Old Yanmar vs what I have now?

782Diesel · Nov 10, 2023

In the near future, I might look at selling the two diesel tractors I have now and getting a Yanmar SCUT. I had a YM135 years ago, it was a nice little tractor. Then I had the GT14 and other that certain engine parts being impossible to find, it was nice, especially the power shift transmission. Right now we have a Cub Cadet 782d with the Kubota diesel under the hood, 3pt and 50" mower deck and a Hinomoto E14 2wd that I am restoring to running condition. I would not want to go to much larger in overall size from the Hino, but I think I would like 4wd unless there is a reason not to spend the $$ a 4wd fetches over the 2wd version. I am looking at YM 1700's, which is a gear drive, 2 cylinder or the 1510 which is power shift, 3 cylinder. Unless a 135D or a 155D pops up locally but my wife thinks the green ones are butt ugly. I am torn over what to do. I know parts are easier to come by for the Yanmar over the Hino we have, it was just super cheap and local so I grabbed it. I do not know its build quality vs the Yanmar brand which is well known to be a great build quality being right up there with Kubota. Our primary use would be mowing with a finish mower, tiller work in the food plot and general chores. We are about 2-4 years away from moving from the suburbs to the country so I have time to research and find the right deal if we change tractors.

2manyrocks · Nov 10, 2023

Don't know much about those specific models, but will say my 226d with the 3 cylinder and power shift transmission has been very reliable, runs smoothly, and is very fuel efficient. Mine is 2wd, but I'd say 4wd would be a big plus in putting useable power to the ground.

Yander · Nov 10, 2023

You can buy the newer model Yanmar SA221/223 used for a very good price. You can even get the 324s and 424s w/ loaders for around $11k if you are patient. At least around here you can.

bmaverick · Nov 10, 2023

782Diesel said:
In the near future, I might look at selling the two diesel tractors I have now and getting a Yanmar SCUT. I had a YM135 years ago, it was a nice little tractor. Then I had the GT14 and other that certain engine parts being impossible to find, it was nice, especially the power shift transmission. Right now we have a Cub Cadet 782d with the Kubota diesel under the hood, 3pt and 50" mower deck and a Hinomoto E14 2wd that I am restoring to running condition. I would not want to go to much larger in overall size from the Hino, but I think I would like 4wd unless there is a reason not to spend the $$ a 4wd fetches over the 2wd version. I am looking at YM 1700's, which is a gear drive, 2 cylinder or the 1510 which is power shift, 3 cylinder. Unless a 135D or a 155D pops up locally but my wife thinks the green ones are butt ugly. I am torn over what to do. I know parts are easier to come by for the Yanmar over the Hino we have, it was just super cheap and local so I grabbed it. I do not know its build quality vs the Yanmar brand which is well known to be a great build quality being right up there with Kubota. Our primary use would be mowing with a finish mower, tiller work in the food plot and general chores. We are about 2-4 years away from moving from the suburbs to the country so I have time to research and find the right deal if we change tractors.

A Yanmar in an SCUT with PowerShift for mowing and odd easy jobs, one with a popular enough engine for parts into the future, and 2WD

The 3-clyinders run smoother vs. the 2-clyindars with the loud Yanmar hammering noise.

These come to mind,

Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

I think he is referring to Rear end loader.

www.tractorbynet.com

Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

I think he is referring to Rear end loader.

www.tractorbynet.com

Personally, you get a better machine in a YM1720 vs the plain no thrills YM1700 on the same platform.
Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

YM1700 Originally a Tree Frog. 🤑 A real cheesy production logo. In a rare instance, a YM1700 Tree Frog restored to showroom new condition. This is a beauty. The machine was on a market place, the only image left in the cache to pull from. It would have been great to have more...

www.tractorbynet.com

Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

YM1700 Originally a Tree Frog. 🤑 A real cheesy production logo. In a rare instance, a YM1700 Tree Frog restored to showroom new condition. This is a beauty. The machine was on a market place, the only image left in the cache to pull from. It would have been great to have more...

www.tractorbynet.com

If you want a bit modern but not the latest out there, then the Yanmar Cub Cadets are good machines for SCUTs.

TractorData.com Cub Cadet Sc2400 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

TractorData.com Cub Cadet Sx3100 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

TractorData.com Cub Cadet Ex2900 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

Other than Yanmar for a reliable Japan tractor, my next pick is Mitsubishi. The MT 3-digit series is very reliable. And made from the 90s up to almost 2012.
The MT 2-digit are the 80 into the 90s era. Its a mix, some gas and some diesel. You would need to check out Tractor Data to find the diesels. And the Mitsubishi engines went into the Iseki machines and in some cases the Isekis are just re-badged Mitsubishi's just in blue.

Here are a few examples,
TractorData.com Mitsubishi MT260 tractor information

TractorData.com Mitsubishi MT301 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

TractorData.com Mitsubishi MT2000 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

Mitsubishi in their larger CUT tractors use Yanmar engines for a duration of time too. These are 60Hp to 110Hp.

ponytug · Nov 11, 2023

I really like the Yanmars, both for build quality of the engine, and the design for small areas.

There is also a Power-Trac, e.g. 425.

T8 Class

Compact Tractors, Slope Mowers, Articulated Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Trailer Packages

power-trac.com

Depending where you are, they occasionally come up for sale used.

I think that especially when buying a used one, it helps to know what goes wrong in certain machines, which ones are the oddballs for which parts can be unobtainable, because at the end of the a well cared for unit will make more of a deal than a trashed one, even if you are handy with a wrench. This forum is a great place to read up on the ins and outs of particular models.

All the best,

Peter

bmaverick · Nov 11, 2023

ponytug said:
I really like the Yanmars, both for build quality of the engine, and the design for small areas.
There is also a Power-Trac, e.g. 425.

T8 Class

Compact Tractors, Slope Mowers, Articulated Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Trailer Packages

power-trac.com

Depending where you are, they occasionally come up for sale used.

I think that especially when buying a used one, it helps to know what goes wrong in certain machines, which ones are the oddballs for which parts can be unobtainable, because at the end of the a well cared for unit will make more of a deal than a trashed one, even if you are handy with a wrench. This forum is a great place to read up on the ins and outs of particular models.

All the best,

Peter

Those are like taking a tractor and a skid-steer morphed into 1 machine.

The only downside is, the T8 top speed is only 8mph. Depending on the acreage the OP is looking at, 8mph will be too slow for all the mowing.

ponytug · Nov 11, 2023

bmaverick said:
Those are like taking a tractor and a skid-steer morphed into 1 machine.

If you aren't plowing, I think that they are great little machines for small properties. Since they are hydraulically direct 4WD drive wheels, they just don't have the ground ripping force of a geared machine. They definitely have their quirks, and the build is low tech, but rock solid.

With center articulation, and the ability to have the front tilt +/-15 degree relative to the back, they are very stable and great at hugging the ground. Finish mowing they do quite well with low ground pressure, and no tearing of turf on turns.

Where they are untouched is their ability to work on slopes. I brush cut 30 degree slopes with a PT-1445, (that is a 58% slope).

The rototillers are great, though not available with alternate tines the way Yanmars are.

At the end of the day, I think it comes down to what you want / need to use your tractor for.

But, and for some owners it is a big but, there are no dealers, just the factory support (which has been excellent for me), so you have to be able to turn a wrench if service or repair is needed. The Power-Trac sub-forum here is what convinced me to buy one, and the group there has been invaluable and supportive since then. (Like the Yanmar sub-forum!)

All the best,

Peter

782Diesel · Nov 11, 2023

I dont mind oddball machines, just as long as they do not have inherent weak points where something breaks that is nearly impossible to replace now. For the use we will need, the old Hino, once proven to run ok again might be fine with very little cash outlay. That remains to be seen once I replace the bad head gasket. I do like the 1510 Yanmars with the power shift, they do pop up in my area, as does the 1700 and 1400 series. I am about an hour north of Indianapolis.

bmaverick · Nov 11, 2023

782Diesel said:
I dont mind oddball machines, just as long as they do not have inherent weak points where something breaks that is nearly impossible to replace now. For the use we will need, the old Hino, once proven to run ok again might be fine with very little cash outlay. That remains to be seen once I replace the bad head gasket. I do like the 1510 Yanmars with the power shift, they do pop up in my area, as does the 1700 and 1400 series. I am about an hour north of Indianapolis.

I offered the Yanmar Cub Cadets in my listing since you do have a Cub Cadet now.

bmaverick · Nov 11, 2023

782Diesel said:
I dont mind oddball machines, just as long as they do not have inherent weak points where something breaks that is nearly impossible to replace now. For the use we will need, the old Hino, once proven to run ok again might be fine with very little cash outlay. That remains to be seen once I replace the bad head gasket. I do like the 1510 Yanmars with the power shift, they do pop up in my area, as does the 1700 and 1400 series. I am about an hour north of Indianapolis.

Your Hinomoto looks cute.

etpm · Nov 11, 2023

I have a Yanmar YM2310. It has the powershift transmission and I love that feature. I do sometimes wish it was 4WD and it was available with 4WD. It also has a front end loader, which I think is essential. The FEL gets used so much that I would never buy another tractor without one. Even though the tractor was made in 1980 or 1981 the 3 cyinder engine runs great and is pretty quiet.
Eric

California · Nov 11, 2023

After now 20 years with the YM240 I wouldn't buy another 2-cylinder (YM1700 etc) Yanmar. The coarse racket is overwhelming, no joy to run for hours. At least for amateur hobby-farmer use, a much smoother 3 cylinder would be my preferred choice. But YM1700 or YM2000 will still be the least expensive choice in that HP range - and parts support is excellent like Jeep or VW.

PowerShift and power steering are now more available, and those, along with a loader, are well worth paying for.

I've retired the YM240 to backhoe use only. Running it at 1200-1300 rpm, near idle and not working hard, hearing protection (earmuffs) on, is ok. The YM186D with power steering and loader can do near anything that I used the YM240 for, except it can't lift that 750 lb backhoe.

bmaverick · Nov 11, 2023

California said:
After now 20 years with the YM240 I wouldn't buy another 2-cylinder (YM1700 etc) Yanmar. The coarse racket is overwhelming, no joy to run for hours. At least for amateur hobby-farmer use, a much smoother 3 cylinder would be my preferred choice. But YM1700 or YM2000 will still be the least expensive choice in that HP range - and parts support is excellent like Jeep or VW.

PowerShift and power steering are now more available, and those, along with a loader, are well worth paying for.

I've retired the YM240 to backhoe use only. Running it at 1200-1300 rpm, near idle and not working hard, hearing protection (earmuffs) on, is ok. The YM186D with power steering and loader can do near anything that I used the YM240 for, except it can't lift that 750 lb backhoe.

My co-worker grabbed a YM1720. Has good power, 3-cly, factory power steering and is a really nice SCUT. Not so tiny like a YM1300/YM135 or YM1500/YM155. It would be more on par with the YM186/YM187. A YM1610 is very apt with a belly mower too. So don't rule it out either.

These are off the manual covers. And yes, the belly mowers are fully defined in the parts manuals too.

Where would you find a DGR mower for these two machines you might ask? I see one right here - - -
JD650 ~ YM1610

JD750 ~ YM1720

782Diesel · Nov 11, 2023

Love the little Hino picture, yes its a cute little SCUT and I actually like its quaint Japanese styling. I dont mind the "yammerhammer" 2 cylinder sound. Its actually pleasing to me for some reason, more so than the 3 cylinder machines. But those 2 cylinders dont seem to have the power shift in the older models. once you get into the newer F series I am lost. Its the older ones I have interest in from both an old iron stand point and styling. Dont really want anything to much larger than the Hino we have. I worked as a small engine/diesel tech for almost 30 years before going to work for Chrysler(better pay/benefits) and worked at a CC dealership when they paired up with Yanmar. Those are nice but out of our price range locally. I am hopefully once I put a new head gasket on the Hino's engine, she will be a solid little tractor for many years. I will do some plowing with it at a few tractor events, probably with a single bottom plow so as not to overstress things. I have a Brinly cat 0 12" moldboard plow for the 782d that could easily be fitted with cat 1 pins. Green JD's are nice, but we dont buy green tractors. IH family here for the most part. I have owned other brands, mostly to flip them for a profit after fixing them. Not sure how the International 234 compacts rate for dependablity, and they are a bit to big. If a YM1510D pops up locally for a good price, I might grab it.

California · Nov 11, 2023

There's one old big 2-cylinder Powershift with FWD: YM2210D. We've seen here people who bought a VN 'reconditioned' one and found it had been re-powered with a 2TR20, the YM2000/YM240 engine. The displacement is identical, the 2210's extra couple of HP at a little more RPM may just reflect different cam lift plus better cooling or something to run at that higher rpm without greater wear. And it weighs a little more.

Clank Clank Clank.

Before I bought the YM240 I was sure there was a rod knock. Seller said no, that sound of idiots pounding on a manhole cover with heavy pry bars is the sound of Raw Power!

camshawn · Nov 11, 2023

Our little 70’s 155D just keeps chugging along. The 15 hp 4wd with a little aftermarket loader has been a work horse. Only repair was to a shaft that the tierod is attached to On the front axel. The key way wore out after 30 yrs. A quick fix by a local machinist. It pushes a 6foot snow plow in the winter as long as the snow isn’t too deep If I chain up all 4 wheels. I would buy Yanmar again.

782Diesel · Nov 12, 2023

One of the 155's is on my list of possible tractors, especially the 4wd version. I dont remember if Yanmar did the YM135 in 4wd or not. It was a perfect size for us, but was only 2wd and we lived in Erie, PA at the time where we got tons of lake effect snow and I needed 4wd to do much in the way of snow removal with it. Otherwise I loved the tractor and it size. Our current Hino E14 is about that same size but with us living in Indiana now, the snow is much less of a concern.

careyo63 · Nov 12, 2023

My Ym2000 been banging out the power for over 15yrs. Tow truck driver dropping off the ford asked how long I had it. I'm old school Iron my self. My lawn mower. Keep up with the neighbors yard not happening...............

Never get much over 2000 Rpms so the Yammer Hammer doesn't bother me. Worked in Large offset Printing. So I'm use to loud machinery noise.

782Diesel · Nov 12, 2023

Being on the autism spectrum, anytime I run any of my tractors for work like mowing ect, I have a headset style hearing protection over my ears. My YM135 was a noisy little beast, but you couldnt kill it. If I upgrade anything it will be to a 4wd that is close in size to Hino. I also prefer old iron, they were built like tanks back then and designed to be serviced and repaired vs replaced. Then the neighbors that have to get the newest lawn tractor kill them or have issues, they come down to borrow one of mine or get me to cut their yard. Only one has seen "the light" and got himself a nice older IH Cub Cadet to mow with.

California · Nov 12, 2023

782Diesel said:
... the neighbors that have to get the newest lawn tractor kill them ...

City folks vs country folks:

New neighbors. They clearly moved to the country so they wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I had mowed the back of their parcel for the previous owner once, on my 30 year old Yanmar (photo) but when these folks needed it but rudely ignored us, I didn't offer to mow it again.

Then I saw the neighbor mowing there for the first time on his brand new John Deere lawn tractor. He made it about 20 minutes. Stalled a few times. Then BLAM!!!! Silence. The tractor sat there for a couple of days. Haven't seen it since.

His 20 minutes mowing must have been real expensive.