Bolens G174 vs Yanmar YM1700

[Tractorsaw1]

Hello All, new member here. I am looking at the smaller 4wd tractors on the used market & have came down to these 2 models. I have yet to look at either of these, but in general are the bolens iseki machines better overall than the yanmars? Both machines have similar hours. I have talked to both owners, the yanmar has a 2 cylinder engine & the bolens a 3 (which i would prefer). Have not seen the yanmar but have seen a picture of the bolens. From reading around on here it sounds like the yanmar is the older & has a decompressor of some sort to start it while the bolens has glow plugs. The bolens has a 48" belly mower. The only negative on the bolens is it has turf tires that probably are the original. The yanmar has good ag type tires, roll bar & canopy, which is ok but not necessary. Right now i think i can get the bolens about 500 cheaper than the yanmar, but will need to put that in ag type tires on it & i am ok with that if it is an equal or better machine. I have no experience with either so don't really know much about them any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Welcome to tractorbynet.:welcome: Given the situation you have, I'd go with the Bolens. The 3-cylinder engines are a nice improvement over the 2s and they also have a built-in overrunning clutch in the PTO drive (not sure about the Yanmar.) I think Yanmars are very good machines though (equal if not exceed the Iseki's in specs and reliability from what I can gather for comparable models), and am curious on how the ones with the "powershift" feature are to operate. The Bolens tractors (at least the G174, etc.) don't offer a powershift feature and I'm not sure about the YM1700 but I'm guessing it does not have it either but my familiarity with them is low. I'd like to get a Yanmar some day if I run across one for the right price.

 

[Tractorsaw1]

Hey Thanks! I believe the yanmar is late 70's & the bolens is a early 80's so no powershift on either that ok. I still have a JD 2 cylinder gas, don't know that i need a diesel 2. I am curious as to how high the mower deck on the bolens can lift & or cut. I will be mowing clover a few times a year with it not sure if can cut around 6 or 8 inches or not, but it would be nice. I think this bolens will be a giant leap up from the 430 john deere it is replacing.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

You should like the diesels, they are clearly well suited for a tractor application. Bolens appears to have retrofitted many of their own attachments to the Iseki tractors they sold under the Bolens brand name. I'm not impressed with their belly (mid-mount) mower setups and I don't believe they'll raise to 6 inches, but with the taller ag tires you are apparently looking for you might get that high. You may want to consider a 3-point mower, either finish type or the rotary "Bush Hog" style if you need a certain clearance.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

The only negative on the bolens is it has turf tires that probably are the original.

The Bolens turf tires are very durable and the diff doesn't tear up my lawn when mowing the way my much-newer Kubota B-series does. Winter traction isn't good with Bolens's turf tires, but I discovered a set of chains off an army surplus jeep will fit the rear wheels with very little modification.

 

[Tractorsaw1]

Well I ended up with the Yanmar, It had brand new ag tires on it front & back. I also felt like it had larger diameter tires for some more ground clearance. So far I am real happy with it, but I really have not worked it much yet. Thanks