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



## rustyb (Mar 22, 2021)

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!


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## diezelsmoke (Mar 22, 2021)

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


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## Clyde85 (Mar 22, 2021)

I think yanmar builds John Deere compact tractors.


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## holeycow (Mar 22, 2021)

Yup, the small John Deeres are Yanmars.


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## sb47 (Mar 23, 2021)

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.


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## sb47 (Mar 23, 2021)

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.


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## holeycow (Mar 23, 2021)

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"...


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## Ryan'smilling (Mar 23, 2021)

holeycow said:


> 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.
> 
> ...



This is excellent advice.


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## holeycow (Mar 23, 2021)

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.


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## rustyb (Mar 23, 2021)

holeycow said:


> 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


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## sonny580 (Mar 23, 2021)

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.


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## John Lyngdal (Mar 24, 2021)

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.


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## rustyb (Mar 24, 2021)

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.


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

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...


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## sb47 (Mar 24, 2021)

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.


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

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


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## rustyb (Mar 24, 2021)

holeycow said:


> 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.


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

Never heard of YNM. Probably Chinese??

the mitsubishi's and yanmars are Japanese.


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## rustyb (Mar 24, 2021)

holeycow said:


> 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/


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

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.


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

I just clicked on that biglittletractor link.

first thing I saw was a "TYM" tractor. Tong Yang Moolsan. That is a Korean tractor, not a chinese tractor. They are a "component" machine from a fairly large Korean company. They bought Kukje last year or a couple of years ago. Kukje makes Bransons, which appear to be very decent.

TYM makes the larger Mahindras, and supplies other makers with machinery to rebrand, as well as selling under their own name. TYM's will likely be cheaper and fitted to a higher level than what you would get in a rebranded model.

I would go look. If you are going to stretch it out and go new, I would look at Kioti, Branson, and LS as well (all Korean). LS supplies many of the New Holland small tractors In the same way Yanmar supplies John Deere.

I think the best of that bunch is Kioti. Kioti is the only one that manufactures all of the major components of the whole tractor themselves. While the others were making cutlery and wire rope, Kioti was making gears and shafts.


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## holeycow (Mar 24, 2021)

Oh, and now I look further and see the YNM's. Lol.

they look decent in pics. Certainly worth a drive!


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## Marco (Mar 31, 2021)

A smaller Waldon type loader would be a tougher critter if you are just looking for a loader. The front axle design on smaller Asian tractors really is not for tough loader work. 
You want something that has planetary reduction at the wheel.
Front axle repair seems to be my most numerous job on anybody's make of Asian tractor


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## Huskybill (May 23, 2021)

Why not rent one?

I want one but spending $60; k then it’s going to sit when I’m done. I started building one using a int154 tractor. I boxed the front frame to the uprites with the lifting arm brackets and the arms. Then I was doing good planning the front subframe to fab the rear subframe next when I wasn’t feeling too good. Prostate cancer put the kabosh on my project for a while. I have everything for this build. I want a front end loader and backhoe, all the hydraulics. My son is a engineer and I give him all the hands on experience I can. He’s very book smart and with the hands on he’s to the point no one can bs him. I worked with new engineers who had no knowledge on how things work.
It needs,
Power steering run off the orginal hydraulics
Front bucket with hydraulics seperate hydraulic system crank driven.
Rear backhoe with hydraulics seperate system pto powered
Hoses and stainless steel tubing.

My neighbor said it couldn’t be done. Being a machine builder and working with hydraulics and educated in structural design plus I’m a welder fabricator too nothing is impossible. That’s the worst thing he said to me.


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## Backyard Lumberjack (May 25, 2021)

rustyb said:


> 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.


no doubt! i would get the 40, even if i had to pay for it over 6 years! (72 mo plan)


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## Backyard Lumberjack (May 25, 2021)

sb47 said:


> 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.


definitely an art to getting the bucket full on each pass into the pile or whatever ie being scooped...


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## Backyard Lumberjack (May 25, 2021)

holeycow said:


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


friend recently got a new *Kioti*... likes it a lot! and he could buy any brand, size he desires(ed).... strong ag background


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## holeycow (May 25, 2021)

I also have a Kioti. A DK90. A great little tractor with about 2500 trouble free hours so far. I saved over 30,000 dollars over the red, blue, and green brands and got an equal or better tractor, imo.


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## Huskybill (Jan 27, 2022)

A while back I borrowed my neighbors 1450 cub cadet with the fel. Don’t laugh I moved some serious dirt with the bucket.


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## SweetMK (Mar 3, 2022)

Huskybill said:


> A while back I borrowed my neighbors 1450 cub cadet with the fel. Don’t laugh I moved some serious dirt with the bucket.


Did the 1450 look like this?? (start video at 15:30 minutes)


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