Yanmar - Model Cover Pages

careyo63 · Dec 21, 2023

Trouble I had and was finding a small 135 etc. That just wasn't going to happen. Esp. with a Yanmar back then.
I used a Sears garden tractor with a 24 Hp. Kohler then. Only had it a few Yrs before The body mower deck and frame was worn beyond and more repairs. I can't recall exactly how it went but I believe the way Sears rated the Eng. wasn't correct either! No way was it 24Hp. Eng. My guess compared to the Yanmar somewhere around 16Hp. LOL!! true.
We had a few V.N importers local but after trying to deal with them and knowing what they was selling there was no way. I could paint one myself a lot cheaper! And look the same.
Finally Spalding showed up on CL. which was a Used Yanmar 2000 cheaper or the same price I would be replacing another lawn mower. His ad matched and I was really just kicking tires so to speak. I left a Chk.. I'm not kidding!! Couldn't get back for a few days which he had no problem with. Ended up were the Ym2500 came from after I went down. Retired Catholic Priests so we set it up for them to use.
Now I have the Ford 2000 with a Fel... And the Ym2000 in my arsenal.
A small little 135-145 may be next. Never see any of them in my area but it would get my Attn. for sure if I did see one for sale. The 2000 works as it should still so I'm in good shape.

California · Dec 21, 2023

rScotty said:
... but in the 1970s, high quality manufacturing from Japan wasn't yet part of the popular perception.

Yeah.

Subaru back then was a 16 hp Kei (micro) car, a clown-car joke. Not comparable to VW which was a competent, if small, highway-capable car.

Datsun 521 pickup I bought used was nothing special. I had endless problems with stalling. Finally, much research (pre-internet!) revealed the carburetor casting becomes porous on these. I moved the carb rebuild kit I had installed, over to a filthy junkyard carb, that fixed it. That truck's quality seemed similar to the notorious US cars of the time, not the Japanese quality we admire today.

Yanmar's quality was a whole new world, compared to other imports of the day. Sony TV and tape recorders are the only top quality Japanese imports from then, that I remember now. Honda motorcycles were good, but not extraordinary compared to some European bikes of the time.

careyo63 · Dec 21, 2023

California said:
Yeah.

Subaru back then was a 16 hp Kei (micro) car, a clown-car joke. Not comparable to VW which was a competent, if small, highway-capable car.

Datsun 521 pickup I bought used was nothing special. I had endless problems with stalling. Finally, much research (pre-internet!) revealed the carburetor casting becomes porous on these. I moved the carb rebuild kit I had installed, over to a filthy junkyard carb, that fixed it. That truck's quality seemed similar to the notorious US cars of the time, not the Japanese quality we admire today.

Yanmar's quality was a whole new world, compared to other imports of the day. Sony TV and tape recorders are the only top quality Japanese imports from then, that I remember now. Honda motorcycles were good, but not extraordinary compared to some European bikes of the time.

Notorious for Cyl. Head problems.73 Owned this model in the early 80's. Trade in with a blown head gasket. Warped the head. Machine shop was barely able to Fix it. And then the overhead Camshaft broke between 2&3. I replaced the Carb with a 2 stage Weber! That may of had something to do with that problem.

It did Sound cool! that was about it Though.