Buying Advice Are TYM tractors junk?

[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.