Loving the Lx490 but have a concern that perhaps can be addressed

Raised on a Deere · Mar 18, 2014

Just now getting acquainted with the Yanmar part of the forum. Posted the below on the Yanmar part but after some reading I believe I should have posted it on this, the Cub Cadet portion. Sorry for the repeat but I need quick help if any available. I need to make a decision tomorrow.

I have been looking at LS, Kioti, kubota for comparison and for year. Yanmar was off the chart, -- I just associated the name with stuff that was around 35 years ago. When it got through that it is a John Deere r, and/or Cub Cadet, long story how I came to realize Yanmar had some really nice stuff. Went to see Lx490 and fell in love. The engine is awesome. The turbo allows a smaller more efficient and quieter engine when just tooling around with power when you need it. Direct injection engine, I am still trying to figure out why tractors have stayed with indirect injection, it is not as efficient, anyway love the engine and that power reverser as it is called when it has green (John Deere) paint on it is just what I wanted to help me stay with gear. Otherwise I was firmly intent on hydrostatic knowing there are times when gear provided the performance I want. I love the transmission, the engine is what I wished LS or Kubota had, haven't driven the Kioti, and the loader fits my specs.

Problem is the loader hydraulic hose connections are mounted hanging under the tractor on the right side just begging to be torn up by limbs or stumps and twigs and what ever else I am always running over. I do a lot of bush hogging where I am knocking down 10-15 year growth in wooded areas on rolling terrain and those couplings and hoses are in the absolute worst place. The hydraulic filter is exposed along with some other hydraulic tubing that could be protected somehow but I don't have time to research before I have to jump on the deal I have found.
This is a deal breaker for me if I don't feel confident there is some workable solution to all this mess under there. In open fields and around the barnyard they would be fine.

Any ideas or experience with this situation that contains this problem will make a Yanmar man out of an old John Deere kid.

Katahdin · Mar 18, 2014

The ground clearance of the LX is 15 inches. I measured the ground clearance where the loader valve is mounted and the clearance there is 18.5 inches.

If you really like the tractor, and you're getting offered a great deal on it, just pay a fabrication shop to make you up some skid plates. There's a few good threads here on TBN about making skid plates for other tractors. Also, that spot would also be a good place to add another step so you don't have to keep walking over to the other side when you want to climb up into the operator's seat. The new step could be worked into the skid plate design.

Oh yeah, its a good thing you're not looking at the HST model...that would give you another hydraulic fluid filter to worry about!

Raised on a Deere · Mar 19, 2014

thanks. 18" clearance doesn't sound so scary. They were just hanging down there so much below everything else my mental picture is that they were lower than anything else. Now that I know I like the rest of the tractor I need to go back and take a real look at the coupling location again.

Definitely saw that I want a step on the right side. The FEL controls are well clear of the path. Those low slung hoses were the first thing that caught my eye when I moved up close to the tractor. But I got so absorbed in everything else and simply liking everything else about the tractor I did not want to even think about the low slung hoses. I am telling you right now, Yanmar has a really nice tractor there.

But I did not crawl under there and look things over to asses what might be possibilities for dealing with the hoses and exposed filter. Wish I had taken a pictures so I could sit here and think about it. I am going over there again tomorrow and look it over a bit closer. If anyone has a link or clue for searching the skid plate threads, please chime in.

What I want to do tomorrow is see if there is a way to simply mount the hoses up higher on the FEL structure somewhere. that would leave only the simpler problem of protecting the hydraulic filter.

Katahdin · Mar 20, 2014

The "hanging down" description doesn't sound right. I have the suspicion someone took off the loader and didn't route the hoses back correctly when they put it back on.

Here's a picture of how the hoses should be routed - up and over the loader arms mount. I can see if they were routed the other way around the loader mount the hoses would be "hanging down."

In the picture I noted a line on my tractor from the rear remotes kit. This line, unfortunately, sticks out a bit more than the one it replaces. But this is a good spot to install a step that might protect some of it. The 18.5 inches of clearance is from the bottom of that valve.

Here's another pic that shows the clearance. On the ground is the line that the rear remote kit replaced. Its a pretty heavy duty line, I don't think brush and small branches would bother it.

Katahdin · Mar 20, 2014

Here's a really good skid/brush plate thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/266010-m9540-belly-skid-plate-brush.html

Raised on a Deere · Mar 21, 2014

Looked at the tractor today and then came home and saw your post. Sure enough something is not assembled the way the pictures show. I have made my peace with this problem after looking at the skid plate thread and some others plus I stopped by a Kubota dealer and looked underneath those tractors. The yanmar is no worse off than some of them. I am going to close the deal on this tractor tomorrow.

I want to hear more from some owners. One of my concerns is that there are probably not many of these out there because of the marketing hitches. But if it were not for those problems I would not have been looking at this nice of a tractor at this price. I am getting the dual remotes installed as part of the deal. Will be shopping for a boxblade and a grapple. Already have rototiller, two bottom plow, 6' bush hog, rear blade, rock rake, trailer and a few other items. I am going to do something crude for the skid protection while I work on a design. Hope I can get my son to revive his welding skills.

Thanks for showing me the picture. Are there any other resources for the yanmar Lx490 tractors. I am going to try to purchase shop manuals for this tractor but I fear they will be Japanese or some cryptic stuff that is not very helpful. I am holding my breath hoping I have not made a mistake being on my own with this tractor. I doubt there are any around here. I am betting on it not being much problem and the one dealer here in Alabama who has a lot of experience with Yanmar for grey market days on into Cub Cadet days. With the know how of his staff accessible I am taking a chance with this tractor. It is so well designed as far as I can tell driving it around the lot and pushing a bit of dirt.

Any thoughts on things to know in getting started with this tractor would be much appreciated. My dealer has not sold any of the turbo engines, but several of the 410 models and has one himself. He will be getting me initiated and I genuinely believe he cares that I succeed with this tractor.

Again thank you.

Katahdin · Mar 21, 2014

New Yanmar owners are in the minority for sure, but we're a growing rowdy bunch. :laughing: I think you would be the second new LX owner I've read about this month.

I don't think you need the shop manual yet, you should be getting a 5 year warranty with your purchase. I've been keeping an eye out for reported LX problems and so far they have been few and far between. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the owners manual, it's very well written in English. Here's is link to the parts manual for the LX490, it has all the diagrams on how the parts are put together: LX490 PART LIST MANUAL Pdf Download.

For another perspective, read TNAndy's experience about when Yanmar engineers showed up at his farm:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...teresting-international-experience-today.html

Also, did you know the Yanmar factory and US headquarters is in Adairsville, GA? That's not too far from the Alabama border. Here's a youtube video from the plant there.

BuilderML · Mar 21, 2014

Katahdin thanks for posting the video i haven't seen it before.:drink:

Raised on a Deere · Mar 22, 2014

Also thanks for the parts manual link. Your comments about shop manuals is appropriate as far as I am concerned, 5 years is a long time, I am 76 at this time and very active still but probably won't be doing a lot of tractor work when I am 81, who knows, but of course I will if I can. But shop manuals give me a sense of being in control. I can look through shop manuals and gain insights into the machine that actually enables me to know better how to work it, and also it helps me to be able to know how to take care of it naturally rather than having to consult a service schedule. And of course if anything warranty comes up I will better understand what is going on with my machine by consulting the shop manual. I have had times when I have been able to know what went wrong when a warranty work created some new problem. And lastly for this conversation, my Yanmar will be used in three states, my small acerage in Ky where my son bought the house but not the land, my home near Huntsville AL (Madison) and my daughter in Decatur TX. When something is not right, for the sake of time etc I will probably be ordering parts and doing my own repairs. Thirty years ago I made it a policy to always buy a shop manual with the vehicle purchase. In the case of my 2003 Dodge Cummins it was a whole box of books that I bought used off ebay. Those manuals have saved me thousands. I have had to give up on helping someone with a car problem because they did not have a service manual for me to consult.

We joked in the dealer shop the other day about the front axel fluids and hydraulics service interval and the dealer said based on average usage just use it a few years and someday when you get bored and looking for something to do, change it. I expect that is mostly what the shop manual will be all about but it is also like insurance, hope you don't need it, and do not expect to need it but nice to have when you do.

Wrote the check but waiting for the bank to clear and for rear hydraulics to be installed.

Again thanks for posting. I usually don't write longposts, just to the point stuff the in this case I was casting a net to see where I am with this Yanmar. It is nice to have company. Thanks for responding.

Which of these Yanmar forums is most appropriate for the larger utilitie tractors.

BTW the only reason I was able to go with the Yanmar is because it was on the lot of a dealer who is heavy into lawn care in this area and the tractor looked really odd sitting there in the midst of acres of lawn tractors, zero turn mowers. The whole Cub Cadet yanmar thing must have been a mistake for both parties. Any wa the tractor had been there for a year and a half and they needed to sell it. Other wise the price would not have been attractive enough for me in my situation. As it is I have a tractor that is way beyond what I had hoped for because of this situation. Sure hope Yanmar gets something going in the USA.

scoutcub · Mar 22, 2014

Ok, I'll check in on the LX.....I had a 490 for around a year. While it was a great machine, I already had 2 other hydro tractors, and the majority of my operations are in the woods....so I traded it back on the LX4900. I've got almost 50 hours on it, not a hiccup at all.....and a very strong capable machine. I've been involved with Cubs and Yanmars for years, and the LX series is a great lineup. I've got a great network of dealers, and I firmly believe Yanmar is here to stay.

As for the ground clearance, I've had no issues to date, and I'm always in the woods around brush, stumps, logs, etc. I have bent the tines on my grapple, though....lol

I'll have to get off my duff and get a pic of the step I installed on the right side of the tractor. It does act as a line guard, and I now have the ability to mount from either side, which really makes a difference.

Enjoy it!