14 replies to this topic

[Moosetales]

I found myself in a quandary earlier today. I found two tractors, similar in size with obvious differences, and I realized I was ill prepared to make a decision should I have needed to make one. SO, I'm turning to my friends on GTT to help get me prepared for the next time I face the need to make a split second decision.

Here are the tractors I found today that caught my attention. I inquired about both of them and actually went out and looked at the Yanmar.

1979 Yanmar diesel garden tractor, 45" mower and 4' pto driven tiller Runs excellent,perfect for the gentleman farmer. ($2,750)
http://maine.craigsl...3908193534.html

1976 kubota b6000 2cyl diesel 4wd in good condition runs great goes great everything works never lets me down great little tractor,has ft loader and rear blade both good shape. ($3,500)
http://maine.craigsl...3905978808.html

What I'm hoping to hear from you all is a comparison of these two tractors regarding:

1) Overall quality

2) Overall dependability & reliability

3) Pros/Cons of each

4) Perks of each brand and model

and

5) Functionality

Yes, I know one has a FEL and the other has 4WD but what are the more subtle differences? They both are really cool looking tractors and seem to have a ton of functionality and quality but........I'm interested in your take. Thanks.

P.S. I tried to upload some pics of the tractors off of CL but I was unsuccessful.

Edited by Moosetales, July 02, 2013 - 06:37 AM.

[boyscout862]

Both were good tractors. Both are diesels. Intended use and condition are going to be big factors. I've never owned either but have seen both and heard good about both. Good Luck, Rick

[Earl]

I would go with the one with the most dealer support. Kubota has more dealers in this neck of the woods. Also, Kubota manuals give you dimensions for making any specialty tools they might require.

One other thing, it seems that the one with the diesel also has the FEL.

[skyrydr2]

Second the dealer suppport/ parts availibilty is my "deal breaker" And as of short, I really have not found any good Yanmar "tractor" support . Forget the useless JD dealers , they want nothing to do with a Yanmar customer and won't help.... This is most unfortunate too, as Yanny makes an AWSOME little tractor !! But sometimes you break them or wear it out and need support....
I sure hope they can get out from that JD umbrella ?

[Alc]

Boy to have a 4x4 w/fel like that !  The first look to be very good too .  Good luck with your choice !

[JDBrian]

Overall condition and repair/maintenance history needs to be taken into consideration. The Kubota will likely be easier to get parts for as others have said. I'd check with a Kubota dealer to see if that particular model is still supported. I'm not sure what the parts supply is like for Yanmar tractors. JD never sold Yanmar branded tractors but has had a long standing relationship with them for engines, transmissions and manufacture of compact tractors. Some of those older small Kubotas had a thermal syphoning cooling system (no water pump). Im not sure about the model you are looking at but that may be a consideration. I have heard of overheating problems with that system. 

[daytime dave]

I've never seen any Yanmar dealer.  I have seen plenty of Kubota.  Besides, if you don't already have a FEL, isn't it time?

[JDBrian]

I just thought of something else to consider. Some of those Yanmars were imported from Japan refurbished. They usually have rice paddy tires on them. They are like very aggressive AG tires. If it has those tires then it likely came from Japan and was not purchased new in North america. 

  I don't know who sold those Yanmars here either but there are a fair number of them out there. Not as many as the Bolens/Iseki tractors but they do turn up and are anywhere from 15 to 30+ HP. Good tractors but without a parts supply they are not as good a bet as the Kubota. 

[olcowhand]

_{Both are great tractors, but I've never seen a Yanmar dealer at all, but Kubota dealers are plentiful.  I'd go with the dealer parts support to base my decision.   Plus the loader is ultra useful!}

[JD DANNELS]

They are both good Tractors. I own neither but did a lot of research before I bought my Ford on all the brands of imports.

The night before I bought my Ford I drove and tested a Yanmar exactly like the one pictured(with the exception of it being on ags instead of turfs).

There is good parts support, but it is a mail order thing There are two good dealers that support them with parts.

Hoye ,and LTM? ( He's active in the Yanmar Form on that other site.

 

As was said the Kubota is better supported with Dealers around the country. And the B6000 is a fine little tractor.

There is one drawback to the B6000 you might want to consider? It has a counter roatating PTO which could present problems if your looking for PTO driven implements They are harder to find and thus cost more.  I believe it is the only model imported with that.

 

I would not normally refer you to another forum. But if your looking at  Grey Market Kubota's there are articles on Orange Tractor.com, that explain it throughly and the ways to get around it. Kubota and Kubota Dealers will not support Gray Market, but they models are the same as  factory imports so once you identify the American made model you can get parts By going to the Kubota Dealer and order parts for the model sold here in the states.

 The day after I bought my Ford, 1 dealer and 1 private seller contacted me to make arrangements to look at Kubota B6200's.

 

Brian's post reminds me of something. I am not at all afraid of a Gray Market Tractor, again it's just a matter of figurung out what american import matches.   As I understand it the Japanese tax farmers heavily if their machines are over a certain age. It keeps their economy going to sell new tractors every 7 yrs.  And Primarily they are only used to till the rice paddys and then stored the rest of the year. Therefore they are very low hour machines.

 

But Beware of the ones marketed as "Refurbished" More often than not they are burned out units shipped to SE Asia  and thrown together from mis matched parts from salvage.  You might have cranks, rods and pistons that were not assembled correctly? New paint can hide a lot of flaws.

Edited by JD DANNELS, July 02, 2013 - 09:36 AM.

[sacsr]

I have owned 2 yanmar tractors. Currently a 187D. Hard to tell which model you have in the picture, but I am guessing a 135 or 155 looking at its size. Personally I like yanmars (I have no experience with the Kubota's)....but if condition is the same on these two....I would lean toward the 4wd model.

 

Like JD Daniels stated above......most parts can be gotten for the ones listed above ( but not all and some are hard to impossible to find).........I have another supplier who has a lot of knowledge that I use as well. So far I have found the parts I needed when I needed them.

 

When I need Yanmar information, I go to the yanmar forum on Tractorbynet. There are several guys on that forum that have and are willing to share their knowledge.

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Moosetales]

Wow! Great feedback. My decision on these two tractors (at least) has been made for me. The Kubota just sold for the asking price ($3,500) and the Yanmar has been "ridden hard and put away wet" (as they say). The sales pitch the seller gave over the phone about the Yanmar started with....."I got it when it had only 6 hours on it"....at least that was the text message. Then it changed to "I've had it since it had only 3 hours on it" when we spoke over the phone. The story continued that he got it at a yard sale after it had sat for 20 years under cover in a barn not being used but having annual service on it from a local Yanmar dealer. I had visions of the traditional "Barn Find" but boy was I disappointed. The tractor sounded solid but was pretty beat up.

 

So......my search continues. I've learned a bit more than I knew before and I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for a B6000 as well as a Yanmar 135 in the future....I would actually prefer the 135d for the 4 WD traction.

 

Thanks again for the info. BTW, I actually have a Yanmar dealer about 10 miles from me in Wales, ME. Their business name is Waterman's Farm Machinery.

[sacsr]

Just so you know, the 3 digit models were made to be sold in the USA market. That still does not guarantee they can help you in the parts department. I believe there were less of the American models built than the imported used grey models that are current still being sold.

 

Typically the hp size is the first 2 digits.....ie 135 is a 13hp and 155 is a 15hp......can not remember if it is the motor hp or at the rear hp.......but that info is easily out there if you search. I bought the 187D - I was looking for a small tractor to bush hog some land, scrape some roads, etc......the 187D showed up on the internet at a price I could not turn down. The 4wh drive tend to be easier to sell than the 2wd models (and at a higher price).

 

I have seen several nice yanmars up your way when I was looking several years ago. 

 

Good luck!

[Moosetales]

Just so you know, the 3 digit models were made to be sold in the USA market. That still does not guarantee they can help you in the parts department. I believe there were less of the American models built than the imported used grey models that are current still being sold.

Typically the hp size is the first 2 digits.....ie 135 is a 13hp and 155 is a 15hp......can not remember if it is the motor hp or at the rear hp.......but that info is easily out there if you search. I bought the 187D - I was looking for a small tractor to bush hog some land, scrape some roads, etc......the 187D showed up on the internet at a price I could not turn down. The 4wh drive tend to be easier to sell than the 2wd models (and at a higher price).

I have seen several nice yanmars up your way when I was looking several years ago.

Good luck!

BTW, which of the compact models came in the light green color?

[JD DANNELS]

If I remeber correctly the earlier models up to about 1980 or 81 were green. The Story I got was that some consultant told Yanmar that Red Tractors sold best in the states  so they switched to Red( I have seen Green & Red 155D's).  The 155 D I looked at was light green.  I passed on it because one front wheel was wobbling and I did not know what it would get into to fix it. I later learned that they have a Wedge Bolt that goes between the king pin and Steering arm that can wear and be replaced for about $15.00 per wheel. It would have made someone a good machine.  Incidently the D suffix means it's 4wd.

But the next day a Ford 1500/Shibara came up on Craiglist, I took the afternoon off went and looked at and wrote a check on the spot.

It's been one of the best buy's I have ever made.

Edited by JD DANNELS, July 02, 2013 - 01:36 PM.