Scin said:
I just purchased 11 Acres of land outside of Austin TX, and I am looking to purchase a tractor to do some clearing and to help maintain the property. I will initially be looking to clear a large amount of cedars.
I found a used Yanmar 336 nearby, and I am going to have a look at it tomorrow. It is being sold by a private party. It comes with a FEL and brush hog, for $5,000 and has 3900 hours on it.
Does this sound like a good deal (it seems like one based on my research). How hard is it to find parts for one of these? I have done some mechanical work on various cars, would this translate pretty easily to tractors?
To manage my 40 acres of grassland, I have owned a YM2500 since last fall, which is very similar to the 336.
Some observations- You will be real glad to have 4WD. I would not buy another ligher-duty tractor without it. I've gotten stuck quite a few times and needed my 4WD pickup to tow it out.
My 2500 is able to handle a 4' brush hog and a heavy-duty (350#) Frontier land rake with ease. No problem using the 4' front end loader. No problem with usual jobs like grading our 2 miles of gravel/dirt driveway. But again, without 4WD, I have to wait until conditions are good to go out for the tough jobs. Otherwise I need to grade the road going downhill on the small hills or I just dig the rear wheels in as they spin.
If you do go ahead and get a 2WD, put as much weight on the back end as you can. If you use a front end loader, absolutely get some weight on the back, or all the weight will transfer to the skinny front tires. I usually keep the land rake on the back as it's the heaviest impliment that I have.
With 2WD, it's gonna be tough to 'doze large brush. I can use the FEL to rip out brush with a diameter of 2" to 3" *max*. Anything larger and the wheels just spin.
Otherwise, the price for your 336 seems fair. Inspect the oil for brown foam or a milky color (due to a bad head gasket or worse). Inspect the coolant for oil/grease/scum for the same reasons. Make sure all the hydraulics are solid, the FEL should be able to easily lift the front end off the ground. While it's lifted, spin the front tires and make sure the wheel bearings are in good shape. Try starting it when the engine is COLD. Tell the seller that you want to do that in the morning. It should start right up in the summer. Starting an already-warm engine is no test at all. Look at the crankcase vent hose for excessibe blowby, steam and/or smoke once the engine is fully warmed up.
Good luck.
