Price Check YM1500 ??s re price, cold-starting, and ballast

[SheepLady]

Last fall, I purchased a YM1500, having decided it was a good lady-sized tractor suitable for mucking sheep corrals and mowing several acres of pasture when necessary. I had saved my pennies for several years and despaired of ever finding a Yanmar locally. I was surprised when I spotted this one at a tractor dealer's booth at the state fair. Although I wish I'd found this forum before I purchased it, I believe it to be a good tractor and it was priced comparable to units I saw on BestUsedTractors.com and HoyeTractors.com. I, however, am a total newbie to tractors (okay, I learned to drive on my dad's 1928 Fordson, but that's it), know little about diesel engines, less about how to handle the thing, and no one to ask (but I have YOU now!).

The 1500 came with a new Howse mower deck, a used rear blade, and a fairly new Bulldog 285 front loader. It runs fine, the engine seems sound, and all hydraulics look brand new. It appeared freshly painted, clean, and well cared for, and had 455 hours on it. I would have preferred a 4WD, but oh well. The local dealer (Penrose Manufacturing) liquid-filled the rear tires, filled the gas tank, and tweaked a few things I noticed were bent, broken, or missing. I paid $6495, including delivery (and the dear old guy who delivered it gave me an hour-long tractor-driving lesson).

Question 1: Does that seem a fair price to you guys? The dealer is local and my trust of them in future repair and maintenance chores will go farther if I have an objective opinion about the price they charged.

I've put aside the mower and blade operation for the moment and am concentrating on the loader. The tractor seems too light in its rear end to be able to do much with the loader. When I have it extended in front for scooping muck, the back tires spin. Once I get a load lifted overhead, things get better.

Question 2: Is there a handy way to add ballast to the rear? I've seen pics of an implement that seems designed for this, but would appreciate someone pointing me to the best option suited specifically for the Yanmar 1500.

Trying to get the wee beastie started this winter didn't work well (southeastern Colorado). I've been using two chicken brooding lambs over the engine, a magnetic heater at the bottom of the engine, and a battery charger. I'd like to find something a little less complicated to set up and take down and that is less likely to burn down the garage if I leave it turned on overnight. I've been reading a lot about block heaters, tank-type heaters, magnetic heaters, and radiator hose heaters.

Question 3: Could you save me some time and tell me exactly what type heater is best for the Yanmar 1500 and where the heck I would put the thing?

I have more questions, but these are the critical ones for now. I'd appreciate your assuming that I know nothing about anything (including abbreviations for things), and being patient with me. Thanks!!

SheepLady

 

[mark777]

Welcome SheepLady,

In my area the price seems a little high, but perhaps prices are a little steeper in Co.

I would think that the tractor feels light because you have no rear ballast or weighted attachment to counter balance your FEL (front end loader). If you have space to operate the tractor with the mower attached it would make a world of difference in how the tractor handles. If space is a problem then find something heavy that will fit your 3PH (3 point hitch) or if you have any tractor buddies...see if someone has, can make a ballast box to counter the weight of the FEL.

Does your tractor have thermalstart? Or is there a TS position at the far left of your ignition key switch?

 

[zzvyb6]

I had a Yanmar 18hp diesel (yours is probably a 15hp). Mine had 'glow plugs' (what previous poster called thermal start). You turn the key the other way and hold for 20 seconds. You should hear the relay click when you do this. This helps immensely for a cold start situation. Other things you could do would be to switch to a lighter grade of engine oil for winter use and to get a winter grade of diesel oil. Make sure you have a good battery. One with a bad cell will be low on voltage all the time but will still be able to make a warm start.

As far as the loader / rear tire traction issue, mine was too light, too. Best bet would be to get the rear tires filled with liquid chloride. Its VERY heavy. The solution won't freeze solid in cold temperatures. Next would be a heavy rear implement. I had a rear Yanmar rototiller which i had to drag around when lifting rocks, pulling old fence posts, etc. I actualy used it to cut, rake, and bale hay. Runs a PTO generator, too. Very fuel efficient tractor, loaded onto a small trailer and held is value. I bought it brand new and sold it for more than I paid for it. I needed 'live power' meaning that I could clutch the implement separate from the drive wheels because the 9' hay mower and the hay baler needed to be started and disengaged in a separate sequence instead of everything going all at one. Best advice I could get you would be to get and read the owner's manual. It will show you where all the grease fittings are at. Oil and air filters were from Mazda cars as I recall.

 

[SheepLady]

If you have space to operate the tractor with the mower attached it would make a world of difference in how the tractor handles. If space is a problem then find something heavy that will fit your 3PH (3 point hitch) or if you have any tractor buddies...see if someone has, can make a ballast box to counter the weight of the FEL.

Does your tractor have thermalstart? Or is there a TS position at the far left of your ignition key switch?

Thanks for spelling out those acronymns, Mark!

Space is a problem, combined with the driver's ineptness at backing up a hitched implement. I'd jack-knife that sucker and run right over the mower, I assure you.

Since you are my new (and only) tractor buddy, do you know if someone actually makes a ballast box that could attach to the YM1500? (note that I didn't say "hitch")? There are some great photos of home-made ideas at build-yourself/11266-rear-weight-box-real-cheap.html that I might be able to hire someone to build (all disks in my back are crumbling, so I don't do the heavy work I used to do). But if there is a ready-made box that would fit my itty-bitty tractor, that would be great!

I don't think my YM1500 has a ThermoStart unit. How would I tell? I don't see that little reservoir on top the manifold. It does have a decompression level which sorta-kinda helps but not much. The manual says that the ThermoStart is located inside the intake manifold and can be easily added if the tractor didn't come with one. This would be a good time for the Hoye guy to chime in and point me to my options.

SheepLady

 

[mark777]

OK...

If you have the resources the quickest fix is finding a new (or used) 4' medium duty box blade. It is an easy 250 #'s, wide enough to cover the width of your rear tires but narrow for clearance and maneuvering in small areas. It wont be a case of the tail wagging the dog and probably easier than finding or hiring someone to build a weight box.

Fortunately the weather is starting to get warmer but I would seriously consider adding the necessary plumbing and hardware to upgrade your tractor for Thermalstart. In the meantime try a cetane booster like Power-service, remove and inspect (or replace) your fuel filter (and bleed fuel system) and as 'zzvyb6' suggested a good battery and clean appropriate diesel rated engine oil is a must.

Kind of let you digest that and hopefully others well chime in and offer more advice.

BTW, your among many friends with bad backs .

 

[Tractors4u]

At first I was going to say that the price was too high, but considering you got a mower and a blade, I will adjust to "just a little high".

To echo what Mark777 said. You best beat for counterweight would be a 4 foot land scaping box. I have used one with a YM1500D before with great success. It probably won't be as heavy as a dedicated ballast box, but at least it can be used for something other than a ballast box.

 

[Jagmandave]

I use my box blade on my 1602D when I'm using the FEL, but it feels more stable with the House mower on the back. I think you need a weight box. there are lots of ways to do this, including some very inventive ones described right here on TBN........do a search for weightboxes and see what you come up with. Probably the simplest and easiest one was the 35 gal trash bin filled with concrete, and a draw bar run thru the bottom before the concrete was poured in............ another way was to weld a couple of pieces of pipe vertically to your boxblade and put some old used barbell weights on it.

I think in Pueblo, Co. you also need a block heater if you're gonna run it in the winter, you plug it in at night while the engines still warm and it starts the next morning like it's summer outside. Also, it's a lot easier on the engine and battery/starter since the oil's somewhat warm too.........the best kind are those that go into the block thru one of the "freeze plugs", pretty sure Hoye sells 'em and they're not very expensive.

As to the price paid, well you already own it, so what difference does it make now? It's a great tractor and once you get it set up the way you like it it'll be great.

 

[reb]

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Once I get a load lifted overhead, things get better...


SheepLady

Please pardon me if I am pointing out something obvious to you, but I wouldn't advise moving around much with the load lifted overhead, especially on an uneven surface. These things can turn onto their side pretty easily under those conditions. Swapping the rear wheels will widen the stance a bit for more stability (if the air valves are on the inside they have already been swapped). You didn't mention whether your tractor has one, but a ROPS (rollover protection structure) is available for your machine from some of the dealers on this forum. Well worth the investment.

The thermalstart on my 1500D is turned on with a separate button to the left of the switch. If yours has that button, it might be just missing the bottle.

Welcome aboard. This website is the best source I have been able to find for info about Yanmars. The members here will help you keep your machine serving you well for years.