Thoughts on a Yanmar

[n92687]

I am new.

I am now hooked on buying a tractor. I just used my friends 85 Ford 24hp tractor with a FEL. I was having a great time until I broke a bracket. Anyway, things like that happen,my friend assured me. Couldn't find the part, so just welded the old.
Now for my question. I want to buy a blue or green, but one of the values appear to be the Yanmar. (I will clear brush on only 6 acres.) I have spent a lot of time reading the post, but it appears that that the Yanmar posts have a lot more to do with repairs of varying degree, VS the blue and green post are not so much about repairs.
I simply want to get a good all around compact tractor that can do many tasks. I am short on time, so simple repairs can be trouble. I was earlier concerned about part, but parts look available, but I am getting the picture there is a lot of little repairs that will need to be done.
I would like to try to get a better picture of the quality of the Yanmar tractor. I was thinking of the 29hp unit.

Lastly, How do you know what year you are actually getting or how many hours? Does the Yanmar have type of hobbs meter?

Thanks,
John

 

[mark777]

The single and biggest difference of the tractor colors you've mentioned would be the price of a Yanmar.

IMO the majority of posts concerning Yanmar repairs are basic maintenance issues...and an occasional hard part the brakes. Many owners of tractors, and regardless of brand, are somewhat guilty when it comes to scheduled maintenance. The more one neglects a diesel tractor and continues to use it hard, the more likely something will fail.

If you're going to buy a used diesel tractor, then expect periodic maintenance, get down and dirty (greasy) no matter what the brand. There are no other options unless you bring it to a mechanic or have a friend, family member who is more mechanically inclined and will spend a few hours every 50 hours of operation.

Good luck and Welcome to TBN.

Mark

 

[Pete Milley]

Welcome to TBN. Be sure to read between the lines on some of the posts for other brand tractors. Any tool that is worked hard is going to show signs of wear and will need to be repaired. Alot of people tend to overwork a small machine and therefore they will have more maintenance. If the machine is used for its intended purpose and well cared for it will last a long time. I personally preferred the Yanmar to the other brands due to their reputation and ease of use(ergonomics) The price difference is tremendous. I don't buy into the hype of the big 3. In the compact tractor market, I believe there is an even playing field regarding efficiency, dependability and capability. Prices can vary dramatically depending on location. Do yourself a favor and research all the specs and maintenance requirements on all the brands before you decide. For my purposes, Yanmar has the most bang for the buck. Good luck and have fun shopping.

 

[Goldchaser]

I am a new Yanmar owner, though I have owned other tractors before though none as small as the YM155D I have now. I havent even started this one up yet but have been totally amazed at the quality of it. It sat, as I just found out, for 8 solid years...outside in the weather. Except for body paint and a couple of hoses and minor stuff, everything is in excellent shape, all the gears are free and clear, brakes in good shape and it turns over without a problem. Even the tires are still in fairly good shape.

Take it from me. I have owned other brands of tractors. I still own a big Allis Chalmers, 120 hp. Its a brute. And about the same age as my new YM. but if I left it sitting as long as 8 years it wouldnt be worth squatt and likely about as repairable as squat.

You are going to find in a list like this more discussion about repairs than most anything else. Its the nature of the beast. If you are going to use it, you are going to eventually break something or wear something out. And much of the discussion on repairs in here are on models that are 30 or more years old. Most likely with a few thousand hours on them. My yanmar manual basically says that only around 6000 hours do you have to maybe start doing anything but minor repairs. And from what I have seen and read, I find that very believeable.

Whatever you do decide though, just make sure you check it out good before you invest your money. And make sure, if you get it from a dealer, that its a reputable dealer. And if you are getting it from a private owner, if you dont know them, try to take someone who knows tractors well and let them check it out as well as you. Make sure you know what you are buying. Good luck.

 

[rgood]

Hi - I also am a new Yanmar owner.

As far as telling what year you are getting - Certain models were only made during certain years - So that helps - Additionally, I know some people track things via the S/N etc - I'm sure someone else will expand on that.

The tractors have hour meters on them, but the meters roll over.

However, there are ways to tell how much a tractor has been used - Just like when you buy a used car, there are ways to tell if the car has 12,000 miles on it or 112,000 - One way you can tell how much a tractor has been worked is by looking at the 3 point hitch and seeing how worn the holes are. I would think you could also look for wear on the clutch petals, brakes etc.

For me the purchase came down to I could buy a used Ford tractor from a dealer for the same price as I bought my tractor from Fredericks in AL - The tractor at the Ford dealer worked and all, but that's all it did was work - The tractor at Fredericks came with completely new tires, belts, hoses, filters, seat, and an important thing to me is it had a ROPS system (roll bar installed).

So, for me, the Yanmar has fewer things that would need immediate repair/replacement. And from what I've seen so far, if you can change the oil and air filter on your pickup, you can do most of the maintenance on the Yanmar - And if you don't want to do the maintenance, it's not really any different than other tractors, so, you shouldn't have too much problem finding a diesel mechanic to do the work.

 

[FL_Jerry]

Most people post here to find the solution to a problem. Not much posting on "Gee my tractor runs great", maybe because those people are on their tractor and not on a computer

I "fix" a lot of stuff on my tractor that doesn't really need fixing. I wish I could stop, but I can't. Part of the problem is that most things are simple to
tear in to and fix. Parts aren't hard to find, at least for my 2000BD.

On another note, I can say that the question you raised will probably lead to the VN recon coming up. I'll leave that to someone else to explain. There are several dealers who look at this forum and can tell you what to look for....I think it applies to any tractor.

All I can say is, I didn't go looking for a Yanmar, it found me. I'm glad
the guy who had it sold it, because so far, it has been great.

Jerry

 

[Underwaterdog]

Jerry,
I have searched the forum and internet and been unable to answer a question. Can you tell me what the "B" stands for in the model number of your YM2000BD?
Mike

 

[LMTC]

It doesn't stand for anything. It's part of the model number.

 

[California]

It indicates 'Version B', ie a revised YM2000 or 2000D with some fancy stuff added like a fuel gauge and more enclosure around the engine. Same tractor.

I have a question - does the additional shrouding cut down the racket these things make?

 

[n92687]

Thanks for all the good information. I will continue to dig deeper into the posts to get a better feel for a Yanmar. Hopefully others will comment on the points that were brought up.

John