Buying Advice Questions about potential purchase, not sure where to start

[fattylumpkins]

You're not clogging anything. Keep the questions coming!

We love to debate the various 'best choices', and especially love spending others' money vicariously.

Also - many of us arrived here same as you - 'I want to buy my first tractor, what should I buy?" For me it was inheriting the orchard in Y2K that grandpa and then Dad had used as a summer home - no tractor - with the real apple production contracted to a neighbor. (which I have continued). I found a 20 year old used tractor that was cheap because it needed numerous minor repairs to remedy severe neglect. I asked all the beginner questions here, and learned this Yanmar was premium quality, reputed to be indestructible with normal maintenance. I decided my auto maintenance experience was sufficient to take the gamble, and bought it and spent a month doing the repairs that members here suggested. Turns out it was a good choice. 20 year later it runs fine.

I don't mind sharing what I've learned since.

At this point, I feel like it's possible for me to handle this. I can learn, right? I have the internet, right? Too ambitious in reality, I don't have the time available to me to dedicate. I want the perfect, sensible solution that magically encapsulates my needs. That's, unfortunately, not how this works. But as a poster demonstrated to me recently, there's a ton of options available that go beyond what I initially thought. My church is more south of where I live, so I had no idea the extent of the availability.

To some degree, I need to be able to handle a lot of the maintenance, as well, and I can figure it out - I have to believe that.

Like this?

Front load is chained so it won't fall out.

Rear is a platform the size of a single bed (the source for its steel perimeter) mounted on a pallet, carried on 3-point pallet forks.

And note the rear wheel weights, they are sufficient for most loads in the front bucket.

View attachment 1510771

Yeah exactly this, maybe to a smaller degree. I try to use my evenings and weekends focused on clean up in the winter season to stay on top of it.

So, the back load is serving as a balance point to what you have on the front?

 

[California]

Good call, and it might be worth checking with your local Deere dealer, as I'd bet they still service Yanmars. They would probably even stock most engine components and filters, even if they don't stock all of the Yanmar chassis components for newer models.

Actually, no. Deere dealers sold YM-series Yanmars in 1970's and 80's, along with the Deere-badged Yanmars like yours. Back in the day. They still have some support for the Deeres that Yanmar built, but none for the Yanmars from back then.

My experience was the Deere service manager rudely ran me out of the place when I asked if they could service, or order parts, for my 1980 YM240 that they may have sold new. I think they got burned when Yanmar abandoned the US market 30(??) years ago.

Likewise the new Yanmar dealers established when Yanmar returned to selling in the US consider those elderly YM's as unfamiliar orphans. Maybe a few dealers could be helpful but on their own initiative, not required by Yanmar USA Corp. I don't know of any such.

Modern Yanmars are superb quality and premium cost, same as the the ancient ones were back then. Worth the premium cost for commercial use. Maybe too expensive for homeowner hobby use. And the modern dealers aren't support for the ancient ones.

 

[California]

Yeah exactly this, maybe to a smaller degree. I try to use my evenings and weekends focused on clean up in the winter season to stay on top of it.

So, the back load is serving as a balance point to what you have on the front?

The ballast weights bolted to the rear wheels are sufficient counter balance for that 200?? lb front load. I wouldn't need anything on the back.

I should note that the 65 lb Quick Hitch that is always on the back is some counterbalance for this small tractor. I hang a couple hundred lbs of weight on it, if I need both counterbalance and improved traction for digging into a dirt pile etc.

 

[EarPlug]

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[California]

And one Washington tractor seller to be a little cautious about. TractorCo.

I was about to drive up there and buy their little backhoe they listed to dig 6 ft deep. It was light enough for my smaller Yanmar. Finally I found the manufacturer's brochure. 4.5 ft.

 

[Oldstuff]

look for a used tractor with low hours. A senario I like is to buy from a widow whose husband has passed is a better situation that to buy from someone alive because they may be getting rid of it for a problem. Example- I bought 2009 kubota L3400 4Wd in early 2022 with 372 hours on it with a front end loader and is a HST. It had been stored inside and had no dents, I paid pretty much top dollar ($18,000)- fast forward 2 1/2 years and it is still a great machine. Try to buy a 2013 or a bit older to stay away from the EPA stuff. Good luck

 

[WinterDeere]

look for a used tractor with low hours. A senario I like is to buy from a widow whose husband has passed is a better situation that to buy from someone alive because they may be getting rid of it for a problem. Example- I bought 2009 kubota L3400 4Wd in early 2022 with 372 hours on it with a front end loader and is a HST. It had been stored inside and had no dents, I paid pretty much top dollar ($18,000)- fast forward 2 1/2 years and it is still a great machine. Try to buy a 2013 or a bit older to stay away from the EPA stuff. Good luck

I'm not going to say you're wrong, but I will point out that most folks fortunate to live long enough do eventually downsize to a smaller property or even a retirement home or assisted living facility. All of these people are selling their tractors, most that have nothing wrong with them, and they're far from dead.

By seeking out only widows selling their dead husbands old machines, you're really only looking at a super-narrow swath of the market. Heck, I'd bet 90% of such machines get passed on to a child or other family member, and never sold.

 

[WinterDeere]

At this point, I feel like it's possible for me to handle this. I can learn, right? I have the internet, right?

Yes. Why not? Just one of many life skills, and a heck of a lot easier than some.

To some degree, I need to be able to handle a lot of the maintenance, as well, and I can figure it out - I have to believe that.

Greasing some fittings, fluid changes, filter changes. If you can do those three things, it's probably going to be 99% of your maintenance on any reasonably new machine. Grease it 2x per year, change oil and filter every year, and other fluids and filters on prescribed schedule. Transmission fluid and filter might be something you choose to take to a dealer, but that's not as frequent. Likewise with radiator flush and fill, but that's only every 6th year with modern systems.

Greasing a newer machine is as easy as wiping the dirt off the fitting, jamming a grease gun onto it, and giving it a pump or two. Usually, finding the fittings is the biggest challenge, the first time you do a new machine. The owner's manual is your bible, there.

Oil change is super easy, plenty of threads and videos on that. Biggest challenge there is finding someone to take your used oil.

Filter changes, usually means change your oil filter yearly with the oil change, blow clean your outer air filter (pre-filter) every year and change it every few, and fuel filter every year. Tractors in the class your shopping just have one fuel filter most of the time, and it's usually a simple spin-on job.

If you need to have the dealer come retrieve it for other items, that's fine. But by learning how to do greasing, fluid, and filter changes, you won't be calling them every year.

So, the back load is serving as a balance point to what you have on the front?

Yes. Hanging weight behind the rear axle, on the 3-point, treats the very strong rear axle as a fulcrum. This serves to remove some of the total load in your loader bucket from the more delicate front axle.

 

[rumwrks]

I will point out that most folks fortunate to live long enough do eventually downsize to a smaller property or even a retirement home or assisted living facility.

Point.. The fella I bought my Kubota from had some serious health issues and was downsizing as you say. I do think the "story" about why they're selling the tractor can be important either way which is probably a reasonable distinction to make.

I also looked at a grand L4740 for my larger tractor but the sellers story was inconsistent and I got skeezed out by that and passed on it. Was it actually fine? IDK.. I couldn't find anything wrong other than what was disclosed.. but I didn't get a good vibe either..

Also if you're not familiar with looking at machinery it can be super helpful to have someone come with you to look at used machines. The short list is somewhat like: "does it sound right" (diesels rattle a bit but it shouldn't be excessive, knocks or uneven running is a red flag), "are there any leaks" (especially around seals, junctions, fittings), are the hoses in good shape (no cracks, weathering on the hydraulic hoses), "is it blowing smoke" (a little white on startup is fine.. continued smoke is generally a bad sign..), is it "tight" (if you can raise the front end on the loader wiggle the wheels and they shouldn't move top/bottom, do the pins on the loader or 3pt have a lot of slop, is the steering sloppy, etc..). I'm probably missing something

 

[California]

... I'm probably missing something

That's a great list but I think it requires a little intuition about mechanical things that she may or may not have.

Anybody who has the successful experience of evaluating a cheap beater car before buying it, could take that list and do fine. (BTDT. I had most recently driven a tractor 40 years prior, before getting the neglected Yanmar I described above, and putting it into good operating condition. I'm not poor, just cheap. )

But lets not assume she has those instincts. Rather, I would advise her to find a local tractor mechanic or small dealer who can recommend, and evaluate, whatever appears on Craigslist or marketplace. I expect she has much better instincts evaluating whether such a person is to be trusted, than she does about used tractors. Then after she screens for suitable, pay that mechanic to do the evaluation of what she selected. And use that same person or shop, for anything she can't do herself, after buying the tractor.