Yanmar YM1500D & 1700 Tractors - Looking to purchase - Advice???

[Convict]

seemes high i bought ym1510d with brushog but no loader for $3,700.00.A loader is about $3000.But a good little tractor.

 

[kenmac]

Don't buy that tractor...Keep looking. 16 HRS !!!! Maybe 16 now but not 16 original HRS. The lengths these sellers will go to sell a tractorI think you get the picture from what the others have said :thumbsup:

 

[Pete Judd]

I love my Yanmar 186D US model Japan made), but only paid 3k or so a couple of years ago with a brush hog. Great tractors, but at 10K no way. I am a sailor, and have had or skippered on boats with Yanmar engines that have over 4k hours on them and are built great.

 

[Car Doc]

more of my .002 fwtw...


Knowing what I know now and was to do my tractor purchase over I would NOT buy a refurb dont care who built it no way no how. I would find a used model I liked and rebuild it myself or buy a good used machine that doesn't need any work best scenario of all!!!

I could have bought a 6 year old 45hp JD w/loader for what I paid for my refurb it was sitting right across the hwy from me but I chose what I chose and I like it but paid way to much for it.

I can paint and re-do anything on the machine as can most anybody that knows about gray market tractors. Point being is you will be the guy doing all the work so why not buy a used machine and fix it yourself rather than pay for imaginary "added value" that in all reality isn't there?

Just food for thought and one more point of view mine probably more so than anyone else's but so be it.

 

[clemsonfor]

The 16 hours is what the meters read but they are either "set" to that on a new meter or most likely they reset all the meters to about that. Mine i think was around 16 or 19 hours. I think they set them to 16 then the dealer i think ran mine for several hours just "testing" it or either the other VN refurber now out of business set theirs at 19 hours?

 

[California]

This would be too big for the Original Poster to maintain two acres, but it gives an idea of what is out there beyond the world of Yanmar.


Craigslist [30 miles east of San Francisco]: massey furguson diesel - $3700

massey furguson 135 diesel three cyl perkins three speed with 2 speed tranny three point with tiller works good new seat power steering it would make a good mower tractor.

$3700 obo

These MF's are indestructible simple classics like Yanmar's YM's. It's not unusual to see one over 4000 hours never 'reconditioned' and doesn't need it. Of course on equipment this old there can be a wide variance in whether it was maintained or abused ... same as the repainted Yanmars.

 

[Eric67ct]

These suggestions are appreciated. I decided not to risk all of my $$$ on a grey market after all. I'd rather take my time and get a good used tractor for less $$$. When he told me he was selling them to a lot of people, I asked for some references to talk to. I haven't heard from him since.

 

[clemsonfor]

sounds like a good move. I went with the grey tractor and so far have been happy with my purchase, but even with old used american tractors you could spin a bearing 6 months after you get it.

The good thing about these old little deisels is there simplicity, most parts are easily procured, and they SIP FUEL!!! A used 8N or ford 601 or even those masseys of the 60-70s will drink fuel, deisel wont be as bad but they still will use a bit.

 

[Car Doc]

The big advantage I saw with the Japanese compact tractors is the 4wd and real good simple diesel engines and the fact there are a lot of them 30+ years old and still running. Here is the US used tractor market what we have for older affordable machines was mainly 2wd and gas engines unless you went Kubota for a pretty price but that is my observations as to what makes a Jap gray market tractor appealing. ymmv as always

 

[clemsonfor]

Building on what i said as well as soundguy. If you want to go the 2-4k$ route there are the old american gas tractors in 2wd. But in all honesty when you get to the 80s american tractors like JD or Ford or Massey, there all Japaneese tractors relabled to the american badges and specified changes but once the sheet metal is off there really no different than the Japaneese tractors that are the greys. Massey is Himonto or something right? JD is obviously yanmar, Ford is shirabus (which are they indian or Jap? dosent really matter i guess).

OK i got sidetracked. My point i was going to make. Besides the simple design of the engines and tractor in general ( i did not need 4wd or really want it, would be nice but did not want to pay) they sip fuel like i said, which in times of high fuel this is a plus. A friend of mine has an older JD gasser from the 60s. I think its like 37HP ish. He will use 10 gallons of fuel to my 4-5 gallons of deisel if were doing the same work. Yea he can pull a bigger plow but im talking running a finish mower or bushhog for a given area, we both can run a 6ft finish mower. Also the plus, for me at least is the weight. An older ford of similar HP from the 50s or 60s would weigh another 1000lbs+ as american tractors are set up to pull draft implements or ground engageing stuff, so they have mass. The japaneese tractors are designed to till so weight is not a big thing that is needed. Here is where this comes in handy. I live 3 hours from my farm. I tow the tractor between my residence or other places to help friends out sometimes. My tow vehicle is a 1980 1/2 ton chevy. That extra 1000lbs i would be towing around would really put a strain on the truck and put me over what i should be moving or easily moving it. I tow my tractor sometimes, disk harrow, 3-500lbs of extra ballast, the 2000lb tractor and sometimes a boxblad and the bush hog on the same load. This is all my truck wants. A heavier tractor would not be a bonus in this situation.

Also bigger american tractor can pull heavier implements which will cost you more. Im not talking 8-10 foot stuff but the difference between 4-5ft implements and 6-7foot implements.