that's how I made the transition from "former Chinese owner" to John Deere owner.
That said, many of us here who broke early into the Chinese tractor arena were like beta testers. Through forums like this - and direct communication of course - we provided feedback to the dealers, many of whom in turn relayed it back to the manufacturers. Those dealers who listened and acted are for the most part still in business. As a result, the Chinese gradually began acting upon our input. Subsequently, better built/more reliable/less mechanically demanding machines started hitting our shores. So really, a lot of your archival reading is no longer applicable - and shouldn't be considered in your decision making (unless you buy used that is). Getting a new Chinese tractor today - from a capable and conscientious dealer - simply isn't the handful of headaches it used to be.
//greg//
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