Buying Advice Are TYM tractors junk?

[3gunr]

I own 2 tym built mahindra tractors , one has 1100 hrs the other 250 with no issues

 

[5030]

The only people I ever remember saying that either sold or owned green tractors. :laughing:
I remember my pop buying his first Kubota Right after the first dealer was selling them in PA. They were also a Deere dealer. The comparable Deeres were 2WD and gas engines. The Kubotas had available 4WD and all had Diesel engines. We bought a L285DT with a backhoe and did more work than you could ever imagine with it.
Deere tried playing catch up on those little utility tractors for several years. Still don?t know if they caught up :laughing:

We never thought Kubota was junk, even when they first came out.

Sort of like the Japanese precision measuring tools of the early 60's. We laughed at them back then, cheap Japanese junk. Back then you bought LS Starrett or Brown and Sharpe if you wanted high quality precision measurement tools. Today, Mititutoyo (which was the cheap Japanese junk of the 60's), is the world leader in precision measurement. Their precision measuring tools set the standards to which all other toolmakers look up to.

My first Kubota, many, many years ago was a B1600. A small FWA 3 cylinder naturally aspirated diesel. They are still around today and being used.

Kubota set the standard for compact diesel tractors in this country, not JD. JD has been playing follow the leader for decades in that market. Still do today in fact. far as I'm concerned, Kubota has always built a quality product. Sure they have had issues (and still do today) but for overall quality and longevity, hard to equal them.

FYI, this forum started out as a Kubota only forum way back when and I was here then, just like now.

The forum has changed, a lot, but I haven't. I still run orange tractors and only orange tractors.

 

[paulfun9]

I operated a YTM rental unit for most of a summer doing dirt work. It did break down. I wouldn't purchase one.

I have owned and operated kubota, jd and most others. The only ones that didn稚 break down at some point to date were one of the older NH痴 and the Kioti. So judging buy your statement everything else is junk and no one should buy anythin but NH and Kioti!

 

[ptsg]

Some of us are old enough to remember when folks called Kubota import Junk
Just cause it痴 not the 杜ain stream don稚 mean it is a inferior product. There have been lots of innovations brought to us from the import tractors with that said the TYM is a good product at a fair price like several other brands out there. For the jobs you outlined it should be a great fit

This a very true statement that most people seem to have forgotten.

It's also like the statement of staying away from smaller dealers but, back in the day, it was the smaller dealers that make what Kubota is today.

 

[chim]

I wouldn't call anything junk. Some things are not constructed with the same care and quality as others, and it is usually reflected in a much lower price. At work we have a Montana tractor. I think it's a 2844 with HST. In my opinion it was not a good investment. A couple people managed to convince themselves it was. I really think they saw the green paint and equated it with JD. The two non-tractor guys who bought it were reading the 3PH specs and thought they were looking at the loader specs. It showed up one day with the optional SSQA forks and the one guy told me they bought it to use as a small all terrain forklift. My response was "You gotta be kidding".

I've operated it for some snow removal and loader work and it's entirely usable. The operator's station is probably as uncomfortable as could be designed. It's difficult for me to get on and off without getting my feet tangled in something. One thing in particular that bugs me is the joystick function. I wasn't able to find a position that allowed a smooth dual function of lifting or lowering while curling / dumping. It isn't a tractor that is easy to like. Would I rather have it than the Cub 154 LoBoy I started out with? Certainly!

We did have problems with it that were corrected by the dealer. The nearest dealer was approx. 75 miles away though. Our dealer appeared to be a mom and pop operation that had a side business repairing and selling tractors when their field work was slack. Nice enough people. Since then it looks like they are getting to be more serious about the tractor business and have a line of LS tractors. Many here say their tractor purchase is influenced by looking at the dealer. I can't say that it is a big factor when looking at Kubota, Deere, Massey, etc. In the case of the less popular brands it would be more important for me.

An operator had a mishap that required replacing the dash. It was down for a long time (I want to say a couple months) while the parts came via slow boat. Filters and some common parts weren't quite that hard to get.

We needed to operate it in a small area and removed the loader and frame. It was so difficult that we decided to never do that again. Pins were deformed and the fit was awful.

After the initial problems it has been reliable. Parts and pieces seem to match the description an old associate gave of an imported tractor - "They are crude. Since they don't have the engineering we do, so they just make everything heavy to compensate".

Is it junk? Not really. It was cheap to buy. We got what we paid for. It is as some would say - better than a shovel and wheelbarrow. It could be seen as LS's foot in the US market door, much like those first really goofy Honda cars back in the early 70's. Lots of people have good things to say about their LS tractors.

 

[the old grind]

IMO, Buying a tractor based on dealer proximity (did you buy it to break it?) is like finding your Daughter a Husband based on the surety that he will keep a good job and stay perfectly healthy into retirement.

MY friend L__ bought a TYM 723 (3.3L Perkins) from a dealer he despises. His maintenance protocol isn't the best, and he says it's the best he's ever owned. Three years in and he hasn't had a lick of trouble. The way he feels about R__ and dealing with him that's a good thing.

 

[coobie]

I operated a YTM rental unit for most of a summer doing dirt work. It did break down. I wouldn't purchase one.

Curious how many hours on your rental?

 

[radios1]

dealer support is very essential, and also, if your nearest dealer is 1000 miles away, you should really rethink that!..

 

[nards444]

Many start out with that line of thinking, but times and situations, often change.

Dont get me wrong, throwing away money isnt my thing, and I want top dealer if I can when its time. While situations change, equipment is far from an investment or a means to get cash when you need it. If that is a concern then savings, investing, making wiser choices with your money is a better approach. Come a time when you need the money and need it bad, you will be fire selling things anyways. Unless a tractor is used to make money, its more of a luxury or a tool that gets things done easier, without a tractor the jobs it did can be done in another way, or just not done at all.

 

[the old grind]

dealer support is very essential, and also, if your nearest dealer is 1000 miles away, you should really rethink that!..

1000 mi away is where a guy can find a used Branson or Bobcat with any life left in it. BTDT

So you buy from the nearest dealer* and he drops your brand or goes out of business before your warranty runs out.

This isn't buying a tractor any more than it is gambling that a dealer will always be there and/or always give good service.

Buy the machine to use it not to hire it a nanny. Having a dealer change fluids is a luxury some of us won't pay for.

* is that how you choose a car or truck? Oh. I forget, modern diesel trucks are trouble-free and there's good deals up the block.

Sorry to carry on, it's my Birthday and I'm practicing my troll moves for when I start drinking.

 

[K5lwq]

1000 mi away is where a guy can find a used Branson or Bobcat with any life left in it. BTDT

So you buy from the nearest dealer* and he drops your brand or goes out of business before your warranty runs out.

This isn't buying a tractor any more than it is gambling that a dealer will always be there and/or always give good service.

Buy the machine to use it not to hire it a nanny. Having a dealer change fluids is a luxury some of us won't pay for.

* is that how you choose a car or truck? Oh. I forget, modern diesel trucks are trouble-free and there's good deals up the block.

Sorry to carry on, it's my Birthday and I'm practicing my troll moves for when I start drinking.

Happy Birthday and enjoy your drinks!! :drink:

 

[paulfun9]

dealer support is very essential, and also, if your nearest dealer is 1000 miles away, you should really rethink that!..

Why is dealer support so important to you?

It doesn稚 matter if the dealer is at the end of the block if they can稚 step up to the plate if you have problems you would be better off driving the thousand miles.

Tractor ownership is not like owning a car or truck for most. It would be more bothersome to take it to the dealer to do an oil change and check the air in the tires than to do it yourself. I only choose a close dealer if thier price is good and thier reputation for standing with the customer is also good otherwise I would drive the thousand miles.
Around here I am fortunate to have a good dealership for most brands but there is one I would drive 5 states away and deal with a redneck hick selling out of thier makeshift lean To in thier backyard rather than deal with the clean organized appearing fancy dealership filled with slime balls who have zero integrity and no concern for any real need after the sale.
Don稚 be fooled just because they appear to be good sometimes it痴 a false sense of security and your usually paying extra for it!

 

[Cruiserdog]

And remember, ALL the sub 100 horse tractors are imports, big Green hasn’t built a small tractor in decades (Regardless of what the dealer will tell you “built in Augusta Georgia” -Wrong! They are Kd kits ASSEMBLED in Augusta, just like the other brands. Find a dealer who’s been in business for a couple decades and has a tractor YOU like.

 

[jmc]

It is tough to find a lot of information on these tractors, which may be the first sign to stay away. But the T394 with a cab can be had for such a great price that it is hard for me to stop looking at it. Comparable tractors from Kubota and JD are around $10k more near me. I have done a lot of searching and it seems as though a lot of people are perfectly happy with them, and some complain about parts availability. The T394 has a yanmar engine which I assume is pretty common.

This would be for relatively light duty usage on 6 acres. Mostly clearing woods, building smaller gardens, maybe snow plowing, and helping save my back with various projects. I was looking at just getting a SCUT but they almost seem like they are the worst compromise. They don't mow as well as a riding lawn mower, and can't really lift that much, and are pretty expensive.

Thanks for any advice!

I'd say OP Greg got his job done here and barely lifted a finger. A familar pattern to long time TBNers:

Parachute in with a product related first post.
Put a provocative title on it to stir things up.
Season it with product points employer wants to make, or wants us to dispute.
Disappear.

 

[fried1765]

I'd say OP Greg got his job done here and barely lifted a finger. A familar pattern to long time TBNers:

Parachute in with a product related first post.
Put a provocative title on it to stir things up.
Season it with product points employer wants to make, or wants us to dispute.
Disappear.

Seems like your post #5 may have actually hit the nail on the head!

 

[greginfinity]

Hahaha, sorry for the provocative title and then bailing.. I have spent that last couple weeks moving into a new place because I thought that was a good idea during a pandemic? Anyways, I really appreciate all the insight here. I think if I do get a tractor, it seems like TYM would be fine. I can't believe how much more expensive orange is. The dealer told me TYM is Chinese junk... maybe they just group all Asian countries together? And I am sure the major brands are just "assembled" in the USA now anyways. If South Korea can give us Samsung then I wouldn't be too afraid of a tractor coming from them.

In the end, I may just end up renting a tractor as needed. We'll see how much the rest of the home projects eat into my tractor fund

 

[MRRoberts]

It is tough to find a lot of information on these tractors, which may be the first sign to stay away. But the T394 with a cab can be had for such a great price that it is hard for me to stop looking at it. Comparable tractors from Kubota and JD are around $10k more near me. I have done a lot of searching and it seems as though a lot of people are perfectly happy with them, and some complain about parts availability. The T394 has a yanmar engine which I assume is pretty common.

This would be for relatively light duty usage on 6 acres. Mostly clearing woods, building smaller gardens, maybe snow plowing, and helping save my back with various projects. I was looking at just getting a SCUT but they almost seem like they are the worst compromise. They don't mow as well as a riding lawn mower, and can't really lift that much, and are pretty expensive.

Thanks for any advice!

TYM has been around for more than 50 years disguised as other brands. One of the latest is the Rural King Tractors. Yes I just purchase an RK37HC, but will not say anything other than with all the options it was over $15,000 less than the John Deere. After retiring from the military and settling on 10 acres in Florida, I purchased a grey market 24HP Yanmar built in the 80's and it's still running it to this date. The few parts I have replaced on the engine all came directly from the John Deere dealer locally, as they use the same Yanmar engines in their tractors 55HP and less. Those engines have not changed that much over the years. My neighbor has a TYM and says it's been great. Parts are readily available, but dealers seem to come and go. The couple of tractor places we have nearby work on anything you bring them so it's really irrelevant. If prestige is your main importance then get the John Deere or Kubota. If you want two or three attachments and a cab with air conditioner for the same price as their standard tractor, then get the TYM or other brand. Worry more about the engine type and HP needed to get you work done. If it has an Yanmar engine you will not go wrong for smaller tractors, the rest of the plastic and construction is about the same on all the tractors.

 

[MaineGuy1]

Dealer support is not important until it is. Just follow some of the people posting about all the problems they have with their tractors, they appreciate their dealer support. Just from my area I know 3 or 4 people that have had many problems and not just same brand of tractor. Some are very huge issues, transmissions, ECU's, Regen etc. These dealers put them in the front of the line for work because they bought the tractor at that dealership. Bring your tractor to them that you bought across country to save 2k and you may not get it back for months. It's easy to say dealerships are not that important if you don't have major warranty issues.

 

[fried1765]

Dealer support is not important until it is. Just follow some of the people posting about all the problems they have with their tractors, they appreciate their dealer support. Just from my area I know 3 or 4 people that have had many problems and not just same brand of tractor. Some are very huge issues, transmissions, ECU's, Regen etc. These dealers put them in the front of the line for work because they bought the tractor at that dealership. Bring your tractor to them that you bought across country to save 2k and you may not get it back for months. It's easy to say dealerships are not that important if you don't have major warranty issues.

So..ooo, the obvious question is....what percentage of new tractors "have major warranty issues"?
Perhaps about the same percentage chance as dying from Covid-19, or maybe in an automobile accident?

 

[MaineGuy1]

So..ooo, the obvious question is....what percentage of new tractors "have major warranty issues"?
Perhaps about the same percentage chance as dying from Covid-19, or maybe in an automobile accident?

Good question My point is it doesn't really matter if you are one of the unlucky ones.