Yanmar Super Expensive?

[willysmb]

I am looking around for a tractor and was considering a Yanmar as one of the options. Yesterday I got a quote back on the 359C at $44,600 including FEL. I was also interested in a backhoe which was an additional $12,500.

Overall I am quoting similar models from LS, Kioti, TYM, Massey, Mahindra, & Kubota. I am not shopping on price alone but it is a factor and I was suprised to see the Yanmar come back so pricey especially when I considered it a brand I was less confident of having long term dealer support.

 

[art]

By reliability reviews from the orient they were number 2!

 

[willysmb]

By reliability reviews from the orient they were number 2!

One of the reasons I included them is because I kind of thought they would be a really good value being that they did not have a big household name but that they had a quality history. Its hard for me to go for a 359C at 44,600 when I can get the LS4155HC for around 27k. I would be happy to pay up to mid 30's if I found something that I felt was way higher in quality. At 44,600 though I don't see it happening. Espeically with the back hoe being another 13+ where other brands seem to be 6-9 for a back hoe.

Im still going to check them out but I better be blown away, haha.

 

[willysmb]

By reliability reviews from the orient they were number 2!

Where can I find these reviews?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think you will be happy with the LS at almost half the price and likely more options.

 

[willysmb]

I think you will be happy with the LS at almost half the price and likely more options.

Thats probably what I will end up buying. I wont buy junk so my concern with LS is that it will feel cheap when I go to drive one. However, based on what everyone says here they don't get the feeling from it so I assume that is what I will end up with.

I have had trouble deciding between a smaller 25HP tractor and a larger 50HP tractor. At LS prices, I could afford both for the price of some of the other brands!

 

[Katahdin]

I think ya'all are overlooking the fact the Yanmar has the I-HMT transmission, you're not going to find that on the other brands.

 

[art]

Where can I find these reviews?

These were on tractors sold in the orient not sold here. It only covered the ten best that end users from the pacific rim nations for reliability. Our tractors have our safety switches, are more feature complicated. The majority of the repairs we do on tractors less then 20 years are from our extra comforts and the safety items failing not the tractor chassis.

 

[woolyAcres]

Here's another thread that discusses the 359. Maybe some useful info there but I don't think it covers pricing...

 

[PJSprog]

Wow. Yeah, that price seems way out of whack with everything else in that class. I didn't have a Yanmar dealer near me, but drove a lot of the other brands. We ended up going with the LS based on price, standard features, and history (and no shortage of praise here on T-B-N).

Something seems not right about that high of a quote.

 

[Katahdin]

Did the Yanmar have the front PTO option in the quote?

 

[BlessedMess]

Glad I saw this post BEFORE Thursday... stopped at a new Yanmar dealer who said their YT347C was in the $44-48k range. Knowing the above I didn't have a Cousin Eddie moment (YouTube - Cousin Eddie - Funny).

Mentioned LS XR series would only be in the high 20's and thought they'd have a tough go selling new-to-the-area Yanmars at green and orange prices. He had never heard of LS and thought bottom dollar might be around $38k on the Yanmar. It is by far the most sporty looking cab tractor I've seen and was quality construction, better loader height than LS too... if we weren't both on lunch would have enjoyed trying iHMT and putting through paces.

 

[willysmb]

Did the Yanmar have the front PTO option in the quote?

No it did not.

 

[willysmb]

I think ya'all are overlooking the fact the Yanmar has the I-HMT transmission, you're not going to find that on the other brands.

I am not yet sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. To be honest I don't really understand it. Obviously Yanmar sells it as a positive. One person compared it to a CVT, which is the last thing I would want in a tractor.

 

[Citydude]

You sure he didn't quote you in pesos?

 

[RedCadets]

I am not yet sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. To be honest I don't really understand it. Obviously Yanmar sells it as a positive. One person compared it to a CVT, which is the last thing I would want in a tractor.

CaseIH, Agco and Deere have been running CVT transmissions in 300+ HP tractors for years. They are efficient and easy to use.

 

[BlessedMess]

CaseIH, Agco and Deere have been running CVT transmissions in 300+ HP tractors for years. They are efficient and easy to use.

Please pardon in advance the ignorance of my question (not disagreeing), but is the CVT equally user-friendly/efficient in the smaller tractors and their associated mixed uses -- e.g. skidding logs, handling heavy loads like hay bales with the FEL, and tilling a garden perhaps all in the same afternoon -- vs. working 100+ acres of wide open farmland at a constant velocity?

When I shopped Case tractors CVTs were advertised well, kind of like iHMT in these newer Yanmars, but never explained from an operator's perspective. The salesman also said they were great and used in big ag, but couldn't explain the functional, efficiency, or other benefits in a meaningful way such as not having to shift as often, 15% more PTO HP, decreased maintenance costs, etc. There seems to be a big gap between engineering and marketing...

 

[California]

What's iHMT?

As for price, seems to me that premium price only makes sense for an application where the buyer knows that tractors he previously bought didn't stand up to his severe application so it's cost effective to step up to something tougher.

 

[RedCadets]

Please pardon in advance the ignorance of my question (not disagreeing), but is the CVT equally user-friendly/efficient in the smaller tractors and their associated mixed uses -- e.g. skidding logs, handling heavy loads like hay bales with the FEL, and tilling a garden perhaps all in the same afternoon -- vs. working 100+ acres of wide open farmland at a constant velocity?

When I shopped Case tractors CVTs were advertised well, kind of like iHMT in these newer Yanmars, but never explained from an operator's perspective. The salesman also said they were great and used in big ag, but couldn't explain the functional, efficiency, or other benefits in a meaningful way such as not having to shift as often, 15% more PTO HP, decreased maintenance costs, etc. There seems to be a big gap between engineering and marketing...

That is an excellent question. It seems like most people in that class of compact tractor are perfectly happy with their hydros. Time will tell if the added cost for the iHMT is worth it for Yanmar in terms of sales.

 

[BuilderML]

I have a CCY which I really enjoy, flawless so far. I think 3years now and over 200 hours. With that said and while it is a great machine I would never buy another if the price is out of whack as it sounds they are. To me most of the compact owners are regular homeowners buying these as a weekend helper. We are not farmers or making a living from owning a tractor so it makes it difficult in my opinion to pay out the ying yang for a tractor if you can have another brand for almost 1/2 the price.
I know it may not be apples to apples but the manufacturer needs to keep this in mind or they will price themselves out as it sounds yanmar may have already.
Just my 2 little cents worth.