Will Yanmar make it work this time?

[MESSMAKER]

Yanmar has a good name and the work they have done for John Deere should help. They have been around as a supplier but have never made much of an impact. I thought they might succeed when they partnered with Cub Cadet but it failed. Bad timing I suspect. Do you think they can make a go of it? They seem to have a pretty small product line.

 

[TnAndy]

Only if they can obtain and RETAIN lots of relationships with existing local dealers of farm equipment.

My first Yanmar ( new, YM220D) I bought from a local dealer in 1985. Well, then they cut the deal with John Deere a few years later, and no US Yanmars sold under the Yanmar name. Sold that tractor, bought a New Holland from a different local dealer that had been here since forever.

2010, I'm ready for a larger tractor, sold the 33hp NH, bought a Yanmar LX410 (still had the Cub yellow, but not the Cub name) from the same New Holland (also Case) dealer. Couple years later, they ended their relationship with Yanmar for reasons I don't know, and now the nearest dealer is 75 miles from here.

I like my Yanmar, despite some obvious needs for improvements (see my other posts), but as any tractor ages, you need parts/service beyond simple maintenance, and without good, local, dealer support, any tractor becomes a nice boat anchor when you can't get a part to keep it running.

We'll see how this round of owning a Yanmar turns out....at my age, I was hoping this to be my last tractor....but time will tell.

 

[Tractorable]

I think Yanmar is on the right track and poised to make an impact in the tractor world. Considering they're a 100 year-old Japanese company that builds some of the best Diesel engines in the world, are huge in the marine and construction industries, provide all of John Deere's under 50hp engines, previously built and imported Yanmar tractors which are still well regarded, and have supplied entire tractors for both John Deere and Cub Cadet, they certainly have the history, know-how, and infrastructure to be successful.

Their new YT2 and YT3 tractors are a step in the right direction. They're being innovative and forward-leaning with the introduction of their new iHMT transmission, automotive style instrumentation, and beautiful cabs.

Where they need help is with marketing. Get those tractors out there on YouTube with comparisons to the competition. Show us why Yanmar tractors are so good. And reiterate the long history of this company to those who are not aware.

 

[kenmac]

there is now a yanmar dealer close to me. This dealer started selling commercial Toro mowers then, took on the yanmar line of tractors.
Only problem I see is, This dealer only has one of those small portable buildings he uses as an office for selling mowers and now yanmar tractors. There is no shop or mechanic with tools etc, to make any type repairs. No way I buy a tractor from this guy

 

[Tractorable]

My local dealer who's been selling Kubota's for 27 years just switched to selling Yanmar. This is due to a dispute they had with Kubota corporate over the state of their showroom.

 

[AxleHub]

Yanmar made stunning quality of tractor equipment for Cub Cadet in 2006 and forward thru 2013 with the Yanmar name at the end. Unique features comparable or better to Kubota BX and B products at the time and popular easy to service capability for the dealers. The deal was supposed to be that Cub provided the selling and marketing expertise. That was the only shortfall is what Cub didn't do well - get the product into all the dealers hands with quality marketing. Kubota definitely had the lead on marketing and the mastery of it.

The post 2013 Yanmar line is Scuts and Cuts that are generally very well designed and with great pricing levels. They cut a few features that were nice - but the designs are atractive and more than merely functional in performance. And reliability should be excellent. But they were slow to get an arsenal of matching implements ready in 2014 thru 2016.

Where they have a fantastic opportunity is JD's ego. There are many long term quality JD dealers out there that have been pressed hard to increase their floor size greatly and their commitment size. As an example, I'm familiar with a long time dealer of JD product (tractors and mowers). How long? Well I visited there 35 years ago. They do service work, they sell nice sized volumes of product. JD told them a few years ago that either they doubled their commitment and expanded their facility a bunch - or the franchise would go to a chain of JD dealers. So what did this dealer do? After decades of quality selling the JD brand they opted not to risk their financial future recklessly and they grabbed a Yanmar franchise for scuts and cuts and a Cub Cadet dealership for mowers. And they are selling them quite well.

And this is a market Yanmar can make good inroads. Dealers already know the engines but Yanmar tractors are priced lower than is JD. And JD has pushed the big box store circuit and on the other side the multi location dealer syndicates for JD's needs - and abandoned many experienced and capable dealers that made them strong in all the smaller markets around the country - and knew how to sell and service in tough markets year after year after year.

 

[Tractorable]

Three words for Yanmar: Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!!!

Yanmar has built some innovative and sophisticated new tractors in the YT235, YT347, and YT359. Especially so in the YT347/359 with the new Integrated Hydro-Mechanical Transmission (I-HMT). And Yanmar has a very long history building Diesel related equipment.

We want to see videos on YouTube comparing the new Yanmar YT series against the competition.

Neal from Messick's provides excellent examples of how to do this fairly and objectively. Well OK, we all know he bleeds orange, but still....

 

[AxleHub]

Three words for Yanmar: Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!!!

Yanmar has built some innovative and sophisticated new tractors in the YT235, YT347, and YT359. Especially so in the YT347/359 with the new Integrated Hydro-Mechanical Transmission (I-HMT). And Yanmar has a very long history building Diesel related equipment.

We want to see videos on YouTube comparing the new Yanmar YT series against the competition.

Neal from Messick's provides excellent examples of how to do this fairly and objectively. Well OK, we all know he bleeds orange, but still....

Here is what you should note from your own words . . . "Neal from Messick's". He does it, not kubota. And how many years was he a dealer before he started doing it?

My point is that Yanmar has built for others for 40 years+ . Now some dealers need to develop some guerilla marketing. The yanmar product produced for the cub partnership was top notch but Cub's marketing was barely acceptable for the SCUT line and unacceptable for the cut line.

But let's be clear. . . Messicks on the East Coast or MacFarlanes in Wisconsin or Tractor Central in mn/wi have been in business as dealers a very long time. Yanmar is a marketing opportunity just like those 3 were decades ago.

 

[kenmac]

I just don't see how the dealer down the road is going to be servicing those yanmars he started selling. All he has is a portable building that he works on toro z turn mowers.
I wonder if he had to go to a yanmar school to be certified to repair these new transmissions and computer controlled engines. I really doubt it !

Next tractor I buy is going to have some weight to it.. Most likely a mahindra. They claim they weigh more and lift more. We'll see. I intend to start shopping next yr

 

[airbiscuit]

I think that Yanmar was content to supply John Deere with CUTs, and engines. Now that Deere has gone their own way with CUTs, I think Yanmar will be committed to making a beachhead in the US market. Getting the dealer market established is always fits and starts, but I believe they will make it work. Yanmar certainly has a reputation for making good stuff.

I agree that a few good dealers with their own YouTube marketing videos could make quite a difference. I've always wondered why the locals do a better job with that than corporate marketing. (look what that LS SCUT video did on TBN)