Yanmar Tractors Rumor!!

[spencer200]

For all you Yanmar fans I heard from a reliable source today that Yanmar currently has a fleet of new tractors out in California being tested. With sites on starting to import there tractors in about a year when there current arrangement with John Deere expires. What this person told me is that John Deere will not be renewing there contract with Yanmar and that they will need to start marketing there own tractors again.

 

[Calpyro]

First sighting! I saw a Yanmar crawler in a Napa Valley vinyard just two days ago. It was sitting at a large vineyard management tractor yard. I will stop by and get some photos of it if I get by soon.
Cameron

 

[spencer200]

That would be one of the items I told was being tested and that it was a tracked unit. I cant wait for them to come back into the country we are a Yanmar industrial dealer and we get first shot at the tractor dealerships.

 

[PeteV]

It would be interesting to see what they are going to come up with for a tractor line. I have seen several European sites of dealers selling new tractors and they look like some very nice units with all the toy's, including hydro transmission. They could sure give the big 3 a run for their money /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Pete

 

[Calpyro]

Just got the skinny,
I just had a buddy of mine in the vineyard business call the shop manager of the vineyard management company that had the Yanmar. The shop manager said he has been working with Yanmar for five years to develop a vineyard crawler tractor. Initially, they were to be marketed through JD. However JD pulled out of the project and Yanmar is still going forward with the testing.

So far, Yanmar has produced three units. All three are in Napa under testing. Two in the vineyard management company and the third at a large winery. Each of the tractors have right around three hundred hours of use and have been doing very well. Yanmar engineers have been traveling to Napa on a weekly basis to work with the people doing the testing and by August of this year, will decide if the project is a go. If the project is successful, Yanmar is going to produce 100 crawler tractors and begin selling in January 2005.

There are a couple of dealerships in Napa that may carry Yanmars if they go into production.

That's the scoop.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Any idea on the hp ratings or size? I would be interested in a small farm crawler, NH makes a great crawler but it is in the 65 to 75 hp range and that is way too large for what I'd like.

 

[Inspector507]

Very sweet looking if the tractors ever make it over here

 

[Inspector507]

Another

 

[spencer200]

My district sales rep is very sure they are comming it is just when. They will slowly phase out as supplier to John Deere so not all models will be available at once he said. John Deere is supposedly developing there own compact tractor.

 

[DavesTractor]

They had the crawlers at the Tulare Show, aka World Ag Expo. I questioned them about introducing the wheeled tractors again and they smiled and carefully said nothing, but implied much.