Buying Advice Buying advice for first tractor, YM 220D plus attachments

Shela33 · Aug 6, 2016

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I could use some feedback!
I'm buying a house in Squaw Valley, CA on a 5 acre horse property. I asked the home seller if they were interested in selling their tractor. Originally he said no, but about a week later I received word that he would consider selling it. I think after considering it, he decided that selling might be easier than hauling it to Colorado. He provided the following information.

YM 220D with front loader, scraper on back, also has disc, and spring harrow attachments. It fires up nicely and the engine sounds good. (OP noticed that the hours were at 837 but I don't know if that was currently working or not.) The negatives... Seller says the gauges dont work but he wasn't specific, there are some small hydrolic leaks, and the 4WD won't engage. Seller says the 4WD needs a $30. part that looks like it's a pain to replace so he didn't bother since he didn't need the 4WD. He was using the tractor about twice a week. He suggested 6,500.00 as a fair price but would consider any fair offer.

I think it looks like a nice little tractor but I have no idea what a fair price is and was hoping to get some feedback on the repairs, tractor price, and anything else you might think is important to consider. This would be our first tractor and we would be doing our own repairs. We're pretty handy fixing the car and truck. Thanks for any feedback.

Shela

jeff9366 · Aug 6, 2016

Here are the Yanmar 220 specs from TractorData.com: TractorData.com Yanmar YM220 tractor information

Can you operate a clutch and gear machine? Clutch rebuilds are $1,200.

I learned to tractor on a Yanmar based John Deere 750, which is a tad heavier than Yanmar 220. It was an excellent, rugged, tractor. These are pretty simple tractors. Repairs should not be too much. Change all the fluids and filters immediately after you buy it. It would be good to know authentic engine hours. How many owners has this tractor had? Did the current owner buy it new? Multiple owner tractors are a gamble.

Is there a Yanmar dealer in your area? If not, it might be wise to call the local John Deere dealer to see if it will service Yanmars. Some refuse. If you cannot find local service, I would pass.

There are some Yanmar 220 parts on eBay: Google

No recent history of Yanmar 220 tractor sales in eBay's archive.

Here are some Deere 750 SOLD listings as comps: Deere 750 in Industrial Tractors | eBay

Discount Deere 750 comps 25% for Yanmar 220 equivalents.

Here a current eBay listings for Deere 750: Deere 750 in Industrial Tractors | eBay

Here is a Google search for the topic YANMAR 220D: Google

With the three gardening implements included, $4,000 to $5,000 seems fair, IF LOCAL SERVICE IS AVAILABLE.

GOOD LUCK!

winston1 · Aug 7, 2016

4 wheel drive is the big question to me. With a loader you will find it important. If indeed the repair can be made for #30 then I believe his price is very fair including implements. Offer $5500 and go from there.

California · Aug 7, 2016

Recognize you are buying a project if the 4wd "needs a $30 part". I would budget 20 hours searching for parts plus labor for that alone. If the seller isn't honest you could need a few hundred $ of front axle parts. The rest of what you noted, gauges, etc is trivial but might be another 10 hours to find parts and fix.

These Yanmars are from the era where they were designed to be owner-maintained and repairs are simple, if sometimes time-consuming. Expect to DIY or hire some semi-pro off Craigslist for a tenth of what a dealer repair would cost. (and supervise the CL guy!)

As for a Deere dealer in Northern California, forget it. They have moved on to the huge computer-controlled rigs for commercial farming. I went into the local Deere dealer who may have originally sold my US Yanmar and he just rudely ran me out of the place - said he might still have manuals but the techs didn't know the old tractors and he hadn't seen one in his shop in years. And this was in 2003. Maybe five years ago I stopped by another N Cal Deere dealer and asked if he had the plastic window for the fuel tank cap/gas gauge. He explained he sells big rigs, doesn't stock parts, and gets all parts by overnight express for his field mechanics. He actually suggested I buy what I needed from Ebay at a quarter of what he would have to charge for it. (Get to know Hoye Tractors. Best Yanmar mailorder support!)

As for overall condition, These US Yanmars are seldom worn out, nobody runs them for days on end like commercial farming. Cleaning out horse stalls and snow removal is more typical. So after 30 years the gauges, appearance, maybe tires, seat, muffler - could use a replacement, but the tractor is still fundamentally solid.

I think that Yanmar may be worth over $6k repaired but I would budget quite a lot for repairs when making an offer. The previous owner clearly didn't keep up on repairs when needed.

Squaw Valley? I worked on the survey crew for the tramway there!

Shela33 · Aug 7, 2016

Thanks for the responses and the research links. I had done some searches trying to find comps but not much out there for YM 220D. Nice to see I can discount the John Deere sales by 25% and compare that way. Great idea!

No problem driving a clutch as I drove a UPS truck for several years daily. We rented an automatic Cat loader a few years ago to lay some pea gravel and got the hang of the hand controls with very little practice bringing the bucket over a tight gate and having to drop the bucket each time to miss an overhang. The only thing that made me nervous was driving it off and on the trailer which I only had to do once each. I suspect I will get more comfortable in no time. There is a Yanmar dealer about 40 miles out but repairs shouldn't be a problem at home.

More from the owner who says he can't remember the name of the part needed to fix the 4WD but noticed it when they were having the clutch replaced and didn't have one to put in before they finished the job. It was the part that the 4WD lever connects to just inside the box and that to fix it you have to remove the bucket. He said it might have been 40.00 for the part. Does that help narrow it down? I'll try to research more between packing the house. I do trust the seller and the fact that he originally didn't want to sell it suggests to me he's not trying to unload a problem tractor.

I thought $5,500 might be a good offer as well but still trying to find out what it will take to fix the 4WD. How hard is it to remove the bucket?

I think I remember seeing a fuel tank gauge with sending unit atttached to the cap for $40.00. That would be an easy fix if that's the bad gauge.

Squaw Valley ski resort is actually in a different place than Squaw Valley which is in the mountain area of Fresno County in the Central Valley. This is a huge agricultural area in both Fresno County and neighboring Tulare County.

More as it comes. Thanks again!

Shela

winston1 · Aug 7, 2016

Can't imagine why the bucket would have to be removed to repair the shifter. Maybe the loader attaches and covers the drop box but doesn't seem likely. This might be the part in question. DROP BOX SHIFT ARM _: Yanmar Tractor Parts

California · Aug 7, 2016

Who is the Yanmar dealer near Fresno? I wasn't aware of anyone in the state who is a specialist in these orphans.

As you may know, Yanmar Corp had dealers here through the 70's then signed a contract to build the small Deeres and gradually reduced their presence until nothing remained but the Chicago-area parts warehouse. Then about five years ago they re-entered the US market selling nice current models. I didn't think these new Yanmar dealers were interested in supporting the YM (older) series.

And alongside that, several Vietnam 'rebuild' sweatshops started shipping over 'reconditioned' (mostly repainted) Japan-market Yanmars that Yanmar-USA specifically refuses to support. I don't know if you have run into this yet.

Since the earlier Yanmars were designed to be owner-maintained there's not much need for dealer service. My first Yanmar, a 1980 model, hasn't been off the ranch (orchard) since I bought it in 2003.

clemsonfor · Aug 7, 2016

Shela33 said:
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I could use some feedback!
I'm buying a house in Squaw Valley, CA on a 5 acre horse property. I asked the home seller if they were interested in selling their tractor. Originally he said no, but about a week later I received word that he would consider selling it. I think after considering it, he decided that selling might be easier than hauling it to Colorado. He provided the following information.

YM 220D with front loader, scraper on back, also has disc, and spring harrow attachments. It fires up nicely and the engine sounds good. (OP noticed that the hours were at 837 but I don't know if that was currently working or not.) The negatives... Seller says the gauges dont work but he wasn't specific, there are some small hydrolic leaks, and the 4WD won't engage. Seller says the 4WD needs a $30. part that looks like it's a pain to replace so he didn't bother since he didn't need the 4WD. He was using the tractor about twice a week. He suggested 6,500.00 as a fair price but would consider any fair offer.

I think it looks like a nice little tractor but I have no idea what a fair price is and was hoping to get some feedback on the repairs, tractor price, and anything else you might think is important to consider. This would be our first tractor and we would be doing our own repairs. We're pretty handy fixing the car and truck. Thanks for any feedback.

Shela

I wouldn'tpay that much with the problems you have stated, but that's me.

That 837 could be just that or 1837 or 2837, if it only has a 3 digit meter.

clemsonfor · Aug 7, 2016

jeff9366 said:
Here are the Yanmar 220 specs from TractorData.com: TractorData.com Yanmar YM220 tractor information

Can you operate a clutch and gear machine? Clutch rebuilds are $1,200.

I learned to tractor on a Yanmar based John Deere 750, which is a tad heavier than Yanmar 220. It was an excellent, rugged, tractor. These are pretty simple tractors. Repairs should not be too much. Change all the fluids and filters immediately after you buy it. It would be good to know authentic engine hours. How many owners has this tractor had? Did the current owner buy it new? Multiple owner tractors are a gamble.

Is there a Yanmar dealer in your area? If not, it might be wise to call the local John Deere dealer to see if it will service Yanmars. Some refuse. If you cannot find local service, I would pass.

There are some Yanmar 220 parts on eBay: Google

No recent history of Yanmar 220 tractor sales in eBay's archive.

Here are some Deere 750 SOLD listings as comps: Deere 750 in Industrial Tractors | eBay

Discount Deere 750 comps 25% for Yanmar 220 equivalents.

Here a current eBay listings for Deere 750: Deere 750 in Industrial Tractors | eBay

Here is a Google search for the topic YANMAR 220D: Google

With the three gardening implements included, $4,000 to $5,000 seems fair, IF LOCAL SERVICE IS AVAILABLE.

GOOD LUCK!

I wouldn't worry about parts. Hoye has them all for that tractor and it's a US model so yANMAR USA will still supply parts to you.

clemsonfor · Aug 7, 2016

Shela33 said:
Thanks for the responses and the research links. I had done some searches trying to find comps but not much out there for YM 220D. Nice to see I can discount the John Deere sales by 25% and compare that way. Great idea!

No problem driving a clutch as I drove a UPS truck for several years daily. We rented an automatic Cat loader a few years ago to lay some pea gravel and got the hang of the hand controls with very little practice bringing the bucket over a tight gate and having to drop the bucket each time to miss an overhang. The only thing that made me nervous was driving it off and on the trailer which I only had to do once each. I suspect I will get more comfortable in no time. There is a Yanmar dealer about 40 miles out but repairs shouldn't be a problem at home.

More from the owner who says he can't remember the name of the part needed to fix the 4WD but noticed it when they were having the clutch replaced and didn't have one to put in before they finished the job. It was the part that the 4WD lever connects to just inside the box and that to fix it you have to remove the bucket. He said it might have been 40.00 for the part. Does that help narrow it down? I'll try to research more between packing the house. I do trust the seller and the fact that he originally didn't want to sell it suggests to me he's not trying to unload a problem tractor.

I thought $5,500 might be a good offer as well but still trying to find out what it will take to fix the 4WD. How hard is it to remove the bucket?

I think I remember seeing a fuel tank gauge with sending unit atttached to the cap for $40.00. That would be an easy fix if that's the bad gauge.

Squaw Valley ski resort is actually in a different place than Squaw Valley which is in the mountain area of Fresno County in the Central Valley. This is a huge agricultural area in both Fresno County and neighboring Tulare County.

More as it comes. Thanks again!

Shela

There are a lot of "$40" parts in this tractor. Many would require hundreds to thousands of dollars to install. But no that doesn't narrow it too much?. Could be a shaft (used price???) Roll pin. Who knows pull the parts diagram from hoye tractor and we can all guess togeather. Haha