Wanting smaller tractor with loader. Mitsubishi or Yanmar worthy of consideration?

[rustyb]

I'm building a house on an acre...a wild acre with trees, stumps, rocks, and plenty of dirt to move around. A loader would be a huge asset around the place but also during construction with lifting beams, posts, etc.

I wanted a skid steer, but...decent looking ones seem out of my price range. So, I've been looking at tractors...and I'm seeing a lot of really clean looking rebuilt 16 - 40 HP Mitsubishis and Yanmars in the $7500-$12,000 range ...and they look pretty good.

Are these things robust and reliable? Are parts easy to get? Difficult to find people to work on them?

Thanks!

 

[diezelsmoke]

Whatever you get, make it above 25 hp, 4wd and 1990 or newer.

 

[Clyde85]

I think yanmar builds John Deere compact tractors.

 

[holeycow]

Yup, the small John Deeres are Yanmars.

 

[sb47]

I have a 1986 Kubota that has never been touched and runs fine. Not sure why a tractor would need rebuilding when they are not that old. Seems odd a diesel tractor would wear out under normal conditions that is not that old.

 

[sb47]

I have a 1986 Kubota that has never been touched and runs fine. Not sure why a tractor would need rebuilding when they are not that old. Seems odd a diesel tractor would wear out under normal conditions that is not that old.

 

[holeycow]

You won't get much dirt-work done with a spoon. You need a shovel. Once your initial work is done, you need a spoon.

those little tractors don't lift very much. Or push very much. Or lift very high even.

get the biggest tractor you can find to move dirt, rocks, and wood. Then when you are done all that it will be far too big for your acre.

you'll get more done in an hour with a hired dozer than you'll get done in a week (or a year) with a 25hp tractor. Or almost any tractor, for that matter.

a tractor is not heavy equipment. They are not really made to move dirt and rocks and stuff. They break easily.

you will not find one tractor to satisfy your requirements now and in the future.

start researching specifications to give you an idea of what the capabilities of a little tractor really are.

and I'm also curious why you said "rebuilt"...

 

[Ryan'smilling]

You won't get much dirt-work done with a spoon. You need a shovel. Once your initial work is done, you need a spoon.

those little tractors don't lift very much. Or push very much. Or lift very high even.

get the biggest tractor you can find to move dirt, rocks, and wood. Then when you are done all that it will be far too big for your acre.

you'll get more done in an hour with a hired dozer than you'll get done in a week (or a year) with a 25hp tractor.

a tractor is not heavy equipment. They are not really made to move dirt and rocks and stuff. They break easily.

you will not find one tractor to satisfy your requirements now and in the future.

start researching specifications to give you an idea of what the capabilities of a little tractor really are.

and I'm also curious why you said "rebuilt"...

This is excellent advice.

 

[holeycow]

I was looking after a hotel building job. We were just breaking ground and it was winter. Frozen cock stiff. I was searching desperately for a dozer with a ripper shank to rip the frost along the footing line. The excavator I had hired did not have that tool. He could supply everything else we needed, just not that. He said that his hoe with a jackhammer would do the job..After watching that painfully slow operation for an hour, I renewed my search for a ripper-cat in earnest. Finally by the end of the day I located an old D8 with a ripper. It got dropped off the next day. i'll never forget the look on my excavator's face when that dozer operator dropped his ripper and just effortlessly started ripping frost. That dozer got more done in 15 minutes than the hoe had gotten done in the entire day previous. Really. Now I could use the hoe to dig the footings and off I went.

moral of the story for OP; get the right tool for the job. Be mindful of trucking costs to transport equipment on/off site, as that alone may kill what looks like a fair price on the outside. Sometimes a big operator will do you good cause he needs a quick infill job to keep a guy or two busy, sometimes a small operator will do you good cause he has a lot of talent and cares deeply about the quality of his work and his personal reputation. Know exactly what you want and get bids is the best way. Dirt work always has disclaimers in the bid cause it's tricky, risky business at times. Anyway, buy/hire the right tools.

most times site prep requires a dozer, a hoe, and something smaller and tidier for finish work (small dozer, skidsteer, perhaps even a grader).

so many people with no experience with equipment overestimate the abilities of a farm tractor. They have their place. Real dirt work is certainly not it.

 

[rustyb]

and I'm also curious why you said "rebuilt"...

The term "rebuilt" may not have been the best on my part. Below is what the seller of one states:
new Tires
new Loader
new paint
new Clutch
new ROPS and all need safety for USA market
Power shift shuttle Transmission -shift without clutch
3 gear ranges x 3 fwd. speeds on shuttle and Reverse
new or rebuilt starter and generator
new paint-
started with the best low hour gray market product there is

 

[sonny580]

Ya, I dont think they mess with the engines on these! I wouldnt even consider the black market junk.
The jobs you have in mind --- there aint no 1 machine going to do that---you are looking a several different sized units.

 

[John Lyngdal]

In the previous century I tried to pull a filbert stump with my 70 HP turbo diesel FWD JD tractor.... It didn't work. My neighbor's little TD6 dozer made short work of it.
One needs the right tool for the job, and stump removal with a tractor isn't a good match. That, and tractor repair is really expensive and they break if used outside of their intended use.
If you need stumps removed, hire someone with a dozer and it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

[rustyb]

Appreciate the advice, everyone! Let me clarify a couple things: 95% of the trees on my place are under 12" diameter at the base. And the rocks....I'm talking the size of two basketballs...and not that many, really.

I grew up on a farm running a variety of tractors... so have a good sense of what would suit my needs. A 40 hp would be great...but I could get by with 20...or even less if the price was right. If money were no object...or I didn't mind debt, I'd get a backhoe. I'm fond of my freedom though (free from debt) and intend to stay free.

I have an old Oliver with scraper and cultivator. Would like to get a mower for it. But, I need something to lift...to move dirt. And because I'm a free man (no debt), I have the time and patience to own something smaller that will take longer to do some tasks.

 

[holeycow]

Get a heavy duty little tractor with a heavy duty bucket and a good cutting edge.

you could still break it tho. A green operator would likely destroy it in short order. You, given what you just told us, maybe not.

slow and steady...

 

[sb47]

I dug my little pond with a small skid steer and a bucket. Granted I have sandy soil so the digging was not difficult. It did take some time but operating a skid steer is fun so it wasn't boring. If you have the time and enjoy playing with equipment, size doesn't really mater.
I have a friend that bought some used equipment at auction and worked his land then sold it back at auction and got most his money back. It was a lot cheaper then hiring it out or spending a lot on equipment he wouldn't need after he was done.

 

[holeycow]

Some of the smaller Deere's (yanmar) 40-ish+ hp are a hell of a heavy duty little tractor as tractors go.

 

[rustyb]

Some of the smaller Deere's (yanmar) 40-ish+ hp are a hell of a heavy duty little tractor as tractors go.

Question: Are YNM tractors the same as Yanmars? If not, are the YNMs worth considering?

I ask as I'm seeing as many YNM tractors as the Mitsubishis and Yanmars. Same deal with a bunch of new parts and paint....looking to be in great shape for similar prices.

 

[holeycow]

Never heard of YNM. Probably Chinese??

the mitsubishi's and yanmars are Japanese.

 

[rustyb]

Never heard of YNM. Probably Chinese??

the mitsubishi's and yanmars are Japanese.

I just discovered this: YNMs are Yanmars. Here's why: https://www.hoyetractor.com/YNMTractors.htm

And here's the place selling the YNMs. He's a couple hours from me. http://www.biglittletractor.com/

 

[holeycow]

I'd be leary. But worth a look. Look at the tags on things like alternator/starter, engine block/frame, injector pump, hydraulic pump and whatever else to see where that stuff was made and what brand it is. Lots of equipment manufacturers outsource those parts. They should be correct for the brand. Beware new paint....it can hide a myriad of mess.

apparently some grey market tractors have a pto shaft that turns in the opposite direction to what is standard in North America. That won't work for pto implements. This might be an old problem, but at one time it could be an issue with grey market.