Tractor News Yanmar dealers in the US

[GManBart]

I am not saying take the tractor motor and transplant it into a truck. Much different application. I am refering to foreign lite truck diesels, Toyota, Nissan, ect, that are currently manufactured and on the road ( but not in the US. ) I read Nissan is coming out with a Cummins diesel for 2015 in their 1/2 ton version. Foreign countries have depended on lite four wheel drive / van / passenger transportation diesels for many years. The question is why can't they be imported to the US without a 20,000 page manuscript of regulations ? Better yet put an American name tag on it, pay off the right sources, and sell on Monday.

I don't think it's that they can't be imported here, it's that they OEMs don't see the required profits to do so. I'm a big diesel fan, and wish I would have had the option of one when I bought my Tundra. Unfortunately, I think there are a couple of things going against them. One, diesel costs more than regular gasoline in most places here, so you're not going to see a cost savings as far as your fuel bill. Two, diesels cost significantly more to buy, so you have to get better mileage, and equal, or lower cost per gallon to make the equation work. Lastly, we don't have the same grades of diesel here in the U.S. to take advantage of the lower emissions possible with the newest designs....pretty sure our lowest sulfur content is higher than what you can get in Europe and Asia.

 

[houstonscott]

I don't think it's that they can't be imported here, it's that they OEMs don't see the required profits to do so. I'm a big diesel fan, and wish I would have had the option of one when I bought my Tundra. Unfortunately, I think there are a couple of things going against them. One, diesel costs more than regular gasoline in most places here, so you're not going to see a cost savings as far as your fuel bill. Two, diesels cost significantly more to buy, so you have to get better mileage, and equal, or lower cost per gallon to make the equation work. Lastly, we don't have the same grades of diesel here in the U.S. to take advantage of the lower emissions possible with the newest designs....pretty sure our lowest sulfur content is higher than what you can get in Europe and Asia.

. 1. Diesel fuel costs are usually lower then 93 gas. With diesel economy being 30% above gas diesel always beats gas at pump, even when compared to 87. 2. Diesel fuels have almost all the sulfur removed on both shores. 15 ppm is ULSD and is what you are buying now in USA by law. 3. Burning diesel produces less CO2 than gas. 4. With modern AG and particulate filters diesels are cleaner then gas in every respect. I own a BMW 335d, I've seen 43.7 mpg, have 425 foot pounds of torque, and have low 5's to 60 mph. Diesel has 30 more energy per gallon then gas, and out perform gas engines by the same percentage, added manufacture costs are small in comparison to hybrids. It's why the rest of the world drives them. Diesel is less costly to refine then gas, and takes less energy to produce and is a much safer fuel to handle, pump, and store. HS

 

[GManBart]

. 1. Diesel fuel costs are usually lower then 93 gas. With diesel economy being 30% above gas diesel always beats gas at pump, even when compared to 87. 2. Diesel fuels have almost all the sulfur removed on both shores. 15 ppm is ULSD and is what you are buying now in USA by law. 3. Burning diesel produces less CO2 than gas. 4. With modern AG and particulate filters diesels are cleaner then gas in every respect. I own a BMW 335d, I've seen 43.7 mpg, have 425 foot pounds of torque, and have low 5's to 60 mph. Diesel has 30 more energy per gallon then gas, and out perform gas engines by the same percentage, added manufacture costs are small in comparison to hybrids. It's why the rest of the world drives them. Diesel is less costly to refine then gas, and takes less energy to produce and is a much safer fuel to handle, pump, and store. HS

Unfortunately, blanket statements usually fail at some point. I just looked up the local gas prices on Gas Buddy, and the lowest 87 octane here is $3.17 at a name-brand station. Their price on 93 octane was $3.31. The lowest anybody has diesel in the same area is $3.89. That's not an unusual situation, because I've spent the last year traveling between Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia....diesel is very frequently higher than both regular, and premium gas in all those states.

A significantly more expensive engine, with more expensive fuel will take a LONG time to show savings purely on mileage. It's a no-brainer in bigger vehicles that cover hundreds of thousands of miles a year, but in the average passenger car or truck, it's going to take a lot longer to equalize, much like hybrids.

I just looked up the price difference on a Ram 2500, and to go from the stock 5.7L Hemi, to the Cummins Diesel is a price jump of $7,999! It's going to take a LONG time to save $8K with similarly priced fuel.

Sulfur content in the U.S. is just catching up to the rest of the world....it's closer, but some countries like Germany have their content down to as low as 3ppm, and offer tax credits for fuel under 10ppm.

As I said, I'm a huge fan of diesel engines, and wish I had one in my truck, but what works in the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work here. Go to Europe, or Asia, and the vehicles are a fraction of the size they are here, and people in those aren't as likely to trade their cars in every couple of years the way they do here. It simply isn't an easy sell in the U.S., regardless of the facts, and the manufacturers know that. If they thought they could make as much, or more, selling more diesels, they would do so.

 

[houstonscott]

Unfortunately, blanket statements usually fail at some point. I just looked up the local gas prices on Gas Buddy, and the lowest 87 octane here is $3.17 at a name-brand station. Their price on 93 octane was $3.31. The lowest anybody has diesel in the same area is $3.89. That's not an unusual situation, because I've spent the last year traveling between Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia....diesel is very frequently higher than both regular, and premium gas in all those states. A significantly more expensive engine, with more expensive fuel will take a LONG time to show savings purely on mileage. It's a no-brainer in bigger vehicles that cover hundreds of thousands of miles a year, but in the average passenger car or truck, it's going to take a lot longer to equalize, much like hybrids. I just looked up the price difference on a Ram 2500, and to go from the stock 5.7L Hemi, to the Cummins Diesel is a price jump of $7,999! It's going to take a LONG time to save $8K with similarly priced fuel. Sulfur content in the U.S. is just catching up to the rest of the world....it's closer, but some countries like Germany have their content down to as low as 3ppm, and offer tax credits for fuel under 10ppm. As I said, I'm a huge fan of diesel engines, and wish I had one in my truck, but what works in the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work here. Go to Europe, or Asia, and the vehicles are a fraction of the size they are here, and people in those aren't as likely to trade their cars in every couple of years the way they do here. It simply isn't an easy sell in the U.S., regardless of the facts, and the manufacturers know that. If they thought they could make as much, or more, selling more diesels, they would do so.

. You understand that if the fuel costs 10% or even 20% more and you travel 30% further the diesel is cheaper. Lack of knowledge by public of clean diesels maybe the only problem with diesels and sales. Much of the time I have owned diesels (decades) the fuel costs were below 87 gas, and even today it's not hard to find diesel below 93 gas prices. Which makes diesel even more attractive. Over the long run no case can be made for gas. HS

 

[GManBart]

. You understand that if the fuel costs 10% or even 20% more and you travel 30% further the diesel is cheaper. Lack of knowledge by public of clean diesels maybe the only problem with diesels and sales. Much of the time I have owned diesels (decades) the fuel costs were below 87 gas, and even today it's not hard to find diesel below 93 gas prices. Which makes diesel even more attractive. Over the long run no case can be made for gas. HS

I understand it, but that doesn't mean Joe consumer does. Even with the significant edge in efficiency, it still takes a long time to make up thousands in higher initial costs unless you drive a lot. Also, the newest gasoline engines have narrowed the gap significantly, so the traditional 30% advantage isn't really true all the time.

Maybe it's easy for you to find diesel less expensive than 93, but not in this part of the country....wish it was!

 

[TomSeller]

I think if Yanmar would put their colors on and get the yellow/black off, Yanmar would take off.

HS

I agree that the yellow/black makes them look like a less serious brand for the larger machines, like Cub. They might be wanting a color to distinguish themselves. There are already multiple red brands, multiple blue brands, multiple orange brands. Their red over green/grey was a good combination. Maybe there should be multiple green brands and they go green? I wonder if Deere made them agree not to.

 

[Katahdin]

Yanmar recently kicked of a project to update their brand image so expect some changes. That said, I do prefer the yellow and black scheme, I'm resigned to the fact it might change but I hope it doesn't.

Link to the Yanmar Premium Brand Project: YANMAR PREMIUM BRAND PROJECT (Flash Demo)
Warning, some of the marine and agricultural wear modeling is a little over the top. It may not be intended for US audiences. And check out the new tractor prototype:

...

 

[jd670]

I like the current yellow/black scheme. Why does every tractor brand have to slope and bug eye their hoods. Their tractors not race cars.

 

[houstonscott]

Yanmar recently kicked of a project to update their brand image so expect some changes. That said, I do prefer the yellow and black scheme, I'm resigned to the fact it might change but I hope it doesn't. Link to the Yanmar Premium Brand Project: YANMAR PREMIUM BRAND PROJECT (Flash Demo) Warning, some of the marine and agricultural wear modeling is a little over the top. It may not be intended for US audiences. And check out the new tractor prototype: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=343139"/>...

I thought that was cool. Yeah, red/cream over the od green looked great. HS

 

[TomSeller]

Yanmar recently kicked of a project to update their brand image so expect some changes. That said, I do prefer the yellow and black scheme, I'm resigned to the fact it might change but I hope it doesn't.

Link to the Yanmar Premium Brand Project: YANMAR PREMIUM BRAND PROJECT (Flash Demo)
Warning, some of the marine and agricultural wear modeling is a little over the top. It may not be intended for US audiences. And check out the new tractor prototype:

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=343139"/>...

Oh yeah, that is some "premium tractor wear" that I am going to rush out and buy. Good grief. The tractor appears a little over the top, but I am glad Yanmar is jumping back into the business directly. I have much more faith that they will be around 10 years from now than other start up companies.