Buying Advice Yanmar Ex3200 verse kubota B3350, L3200 or?

[Tucksonione]

I'm fairly handy but I with this being my first tractor I could get in over my head trying to perform my own service if it is extensive. I intend to call Yanmar to find out who will service this machine in my area. If they have no one in the state it will be a tough decision to go with them. Thanks for your input.

 

[Tucksonione]

Agreed. If I can't find warranty service for a Yanmar I won't really have a choice to worry about.

 

[paulfun9]

I don't concern myself with the service as much as you seem to be. I have found any problem during warrantee to be a pain no matter what kind of machine or who built it or where it will have to go to be serviced. I would ask myself which machine I was most comfortable with/on and which machine I felt was best suited to my tasks without taking in the service or price. Then after the first question is answered I would talk to the dealer about addressing the other concerns you have such as who will fix it in the unlikely break down, will he ship parts to your door? could a local shop perform the repair since he dosnt yet have a shop? Will he eat the cost of transport if his plan of repair is out of the normal range? Then based on those answers I would balance the price difference in on the machines actual cost. Note something here if the cost of a machine is more but its ability is less the aggravation factor of living with that machine is ten fold the aggravation of one break down that takes a week to fix rather than a day.

We have a Yammar built JD here since new. With nothing but oil/filter changes and grease it has only had 2 problems that I needed to leave the property for (note I left the property, Not the tractor) one part I picked up at the local dealer about an hour away and the other we had rebuilt at the local electric shop a few miles away saving lots of time and fuel not to mention it cost less than half to have it rebuilt then to replace it with new. Both problems were very minor when you consider the amount of abuse I put that poor machine threw over the years. What I am saying here is that I don't foresee any real problems,
they are not the normal with both brands and I think your putting too much emphasis on service rather than the machines performance and your comfort when running it.

GO test drive what your interested in then re-evaluate with most of your concern on how the machine performs while your running it not what happens if it breaks down or who will do fluid changes?

 

[Tucksonione]

Great advice. Thank you!

 

[silvertramp]

I have an '87 Yanmar 276D (27 hp, 4x4, powershift) with 1200 hours. I've had it for 61/2 years. If the new ones are anything like the old ones, you cannot go wrong.

 

[Tucksonione]

Thanks, thats good to hear.

 

[Tucksonione]

I checked with Yanmar and stated that they have a mobile technician to provide warrantee service needed in my area since they do not have a authorized service center nearby. I think that is good enough for me.

 

[diesel466]

I hope you have better luck with yanmar than I did . What if they need to major work on it, Will this mobile tech be doing that in you driveway? I wish you luck

 

[Tractor Tom]

I agree with your concerns about service. Today's engines are very complex and computer / electronic driven. At some point you may have no choice but to get a dealer involved. If they are hundreds of miles or 2 States away, that could be a problem. Have you considered a Kioti? They are a tough little tractor with a good track record. Not real fancy features, but a real work horse at a good price.

 

[California]

Diesel, what was your experience?

My experience with a couple of 30 year old Yanmars is they were built for owner maintenance and nothing has broken in the time I've owned them (11 years, 5 years, 1 year) - at least if you don't count dumb owner mistakes such as ripping out the oil pressure sender wire rassling a fallen tree. No need to go to a dealer (none exist for these old Yanmar-USA models). Mail order parts are available from Texas for normal owner maintenance.

If you earn your living with the tractor you need a full-service dealer nearby to get you back on your feet in case of problems. For a weekender where waiting for mailorder parts is no big deal, I would save the $thousands that is the premium for a local dealer offering same-day repairs, and buy the Yanmar if it 'just feels right' for you.

Yanmar's assurance of an approved mobile tech for warranty work is all the guarantee I would need if it does turn out to need some dealer setup to conform to spec. After that, I think Yanmar got it right and I expect it would run for years with normal owner maintenance.