What is a Task Master Tractor ?

[KiotiKevin]

Hi folks,
My neighbor has asked me to check out any information I can find on Task Master Tractors. There is a dealer in our area (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) and they are fairly cheap. Just wondering if anyone can provide me with any info on this product ? Thanks

Kevin

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I saw some TaskMasters on a business trip.

TaskMasters are the same basic design as the DongFeng Bulldog tractors however they have some slight differences. DongFeng and TaskMaster have the same drivetrain but different engines. Both are made by DongFeng. The TaskMaster engines are China Diesel brand engines using a Perkins design (but I don't know if it is a knock off copy of a modified Perkins or if it is a licensed version of the Perkins engine).

Generally I would consider DongFeng made goods to be a couple steps up from tractors like Jinma, Kama, Lenar and some of the other common brands of Chinese tractors, and perhaps a half-step to one step down from the more basic models of Korean tractors. But for the price they are at least as good, and possibly a better deal than many other tractors if you don't mind shifting gears. The TaskMasters are made for the north American market, they are not simply Chinese tractors with nice graphics added to them. DongFeng has one of the ISO 9001 (an international certification) factories in China.

I was actually very impressed with the tractors. Not to say I would give up the fit and finish or features of a more modern design, I would not, but for what they are, they are a great value. Like I said, I'd put the quality up there near the basic Korean machines. As with other Chinese tractors, I would strongly consider the dealer support and reputation of the dealership, including the length of time it has been established. Parts for the DongFeng/TaskMasters may be a bit harder to find, the China Diesel engines are fairly common.

 

[CMunger]

I would keep an eye out, I hear a well known tractor manufacturer is building an assembly plant in China, to build a basic no frills tractor to compete on the lower end for the price buyers. Western technology, combined with low cost production, not bad eh.
Chuck M.

 

[Mac624]

and this well known manufacturer is: JOHN DEERE!!!

 

[kevanos]

Current Task Master's are Dong Feng, but they have previously imported Shenniu, Changzhou and Jiangsu tractors.

 

[kyspartan]

um john Deere has had factories in china for years its been my experience that every time someone moves building a product to a cheaper labor market that they will raise the price of that product its all about the money

 

[Hard]

Here it is: (see attachment)

 

[Lenarguy]

The information about Dongfeng is the builder of Task Master is correct, the quality is not! Task Master is a chinese tractor probably equal to Jinma, Kama, etc., however it is not even close to the Korean tractors in quality. I bought a Task Master a couple years ago and I can tell you that the fit and finish were not nearly as good as Lenar.

 

[kevanos]

"... not as good as Lenar." Lenar is built in China, and always has been. The Jiangling tractor factory, I believe. (Jiangling was a joint venture including Isuzu and Ford. Mahindra bought 80% of the company last year).

 

[Maka]

Roger at Mazama had told me years ago that the name lenar was his daughters name spelled backwards. Is Roger still involved with Lenar? I looked at the tractor and found it to be OK and in my opinoin better looking than the Taskmaster but probably not a better tractor than the Taskmaster.

As for previous posts on them being slightly below the Korean brands, well, that is I guess funny. I don't know what Korean brands were being refernenced but LG/LS, Kioti/Daedong, Kukje, TYM etc. are top notch and in my opinion are some of the finest tractors available, period.

Chinese tractors are nowhere close to Korean quality and in fact if you took the best quality Chinese tractors they don't come close to a Korean or Japanese manufactured tractors.

Now, all you Chinese tractors owners don't get up in arms. I am not saying they are all bad, just saying they are not up to the quality standards of the Korean or Japanese. They are however a viable alternative in some cases and definitly fill a market need.

Thanks,
Maka