Front End Loader YM 155D

[California]

What do you like about the 186D?

I bought the first one because my ROPS-equiped YM240 is too tall to get close to my orchard trees. It feels tippy, too. And most of all in my sloping orchard, its a PIA to stop and change gears every 100 ft as the slope changes.

I wanted the smallest, lowest Yanmar with PowerShift. I hadn't expected this but with 4x4 it has nearly the pulling power of the 2wd YM240. The YM240 is now retired to semi-permanent backhoe use. I had hoped the YM186D could replace it but the little guy can't lift the backhoe, 750 lbs and CG far back from the hitch. The absolute perfect model would be YM187D with loader and power steering, its similar but with greater lift capacity and more driver legroom. I've never seen one at a reasonable price. Still wonder if I should have bought one that was 1k miles east of me, used only to pull the guy's plane out of his hangar, looked new. But it would have been $9k, delivered. My present YM186D with loader and power steering cost $3500 including loader forks and back blade.

In summary I think a loader is essential and PowerShift is well worth the additional cost if your land isn't level.

 

[rScotty]

A loader works well on a YM155/165 (same tractor & same loader). We worked ours hard for 40+ years.

Yanmar made two different loaders for that basic tractor frame. It would be nice if you could find an original. They were well made but not expensively so. More importantly, they came with a heavily built, full length steel loader frame which went from the front of the tractor all the way back to the rear end.

The loader uprights mounted to the loader frame and not to the tractor itself. This frame is important because the YM135/155/165 was not built to support a loader without that frame.

It wouldn't surprise me if several after market loaders would mount. For hydraulics there were several options.
luck,
rScotty

 

[JS07199]

I bought the first one because my ROPS-equiped YM240 is too tall to get close to my orchard trees. It feels tippy, too. And most of all in my sloping orchard, its a PIA to stop and change gears every 100 ft as the slope changes.

I wanted the smallest, lowest Yanmar with PowerShift. I hadn't expected this but with 4x4 it has nearly the pulling power of the 2wd YM240. The YM240 is now retired to semi-permanent backhoe use. I had hoped the YM186D could replace it but the little guy can't lift the backhoe, 750 lbs and CG far back from the hitch. The absolute perfect model would be YM187D with loader and power steering, its similar but with greater lift capacity and more driver legroom. I've never seen one at a reasonable price. Still wonder if I should have bought one that was 1k miles east of me, used only to pull the guy's plane out of his hangar, looked new. But it would have been $9k, delivered. My present YM186D with loader and power steering cost $3500 including loader forks and back blade.

In summary I think a loader is essential and PowerShift is well worth the additional cost if your land isn't level.

Thanks! Yep my land isn't level either lol.

 

[JS07199]

A loader works well on a YM155/165 (same tractor & same loader). We worked ours hard for 40+ years.

Yanmar made two different loaders for that basic tractor frame. It would be nice if you could find an original. They were well made but not expensively so. More importantly, they came with a heavily built, full length steel loader frame which went from the front of the tractor all the way back to the rear end.

The loader uprights mounted to the loader frame and not to the tractor itself. This frame is important because the YM135/155/165 was not built to support a loader without that frame.

It wouldn't surprise me if several after market loaders would mount. For hydraulics there were several options.
luck,
rScotty

Awesome! Thank you for the info!

 

[rScotty]

Awesome! Thank you for the info!

They - the US Yanmar Dealers of the 1970s & 80s - also offered a remote pump kit that drove off the front of the engine. With that kit, the loader was much stronger and faster.

The remote pump kit used the right hand loader upright as a sump to store the couple of gallons of loader hydraulic oil that it used. It was lots better than the small OEM tractor pump which required a diverter block AND a selector valve.

BTW, if you go with the diverter block and internal tractor hydraulic pump, that will work but it also needs the selector valve and three more high pressure hoses. The selector valve that needed to be used with the diverter block was the YFL 155TH. Bct is just a standard two path hydraulic selector valve. About $75 at any hydraulic outlet. I use SuplusCenter.com online.

If you do that, let me know. I have a diagram of how to hook it up.

Our land isn't level either. Turf tires and wheels helped a lot. lower and wider.

rScotty

 

[JS07199]

They - the US Yanmar Dealers of the 1970s & 80s - also offered a remote pump kit that drove off the front of the engine. With that kit, the loader was much stronger and faster.

The remote pump kit used the right hand loader upright as a sump to store the couple of gallons of loader hydraulic oil that it used. It was lots better than the small OEM tractor pump which required a diverter block AND a selector valve.

BTW, if you go with the diverter block and internal tractor hydraulic pump, that will work but it also needs the selector valve and three more high pressure hoses. The selector valve that needed to be used with the diverter block was the YFL 155TH. Bct is just a standard two path hydraulic selector valve. About $75 at any hydraulic outlet. I use SuplusCenter.com online.

If you do that, let me know. I have a diagram of how to hook it up.

Our land isn't level either. Turf tires and wheels helped a lot. lower and wider.

rScotty

That's great. I'll have to look into turf tires we have lots of clay though.

 

[rScotty]

That's great. I'll have to look into turf tires we have lots of clay though.

Well, the soil always dictates which tires to use. We have sand, gravel, and disintegrated granite without even a trace of clay. So here, turfs are fine. With your lots of clay, I wouldn't think turfs
would do you much good. Clay chemistry is a fascinating study, but sure glad we don't have it here.

And turfs are expensive. If a set falls in your lap, snap them up and make some decent chains for them to try...but with clay I think you would be better off to use wide R1 Ags and come up with some sort of scheme to widen the stance and double the flotation front and rear. That sounds like duals in the rear and who knows what in the front - especially with a loader. Floatation is as important in soft soil as traction.

Duals? Wheel extenders? Anyone?

BTW, I'm sure you've discoverd that the way the stock YM155 wheel inner attaches to the rear axle is very poor. It's important to use both compression bolts and the retaining pin to take all the slop out.
rScotty

 

[California]

BTW, I'm sure you've discovered that the way the stock YM155 wheel inner attaches to the rear axle is very poor. It's important to use both compression bolts and the retaining pin to take all the slop out.

For the YM186D I turned those hubs to the opposite, flat, side outward and the compression bolts inward.

I cleaned the paint off the flat side and found they were machined flat, so it appears they were designed to run with either side outward. There is 99% engagement from the axle to the hub in this position. This adds noticeable width.

Then wheel weights mounted external also help provide rollover resistance.