Well, I got my tractor back and human error created the latest malfunction. The dealer said when they installed the FEL, 2 seals stuck together and both were put in a connection on the joystick manifold were 1 seal normally goes. They said it happens now and then but was odd that it didn't leak sooner being that the FEL was installed almost 2 years ago. They also fixed the throttle problem by adjusting the throttle cable. Plus while they had the tractor, they swapped the rear tires giving the tractor a wider stance which makes it feel a lot more stable when mowing hilly terrain. All of the work was done at no charge to me (including swapping the rear tires and hauling the tractor) even though the warranty was over in July.
Naturally, I'm upset with the stupid things breaking and/or malfunctioning on a tractor made by Yanmar whose reputation is and has been very high since they began making tractors but, overall, I'd recommend the SC2400 to anyone who needs a powerful tractor but doesn't have the room or money for a bigger one. With its power and size I've done as much mowing with it that I used to do with a Ford 3000 and in the past 2 winters, I moved as much snow with it as my friend did with his 32hp New Holland so it IS one heck of a good tractor.
One thing I would recommend to those who either own or are going to buy a SC2400, I'd swap the rear tires which makes the rear of the tractor wider and more stable on hilly terrain. When I hooked up the brush hog yesterday, the wider rear's reduced that tipping feeling on hilly/uneven terrain, if you know what I mean. However, that doesn't mean it can't tip over, common sense and caution are still the main rules when operating any tractor, large or small, on any terrain.
So, for those of you who own a SC2400, here is the total list of weird things that have gone wrong with my SC2400 since I bought it in July 2008 and which currently has 183 hrs on it. I've replaced 2 front mmm brackets due to the weld breaking in the same spot on the right side of the bracket; had bolts break on the 3 point hitch and other bolts fall out of the fuel pump for no reason: the air cleaner bracket broke due to a flaw in the metal's thickness(happened on most other SC2400's too); the brake linkage bound up and wouldn't allow the tractor to move even though the brake appeared to be off; the throttle cable was out of adjustment which allowed the rpms to run up 1 to 2 thousand rpms while mowing; a connection cracked and leaked hydraulic fluid from the joystick manifold due to the wrong number of seals installed; and the mmm kicked out of gear for no reason while mowing.
All of those issues were corrected by the dealer at no charge to me. The only issue not to be resolved is the mower kicking out of gear suddenly while mowing. It only happened once and has worked OK since then and the dealer ran it and can't figure out what caused it to do that but said if it ever happens again to call them so they can look at it right away. The head mechanic feels it's a linkage problem but he's not sure because the linkage checked out OK.
Well, hopefully my tractor is done with stupid things breaking and/or malfunctioning and I'll be able to use and enjoy it for many years to come. To those of you who own one, I figured I'd list all that's happened to mine in case you run across similar issues. Have a good one......Bill
