Buying Advice Yanmar 4220D

[Running P]

I'm looking at a yanmar 4220D tractor that is supposedly totally refurbished (~45 hrs). Brand new tires, seats, mufflers, loader, etc. Powershift transmission. The price being so low ($10,500), I am skeptical. I have no experience with Yanmar tractors and very little experience with tractors in general. So, my questions are 1) What are your general feelings about the quality of yanmars? 2) Does anyone have experience with these refurbished Yanmars? 3) Are parts (especially the common stuff like filters and hoses) easy or hard to find? and 4) Is this deal too good to be true?

I will be using this tractor to mow ~20 acres, and general light-mod FEL work (and possibly moving round bails).
Any information will be useful,
Thanks
J

 

[winston1]

Welcome to the forum. :welcome: Do you know anything about the refurbished, Vietnam, Fredricks? More than likely a vn refurbished tractor. Could be ok and again might not be. That is low hours since refurb so it hasn't been tested. The history of vn refurbed tractors has been good and bad. You really just have to proceed at your own risk. Bear in mind that tractor was manufactured in 1982 and 1983. Hoye tractor in Iowa Park shows a pretty good stocking of engine parts for that model including head and crankshaft. Assuming it has a loader since your planning on doing loader work.

 

[kenmac]

There are no 35+ yr old tractors with only 45 hrs on the meter. Must be a V N refurb. Do you know what brand loader it has ?

 

[Running P]

I do not know what brand the loader is. Owner mentioned it's a Japanese refurbish. I guess vn? I guess it's a new motor if meter is showing 45hrs.

 

[kenmac]

No, It's not a new motor, VN refurbs do just enough to get the tractor running roll back the hr meter and sell as a refurbished tractor. It May be a good tractor and may not be. I thought the lawsuit had gotten rid of the VN refurbed tractors/dealers ?


Fredricks list a 3810 without a loader for 9,499.00 His tractors are a true refurb tractor and the only dealer authorized to use the yanmar name for importing and refurbishing grey yanmar tractors

 

[Running P]

hmmm. Can you inform me about this lawsuit? And what is a VN refurb?

 

[Gary Fowler]

No they are not new engines, they are almost all refurbed in Vietnam. Look at the loader and if it has a V3 loader it is Vietnam rebuild (repaint and check for rotten hoses mostly. I bought one with loader for the same price about 6 years ago. I had to flush the hydraulic system several times to get all the clayey looking stuff out of it and change the filter, clean the screen and put in 5 gallons of clean oil. I finally got is mostly clean on the third flushing and filter change. I put about 100 hours on it and sold it to my brother in law. He had to rebuild the relief valve which is part of the FEL control valve. It blew up the hydraulic pump because it wouldn't bypass any pressure. This happened all at once. Hoye Tractor had one to the tune of about $500. He fixed the control valve, put on the new pump and hasn't had any other problems with it. It never used any oil between yearly changes so the engine was good. I did have trouble with the bolts backing out of the FEL frame attached to the tractor. They just wouldn't stay tight and about every time I used it, I had to tighten or replace a couple of bolts that had vibrated out. I suppose I should have got some of the two piece lock washers and put some blue Loctite on it which may have fixed the problem.
The 4220D is a very strong tractor for it's size. I pulled a bush hog over grass and weeds higher than the tractor in 3rd gear and 4 on the power shift occasionally having to downshift for really heavy stuff. I loved that powershift and wish other manufacturers would make something like it. I used to push over trees as large as I could ride down with the FEL and tractor and chop them up with the new Howse light weight bush hog that I got for $800 with the tractor. I never had a problem with anything other than the contaminated oil reservoir. The tractor will not go when the filters get stopped up as it has a hydraulic clutch so lack of oil puts it in neutral.

Even though I didn't have a lot of problems with mine, and I abused the heck out of it and it kept on ticking, I wouldn't buy another. I would spend the extra and get a new tractor if possible or a used USA made one rather than the 30 year old with a new paint job. I believe you can find a lot of used tractors in the 40-50 HP class for that money. Even the older Kubota's would be a better choice IMO.
If you are just using it for mowing with a 6 foot mower, you really don't need that much HP to pull that size mower.

 

[Running P]

Thanks Gary and Kenmac,
Very helpful, some info on the Yanmar website was also helpful (although probably biased). buying a yanmar tractor

 

[kenmac]

hmmm. Can you inform me about this lawsuit? And what is a VN refurb?

Some of it you can read about here http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/yanmar/252532-yanmar-lawsuit.html you can also google yanmar grey market tractor to find out more.... A Vietnam refurb is a typically a trashed tractor that most other dealers wouldn't touch. It's sent to Vietnam to get an overhaul (so to speak) and sent to the U.S. as a refurbished tractor. Some turn out ok and some don't Yanmar filed a lawsuit to stop this mess. Now there is only 1 dealer (Fredricks Equipment) (that I'm aware of) that is allowed to import and refurbish yanmar grey tractors.


As far as yanmar tractors,, They are excellent tractors if you manage to get 1 in good condition. Or refurbed by someone that knows what their doing. Some have gotten good Vietnam refurbs. You're just taking the chance you will be the 1 that gets 1

 

[clemsonfor]

I have nothing more to add to this. Kenmac pretty much covered it. Frederics is the only one that can import yanmars i beleive and can now sell Grey YM's on ebay as he is allowed too. Hoye did not get sued out of the business somehow, thats thier business though, maybe cause he no longer sells tractors just parts??

There are other dealers that sell YM refurbs, but they are tractors from fredericks. I am not sure what old inventory that was laying around from VN places what happened to it, bought back, forfeited?


But any tractor dealer can still sell a grey YM yanmar refurbed in Vietnam that was in this country prior to the lawsuit rulling. There thousands in the country (ever seen the pics of VN1 tractor yard in ATL or wherever it was or the other one in TX there were thousands on the yard for the pic!!!) so my guess is that ones will continue to show up on lots as trades for other tractors to be resold. You would be suprised how many folks think they NEED a tractor on thier 3 acres and they figure out a ZT mower is way faster to mow with or turn so they have the tractor to sit for the few times a year they need the loader or boxblade. Or you have all the hobby farmers city guys that buy one and then realize its tough on your body to bounce around on a tractor for hours in the heat and just let it sit most of the year.

I bought a VN tractor a YM2000. I think i have made out ok, it has a bit of blowby now out of the tube but i have put 150 hours on it, which is nothing for a tractor yes but we dont know it anything or nothing was done to the motor? It is still strong and does not use any oil that i can tell in a 50 hour oil change. The hydro works fine, now after 4 years or so one of the arms is developing a leak at it but the tractor is 35 years old. I got a radiator and voltage regulator while it was under warrenty and they had to swap my 3pt system on the top of the trans. It had a bad vavle i beleive and was overheating the fluid to the point i would loose lift strength. If you have looked at these tractors this will make sense, its the top part of the trans but contains all the lift arms, lift piston, and valve.

I have replaced a rear axle seal that started leaking after 3 years, and replaced the oring on the three point lift, which helped it a bit from leaking down but came to find out the valve is leaking just ever so slightly, and even new orings in it did nothing. The guys at Hoye said dont worry about it and to just leave it but i am one of those that likes every thing to work right. It causes no issues running it but when its stopped the impement will slowly leak down, which an implement should not be left in the air anyway but still it should hold it forever basically.

I know i have rambled but i am giving you a rundown of what i have done to mine since i had it. Oh and the hour meter on mine turns an hour for every hour it runs at 2400rpm i seldom run at that speed so if you run lower your tractor actually has more clock hours on it than the meter says. For example if i bushhog at like 1700 rpms in light grass i am not lugging my tractor for the load i am putting on it but i can cut for like 1.5 hours on your watch but only turn around 1 on the gauge so i really have way more than the stated hours on my tractor. Like when i use the box blade i am really just putting around maybe 1500 rpms if really digging the tines in but usually just barely over idle as i more small amounts of material around.