Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner

   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #1  

JustinB60

New member
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
5
Location
SE MI
Tractor
Yanmar 324
So I bought a pretty much brand new condition 2019 Yanmar 324 with 28 hours a few days ago and I realized after the fact a few things that I wanted to see if anybody could help me out with.

1. For some reason its listed as "Cat 1 (Limited)". When I measure the width of the 3 pt arms they seem to have as much travel as JD 2520 I use to have, maybe it doesnt lift as high?

2. Following up to limited Cat 1 question above, is anyone running a quick hitch on their 324? Just want to make sure nobody has run into issues with one before I pick it up.

3. I saw somewhere a guy running a 60" box blade on a 424 (same as 324 only larger wheels/tires), has anyone run a 324 with 60" box blade? I would be using it to grade a private road we have from time to time and also snow removal and around the yard when leveling is needed.

4. Yanmar has its own front loader "quick attach" system... annoying. Has anyone found a nice reasonably priced set of forks that attach this way or am I better off getting a SSQA set of forks with the Yanmar to SSQA adapter?

5. My hydrostatic drive was a little "stiff" when I first took delivery of this used unit but it seemed to feel better yesterday when I took it out on the roadway. One thing i noticed is that when you tip in a little it seems to oscillate a little before settling out at a speed. Anyone else notice this on their unit? Also when going in reverse when I lift off the pedal, once my foot lifts off the last like 1/2" of travel it almost feels like the brakes apply as it comes to very abrupt stop.

6. Were any of your brand new machines delivered with hydrostatic fluid level soo high it fills the sight window completely when off, cooled down, on level ground, with 3pt in top position? I drove by Yanmar dealer (since mine was "used" but never really used much by previous owner) and EVERY SINGLE 324/424 on their lot has 3pt arms all the way up on level ground and sight window is completely full with no air bubble present. Manual says it should be halfway up window when off.

The new machine:
IMG_2253.jpg
 
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   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner
  • Thread Starter
#2  
So I may have already answered my question #1 above, I went out and noticed that there are three different settings I can put the 3 pt arms at in terms of max/min height by just swapping the pins going between the 3pt hydraulic lift arms to the lower 3 pt arms. See photo below. My theory is that in the lowest setting via pins its considered limited cat 1 but if in highest setting its cat 1? Mine has sat in garage for two days with 3pt at max height (may have some hydraulic leak down by now) the height was within 1" of my old Kubota B2601 at max height and about 1" higher than a 1025R has at max height.

Follow up is me thinking out loud about these really being more of a compact tractor than a sub compact. Does Yanmar label it as sub compact for a reason? Overall its heavier in weight than a Kubota B2601 or JD2025R, has higher lift capacities in loader than Kubota B2601 or John Deere 2520 or 2025R, has higher 3pt lift capacities then John Deere 2520 or 2025R, and its overall dimensions are very similar to both machines.


Multiple pin locations on 3pt arms:

IMG_2296.jpg
 
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   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #3  
I consider the 324/424 more of a compact than sub compact tractor. I don't really know if there's any official criteria for the designation. The holes on the three point arms affect the load they can lift more than the height but they kind of go together. Note whether you have a stop on the control. Many tractors have a movable stop at one or both ends of the travel to determine how high or low the arms can be moved.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #4  
I have used a 60” box behind my 424 with no problem other than the rippers getting under a root or rock. It doesn’t take much to get these small tractors hung up. But for regular grading, especially with the rippers up, no worries.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #5  
Personally I skipped the quick attach system on my 424. You can manually remove the front bucket a few minutes. I’d spend that hard earned money elsewhere.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #6  
Congrats on the machine!

Re-Q#5, the pedals are less touchy in 4wd or under a lighter load.
Re-Q#6, My SA324 was delivered with overfilled HST as well. I had the tech drain the excess [2+ qts.

And a Q of my own, What is your idle speed set to?
Thanks and enjoy!
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #7  
Congrats! I think you made a good choice with the Yanmar. For 90% of jobs, I pick my 324 over my JD 4400.

1. For some reason its listed as "Cat 1 (Limited)". When I measure the width of the 3 pt arms they seem to have as much travel as JD 2520 I use to have, maybe it doesnt lift as high?
I have yet to figure out why Yanmar designates it as "Limited". It seems 100% functional and capable to me.

3. I saw somewhere a guy running a 60" box blade on a 424 (same as 324 only larger wheels/tires), has anyone run a 324 with 60" box blade? I would be using it to grade a private road we have from time to time and also snow removal and around the yard when leveling is needed.
I have a 60" box blade I used extensively for driveway rework. It worked great with the rippers down about half way. I would occasionally get hung up, but found that adjusting the top link such that the box blade was more-level-than-not was a good compromise between speed and aggressiveness.

4. Yanmar has its own front loader "quick attach" system... annoying. Has anyone found a nice reasonably priced set of forks that attach this way or am I better off getting a SSQA set of forks with the Yanmar to SSQA adapter?
I'm not exactly sure of your exact needs, but clamp on forks have their place (and, obviously, their limitations). I use a set of 43" 4000lb-capacity clamp on forks (with a stabilizer bar). I use chains and a set of lever load binders to secure them. Honestly, forks have been the best accessory/attachment I've purchased. I primarily use them for brush collection and hauling small/medium logs. They get used constantly and I keep them on the tractor almost all the time. For installation, I keep them set just wide enough to clear the outside of the QA brackets on the bucket. This allows the chains to rest on the thicker steel on the back side of the bucket. My opinion is that you really need chains/binders/stabilizer bar when using clamp on forks. At first, I tried to use the forks without the chains/binders and there's far too much flex on the bucket lip when under load. Regarding the quick attach aspect, I can have the forks on or off in just a few minutes, so I consider them quick attach. With a little bit of fiddling/modification, I bet it would be possible to have easy access to the Yanmar quick attach so the bucket could be removed with the forks still attached to the bucket.

My responses were a little long-winded, but I hope they were helpful.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Appreciate the info everyone! rfoxinc I'll let you know the next time I start up the tractor, forgot to look when I had it going last.

sa324owner I had similar experience to you when it came to pulling a 60" Landpride Land Plane, it would pull it in 4WD with the revs bumped up and only issues I had is when I would go through very soft areas on our road and I'd lose traction and slow down so I'd just lift 3pt a half inch or so and it'd pick up speed again and continue on with no problems. We have a road that is over half a mile long and there was only twice when I had to do that little touch of 3pt controls to continue at normal speed. Overall I am very impressed with this tractor I just wish it had a more universal loader attachment method. I have had clamp on forks on tractors in the past but my last tractor (John Deere 2520) I had a set of JD quick attach forks and they were a lot easier to use and provided a lot more lifting power as load was moved a lot closer to tractor. That being said I can get by with those so I might go that route again.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #9  
Congrats! I think you made a good choice with the Yanmar. For 90% of jobs, I pick my 324 over my JD 4400.

1. For some reason its listed as "Cat 1 (Limited)". When I measure the width of the 3 pt arms they seem to have as much travel as JD 2520 I use to have, maybe it doesnt lift as high?
I have yet to figure out why Yanmar designates it as "Limited". It seems 100% functional and capable to me.

3. I saw somewhere a guy running a 60" box blade on a 424 (same as 324 only larger wheels/tires), has anyone run a 324 with 60" box blade? I would be using it to grade a private road we have from time to time and also snow removal and around the yard when leveling is needed.
I have a 60" box blade I used extensively for driveway rework. It worked great with the rippers down about half way. I would occasionally get hung up, but found that adjusting the top link such that the box blade was more-level-than-not was a good compromise between speed and aggressiveness.

4. Yanmar has its own front loader "quick attach" system... annoying. Has anyone found a nice reasonably priced set of forks that attach this way or am I better off getting a SSQA set of forks with the Yanmar to SSQA adapter?
I'm not exactly sure of your exact needs, but clamp on forks have their place (and, obviously, their limitations). I use a set of 43" 4000lb-capacity clamp on forks (with a stabilizer bar). I use chains and a set of lever load binders to secure them. Honestly, forks have been the best accessory/attachment I've purchased. I primarily use them for brush collection and hauling small/medium logs. They get used constantly and I keep them on the tractor almost all the time. For installation, I keep them set just wide enough to clear the outside of the QA brackets on the bucket. This allows the chains to rest on the thicker steel on the back side of the bucket. My opinion is that you really need chains/binders/stabilizer bar when using clamp on forks. At first, I tried to use the forks without the chains/binders and there's far too much flex on the bucket lip when under load. Regarding the quick attach aspect, I can have the forks on or off in just a few minutes, so I consider them quick attach. With a little bit of fiddling/modification, I bet it would be possible to have easy access to the Yanmar quick attach so the bucket could be removed with the forks still attached to the bucket.

My responses were a little long-winded, but I hope they were helpful.

sa324owner, do you have any pictures of your setup on the clamp on forks?
I like the idea of using chains for support.
 
   / Yanmar 324 Questions from a New Owner #10  
Anyone running a quick hitch on their 324? Just want to make sure nobody has run into issues with one before I pick it up.

The implements appropriate to lighter tractors are lighter implements. Its easy to line up a light implement to insert the three hitch pins by applying a boot or prying a bit with a crowbar. Storing implements on 6" wide (pressure treated) planks makes them easier to move with a bit of sand on the planks for lubricity, relative to ground storage.

When implements get into 600 - 1,200 pound weights a quick hitch may be appropriate, especially for "senior" operators. When 600 pound implements are stored on 6" (pressure treated) planks they slide fractional amounts fairly easily.

Research carefully if a quick hitch on a Cat 1 (limited) TPH will line up with implements properly. I have my doubts. Cat 1/limited Top Links are usually 3" - 4" shorter than standard Cat 1 Top Links. (varies)

I am a believer in keeping everything on the tractor as simple as possible. To me, a TPH quick hitch on a light tractor is an oxymoron.


I noticed that there are three different settings I can put the 3 pt arms at in terms of max/min height by just swapping the pins going between the 3pt hydraulic lift arms to the lower 3 pt arms.

Kubota uses the same adjustment method. You tilt a Box Blade or rake by having pin higher on one side than the other, then fine adjust tilt with the right Lifting Rod. In this way the right Lifting Rod is not extended too far, putting strain on just a few right Lifting Rod threads.

To a certain extent you can gross adjust the amount of bite a Box Blade has on dirt by changing holes.
LOWER HOLE = LOWER LIFT.

Top Link length effects bite in a different way. Top Link is primary bite adjustment for most operators.


Follow up is me thinking out loud about these really being more of a compact tractor than a sub compact. Does Yanmar label it as sub compact for a reason?

The division is tractor weight and ground clearance = wheel/tire size.

Subcompact tractors have 6" to 9" ground clearance.
Compact tractors commence at 12" ground clearance for crop clearance.

No compact tractor has a Cat 1 (limited) Three Point Hitch.

A limited three point hitch reflects mainly the lift height and rated capacity for lifting these implements at the lift arms. Frequently, the spacing between the arms is reduced, which occasionally renders larger implements useless. The real reason behind a Limited Cat 1 hitch is the SCUT tractor. These tractors can attach a set point as wide as many small CUT machines, but usually have lower machine weight and smaller tires, generally 26x12x12. If I recall (I could be wrong) the max Cat 1/Limited weight is 420 vpounds 24" behind the link arms.

This would eliminate many larger implements even though they can be mounted by the hitch on dimension alone. It also assumes that those heavier implements would not be liftable to the appropriate height by a smaller tired machine, thus the limited weighting.

The short message here is the limited cat one hitch is meant to allow a small tractor to share mounting points with a larger tractor, but concedes the tractor using one cannot and should not be participating with implements greater than 420 pounds.

John M<


T-B-N ARCHIVE: Category 1 (limited) three point hitch site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search


I saw somewhere a guy running a 60" box blade on a 424 (same as 324 only larger wheels/tires), has anyone run a 324 with 60" box blade? I would be using it to grade a private road we have from time to time and also snow removal and around the yard when leveling is needed.

Spec width for Yanmar 324 with R1/ag tires is 54.6". Equipped with R4/industrial tires probably 58" (+/-), so a relatively light 60" Box Blade is the appropriate width.

I am of the opinion that a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment is as effective for minor grading as a light Box Blade on lighter tractors. Box Blades have a relatively long learning curve. Ratchet Rake has a short learning curve.

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...chet-rake-today-2.html?highlight=ratchet+rake See Post #11.


when in reverse when I lift off the pedal, once my foot lifts off the last like 1/2" of travel it almost feels like the brakes apply as it comes to very abrupt stop.

This is normal with an HST transmission. This trait makes HST valuable during hill work.




Yanmar 324 - dimensions

2014 -
Sub-Compact Utility tractor
Series next: Yanmar 424
Series back: Yanmar 221

Yanmar 324 Tires:
Lawn/turf front: 23x8.50-12
Lawn/turf rear: 33x12.5-16.5
Industrial front: 23x8.50-12
Industrial rear: 12-16.5

Dimensions:
Weight: 1715 lbs [777 kg]
Wheelbase: 63 inches [160 cm]
Length: 105.8 inches [268 cm]
Width: 54.6 inches [138 cm]
Height (steering wheel): 55.3 inches [140 cm]
Height (ROPS): 85.9 inches [218 cm]
70.4 inches [178 cm] (folded)
Ground clearance: 8.5 inches [21 cm]
Front tread: 37.8 inches [96 cm]
Rear tread: 42.5 inches [107 cm]

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Last update: June 28, 2018
Copyright: Copyright 2018 TractorData LLC
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