Buying Advice Yanmar same as Zen-Noh?

/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #1  

rxdad2012

Bronze Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2019
Messages
75
Location
Claiborne County, TN
Tractor
1978 Ford 2600 and 2020 Kubota BX23S
Sorry, Im new to the Yanmar brand of tractors so Im learning lots from all the experts here on the forum. Is zen-noh the same as Yanmar? By all appearances the ones ive seen online look identical in every way. I know both are Japanese based. Is it as simple as say GMC also making Chevy?

I searched the threads here and didnt find much. I was hoping an expert like California or Wilson could shed some light on it for me.

Thanks in advance!
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #4  
Zen Noh is not a manufacturer, but a federation of agricultural co-ops
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #5  
That's interesting - I thought they were a grey market Kubota. From the above it appears a Zen Noh tractor could be any brand under the sun, depending on what the co-op purchased at the time.
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #6  
As stated by others Zen-Hon is a Coop!
There is some partial information presented above however. The information is not inaccurate as much as it is incomplete!

Zin-Hon would contract with the lowest bidder to supply their rebranded tractors as I have understood their process. Most commonly the 2 big suppliers were Yanmar and Kubota. Typically you will see the Zin tractor have a Z in front of the model number and be able to ID if it is a a Yanmar or a Kubota (ZYM1500 or ZL1500)
Hope that helps clear up the confusion.
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Good stuff, guys! Thanks
Are the parts interchangeable? For instance if I buy a Zen-noh labeled 2210D, are the parts for Yanmar 2210D the same? They appear to be alike from the pics ive seen
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #8  
Good stuff, guys! Thanks
Are the parts interchangeable? For instance if I buy a Zen-noh labeled 2210D, are the parts for Yanmar 2210D the same? They appear to be alike from the pics ive seen

Yes, parts are the same.
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #10  
The first yanmar tractors Fredricks sold were labeled Zen-Noh. Mine was labeled as such
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #11  
That Zen-Noh article that Scotty Dive linked in post #2 emphasizes Kubota, but Wallace was bringing over clean Yanmars from Japan in likely equal quantity.

One major part missing from that Zen-Noh / Kubota history is the story of the sweatshops in Vietnam that rebuilt junk tractors that were first used in Japan, then had been run to death in a second lifetime working in Vietnam, then were torn down and 'overhauled' with no access at all to genuine Yanmar parts. Used parts from tractors bought as tons of scrap, or handmade parts, were the ingredients. 'Here, kid. A new file, and a chunk of used something unknown. Go make me a replica of this irreplaceable Yanmar component'. :)

Then a museum quality paint job and send it over. Some retailers here misrepresented 40 year old gorgeous machines as 'low hours, recent model' or even as new.

I bought several salvage parts I needed to restore my (US) YM240 from an importer of those VN rebuilts. Le, general manager, told me he wholesaled 200~400 tractors a month and they were the US branch owned by the VN 'factory'. Sales and setup staff were likely the next generation in the family that owned the factory, with one Good Ol Boy Texan as marketing manager.

They had plenty of warranty-return gorgeous incomplete tractors parked out back to salvage parts off of for warranty claims, and everything I needed. One day I asked the young (and gorgeous) woman who was now marketing manager where is Le? She said her brother had gone home to VN to try to convince them to send over better quality.

A while later, this importer closed. They were honest, they had taken back so many warranty returns that it buried them. I think they had disappeared before Yanmar followed Kubota's lead and sued the pants off all the gray market Yanmar importers and retailers.

If you ever see a decal TractorMaster or MasterTractor on a Yanmar, it came through that importer.
 
/ Yanmar same as Zen-Noh? #12  
These guys pretty much summed it up. I will like a few of them emphasize that a Zen Noh could be a Kubota, Mitsubishi or Yanmar or other brand. Just whatever they got a good deal on to then lease to co op members.
 

Marketplace Items

2023 SNORKEL A46JRT ROUGH TERRAIN BOOM LIFT (A59823)
2023 SNORKEL...
Year: 2017 Make: Ford Model: Fusion Vehicle Type: Passenger Car Mileage: 101,691 Plate: Body Type... (A55853)
Year: 2017 Make...
2016 INTERNATIONAL 4300 24FT BOX TRUCK (A59904)
2016 INTERNATIONAL...
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD 4x4 Crew Cab Pickup Truck (A59230)
2018 Chevrolet...
2016 Doyle 10T Tender (A56435)
2016 Doyle 10T...
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV (A59231)
2023 Chevrolet...
 
Top