Dealer Just who is a Yanmar dealer anyway?

[BrettW]

You have a lot of good points there and I can't begin to understand your business fully. All I'd expect would be for someone to be friendly and try to help me. And I'd expect to pay that person for his time and effort. It seems like pretty normal stuff to me. As for parts, yep you'd need to have access to them. As for service manual, I'd just hope that my grey tractor, like many others would be able to be fixed by competent and experienced mechanics. Honestly, I don’t see where we differ so much here. It just seems to me that you have to deal with a lot of owners that have a lot of high expectations from you and it sounds like your pretty tired of it. Sorry about that, I guess in some respects I'd have been better off just buying a J.D. and paying a lot more money for the network of service and parts that are available. But on the off chance that I'll meet nice people that want to make money repairing my machine when and if it breaks, I'll keep the Sapsago 5000 and look forward to the day that they start putting John Deere engines in it. bw

 

[EFC]

Brettw, I know exactly what LMTC is talking about and it can be exhausting. My calls start every morning around 5 am. Yup, that is 5 O'clock in the dang morning. They bought a tractor from a dealer down the road or whatever and all they need to know is how to rebuild the transmission case in 80 words or less. I try my best to help but it wears on you after a while. I like to help guys on the board (if I can) when I see things that I know are easy and might save them a few $'s. Brettw if you move to our area we would work on your machine, service is a good money maker for us and I don’t care who you bought it from. I think most dealers that want to be in business long term provide service work for $ but for free like most people want will put them out of business. Thanks for serving our country Brettw.

 

[roger_scotty]

Brett, what in the world? Naw....I can't let you off that easily.....How did you turn one of the best grey market Yanmars ever imported into a Japasoto 5000? Folks, I haven't seen his tractor in person, but I have seen the pictures. I'd be surprised if BW's tractor needs anything more serious than an annual waxing for at least a decade....maybe several.

 

[BrettW]

Special ordered something called Kamokashine from Japan. It is suppose to repel bird crap like nothing in the US!!! Of course, I had to import a flock of Jap birds to make sure I got just the right kind of poop on my wax job. bw

 

[JCooper]

I'm not sure who you were referring to about a seller/dealer saying you can go to "napa" to fine everything. Of course you can't go to Napa to source every part. Yet many many many many parts can be sourced locally. The ones we can't get locally, we use our parts brokers. If they can't get them, then we ship from Japan. It's great to see you traveled some yet we've done the same not to mention several trips to China and Japan. But I really don't think one of my customer would ever be COMPLETELY without a part. If I can't source it, then I'll make it. If it's a part that requires machining, well that's no problem either.

 

[mec650]

This forum and it's predecessor on that other site have been my "dealer," at least in part. I buy parts here and receive answers to questions that the manuals (excellent though they are) cannot. I live in a town that can only be reached by air or water. The closest Yanmar dealer is 900 miles to the south (by air). There is apparently no other Yanmar tractor in town but I have seen one Kubota and one Ford. There is a Yanmar marine diesel dealer here who stocks filters but does not work on diesels (Yanmar marine diesels have a great reputation here). There is an unhelpful Deere dealer to the north (6 hrs by ferry and then 550 miles of scenic drive) but part of the drive is through Canada and I sure don't like their borders anymore (since 1/1/01) so it's just as well that the Deere dealer is unhelpful. So my main point is that this forum is darn handy for me, and I would be grateful for any grade of Yanmar tractor dealer nearby. If any Yanmar dealer wants to relocate to a city of 30,000 and no tractor dealer for some distance, great fishing and good hunting, he might take a look.

 

[jimstractors]

How about a little biography info?

 

[Calpyro]

On a similar thought, would you pay more for better a quality tractor?
I just got back from a trip where I visited a dealer of Yanmar tractors that had the best quality used Yanmar tractors that I have ever seen. All of his tractors were cleaner and in better condition than any that I have ever seen in any other dealer in California or Oregon. Virtually all of the tractors that I saw had their original paint in excellent condition and had very little dents and rust. Several tractors appeared to have been stored inside since new and even the decals and lens bezels were new looking and not faded. In fact, several of his newer FX models could have passed for new. However, his prices were at least a thousand dollars higher than these other dealers as well. He stated that he dealt with primarily one exporter that consistently provided excellent quality tractors but at a premium price. Additionally, he does the type of repairs that some dealers avoid. I saw stacks of new front axle seals, filters, seats, bulbs, hoses, and belts that he installs whenever needed.
I have been considering trading up to one of the newer FX series tractors and I am prepared to fork out a little more money for one, however his tractors are a bit more than I want to spend.
This brings up an interesting question, are people willing to spend up to a thousand dollars more for a comparable tractor that appears to have been properly maintained well and in good condition? Are you willing to spend a thousand dollars more from a dealer that does the repairs that most customers won't even see?
Thanks,
Cameron

 

[YanmarFever]

where is this wonderful dealer located?
Can you provide us with a name?

 

[EFC]

Ditto...

 

[Calpyro]

It is not my intention to advertise for anyone. I would prefer not to involve a someone who does not post here or even know of this boards existence. That is why I chose not to include the dealers name.
If anybody wants this dealers name or any other dealer that I know of please drop me a line and I will do whatever I can to help you.
Thanks,
Cameron
calpyro@aol.com

 

[EFC]

He doesn’t know of this boards existence.....Hey Roger better call this guy up and recruit him. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[BrettW]

Not only that, it means that no one has pissed him off yet and he has avoided endless arguments about Yanmar dealers and other minutiae. Contact him at all costs!!!

 

[YanmarFever]

Calpyro
The email that you posted for us to contact you doesnt work.
How can I find this dealers name??

 

[Calpyro]

Sorry, I put in the wrong email. I edited the address in the posting and now it should be correct.
Cameron

 

[roger_scotty]

Hopefully there is room for all kinds.... At one end of the spectum is the dealer who throws together "you fix 'ems" for the lowest possible dollar. Just to balance things out, there almost had to be at least one perfectionist who reworks them till they are like the factory should have made them in the first place.
I don't have a problem with either type of dealer as long as they aren't trying to make themselves out to be the type that they are not.....and that cuts both ways.

I'm also thinking that the backbone of Yanmar's popularity is the durability of their average 2nd hand tractor. I see lots of them and am always surprised by how similar that they are. They run the same and even sound the same. By now, the average Yanmar is a 20 year old machine with a thousand hours, a few leaks, questionable maintenance, and needing to be plugged in to start in cold weather. If it was lucky it got to live in a shed sometimes. Yet the silly thing goes on working day after day and year after year without anything more than an oil change and the occasional battery. That average old Yanmar tractor may not look new, but most everything (except those darn brakes) works as well as it did when new. If anything, the engine runs even better now that it has a few decades on it. They do what a good design is supposed to do: they get to a certain age and then just seem to stop aging....and there's nothing wrong with that, either.