Wannabe tractor owner here

[sacsr]

I am looking at buying a small compact tractor....found a yanmar 155D that looks good for $2500 but all the information about VN recon makes me concerned about this one....

also considering a satoh 370 ........


How can I tell the Yanmar 150 is good or bad????

thanks....I am enjoying the reading and learning.....

scott

 

[California]

155D is a US version so you don't have to worry about overseas 'renovation'.

But in my experience (two US Yanmars), American farmers were harder on these things than the Japanese farmers who traded in perfectly nice tractors due to tax subsides. It's those nice trade-ins that are the better half of the import market. (According to legend, the VN rebuilts are tractors that were run to death serving a second life in the paddies of Vietnam before being cleaned up to send over here).

Some Americans farmers just run tractors till they won't run any more before selling them. Yanmars are near indestructible but when you are looking at a 30 year old tractor, or anything, its individual condition needs to be appraised carefully. Don't be afraid of this one, just look it over carefully. You will probably identify some issues, like maybe the charging system, that caused the prior owner to retire it. So you may need to budget for some renovation yourself.

 

[sacsr]

Thanks for the reply....it looks brand new in the pics..so I thought it may have been refurbished......
I am learning what to ask and what to look for. I have collected childrens dirt bikes fro 20 years....I know what questions to ask before I buy.....this is a totally new game here!

What will I expect to pay to put a fel on one of these???

How does this model stack up with the 240D???

I have wet land for part of the year so have to have 4w drive.

thanks,

 

[6thgpSF]

.scott,welcome to this forum.are you looking to buy from a dealer,if so there are good ones which you can get names from this forum and there are dealers to avoid like the plague.I see a lot of these types in a tractor magazine that sell used tractors.I've never heard of a satch370,maybe someone else has but the name isn't listed inthe compact tractor guide I have so I 'd worry about parts availability. the 155d is 4wd,it's listed at15hp at the engine,it was made 76-80,depending on what yr. it was made the book gives a high price of $1001.00 for a 76 and for a 1980 a high price of $1,133.00.thats just for the tractor. hope this helps russ

 

[HoyeTractor]

the book gives a high price of $1001.00 for a 76 and for a 1980 a high price of $1,133.00.thats just for the tractor

I would buy all I could get for that price . In the real world they will normally sell for much more. Like over 3 times that much.

Adding a loader usually costs close to $3K.

The 240D is a MUCH bigger tractor.

The Satoh is a Mitsubishi. http://www.tractorhouse.com/images/Tractor/fullsize/77924670.jpg

Aaron
Hoye Tractor Parts
Contact Us
(940)592-0181

 

[sacsr]

thanks Russ.....the satoh is a mitsubishi sorry...I threw it in the mix with the yanmar......the 155d I am looking at is red and is supposed to be a 84 model??? that possible?? value??

Should I be going to a dealer??? I buy most of my cars used and usually pretty good at picking good ones....figured I could do it here as well...but again tractors are a new game for me.

again thanks for the help..

 

[sacsr]

Thanks Aaron....I have a Satoh I am looking at that is in really good shape and then considering the Yanmar....

I need a larger tractor....but don't want the issues that come with it.....I just piddle on a piece of land......with the smaller tractor I can easily haul it with my vehicle.....my current trailer is large enough to handle it...etc....

I am assuming the 240d is probably closer to 2000 lbs versus the 155 at around 1000lbs???

Any suggestions and input is appreciated..

 

[sacsr]

After looking at the Satoh?Mitsubishi.....does the pto turn clockwise or ccw on the yanmar??

 

[LMTC]

155D is a US version so you don't have to worry about overseas 'renovation'.

But in my experience (two US Yanmars), American farmers were harder on these things than the Japanese farmers who traded in perfectly nice tractors due to tax subsides. It's those nice trade-ins that are the better half of the import market. (According to legend, the VN rebuilts are tractors that were run to death serving a second life in the paddies of Vietnam before being cleaned up to send over here).

Some Americans farmers just run tractors till they won't run any more before selling them. Yanmars are near indestructible but when you are looking at a 30 year old tractor, or anything, its individual condition needs to be appraised carefully. Don't be afraid of this one, just look it over carefully. You will probably identify some issues, like maybe the charging system, that caused the prior owner to retire it. So you may need to budget for some renovation yourself.

Don't count on it without confirming it is indeed a 155. Just had a lengthy call from a potential customer who was first interested in a Massey compact....found a dealer with a surprising amount of nice looking Massey compacts. This caller is one of the few who did his homework before buying what seemed like a real bargain....and by checking chassis and engine info discovered they had simply put all Massey decals on a group of Hinomotos...likely straight from vn. A few years back there was some source rebadging Mitsubishis and Shibauras as Yanmars....I know Len Sheaffer got a lot of those calls as well as us, from people looking for parts they were never going to get. It is almost impossible to overestimate the importance of choosing a reliable seller with a credible history in this market.

 

[California]

Wow! Wayne, I didn't realize there might be counterfeit American Yanmars.

The 240D is a MUCH bigger tractor.

Sacsr, here's a size comparison of tractors similar to what you were asking about - My YM240 I've had six years, and the smaller YM186D I bought this year to get under the trees in my orchard. The 155D is a size smaller than this YM186D but maybe somebody can tell us if the sheet metal and/or tires are similar.



As for the PTO rotation, all Yanmars conform to the universal standard same as Ford 8N and 99% of everything else.