I was visiting the Yanmar website today and also viewed some youtube videos regarding the iHMT transmission. It looks like a somewhat simpler version of the Fendt et al CVT transmissions. Has anyone purchased or test drove one of these yet? I can't make a purchase for a couple of years so there are no worries on my part as far as buying new technology in the first model year. I'm interested in hearing any firsthand accounts of how this thing performs. The Mahindra 3550 is presently on my short list of possible tractors and the Yanmar is a close contender.
I took delivery of a YT359 just before hay season this year and have put about 75 hours on it doing the following: Mowing (65-inch drum mowco) about 100 acres of hay, both cool season meadows (brome and some fescue/clover). I have raked with it ... both wheel rake and pto rake and it has no problems with my '94 Vermeer 504SuperI baler. We've made several hundred tight, uniform 4X5 bales averaging about 1250 pounds so far this year. The engine management is superb as are the speed controls (and A-B range splitting). Once during a long day baling it went through its regen protocol and I didn't notice the reducer power at all. The transmission took me a little bit to get the hang of (so many settings and possibilities) but for baling, it can't be beat because you can set the PTO RPM and then modulate the speed to a preset max with the foot throttle -- or you can simply forget the foot throttle and toggle between A and B speeds when the meadows are flat and you can see the heavy slugs coming in plenty of time. I also used the tractor to move 2 bales at a time, sometimes nearly a mile to the hay yard or trailer. It was boring work, but the cab made it totally bearable. This is my first cab tractor. In the hay field I burned about 10 gallons in a 10 -12 hour session ... sometimes more (mowing) sometimes less (raking).
I also have used the tractor to do some heavy loader work stacking round bales in my hay shed, loading out trailers and moving/aerating my large compost heaps -- I make about 50 tons a year to handle the fertilizing on my place -- hay/sheep manure mainly. It was sweet to have the extra HP pushing wet compost and partially composted slop around and there's a button on the loader control that increases RPM but not speed for quicker loader action (and max hydraulic pressure). My newxt serious project for this machine is with the rotary cutter (7-foot) to knock down some pesky dogwood brush and cedars that plague our east-central Kansas pastures. I'll likely also use it to clear fencelines and drill post holes this fall too. I am 6'4" and not small by any means and the cab access and legroom are fine for me with the wheel tilted all the way up. The suspension seat had held up great so far. I can't think of anything to complain about yet except that I actually had to sit down with the manual and a quick-guide to figure out how to change some of the modes. And I think there are still some features that I have not explored yet. I am used to pretty basic equipment (my other hydro tractor seemed way too hi-tech at the time) but this machine has seduced me. Also, the fit and finish is pretty amazing.
One final observation. I was able to work in the field for around 10 hours on a 100-degree day and when I was finished, I still had the energy to light the grill and cook up some supper for my sweetheart -- without being a total grump. That's worth a lot to me in this fast paced world we call life!
@Salix56- Sounds like you're a busy guy. Any time for some photos? Congrats on the tractor, that's been on my wish list (and will likely remain there) since I first heard about them. Glad to hear it's working out for you.
Welcome to the forum Salix56! Thanks for the review of the YT359. I look forward to hearing more about the tractor as the hours rack up. Good and bad, let's hear it all.
Thanks for the warm welcome! I will let you all know how it goes for sure. And let me see if I can figure out how to get photos and video off my phone and onto here. hmmmm
It worked! OK, these are of mowing and one of raking looking forward, I will find one of the rake and baler/baling and hauling.
