Yanmar / Kubota Tractor Query

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationWhat do people here know about Yanmar / Kubota small tractors? What are they like to get parts for and are they reliable?

I am looking for a small tractor to use on our 2 acre block outside Echuca. I want one with 3PL and PTO - neither of which my Howard 2000 has.

I found this in Melbourne on eBay and wondered if anybody knew whether they were a good thing or not and what to look out for .

Hi

Mate 2 acres is pretty small, really only ride on mower gear.
I've had a YM1700 (Yanmar 2WD) with 1-metre slasher for about 10 years.
Got 80 acres and the toy tractor was just for around the house but often I get carried away and keep slashing.
Can't see the need for 4WD on these toy tractors, they're just not heavy enough to do any decent pulling.
I've never had any gearbox or PTO worries (touch wood) and it's chopped up some decent trees.
Over-running clutch added to the PTO shaft fixes the tendency to keep going into fences when de-clutched and it makes easy work of forwards/backwards around trees.
Used a US company called Hoye Tractor spares which has been excellent, about half the cost of Yanmar spares from Aus dealers as engine parts are expensive locally.
Turn the rear wheels side to side and the track will increase to around 1200.
I slash across very steep inclines around my cray ponds, need the diff lock to keep it mobile.
They're a little tractor, your legs cramp up after sitting for a while so I stand up mostly.
I payed $3k for tractor, slasher and rotary hoe, good value.
Made a 1500 wide leveler out of railway line so the little Yanmar does a lot of jobs it was never intended for.
A carry-all is handy and great for the weed spraying gear.

Thanks guys,

I have a ride on mower up there already but intend to plant a couple of hundred trees over the next few years and saw some 3pl augers cheap on ebay so saw an easy way of digging holes in hard ground. It would also be useful for carting water, slashing when the grass gets too long for the ride on etc.

I don't see it as a heavy use item and was origianlly after a tractor a bit bigger / more powerful than my Howard 2000 then wondered if some of these older small tractors are on the verge of becoming collectable as well as useful.

The howard is too light - its traction depends on the weight of the driver but has been handy for pulling trailers around the yard.

The lister had the potential to be useful - if all its weight was not on such a small front wheel that it gets stuck and the Howard won't shift it

What you need is a little grey Fergie!! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

I agree with the comment about "robustness".
These toy tractors are mostly built up from a stationary engine and then they add a transmission, but there's not provision for enough bellhousing bolts.
I've seen expensive models like Ford with the same problem, the studs strip in the cast iron.
But if you saw how I treat my little guy, you could forgive Mr. Yanmar.
My leveller weighs so much it lifts the front wheels which also shows how strong the hydraulics are.
18" auger in my clay is no problem and it's great to have the extra slow PTO speed.
Whenever I pull the trailer, it's got dirt mounded over the top of the hungry boards.
Handy little tractor, simple thermosyphon cooling system, very economical, just hope you can score something that's been as good as mine.

what a Grey rat - so called coz every farm shed has one hiding in it - I know several people who have restored them but thay may actually be a fraction too big - I was hoping to eventually put together a collection of garden tractors/crawlers that you ride on not walk behind

You'll be really surprised at what these toys actually will do, though small they are definitely tractors, not beefed up ride ons. Mine are by no means show ponies & have always proved incredibly usefull (@ c.400+hrs/yr ) as the "Swiss Army Knife" on the 2acre+ house block ( I have much bigger tractors on the farm but these generally create too big a mess to clean up around the house) - from landscaping, maintaining a 200+m gravel driveway carting a 2T trailer filled with sandstone/soil/firewood, making a vegie garden, fencing & Auger tree planting to replacing the ride on mower ( the ride on only gets used for the fiddly bits as an "edger") - And because they as so easy to throw in a tandem trailer I have many mates who borrow it to use landscaping/fencing in "suburbia", so I am never short of extra "hands" when I need a favour...
Like Jeffo said: around the bellhousing/gearbox can be a fatigue point( run a mile if it looks dodgy ) because of the unitary tractor construction & the hydraulics are more powerful than the size of the tractor would suggest. He also raises a good point about fitting an over run clutch or slip clutch to minimise PTO driveline " shock", a slip clutch is good insurance/protection for the tractor and particularly on any post hole digger.
The reason I prefer 4WD is it makes the tractor much more versatile as I always have smooth turf tyres- for self recovery ( at 400+kgs + the implement/trailer) they're next to impossible to bog, much more stable/safe ( on slopes & because of the added front weight less likely to "buck" with a heavy implement/trailer ), the 4WD front end/steering/axle is much more solid/protected than the 2WD which is considerably weaker in this size tractor, for mowing with 4WD I don't have to wait until the ground dries out as my oversize LGP turf tyres don't mark the lawn, & it gives me the ability to reverse up steep slopes ( for spraying & slashing ) I wouldn't be game to take a quad bike or the 'cruiser.
And as side bonus the 4WD's seem to me to be easier to sell & retain their value better. FYI-I usually replace my "toy" with another secondhand unit after 600- 1000hrs of use rather than any set number of hours & to date the most I have lost reselling is $400 which if you factor in fuel ( relatively cheap as they sip far less than any petrol ride on ), allow c.$1.20/hr for running repairs/component replacement ( by yourself, though mine have always worked out far less as I have never suffered the cost of major failures ) & c.$1.30 for maintenance service ( by yourself, grease/oil/hyraulic oil/all filters/tyres, I choose to overservice all my equipment with premium lubricants) makes the cost of ownership pretty easy to justify to the wife compared against a ride on!!
When purchasing I'd suggest consider (apart from the overall condition, running & smooth operation - especially of the hydraulics ) the ease of operation/features as each make/model has unique aspects to the controls ( some are a real pain ) & it all comes down to personal preference/intended use. And, even if you know, ask the owner to show you where to check all the fluids/lubricant points, it's a sure thing if he doesn't know the tractor has had scant maintenance.....
Lucky you having the Howard as these are worth good money now as collector items.
Good luck & let us know how you get on.

thanks guys, heading up to the block for a couple of weeks straight from work. May check out the local rag and dealers as buying this one in Melbourne is too heavy for me to tow in the car and I am not an experienced enough tractor driver to attempt driving up ramps at a 45 degree angle in the dark to put it on the Inter. So guessing it would cost me a grand or so to move it

Bruce

If you need to load it onto the back of your Inter, could always run it onto the back of the tilt tray and then straight up onto the Inter. Food for thought.

Trevor