First Time Tractor Purchase TYM? or something else?

[hornett22]

I know I tried to order a clutch assembly for a customer's 20 year old Kubota and it's NLA. Clutch seems like a maintenance item and something that should be available. Not real confidence inspiring.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I know I tried to order a clutch assembly for a customer's 20 year old Kubota and it's NLA. Clutch seems like a maintenance item and something that should be available. Not real confidence inspiring.

When you think of how easy it is, relatively speaking, to get parts for od JDs, Cases, Fords, Massey Fergusons, et al, it makes you wonder how long it will be before many new tractors are orphaned. Fifty or so years ago, there were fewer tractor brands and each brand had fewer models, There isn't much profit in making aftermarket parts for obscure tractor models even if that model is from a major player.

 

[Randy52]

I have a TYM along with 6 Allis Chalmers and a Ferguson. Never use the other tractors just the TYM. Nice driving comfortable cab easy access to controls. Very heavy built front 4 wheel drive axle.

 

[finn1]

When you think of how easy it is, relatively speaking, to get parts for od JDs, Cases, Fords, Massey Fergusons, et al, it makes you wonder how long it will be before many new tractors are orphaned. Fifty or so years ago, there were fewer tractor brands and each brand had fewer models, There isn't much profit in making aftermarket parts for obscure tractor models even if that model is from a major player.

I don’t believe there were fewer tractor brands fifty years ago.

Tractor manufacturing history is rich in bankruptcy and merger stories, going back to the twenties and before.

Nobody makes a Ford, Oliver, Allis Chalmers, Co-op, White, Case or a dozen other brands that have been dissolved, merged, or remain in name only, but not as corporate entities.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I don’t believe there were fewer tractor brands fifty years ago.

Tractor manufacturing history is rich in bankruptcy and merger stories, going back to the twenties and before.

Nobody makes a Ford, Oliver, Allis Chalmers, Co-op, White, Case or a dozen other brands that have been dissolved, merged, or remain in name only, but not as corporate entities.

And tractors from TYM, Mahindra, LS, New Holland, Belarus, Yanmar, Branson, Kuboda, Bobcat, RK, et al weren't available 50 or so years ago either. None of the old ancient brands had as many models in production as they do now. Checking TractorData.com shows John Deere currently currently has over 100 different tractor model numbers currently in production, fifty+ years ago that number would have been substantially smaller. Tractor Data shows a total of 49 models that were offered by JD at some time during the 1960s. One of the brands cited, Allis Chalmers offered a total of 107 tractors during their 71 year history, about the same as JD is offering just this year.

 

[Cougsfan]

When you think of how easy it is, relatively speaking, to get parts for od JDs, Cases, Fords, Massey Fergusons, et al, it makes you wonder how long it will be before many new tractors are orphaned. Fifty or so years ago, there were fewer tractor brands and each brand had fewer models, There isn't much profit in making aftermarket parts for obscure tractor models even if that model is from a major player.

How true.

Case in point, the Kubota that Hornett22 tried to get a clutch for is not an obscure tractor brand. However I am not sure that modern JDs, Cases, Fords, Massey Fergusons, et al, will be that much easier to get parts in the future than many of the "obscure" tractors. Several reasons: the number of models that the popular brands carry has grown quite large and changes more frequently (as you mentioned). Many of the parts for every tractor made today is outsourced all over the world to small companies. Even in the same model, a part such as an air conditioning hose may change several times in a non interchangeable way few years span. Maintaining inventories and suppliers for those inventories is a much different situation than it was back in the '50's and '60's. Even on those old tractors that you mention, parts were and still are manufactured or refurbished by suppliers other than the OEM.

Also, the electronics systems are likely to eventually fail on a modern tractor, and their failures can be far more confounding to repair than a mechanical failure.

Because of the above, many of today's American tractor owner is more likely to sell (or junk) his old tractor rather than to maintain it over the long term (50 plus years or much less). (Not as true in the rest of the world). This also relieves pressure on the need to supply parts.

Parts available will likely be somewhat tied to the number of any particular model of tractor that is sold world wide. If you Google the top 10 selling tractors world wide, you will see several brands that most Americans have never heard of. In fact what many of us Americans consider to be an "obscure" tractor, Mahindra, is actually the largest selling brand of tractor in the world. My guess is that in 50 years from now, it will be probably just as easy, if not easier to find a part for today's Mahindra, than for what we think of in America as a "top" brands. (I say that in spite of Mahindra having the present day American reputation of a comparatively lousy inventory supply in their American distributorship system)

If you go to ebay, you will find that you can find almost anything you want for the "obscure" (and generally unpopular in America) Belarus tractor that you may own. In it's day it sold quite well world wide, outside the US. I am told by a tractor mechanic friend that the Belarus is one of the easiest '70's and '80's tractors to find a wide variety of parts for.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I'm looking to buy a tractor for the first time. I have been looking around. I have consider Badboy 4025, RK37, RK25. I think I want either T474 or T494. It has the Kukje engine which is mechanical fuel injection. The engine it self does not require all of the computer electronics for it to run. It's a simpler engine. Since this is my first barbecue I would love some input if anybody has experiences with this tractor or TYM in general. Also in suggestion of alternates to T474 or T494.

thanks

Hey Prometheus, you have quiet a few tractors that you are considering right now and they are all different HP and sizes. This list needs to be narrowed down. I understand where you're at because I was there at one time to. This industry can be overwhelming when it comes to choices. Though it's never a bad thing to ask for opinions on here, you have a lot more research to do and things to consider. My advice to you is first determine what you're going to be doing with the machine and then work towards what size and power level you are going to need to achieve your goal at a price that you can afford.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

And tractors from TYM, Mahindra, LS, New Holland, Belarus, Yanmar, Branson, Kuboda, Bobcat, RK, et al weren't available 50 or so years ago either. None of the old ancient brands had as many models in production as they do now. Checking TractorData.com shows John Deere currently currently has over 100 different tractor model numbers currently in production, fifty+ years ago that number would have been substantially smaller. Tractor Data shows a total of 49 models that were offered at some time during the 1960s. One of the brands cited, Allis Chalmers offered a total of 107 tractors during their 71 year history, about the same as JD is offering this year.

You're exactly right which is why in hindsight I have learned that you have to narrow the choices down as soon as possible. The easiest way to achieve that is by looking at who your local dealers are and then eliminating any brands that are not local to you. The next phase is to determine what your needs are and then narrowing the classes down to the size that best fits your needs. Once you reach that phase then you can get the spreadsheets going and compare all the manufacturers in your local area that make a tractor in that same class and go from there. Process of elimination is the name of the game with this stuff.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

the LS forum is riddled with DPF and electrical issues.

I'm assuming this is a FB group?

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

And I was actually referring to several FB groups for each brand. But that is an example of what turned me off a bit

LOL Facebook, Now there's a great source of info.
Most (not all) of the problems I have seen with Tier IV compliance was in the 3-4 years of production and that seems to be true of automotive engines as well as tractor engines and probably including industrial engines. With a new technology application it takes a few years to work the bugs out. The most important thing, does the dealer/manufacturer have a fix and stand behind their machine. Kubota basically screwed many owners of their B3350 and only offered to cover their bad engineering after 6 years and earning deservedly bad rep for that model.