Chinese Jinma 254 Tractor Log
Serial #	Engine #
Date	Hour Meter	Description
7/20/01	0	Pick-up Ryder 18' non-cdrl diesel truck w/rail gate lift @ Binghamton, NY.  On Rt17 @ 10:30AM.  Drive to Ottawa, IL 11:30PM
7/21/01	0	Continue to Iowa City, IA.  Get side-tracked on wrong road with same name.  Road is benidite clay with morning rain = GREASE!   Get truck stuck twice, in the middle of Iowa farm lands. Requires putting sumac on road to continue.  Hot, high humidity and lose a couple hours.
7/21/01	0	Continue down other road, find correct road and pick-up point.
7/21/01	0	Un-bolt metal shipping frame and remove all parts except chassis and roll bar.  Load FEL, bucket, and some tractor parts.  Load bottom frame and tractor chassis with rail gate lift and FEL on tractor.  Load rest of tractor parts, and get paperwork.  Jeff and I are covered in sweat.  Look at backhoes, rotary cultivator, finish mower, generator, plow, and wood chipper.  Get spare parts, say good-byes, and head for highway.  Stop and winch down tractor chassis and FEL.  Get on Rt80, head for home.
7/21/01	0	Run into tremendous thunderstorm, south of Chicago.  Horizontal rain and 10' visibility.  All traffic on 80/90 pulls off.  About 10-15 minutes of pounding rain.  Flooding has west bound traffic backed-up for many miles.  Stop on east side of Toledo, OH @ 11:45PM.
7/22/01	0	Continue home.  Reach house @ 3:30PM.  Kidneys are very happy that we are off old rt17 concrete highway.
7/22/01	0	Unload all tractor parts.  Decide best strategy to unload chassis is to mount wheels and roll off.  Unbolt folding roll-bar, and remove from under chassis.  Remove rear axle/frame U-bolts.  Using sledge hammer, bent frame corners down, such that the tractor wheels can make it over.  Using floor jack, blocks, and jack stands, raise rear of chassis high enough to bolt on rear wheels.  Bolt-on wheels.  Jack and remove stands, lower to wheels.  Do same for front tires.
7/22/01	0	Back truck up to ditch, lower rail gate lift about a foot, and put down 2X12 ramps.  Install steering wheel and test tractor brakes.  Roll tractor off while I'm steering.  Push/tow and park in garage.  Unload FEL and bucket.  Exhausted and covered in dirt and sweat.  Thanks for all your help, Jim.
7/23/01	0	Return truck to Ryder.  Total mileage is 1900+.  After 3 days in this truck, driving my car, it feels like my butt is scraping the pavement and it has acceleration of my old 70 Nova SS.  Stop at Farm & Home, and get anti-freeze, engine oil, trans fluid, grease, and other misc stuff.  Get battery filled with acid ($3), at local wholesale place.
7/23/01	0	Start tractor assembly.  Mount left fender, left part of folding ROPs, finger tight all bolts.  Mount right fender, right part of folding ROPs.  Mount top part of folding ROPs.  Check spacing of fenders, adjust, and tighten down.
7/23/01	0	Mount front weight bar, battery tray, and battery securing tray.  Put battery on charge.  Mount fuel tank.    Mount draw bar, 3pt linkage, and PTO shield.  Mount tach in engine cowling, and loose mount cowling on tractor.  Mount air filter.
7/24/01	0	Remove engine cowling.  Mount battery and check battery cable lengths.  Grease all grease fittings. Mount sunshade to ROPs.  Route tail light wires under fenders, and connect.  Mount seat belt.
7/25/01	0	Mount driving lights on front of sunshade.  Remove radiator hoses.  Mount positive battery cable to battery and starter.  Mount negative cable to battery.  Loose mount engine cowling, align, and bolt down.  Mount steering wheel.  Connect front lights electrical connections.  Adj/lower tire pressure.
7/26/01	0	Match radiator hose as best as possible, at  Autozone.  Cut hoses to length and mount.  Mount key switch, engine cut-off cable, and light switches.  Connect electrical gauges.  Mount exhaust pipe. Mount frame side negative battery wire.  Fill radiator with water only. Add two gallons of diesel to tank and open petcock.  Check engine oil, transmission oil, and front axle oil.  Prime injectors, and start engine.  Tach and water temp gauges are not working.  Shut-down engine.
7/27/01	0	Mount two red wires to temp gauge post.  Mount black ground wire to fuel tank.  Green wire is ground for horn.  Start engine and all gauges are working.
7/27/01		Note:  This tractor has the following features that are new over what has been seen in Jinmas on the web and delivered 6 months ago.  Removable bug screen in front of radiator, new molded steering wheel w/integrated horn, PTO engage/dis-engage lever, fuel fill on top of engine canopy, folding ROPS point is higher, gloss black paint used on chassis, black plastic frame around front engine canopy screen, and cable controlled fuel shut-off, instead of mechanical linkage.
7/29/01	2	Do 2hr engine break-in @ 1500 RPM, no-load.  Tighten all exterier bolts, and use locktite on recommended ones.  Let engine cool, drain water, and refill with water only.   Mount front weights.
7/30/01	4	Check 540/1000/disengage PTO operation, 2/4 wheel drive operation, differential lock operation, 3pt lift, high/low range and creeper gears.  Check all head lights, tail lights, and turn signal lights.  Drive around property.  Notice allot of gear whine in low range.  Gets louder going from 1st, 2nd, to 3rd.  Communicate with numerous people.  Most think it is just straight cut gears.  Mike S gives me some items to check.  Will do this and also go test drive a different Jinma, when time permits.
8/2/01	4	Drain water from radiator and engine.  Fill with 50/50 anti-freeze/distilled water.
8/2/01	4	Mount front left and right FEL mounts.  Mount left, right and connector rear FEL mounts.
8/13/01	6	Drag bottom frame of crate around field, continuing break-in.  Notice same gear whine.  Also notice steering wheel does not always return to center postion, when tires are straight.  Assume, and latter confirm, that this is because it is a full hydraulic steering VS assisted in autos.  The no reference 3 spoke steering wheel would draw less attention to this.  The new 2 spoke with horn makes this stick out.  Not a functional issue.
8/14/01	6	FEL mounting:  Mount bucket to FEL.  Could not insert one bolt because I was unable to compress Hydraulic cylinder.  Try to figure best way to get FEL in postion, such that I can drive under.  Remove front wheel weights.
8/17/01	6	Decide to try to use hydraulics to get FEL into position.  Park tractor along side, and connect hyd lines.  Manipulate FEL to get last bucket bolt in place.  Manipulate FEL to get front center stand post in place.   Start manipulating FEL to get into position.  Very unstable and almost tip it over, twice!
8/17/01	6	Move to slightly more level pavement, and use some wood blocks to hold FEL from spinning/tilting.  First attempt to drive under, FEL is about 1" too low.  Redo FEL to get it higher.  Drive under and get rear mounts in place.  Get controls side pin inserted.  Couldn't get steering side pin in.  Quit because of darkness.  Park tractor/FEL in garage.
8/19/01	6	Continue working steering pin issue.  Appears to be an allignment issue with FEL and mount.  The 45 degree slot is about 1/4" inch away from pin hole.  After numerous FEL adjustments/manipulation, get it closer.  Still need to pound pin in, with hammer.
8/20/01	6	Pick-up 30mm deep well socket for for pin mount adjustment.  After tightening all the way down, still loose.  SCHMALTS post on CTOA abount missing washers.  Run hyd hoses and use plastic ties, to hold in place.  Tighten down control cylinders.
8/21/01	6	Buy 6  3/4" flat washers.  Mount 3 to each adj post, tighten down.  Adjust and tighten down fron C mounts.  Tighten two front FEL frame bolts.  Check tighten all large 30mm bolts.  Hit all grease fittings on FEL.  Exercise empty FEL.  Except for some touch-up painting, FEL is done.
8/22/01	6	Work on sunshade mounted work light and new driving lights.  Drill 1/2" hole in drivers right fender, just behind roll bar and near top.  This is to tie into the existing work light wiring.  Mount a DPST with center off, next to rear shade mount work light.  Will be able turn driving lights or rear work light on, but not both.
8/28/01	8	Another two hours of bottom frame draging.
9/2/01	10	FEL practice in gravel and on some dirt trails.
9/3/01	11	Bottom frame dragging of field.
9/15/01	13	Bottom frame dragging of field.
9/22/01	14	Drive tractor on upper trails.  Trail clearing with chainsaw.
9/29/01	15	Drive tractor on upper trails.  Trail clearing with chainsaw.
10/7/01	19	Use FEL to rock/gravel
11/10/01	20	Run tractor after being away for a few week.  Colder temp requires using glow plugs to start.  Visit upper trails and return.
11/11/01	24	Move gravel with FEL from small creek bed.
11/17/01	25	Prep tractor for winter storage.  One hour of running with diesel fuel treatment.  See other info on website for particulars of storage prep.  Decided to wait till spring to do fluid change to get rid of any condensation that happens over winter.
3/9/02	26	Charge and install battery.  Install seat, bolt down hood, check fluids, and pump primer twice.  Starts on first try and exhaust running clean.  Let run for one hour.  Move back and forth on platform because fields are way to soft to venture on.
3/16/02	20	John's Tractor No More!  It is now Glenn's Tractor.   Glenn who has 40 acres, including a 13 acre lake (lucky guy!) about 45 minutes from me, is now the proud owner of my Jinma tractor.  The hour meter reads 20 hours?  Some of the activities must have been over estimated?  I will continue updating this log with any input I receive from Glenn.  BTW, I will be ordering a new 284, FEL, and Backhoe.  Will start a new log when that comes in.
3/17/02	25	The tractor now has over 25 hrs on it used the FEL to remove nasty sticker bushes that I have growing in the fence rows, in a few hours I got more work done then I could do in 5 days. I had to stop as the fields were very wet and the tractor was doing some damage.
4/2/02		I was up at the lake in Conklin over the weekend was going to do a complete oil filter change but waiting for me at my front door was a box with a 1000 trees in it on Thursday I have never worked so hard, worked till about 8.30pm fri&sat night the driving lights work great I can move them around to put light right were I needed it, they came in real handy when I had to set up my tent and cook dinner in the dark. I installed the sunshade by myself it took some time but I got it done. used the FEL like I would use a trailer to haul around my trees and tools. Had to use the Jinma to jump start my truck on Sunday morning worked out real well as I only had to move the air filter out of the way for the jumper cables.I am going up to Conklin this weekend to plant the 300 reaming trees change the oil in the jinma and do some fishing for the first time this year, before it got dark on Saturday night I was watching the fish jumping for bugs was going to try to catch a few but I was jest too tired. Will let you know how I make out after next weekend.Will also have a few more pictures for you.
4/7/02	30	Changed the engine oil and filter used 15w-40 only used 5qts to fill [4+ 1 quart lucas additive] Changed the transmission and hydraulic oil used NAPA Universal tractor fluid, used 5 gals for the 2 also used 1qt of Lucas in the trans. Checked the level of the front axle and found no oil on the dip stick drained the oil from the center and only got about  1 qt out put 1 qt of Lucas in and the dip stick indicted it was full? maybe the thick oil and it was cold looks like a drain on each wheel housing for a total of 3 drains and only 1 fill for the front axle? Also replaced the air filter with the one I got from NAPA and I believe it is far superior to the one that came with the tractor I will be sending some pictures soon of the 2 of them check the gasket out on the one from NAPA  and it is also a one piece unit still a lot of $$ but is the only one I will use. Next week I will change the fuel filter and the oil in the injector pump. the tractor now has 30 hrs on the clock. The FEL cycles a lot faster with the new oil even at low engine rpm .
4/14/02	44	Replaced the fuel filter with a with one from NAPA part#3195, Changed the oil in the injector pump [about 1 pint]greased every fitting,  Moved the front wheels back to the narrow position,installed a slow moving vehicle triangle on the back of the seat. Used the tractor to move wood chips over the weekend got a lot of good practice using the FEL also drove  the tractor on the road for the first time used 3 high. The tachometer no longer works sometimes it reads very high or very low engine rpm some times it spins around and around like something out of the Twilight Zone. I was using the tractor in the rain and the tachometer was the only gauge to fog up it is something that I will have to fix before I use the tractor for mowing grass, also the hour meter stopped working at 33hrs I believe I have about 40hrs on the tractor.   Note: Possible Loose Wire or Tach problem