Buying a Used Yanmar

[roger_scotty]

For years now we Yanmar buffs have enjoyed one of the best kept secrets in the tractor industry. We've had our pick of excellent low time used tractors at less than half the going rate. Plus a parts and information network that was at least equal to the big name brands. Yanmar's quality has traditionally been high, so a used Yanmar compared favorably with tractors 20 years newer.

But popularity breeds other things too, and along with the good machines there has been a rise in the number of fly-by-night vendors telling lies and selling questionable machinery. I keep hearing people say that shopping for a good dealer is more important than shopping for the best price...... it sure makes sense to me.

Anyway, its tractor buying time of year, so step up and sound off with what you liked or not when looking at the Yanmars.

 

[trentay]

I did my homework for 2 months before I bought a 1401d and I talked to alot of dealers. I got a very fair price on my machine and great support from the dealer. It has been awsome. What I found in talking to dealers is that alot of them did not have what they advertised in stock and could not get it when they said they could. Since all of the dealers I talked to were many miles away in another state I could not go kicking tires, so I don't have any experience with the condition of all of their machines, just the dealer that I purchased from and so far after about 20 hours of hard use, no significant problems. The tractor I bought was not repainted and this was important to me because it gave me some idea of its original condition upon import here. I looked at some imported tractors that had been mass repaints and every hose, belt, bolt ect.... was painted over including some oil leaks and this particular importer sells alot of machines. I was just skeptical of that type of work because I felt that it covered up alot of problems even though it looked really good from a distance.

Some of the dealers I tried to talk to and make arrangements to purchase from did not call me back or were totally unresponsive, so be it, there is enough competition out there in the import market that I was able to put my trust in a dealer that I will send others to and continue to do business with myself for a long time to come.

What I did find in the local classifieds used, either import machines or U.S. machines, were totally beat. I think the average guy that is not a tractor enthusiast is very hard on their equipment and does not do much maintainence. It says alot for Yanmar's quality though, because all of these machines ran and were still able to do work, they were just not in the kind of condition that I wanted and priced higher than I could go to a dealer and buy a fresh import. I think that any really nice condition private party U.S. owned (import or sold in the U.S.) Yanmar is hard to come by because those that take really good care of their machines are not going to part with them!

Just my perspective, Great thread idea Roger!

Trent.

 

[cordspa]

Excuse this post I'm checking my password etc.

 

[cordspa]

ManOMan! What a thrill! I can post again. I don't talk much but I've been unable to respond on several posts and finally got in. Well my 336D is my first tractor and it was in poor shape and took extensive work by me and by (professional)mechanic. I will say that to ME the most important part of decision should be your ability to work on it or the faith in your tech. I had a horrible experience in Az. and anybody here should contact me for warning. But now that its over the Yanmars are a sophisticated machine and I'm impressed with thier features compared to new units. Powwrshift, total ergonomic design, power to size of unit, weight and size of frame and structural integrity.

 

[snooks]

Drove 16hrs yesturday to kick the tires. Didn't like the quality of what I saw and did not feel the units were fairly represented. Believe nothing of what you hear and only 1/2 of what you see.

 

[bruce1966us]

Drive down here (less than 16 hours) and see what we have . I think you will like the quality. Plus take a free tour of Jack Daniels Distillery for free.

Thanks,
Bruce
parts@yanmartractors.com
www.yanmartractors.com
866 794 4498

 

[WellsF15]

Here's something I haven't heard anyone mention yet about buying a used Yannie. I was cruising the Net and found Brinkley's Tractor Auction in Oklahoma http://brinkleyauctions.com/ and decided to run up there and take a peek at the 75-100 compact tractors they were auctioning off. I went (May 16) and found several nice Yanmar, Iseki, Mitsubishi, Kubota, JD, MF, and others. They had about 550-600 tractors total to auction. I bid and won an F15 in excellent shape with a tiller. It showed 500 hours but we all know what that means. The other tractors were worse shape than this one I settled on. As with any auction you really need to be wary of what you buy. I took a buddy who had more familiarity with tractors than I, and that helped. I got it for an excellent price and have since added the three point hookup, box blade, 4' mower, 30" scoop. Hoye Tractor in Wichita Falls Texas helped me with the 3PH and the implements. I am very satisfied with this tractor and the way it handles. This weekend I spread about 16 yards of topsoil using my scoop building a yard around my log house. I did have a problem hooking up the mower and had to buy a slip clutch from Sooner in Ok due to the F15 having a short PTO without the hole in the shaft. I had to get one with a push pin that goes down the side of the shaft. I have 4 acres heavily wooded and the mower came in real handy with it's extremely short turning radius. If anyone is unsure about buying a Yannie, I would say to them "what are you waiting for?, go for it!". "SHE" will think it's sexy.

Steve

 

[stnickstoys]

Trent,
I feel I have to post to defend small dealers like myself, not as a direct shot at you. I buy and sell greys as a hobby. I'm a shop teacher by trade. You are correct in your statement that a few dealers have tractors advertised that they don't even have in stock. Let me qualify that statement on my own behalf. I am again a small dealer. I do not do my own importing but rely on the larger guys to do those headaches. I put in my order for tractors and ask for a firm delivery date. Well, my firm delivery dates don't always materialize either. Here I sit with ads in the paper and pictures posted on my website and have no tractors yet. I really hate calling back people that have responded to my ads telling them that I can't deliver what I said I can but it's out of my control! I do not enjoy being in that situation and genuinely try to deliver to my customers what I say I can. Hopefully, as my volume increases, so will my ability to keep tractors on my lot. Again, no shots at you, just explaining what myself and other small dealers may be up against. Keep up the great posts, TBN is a great forum for those interested in tractors and equip!!
Nick

 

[LMTC]

It's not out of your control. 1. Don't advertise the unit until it's available for sale. 2. Advertise it as "coming" or "due app. 6/18". 3. If pre-advertising, make it clear the picture is NOT the specific unit(unless it really is).
You're supposed to be in business. If your suppliers don't meet your needs, find suppliers who do. If you need to make adjustments around what you misunderstood about how the market works, then adjust.
There will certainly be things you cannot control, but you work around them, find alternatives, or accept the situation.
You're competing for these folks' hard earned retail dollars. Give them something to be confident in. I wouldn't buy from someone who told me had no control over his business.

 

[roger_scotty]

LMTC, as far as I'm concerned, you've got a valid complaint against those flybynight type of grey market dealers who sell what they haven't got and don't support it. It must drive the full time dealers half crazy to have to compete with so-called "dealers" who just sell gray tractors for an instant profit without regard to service or support. So called "dealers" without accountability or integrity.

Although in this particular case I'm thinking you should take another look at Nick's web page. From what he has posted there he looks to me like someone who is trying to conduct his business in an ethical fashion. In fact, judging from his web page, the controls he has put on his advertising looks to be exactly what you are advocating. You certainly fired a righteous cannon shot....but it may have hit the wrong guy.

Besides, 'ol Nick is a SHOP TEACHER for cripes sake!! Somehow I just cannot imagine the shyster type of no-account dealer hiding as a shop teacher during the day. That would really be cruel and unusual punishment.