186d with a rotary cutter

Anonymous Poster · Jan 15, 2003

Hello all,
I'm looking at a 186d. It's in good shape and a good price. Will it run a 42" or 48" rotary cutter? I would be using it maybe once or twice a month to mow the sides of my gravel road. Another question how would this tractor handle a posthole digger? Thanks, Bob L.

race_engr · Jan 15, 2003

I have a YM180D and it will pull a 48" rotary cutter OK. I have to use low range on grades, but it still works OK. Make no mistake, it works the tractor, but you shouldn't have any trouble if you don't get in a hurry.

Brian

pruntyc · Jan 15, 2003

I have a YM 1700, whick should be about one horse power less than it. I don't have any problem with a 48", and my ground is hills. To work it hard, it must be pretty heavy stuff, that is being cut. If you are going to cut it once or twice a month, it should do it real easy. Mine has 8 forward gears, and I pull it in 6th most of the time, unless, its a place, where I don't feel comfortable going that fast, then I gear it down. Or if it hasn't been cut and is heavy, then I will run it a gear lower.

JeffRey30747 · Jan 15, 2003

My 186D runs a light duty 4 foot cutter with no problem. Just keep the blades sharp and it will cut most anything that I want it to. However, unless your soil is almost ideal, I wouldn't recommend the post hole digger. The three point assembly isn't really designed to take the kind of repeated stress that a post hole digger in rocky north Georgia clay can dish out. I'm fortunate enough to also have a 37hp Kubota to use with the post hole digger.

gbirky · Jan 16, 2003

Bob,
As a point of reference, the YM186D is roughly equivalent to the YM1510D gray market tractor. This past summer I saw a YM187D (a little bit longer wheel base than the 186, but otherwise the same) for sale locally. It was in fantastic shape and came with a 5' belly mower and a rear blade. I think they were asking $5000.

Greg

Anonymous Poster · Jan 16, 2003

According to the spec sheet I have, both the YM186D and YM180D are at 18 engine HP while the YM1700 is at 20 engine HP. Don't know if that is enough to make a difference. Rotary Cutters or brush hogs can control the tractor without a separate clutch. Like the energizer bunny they want to just keep going.

pruntyc · Jan 16, 2003

That separate clutch you speak of is only about $50, it is a over run clutch. They gave me mine, when I bought the tractor and bush hog, free. I understood the 18 hp was the pto hp, the tractor was really about a 21 hp. But either way, a YM 1500 will work with a 48" bush hog, and it is 18 hp, so I see no problem.

jimstractors · Jan 16, 2003

Agri-supply.com sells overrunning clutches for $33.49 plus shipping.
Jim

Anonymous Poster · Jan 16, 2003

Bob,
I've been using a Howse post hole digger with a 9" auger on my 186D in very old river-bed, clay and it is doing just fine. I let it down slow, and "listen" for tree roots with my hand on the lift lever. I got the auger wrapped around an almond root a while back and spent a couple of hours with a 36" pipe wrench backing the bugger out. That can happen no matter how much HP you have.

Dale

JeffRey30747 · Jan 16, 2003

The 186D (and most other domestic model Yanmars) has the overrunning clutch built into the internal PTO assembly, so an aftermarket external one won't be necessary.