Yanmar YM2610 4.00 star(s) (3)

Yanmar 2610D Gray Market Rebuild
Model Year: 1984

One of the larger mistakes I have made. First rebuilt Yanmar the dealer brought me ran hot. I found out that the head did not match the block. They 'Frankenstein' these things out of mixed up junkers in Vietnam. Dealer replaced with a larger model. When purchasing I told dealer that I'd always used older American tractors like my Ford 4000. The 'dealer' said, oh you'll love this, that Ford is 25 years old, this is like a new tractor blah blah blah. Next Yanmar did ok for a while but then started to knock and eventually threw a rod through the side of the block. I'm pretty sure they didn't have the piston rod tightened up on the crank when they did the Vietnam rebuild. Now it's out of warranty and it costs 3500 to repair at the nearest place that will work on it- 300 miles away in another state. Oh, and it turns out that it was just as old as my Ford, just spray painted. I bought it because I wanted a small 4x4 with a loader- should have paid the extra money for a non-gray market used Kubota. For slightly larger use though, go with a common model of an old American tractor. Tons of after market parts- any shade tree mechanic can fix it and it will run a gray marken Yanmar in the dirt 10 times over.

Pros: None- it wasn't even a good buy.
Cons: Everything- hard to find service- near impossible to find parts. Major parts expensive even for used.

Just Enough Tractor For a Lot of Things
Model Year: 1982

This Yanmar YM2610 2WD came into the country as a reconditioned crate tractor. The dealer had put a couple of hours on it and put it on Craigslist. I bought it for $3500 and took it to the farm. It did everything it needed to do, in spite of not having external hydraulics (since added) and the four speed PTO was appreciated. Dealer must have been chintzy with the antifreeze, though, because the first cold snap of January caused it to blow a freeze plug. It was in plain sight and I had it replaced in 15 minutes after buying a new one. It just sips the diesel and does all of its chores without complaining. Everybody thinks it's a new tractor due to the reconditioning. It's a keeper.

Pros: Fuel efficient, sized right for grading, mowing, towing.
Cons: No fuel gauge. Gotta dip the tank. No cup holder.

YM2610 Fredrick's Restored
Model Year: 1981

My YM2610 is a total refurbished unit from the best in the industry, Fredrick's Import/Outdoors in Alabama. Basically, this machine was totally restored to new condition and then the added safety hardware. It has works flawlessly and eager for all the tasks it's done in the past 5 years. I'm looking forward to more years ahead. It is still looking as new as ever!

Pros: Power-shift, multi-speed select power take-off, diesel
Cons: Wish I got a front-end loader or 4-wheel drive with it too

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