Tore the 3-point pin out of the axle housing! $500 repair

[Oldpath05]

I took exactly that gamble when I bought my YM240 in 2003. The seller just barely got it started as he ran a good battery down to weak. Dashboard warning lights were dangling by my knee, fuel filter assembly had been discarded and replaced with what was likely a lawn mower filter. Both headlights bashed out. Left brake stuck when pressed, I nearly looped in a circle when I demo'ed it. Every bolt on the tractor loose, it squeaked and rattled as it rolled along.

I spent a month renovating it. Luckily at the time there was an importer of "rebuilt" (Vietnam repaint) Yanmars nearby and I bought most everything I needed off their many warranty return tractors parked out back. Wheels, headlights, fuel filter assembly etc. A couple hundred $. Later I bought a new starter off Ebay (China replica, $89) and years later new OEM injectors from a local diesel shop. That initial renovation was in 2003, this axle housing repair is the first significant repair since then.

Yanmar quality is excellent, simply catching up all the ignored maintenance is likely (not certain!) all that thing needs. If it were me I would carry over a fresh battery and fresh fuel and try to get it running to verify no major problems. Hopefully the next owner's experience will be as good as my experience with that model Yanmar.

Fuel filter the good ol boy American farmer had substituted. I don't know why he discarded the old assembly - the filter element is listed by Wix etc.

OEM fuel filter assembly from the VN 'rebuilt' vendor (had wrong fuel bowl) and the correct US bowl and element from Hoyetractor. Under $50 project.

Hopefully the new owner of that CL Yanmar won't have more to deal with than I did. If he's lucky it is fundamentally sound but severely neglected and a little tinkering will put it in service.

Yeah start with simple suff first when diagnosing no start tractor problem, so if it's a tractor like yours and not far away and cheap, be worth atleast a look see. I buy another tractor like my L3400 in a NY minute if I could find a great deal.

I cant understand why or imagine a tractor rim would be cracked and welded like in that picture, wow, what would be the cause of that..........No one works a tractor harder than me.

 

[California]

...I cant understand why or imagine a tractor rim would be cracked and welded like in that picture, wow, what would be the cause of that..........No one works a tractor harder than me.

When I first had it, a couple of times I backed up fast, in a curve, on rough ground, and had the steering wheel torn out of my hands as the steering went all the way to the stops. This is the only way I've stressed the front wheels and it didn't expand the cracks that were already there.

A prior owner must have done this often with a lot of weight in the bucket. One of the front wheels has "$25.--" written on it, clearly a replacement, so his abuse must have been frequent.

I used one wheel as the foundation to make a grinder pedestal. ....

 

[clemsonfor]

One can do well parting out tractor parts or any parts on ebay, speaking from person experience.............

Yep, been there done that as well.

 

[Oldpath05]

When I first had it, a couple of times I backed up fast, in a curve, on rough ground, and had the steering wheel torn out of my hands as the steering went all the way to the stops. This is the only way I've stressed the front wheels and it didn't expand the cracks that were already there.

A prior owner must have done this often with a lot of weight in the bucket. One of the front wheels has "$25.--" written on it, clearly a replacement, so his abuse must have been frequent.

I used one wheel as the foundation to make a grinder pedestal. ....

View attachment 604241

I know narrow front end tractors will almost rip your hand off when it hits something just right, always had to hold steering wheel with thumbs out, the wide FE tractors I drove didn't have that issue.
Least your using the rim for something, recycling at it's best. I like using stuff that's no good for anything, that rim fits the bill.

 

[California]

... Craigslist ad in southern Oregon. (YM240 stored 5 years. Cranks, won't start, destroyed the starter trying. $1400).

Yanmar YM240 24 hp diesel tractor - farm & garden - by owner - sale

If the buyer of that CL Yanmar shows up here ... Here's the Ebay listing for the more powerful starter I put on my YM240 in 2011 after its amateur-rebuilt starter faded away. This replacement is 2.0KW and was intended for a larger Yanmar while the OEM starter was 1.2 or 1.4KW, so its 50% stronger. This cranks my YM240 like mad. I expect this would start even a badly worn, low compression engine.

New Starter John Deere Yanmar Excavator 3TN78 3TN78L 41-5218 AT11818 17387 | eBay $76 shipped.

This needs the wire down from the key extended 6 inches longer, otherwise an identical replacement.

If you look at similar starters be sure to match # of teeth and KW rating.

 

[clemsonfor]

If the buyer of that CL Yanmar shows up here ... Here's the Ebay listing for the more powerful starter I put on my YM240 in 2011 after its amateur-rebuilt starter faded away. This replacement is 2.0KW and was intended for a larger Yanmar while the OEM starter was 1.2 or 1.4KW, so its 50% stronger. This cranks my YM240 like mad. I expect this would start even a badly worn, low compression engine.

New Starter John Deere Yanmar Excavator 3TN78 3TN78L 41-5218 AT11818 17387 | eBay $76 shipped.

This needs the wire down from the key extended 6 inches longer, otherwise an identical replacement.

If you look at similar starters be sure to match # of teeth and KW rating.

I need to keep this in mind. I had some starter issues this last year. I think it was more the solonoid. But I went to try to pull it off. I didn't remove the starter, couldn't get the solonoid off. Just bolted it back togeather vand it started fine after that. Was probably just a bad connection at the solonoid anyway.

 

[clemsonfor]

Thanks. In posting that, I'm hoping to give back some of the help I have received from this forum over the years.

And here I am needing to reference some of these pics to see what it looks like coming apart. It all comes round if you keep these tractors long enough I guess. I will make sure to document my repair when it occurs. I still have to bush hog once more this year and disk a very very small Food plot. Not optimal to do but I need to. Most people wouldn't even notice it yet...I'm paranoid and **** about noises and maintenance though.