Which Yanmar model (if any)

[woolyAcres]

I'm trying to find a tractor that will allow me to handle chores around a 30 acre property. The land has a large flat section but also has a few step parts but those are generally pretty short slopes (less than 60' from bottom of slope to top). I've not measured it, though I will, steepest sections are probably approaching 25 degrees. Jobs I'd like to tackle with this machine include:
-keeping pasture/fields mowed (brush hogging)
-landscaping, moving gravel, mulch, manure, etc so FEL (or at least FEL capable)
-driveway/road maintenance (gravel)
-snow removal(4wd?)
-possibly mowing the open portions of the yard (1/2 acre+)
-pulling hay wagon
-occasionally moving 4x4 round bale? maybe asking too much?
-hauling firewood from the woods but ground clearance isn't a big concern for me. I suspect 8-10" sufficient and preferable to improve stability.

Equipment I already own or have access to for use with this machine:
5' box blade with rippers
5' Landscape rake
5' Woods brush-hog (approx 550lbs)
5' TSC rototiller

For budget reason I've been looking at used and because my budget keeps shrinking I'm looking at older and higher hour machines. This brought me to Yanmar- a reputation for durability and reliability, and plain old ability, as well as their decent parts support and availability. My problem is which models should I be considering. There seem to be lots out there.

Which model would you chose for these chores? Why (power shift, stability, HP, power steering, etc)? And in your area what would you expect to pay for this machine?

I've received some great input already regarding a couple models that were for sale locally. I decided to start a new thread to get input on more models and hopefully from more users. That thread can be found here:

I look forward to your opinions and suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

[winston1]

I would recommend not going with anything under 20pto hp and 4 wheel drive based on your usage. My short research on a 4x4 round bale could put it as heavy as 600#. A 20pto horsepower with loader could probably handle that avoiding bouncing across the pasture. In East Texas you would expect a decent 20hp 4 wheel drive tractor with loader to start at $5500 and up from there. You get a good one less than that and you have made a deal. :thumbsup:

A 5' tiller is going to be a big load for a 20pto hp. I had a 51" with my 20pto hp and it was all it needed.

 

[woolyAcres]

@winston- Thanks for your comments. I doubt I'd run the 5' tiller with this tractor. The one I'd really like to be able to use is the 5' brush hog. The dry bales we made this year are probably about 500lbs and moving those wouldn't be a primary job, just something to be done once or twice a year in a pinch. I see by your tag you have a bobcat 235. Ideally that's probably the size/style tractor I'm looking for but it's just out of my price range. Do you know Yanmar well enough to suggest a model for these tasks?

 

[winston1]

You can browse this list noting hp ratings. http://www.mytractorforum.com/69-yanmar/42921-domestic-gray-model-yanmar-list.html

I wouldn't suggest a particular model. Remember the us sold model number indicates engine hp and the grey's model number is pto hp. You would likely get a manual transmission a for a little less than the power shift. I would suggest you just keep watching ads and have patience.

 

[woolyAcres]

You can browse this list noting hp ratings. http://www.mytractorforum.com/69-yanmar/42921-domestic-gray-model-yanmar-list.html

I wouldn't suggest a particular model. Remember the us sold model number indicates engine hp and the grey's model number is pto hp. You would likely get a manual transmission a for a little less than the power shift. I would suggest you just keep watching ads and have patience.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that before. Is grey/us number also the difference between 3 and 4 digits? What about color? What does that indicate about tractor (green vs red)?

I think patience is the only course I can afford at the moment. I suppose if the oil and gas companies move back in a sign me to a big lease I might have some cash to work with but that doesn't seem likely anytime soon.

 

[winston1]

The greens were the older generation. For the most part in the YM models the 4 digit are the greys, however, toward the top of the grey list you see about three models with 3 digits. They are pretty rare and you would want to avoid those. Parts are very very limited. You can go to Hoye's parts sight and look up most any model and browse through their parts. Hoye also carries many parts that wouldn't necessarily be listed. This might also be interesting to you. What is your Yanmar tractor worth?

 

[woolyAcres]

What is your Yanmar tractor worth?

Great link. Thanks.

 

[jeff9366]

Shop Yanmars with approximately 60" rear tire width, bearing in mind that R4 industrial tires will be about 4-6" wider than R1 ag tires, which are standard in 'specs'.

Then buy all the weight you can afford, followed by horsepower. You will have a tractor well matched to your implements.

I used to operate a Deere/Yanmar 750. It was an exceptionally solid tractor.

 

[woolyAcres]

Shop Yanmars with approximately 60" rear tire width, bearing in mind that R4 industrial tires will be about 4-6" wider than R1 ag tires, which are standard in 'specs'.

Then buy all the weight you can afford, followed by horsepower. You will have a tractor well matched to your implements.

That's an interesting approach. Is the 60" rear tire width because of the size of implements I've got? There are occasions when having a rear implement that's larger than the tractor footprint would be nice - say using the box blade to remove snow or using the brush-hog. I'm curious how/why 60"?

 

[kenmac]

I recommend a 3110D ..I really like this tractor.. If I ever buy a new tractor , I'll keep this 3110D.. It's big enough to do things I need to do, yet small enough to get through wooded trails on my property.. If you want Yanmar,, 3110D is hard to beat..I've got some pics somewhere on here with some big logs.. it's been a tough tractor

 

[jeff9366]

That's an interesting approach. Is the 60" rear tire width because of the size of implements I've got? There are occasions when having a rear implement that's larger than the tractor footprint would be nice - say using the box blade to remove snow or using the brush-hog. I'm curious how/why 60"?

There are exceptions, but you have an assortment of implements and implements are manufactured to work with certain size tractors, starting with tractor widths.

It would be unusual to size a Box Blade for snow removal. For dirt moving you do not want a BB more than a little wider than tire width or you may not have enough tractor weight to move it with a full box ----- depending on your conditions.

 

[tman1020]

I had a 1702 that was a heck of a machine. It would do all that is on your list except with 17 pto hp I think a 4 foot bushog is the largest it could handle well. But if the 5 is what you have you could just take a smaller pass after the first pass. I would still be using it today if I wouldn't have found such a deal on the bobcat close outs. I have a 5 foot on my 19.5 pto hp tractor and it does fine but it is a hydro so it is easy to slow to the perfect speed if you start to bog down in thick stuff. The general guide says 5 pto hp for every foot of mower/tiller and If you have the option I think everyone would prefer a little reserve power but if you find a deal it's not the end of the world if you are under some. I'm fond of the Koyker loaders matched to the Yanmars they are very strong so no problem with the small bails. Even the small koyker 80 can handle 500# though I much prefer the 120. But if you opt for no loader you will definitely need front weight to Handle a 5 foot bushog

 

[Todd8665]

I'd love to have a 3110D, but ended up with a 2210BD (26 engine HP).

I do all the things you mention with the exception of operating a brush hog and tiller. I do operate a 72" snowblower on an all to routine basis in the winter though; and I have no real complaints. I'd run the tiller in a heartbeat..was made for those things.

A spear on the 3 point would be better for moving the round bales, but I also seasonally move 100" logs on my forks which must add up to 5-600 pounds. Granted im not moving them very far and on flat terrain. When i am in the woods hauling firewood i cut 30" pieces and stack them in the bucket long ways. Sometimes I run all the way home like that, sometimes i dump them onto a trailer. The beauty running all the way home is when you go to stack. Pull up to where you need to be and adjust the height to where you need it. I rarely handle a piece of wood more than a few feet when it comes out of the bucket, frequently less.

My property sounds a smidgen hillier than yours. Currently i am running Ag tires, set wide, and use cement weights in the rims. I plan on putting turf tires on soon. I never push my limits side sloping and keep it straight up and down, or cut a new path with the bucket. I wouldn't be able to do 1/2 the operating I do on the hills without 4wd.

The bucket on this tractor is....tiny. It's nice because I can cut into the ground, but somewhat disappointing in the volume it will hold. To haul bulk materials (leaves/much/compost) I have a section of aluminum arch culvert that I set onto my forks and hold it there with a cable. Figure I can get about 3/4 yard of light materials in it.

I bought my tractor mainly to remove snow and to help with the firewood. It does all that I ask it to, but I wouldn't go smaller and between the snow and hills I wouldn't go without 4WD. Oh and read what Hoye says about the 2210: https://www.hoyetractor.com/modelstoavoid.htm

Good luck!:thumbsup:

 

[kenmac]

I don't know if I would like my tractor if it didn't have PS.. PS with a bucket full or over full with logs,,makes turning a breeze !

 

[woolyAcres]

I recommend a 3110D ..I really like this tractor..

That looks like a great machine. I'm sure I'd love one of those. I'm afraid my budget has me looking for something smaller...

 

[woolyAcres]

@jeff9366- I understand your point. I guess I was thinking about how it'd be nice if the box blade and brush hog were just a tad wider than the tractor so you could clean up against things without hitting it with the tires first. I wouldn't want them to be too much wider (a couple inches on each side would be ideal).

The box blade for snow removal is a case of 'using what you got'. It was purchased for grading a driveway and getting the slope around the house in order after construction stops.

 

[woolyAcres]

@tman

I think the 5HP/foot is a good rule of thumb. That puts me looking at 20HP+. Frankly, I think with some patience, I can find a machine like that which will fit my budget. And of course the longer I wait the more likely I'll be able to stash a bit more cash. Honestly, running the 5' brush hog might be overstating things. When it's heavy or wet I could either take smaller bites or borrow a larger tractor to get that work done. Though frankly, if i had my own tractor I think I'd be able to keep a better handle on things and it wouldn't get too far out of control- Yeah right!

 

[woolyAcres]

ended up with a 2210BD (26 engine HP).

I'd jump at a 2210B. I've seen that comment by Hoys about the 2210 being the 'tractor of choice if stranded on an island'. I think a 2210 would be ideal. And from your description, it sounds like this is a good fit for the tasks. The power shift seems like a really nice feature. Sounds like the only thing missing on this machine is the power steering which kenmac has on his larger machine and sure would be nice. Maybe on my next tractor....

Why are you switching to turf? Stability, tearing up the lawn? I'm concerned that turfs might puncture too easily on my property. I've got lots of little saplings that are getting mowed off when they sprout in the pasture and a lot of multi-flora rose which can become quite a beast and it covered in thorns. The worse however has to be the Hawthorne trees. They have 1-2" long barbs that fairly strong and razor sharp. I'm slowly trying to return my land to pasture after it's been ignored for too many years.

I think I could live with a tiny bucket. It could be useful in the barn for cleaning things up where the larger tractor just won't fit.

 

[clemsonfor]

@winston- I see by your tag you have a bobcat 235. Ideally that's probably the size/style tractor I'm looking for but it's just out of my price range. Do you know Yanmar well enough to suggest a model for these tasks?

HAHA thats a pretty good one!!! Winston had a 2002 yanmar untill a few months ago. That guy is sharp with the yanmars and google. he is one of the first to post schematics that he dug up off the web and offer repair advice. i would trust whatever he says about the linup. He is considered an authrotative voice in the world of yanmars..at least to me.

 

[winston1]

Thanks Clemsonfor.