yanmar grays

[georgia plow boy]

Thanks everyone for helping I could research this to death but to save a few dollars and not that many I assume I could take a chance with a gray tractor or I could buy a 20 or 30 yr old American made like JD, ford, Massey. etc and have a good tractor that I could find and buy parts for to me this seems like a no brain-er god bless America.

 

[California]

I wonder if the VN 'Factory Rebuilt' era is tapering off.

A local importer/wholesaler affiliated with one of those overseas shops folded, a while after an employee told me the local boss went home to VN to try to get better control over quality. This importer had been good on honoring warranty returns, in fact had several on hand that were being cannibalized for warranty parts. I suspect the uneven quality they were receiving was what killed them. (And maybe killed their retailers too.)

Then the people who were employed there reappeared later, running a smaller operation, retail this time. They proudly advertise on Craigslist that they import used tractors right from Japan. (Example) You can watch them being cleaned up one by one by the local employees. (Their input looks better than my rig!) Their finished product looks gorgeous and I think they have avoided high warranty cost by starting with ordinary used Yanmars (which are near bulletproof) instead of junkers that had been run to death during a second career in VN - or arrived there simply poured into an upended cargo container, as legend has it.

At any rate this second firm consists of youthful and energetic business people and real mechanics who seem to have learned from watching the mistakes of that first firm. They seem to be on the right track. Since they are the only Yanmar specialist in hundreds of miles I've spent money there, and I think they will make this new business model work out. Times change.

 

[BruceR]

Plow Boy,
You can go gray and not get a VN Recon. Lots of good stuff comming straight from Japan still. You could buy a 20 year old JD that is a Yanmar and not get as good support for it as you would a Gray Yanmar.

Bruce

 

[LMTC]

Plow Boy,
You can go gray and not get a VN Recon. Lots of good stuff comming straight from Japan still. You could buy a 20 year old JD that is a Yanmar and not get as good support for it as you would a Gray Yanmar.

Bruce

Indeed. Grey is not the problem. We can support grey market Yanmars from aftermarket sources better than many manufacturers support their own product...the Hinomoto and Iseki made MFs and Agcos come to mind. And early JD compacts. The problem/issue is one of integrity, honesty, and quality. That's why your best protection remains references, several at least, and some more than a year old.

 

[2manyrocks]

Why is it that there appears to be a ready source of these used Japanese tractors? Why don't Japanese farmers run them until they are totally worn out?

My other question is why Yanmar was in the US market with US models, then built private label tractors for JD and now apparently will market Yanmar product again, but under the Cub label while there are all these grey market Yanmars for sale in the US? Why doesn't Yanmar sell its own tractors in the US under its own label?

 

[lens12]

They may be honest people , but not informed of what they are really selling. Buy from someone that's been in business for a while & familiar with their product. It is hard to buy parts tractors form Japan , because the Viet Namaese buy them.

 

[tallyho8]

Why is it that there appears to be a ready source of these used Japanese tractors? Why don't Japanese farmers run them until they are totally worn out? My other question is why Yanmar was in the US market with US models, then built private label tractors for JD and now apparently will market Yanmar product again, but under the Cub label while there are all these grey market Yanmars for sale in the US? Why doesn't Yanmar sell its own tractors in the US under its own label?

From what I understand, the Japanese subsidize the farmers tractors. When they get to be a certain age the Japanese government subsidizes the purchase of a new tractor for the farmer.

When Yanmar contracted with John Deere to build John Deere tractors, the terms of the contract called for Yanmar to stop selling Yanmar tractor in America because John Deere did not want competition from a company that was building its tractors. I wonder why Ford, GM and Chrysler did not make the same no-compete contracts with the Japanese when they were building many of their products? It probably would have lessened their sales in America and made the American manufacturers stronger.

 

[2manyrocks]

Wonder what the terms of the contract were with JD because it seems strange that Yanmar wouldn't be able to sell under its brand name, but would be able to indirectly sell through Cub.

 

[LMTC]

Wonder what the terms of the contract were with JD because it seems strange that Yanmar wouldn't be able to sell under its brand name, but would be able to indirectly sell through Cub.

So how do you know that they aren't able to sell under the Yanmar name?

 

[2manyrocks]

I don't know their contract terms. They may be free to sell under the Yanmar name, but choose not to. If that is the situation, then why don't they sell tractors under the Yanmar name in the US anymore? Wonder if they are content to sell new to Japanese farmers and then let the farmers sell their old stuff to the US?