Torn between buying an SA324 and a YT235

[STxGardener]

The jobs that I HAVE FOR THE YANMAR THt I end up buying are on the light side but I willl likely buy a 5' Ironcraft Titan tiller to till a garden. two or three times per year. I will also use the tiller to move dirt around and to turn and mix compost piles. So my dealer is confident that the SA324 can do what I want but I think it will be tough on the tilling as we have hard clay here. I plan on conditioning the soil with compost so it may get better over time.

So with all of that said I also think about the resale value of the tractor in I need to sell it in a few years. I like the overall quality of the YT235 and it seems to be more like a "real" tractor as compared with the SA234. As far as I can tell the cost difference between the two as equipped would be around $9K, so that difference definitely factors into the decision but I may pay the extra dollars for a much better tractor and better resale value. Keeping $9K would be nice also...lol.

Any thoughts or comments on my purchase would be greatly appreciated. By the end of this week I should own one or the other. Thanks.

 

[Helogabals]

I think, this time salesman is not wrong
Tillers are not asking for a lot of HP. 25 horses will do the job
Maybe 1 1/2 minutes longer than more powerful sibling. But if you are looking to do the job 2 times / y it should not have any impact on your decision

Smaller is more agile, dont compress soil

 

[STxGardener]

Thanks, I didn't consider the soil compression from the weight difference. I am retired so as with most retirees I'm never in a hurry.

 

[Helogabals]

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I am happy owner of SA424
If you mention "garden", I meant, that's the right size

But obviously I don't know, what kind of garden you have and what you want to do there

 

[2manyrocks]

How big is your garden? Haven't used a PTO driven tiller, but I'm wondering if 5' is a bit much for a 25hp size tractor in hard clay unless you till in very limited depth?

 

[STxGardener]

I am just planning a simple vegetable garden that will end up being less than 5,000 sq. ft. altogether., (probably closer to 3,000 sq. ft. to start with. I am going to take down some raised 3 ft high garden boxes that I built ten years ago that are falling apart. I will probably convert those boxes into a 10 ft x 100 ft. garden plot also.

Thanks for all of the comments. I am feeling better about the SA324.

 

[2manyrocks]

A smaller tractor would be easier to manuever in a small garden, but I'm not sure about the 5' tiller versus a 4'. Compost will make the soil much easier to till over time.

 

[STxGardener]

I am not worried about maneuverability because I am basically tilling out my front lawn that is about 1/3 of an acre in size. It will be a very open garden.

 

[STxGardener]

The comments suggesting a 4' tiller rather than a 5' tiller are probably spot on but the rear tires are over 48" wide so I wanted to cover my tracks. I guess I can go about it a little at a time and take on more depth as I till it with more passes. The tilling made me think that I might need the bigger tractor. I think that the YT235 would have a much better resale value but it would probably be overkill for my needs. Decisions, decisions.

 

[2manyrocks]

Do you have other uses for the tractor?

A 35hp tractor will have a DPF emissions system. I imagine it will also lift more dirt in the bucket if that's a concern.

A 25hp tractor may be able to run a 5' rotary cutter where 35hp may be able to run 6' in the same conditions.

edit: how do you plan to cultivate your garden after the plants start growing?

I plow my garden with the tractor in the spring, but use a Troy Bilt walk behind tiller for cultivation myself. I have other uses for the tractor, but I couldn't justify owning a tractor if all I did with it was to plow the garden once in the spring.