New Yanmar Tractor

[Gary A]

All my life I have wanted one of those little diesel four wheel drive tractors. I could never justify paying the big price and still can't but I finally decided that it's just money that my kids won't get. I was all set to buy a Kubota L3408 until I looked at the Yanmar tractors. The major difference is the transmission. Yanmar uses what they call the Magic Synchromesh. It has four speeds with a high and a low but the best thing is the forward and reverse shifter in on the steering column. You have eight forward and reverse speeds. It also has a two speed power take off. Both the EF354T Yanmar and the Kubota have about the same horsepower.(34.5). Both retail for about 385,000 baht with attachments extra. I bought the Yanmar EF312T which is exactly the same tractor as the EF354 but has four horsepower less at 30.5. I have a dozer blade that I use often so the forward and reverse without actually having to shift gears is great. I also use a 60 inch rotary tiller. I looked at Troybuilt tillers for the specifications and found that their real workhorse turns a 20 inch set of tines using 10 horsepower. I figured the 60 inch tiller using 30.5 horsepower should be plenty. As it turns out the 30,5 horsepower is way more than enough. Even with four wheel drive and the differential lock engaged it loses traction before the engine slows down.

Today was the first time I actually worked it with the rotary tiller. My wife has 10 rai that had only ever been worked with buffalo in the past. I had it cleared with a big Ford tractor. He took out many trees up to about 4 inches in diameter then plowed it as deep as he could. He turned up a lot of volcanic rocks with a lot of iron in them. They break up easier than regular rocks but are very heavy and many are too heavy to lift. I pushed the big rocks out of the way and will have to have someone collect them. I was a little afraid to use the tiller but decided that if I broke it I would know better the next time. I got about five rai finished in five hours. A lot of time was spent pushing the big rocks aside and pushing out some pretty big tree roots. The tiller took a beating but it apparently was made to take a beating. It yanked up a lot more basketball sized rocks. After the weeds come again I intend to try out the four blade offset disk plow to see if I find anymore rocks.

If the fuel gage is accurate, it uses less than two liters per hour. I won't know for sure until I fill the tank. The tank holds 28 liters. I'm quite impressed with the tractor so far. I had forgotten how pleasurable working in the fields can be. Tomorrow it will get used in water logged rice paddy. We were up in Chiang Rai for about five days. I was surprised at how prosperous the farmers there are. Lots of rotary tillers being used in rice paddy. I have never seen one being used in this area.

If you are going to buy a small tractor, I seriously suggest buying a four wheel drive with power steering. I was stopped many times today while in four wheel drive and had to step on the differential lock to get going again. A small two wheel drive would have been a disaster.

[ozzydom]

All my life I have wanted one of those little diesel four wheel drive tractors. I could never justify paying the big price and still can't but I finally decided that it's just money that my kids won't get. I was all set to buy a Kubota L3408 until I looked at the Yanmar tractors. The major difference is the transmission. Yanmar uses what they call the Magic Synchromesh. It has four speeds with a high and a low but the best thing is the forward and reverse shifter in on the steering column. You have eight forward and reverse speeds. It also has a two speed power take off. Both the EF354T Yanmar and the Kubota have about the same horsepower.(34.5). Both retail for about 385,000 baht with attachments extra. I bought the Yanmar EF312T which is exactly the same tractor as the EF354 but has four horsepower less at 30.5. I have a dozer blade that I use often so the forward and reverse without actually having to shift gears is great. I also use a 60 inch rotary tiller. I looked at Troybuilt tillers for the specifications and found that their real workhorse turns a 20 inch set of tines using 10 horsepower. I figured the 60 inch tiller using 30.5 horsepower should be plenty. As it turns out the 30,5 horsepower is way more than enough. Even with four wheel drive and the differential lock engaged it loses traction before the engine slows down.

Today was the first time I actually worked it with the rotary tiller. My wife has 10 rai that had only ever been worked with buffalo in the past. I had it cleared with a big Ford tractor. He took out many trees up to about 4 inches in diameter then plowed it as deep as he could. He turned up a lot of volcanic rocks with a lot of iron in them. They break up easier than regular rocks but are very heavy and many are too heavy to lift. I pushed the big rocks out of the way and will have to have someone collect them. I was a little afraid to use the tiller but decided that if I broke it I would know better the next time. I got about five rai finished in five hours. A lot of time was spent pushing the big rocks aside and pushing out some pretty big tree roots. The tiller took a beating but it apparently was made to take a beating. It yanked up a lot more basketball sized rocks. After the weeds come again I intend to try out the four blade offset disk plow to see if I find anymore rocks.

If the fuel gage is accurate, it uses less than two liters per hour. I won't know for sure until I fill the tank. The tank holds 28 liters. I'm quite impressed with the tractor so far. I had forgotten how pleasurable working in the fields can be. Tomorrow it will get used in water logged rice paddy. We were up in Chiang Rai for about five days. I was surprised at how prosperous the farmers there are. Lots of rotary tillers being used in rice paddy. I have never seen one being used in this area.

If you are going to buy a small tractor, I seriously suggest buying a four wheel drive with power steering. I was stopped many times today while in four wheel drive and had to step on the differential lock to get going again. A small two wheel drive would have been a disaster.

Gary, the chap digging our new one rai fish pond is using his new 3408 Kubota and it did more in the first day than his big Ford ever did, the only draw back was lack of weight when using the discs to loosen the hardpack,they were lifting the rear end off the ground but still couldnt get good penetration,A set of drop on blade tynes for blade ripping would be the bees knees.

A great little machine and as you say the forward /reverse shifter is so much quicker than the manual change Ford.

[Gary A]

Fuel economy working the tractor using the 60 inch rotary tiller took 2.25 liters of diesel per hour.

[xerostar]

Thanks for that info on the Kubota tractor.

I'd be interested in reading about your ongoing experience with this model.

I see that they also lease tractors at Kubota.

I don't know if this would be any advantage one way or another?

I will be buying a tractor next January so I'm collecting info on the various choices.

A local tractor salesman in Perth told me that he could recommend any Japanese or Korean

tractor but to avoid Chinese manufactured ones .. I assume they have had some trouble

with them..

Of course he may have only had limited experience with one particular make?

[xerostar]

Reading your post again Gary A, I see that you bought a Yanmar tractor not a Kubota.

My reading ability seems to have deteriorated lately ..

Yes - any info on tractors gratefully read .. (twice or more ..)

[Maizefarmer]

Thanks for that info on the Kubota tractor.

I'd be interested in reading about your ongoing experience with this model.

I see that they also lease tractors at Kubota.

I don't know if this would be any advantage one way or another?

I will be buying a tractor next January so I'm collecting info on the various choices.

A local tractor salesman in Perth told me that he could recommend any Japanese or Korean

tractor but to avoid Chinese manufactured ones .. I assume they have had some trouble

with them..

Of course he may have only had limited experience with one particular make?

Yes stay away from any tractor with "Made in China" stamped on it - quality and parts are crap.

New or second hand your best choices in Thailand are Ford and Kubota - Ford for big tractors because of avalibility of parts and maintanence cost (dirt cheap). Same argument for Kubota - just that they are mostly offered as small/medium size tractors.

Yanmar and Iseki are viable options for small units . Distribution of parts is not as wide spread, but they are pretty well made to start with. Most Yanmar and Iseki used tractors in this country are imported from Japan and South Korea - where farmers tend to change there tractors every 3 - 5 years irrespective of hours on the engine.

MF

[Gary A]

I think Yanmar is working on capturing more of the small tractor market. Loei now has a second Yanmar dealer. We went to Chiang Rai for some friends wedding. They actually live near Phan which is about 45 kilometers south of Chiang Rai. Phan has a new Yanmar dealer also.

The Kubota may be a tougher more rugged tractor and they are a little heavier for the same horsepower tractors. Yanmar uses flat steel for part of the frame and it looks like Kubota uses castings. I do think the Yanmar transmission is far superior to the Kubota especially if you use the tractor for things other than pulling implements. Shifting forward and backwards with the steering column mounted shifter is a great idea. I spread four loads of dirt around the house today and even with the little Yanmar, it was a tight fit between trees and other obstacles. If I would have had to actually shift gears to reverse, I'd still be out there.

The bottom line is that for the bigger tractors, Fords are without a doubt the king and they will be VERY hard to beat. I never had much use for Fords until I saw how the Thais abuse them and they just keep going.

[xerostar]

Has anyone found links to Yanmar or Ford tractor web sites in Thailand?

I only found US web sites using English input.

We are starting with a 114 Rai and will continue growing Casava that was planted before.

We plan to get another 130 Rai about 7 kilometres away and farm that too.

My bother in-law favours a medium size tractor which seems to fit with your advice.

i.e. stong enough to plough that area, not too high fuel consumption and reasonable price.

The only reason we would favour a "4WD" tractor instead of the "caterpillar" type would be

the speed that you require when driving on the road from one property to another.

The caterpillar would be too slow for road use me-thinks.

It would mean putting it on a trailer and towing it with the pickup.

I guess most "second-hand" tractors in Thailand would be "worn out"?

If, as you say, they get badly abused.

If they are anything like the second-hand pickups we tried then I would expect

a lot of breakdowns and repairs.

My wifes cousin bought a pick-up that should NOT have been on the road.

I took it for a short drive and found that the steering box had about half a turn

of "play" and the car drifted heavily to the left on a straight road. The power

steering cut in and out too making it scary to drive.

The brakes were useless. A real death-trap.

I advise the young lady to take it back to the dealer and ask for a refund.

She did that and got out of the deal without losing too much money.

[Gary A]

Has anyone found links to Yanmar or Ford tractor web sites in Thailand?

I only found US web sites using English input.

We are starting with a 114 Rai and will continue growing Casava that was planted before.

We plan to get another 130 Rai about 7 kilometres away and farm that too.

My bother in-law favours a medium size tractor which seems to fit with your advice.

i.e. stong enough to plough that area, not too high fuel consumption and reasonable price.

The only reason we would favour a "4WD" tractor instead of the "caterpillar" type would be

the speed that you require when driving on the road from one property to another.

The caterpillar would be too slow for road use me-thinks.

It would mean putting it on a trailer and towing it with the pickup.

I guess most "second-hand" tractors in Thailand would be "worn out"?

If, as you say, they get badly abused.

If they are anything like the second-hand pickups we tried then I would expect

a lot of breakdowns and repairs.

My wifes cousin bought a pick-up that should NOT have been on the road.

I took it for a short drive and found that the steering box had about half a turn

of "play" and the car drifted heavily to the left on a straight road. The power

steering cut in and out too making it scary to drive.

The brakes were useless. A real death-trap.

I advise the young lady to take it back to the dealer and ask for a refund.

She did that and got out of the deal without losing too much money.

If you are planning on farming over 200 rai, you should have a bigger tractor.

Probably in the 60 to 80 horsepower range. Since the bigger tractors are heavier and more powerful, a four wheel drive is only an option and not a necessity as with a small light tractor.

No way would I buy a tractor that has been used in Thailand unless it was from a farang hobby farmer who bought it new. Having hired tractors a number of times for clearing land, I was amazed at the way those Fords are abused. Taking out 6 inch and even bigger tree stumps with a dozer blade is a process of a lot of ramming and ramming again. Jamming and grinding gears going from forward to reverse made me cringe.

[Lickey]

About 3 years ago when i worked full time in UK as a diesel engineer, small Yanmar Gensets had a very poor reputation for breaking down, tick-over would be fine, but as soon as a load was applied, they would black smoke and rattle something terrible, these were sets that had only done about 20hrs or more, some that had been run a long time like this would totally fail,breaking pistons, snapping cranks, knocking out main bearings ect,

The solution was so easy its unbeleivable!!

The joint between the silencer and exhaust manifold had a fine gauze "spark-arrestor" so take of silencer and poke a screwdriver through the gauze was what Yanmar told us to do till they came up with a better idea, hey presto, the engine could breathe again and all ok,

I havent got my "hands dirty" here in Thailand yet so i dont know if they still fit this gauze, even perhaps on Kubotas/Fords, but something to look for if your/any little diesel is down on power, besides a blocked air filter.

Good luck with your Yanmar Gary, did you ever get a borehole done?

[Gary A]

About 3 years ago when i worked full time in UK as a diesel engineer, small Yanmar Gensets had a very poor reputation for breaking down, tick-over would be fine, but as soon as a load was applied, they would black smoke and rattle something terrible, these were sets that had only done about 20hrs or more, some that had been run a long time like this would totally fail,breaking pistons, snapping cranks, knocking out main bearings ect,

The solution was so easy its unbeleivable!!

The joint between the silencer and exhaust manifold had a fine gauze "spark-arrestor" so take of silencer and poke a screwdriver through the gauze was what Yanmar told us to do till they came up with a better idea, hey presto, the engine could breathe again and all ok,

I havent got my "hands dirty" here in Thailand yet so i dont know if they still fit this gauze, even perhaps on Kubotas/Fords, but something to look for if your/any little diesel is down on power, besides a blocked air filter.

Good luck with your Yanmar Gary, did you ever get a borehole done?

As a matter of fact we had the pond digger out today. I have decided to go with a pond first and if I can't keep water in it, the bore hole will be next. He quoted 1,100 baht per hour for the big shovel but I told him I wanted to know how many hours maximum before I give him the go ahead. The pond location is somewhat problematic. I wanted it in the area that always stays wet. My wife wants to make rice paddy out of the wet area and put the pond on the higher better ground. In any case I will have a pond 35 by 45 meters and five meters deep in the center.

[Maizefarmer]

Xerostar

As Gary A says - in fact I'd go so far as to say - for anything bove 50 & 70 rai, you are not going to get by with anything less than a Ford 6610 (Thailands most common large tractor).

Firstly the fuel argument is not valid with respect to ploughing. Let me explain: I have 3 tractors, the largest is a 260hp New Holland. In ploughing it uses LESS fuel than a 95hp - 100hp Ford 6610 or 7610. Why? - because it pulls much larger plough and will plough 100 rai in less than a quater of the time that it will take a 6610 or 7610 to do. The argument is even more exponential when the comparison is made with say a 30hp - 40hp Kubota, Yanmar or similar. It will take me about a day to plough that (depending on how deep I set the plough) - it will take a 30hp - 40hp tractor about 4 days. This is primarily because the smaller unit will only be able to pull a disc plough with a width of about 1meter max, and at a speed of about 50% of the larger tractor. As well, you will be depth restricted. This will be huge limitation on a field that has not being plough for a couple years or so. It will then become problem after year 3 or so - because the depth restriction will now limited soil turnover/mixing and a bedpan will be estblished (a hardsurface becomes established at a shallow depth about 20cm - 25cm below the surface - this been pretty much the max depth to which you will be able to plough each year).

However - time factor and other issues raised above, are only part of the story: you now have to look at wear and tear on the plough and the tractor. For every 500hrs on a 85hp -100hp Ford 6610 - 7610 spent ploughing, one will be spending a 1000 - 1500 hrs on a 30hp - 40hp tractor Kubota or Yanmar. This 200% - 300% increase in tractor and plough hours is going to significantly impact maintanance costs, and labour.

Ultimately there will be no savings - in fact, it's my experiance it will be a false economy to attempt to save money on a cheaper/smaller tractor for the land sizes you are considering. Belive me - I'm speaking with nearly 2 decades as a farmer, and as a ag. engineer by profession.

So whats the issue with buying a 2nd hand/used Ford 6610 or 7610 (Thailands 2 most common ag workhorses)?

The golden rule is - do your homework and select carefully - I'll be happy to answer any questions you have regards any particular tractor you are looking at. Yes, it is partly an issue of cost, but it is as much an issue of knowing what to ask and what to look for in making a choice.

The average Ford 6610 - 7610 in Thailand is well worked and quite old. But look it at it like this: the fact that they are still going is down to 3 factors:

- they are well built to start with.

- parts avalibility is excellent (doesn't matter what breaks, you can get parts for it ANYWHERE in the country, 99% of the time tover the counter)

- parts are cheap and they are easy machines to work on.

For the size of land you are planning to work, I strongly reccomend you get a Ford 6610 or 7610 - and best off if it's a 4 wheel drive with a Carrilo front axle (as opposed to the ZF f/axles) - and in ploughing, make sure the hydraulics work as they should (this is the biggest wear and tear issue in Thai maintained tractors).

Rear diffs and trans-axles are seldom a problem. The gearboxes are solid to say the least (6610 - 7610 gearboxes are about 80% over-engineered - good for 160hp-180hp). Engine blocks last for ever - worst case scenario, new liners and Kolbenschimdt pistons. Fuel pumps last forever. Steering racks and drop bars do wear out (because they are not maintained) ditto ... hydraulic pumps and transfer boxes (for front wheel drive) - get underslung mounted transfer box - not bolt - on side mounted box (indication of later mod from 2 wheel drive) ... and there are a load of other minor points, but those are the main things.

Let me know if you have any questions.

There may well even be some snse in some cases in purchasing a really knackered example and rebuilding it yourself.

Good luck

MF

[xerostar]

Thankyou for that valuable info Maizefarmer!

I can see your point about false economy when buying a smaller tractor.

I will take your advice and look at the Fords.

My two Thai brother's in law will be doing most of the driving.

I had thought they could also earn money ploughing or doing other earth-moving jobs

for other people after they have finished their own plots.

A bigger machine would obviously save a lot of time and fuel.

It seems to me that you need a good plan to utilise the land efficiently by growing crops

that complement the market as well as the season and local conditions.

For instance there seems to be a lot of time between planting and harvesting Casava.

There needs to be a plan to fill in all the time between if you are going to make a success.

I had thought about what other machinery may be useful to buy ..

What area do you farm? Do you grow Maise only? Whereabouts?

I'd be grateful to hear your views or if you could direct me to any previous posts that

discuss the strategy of good farming in Thailand.

Cheers

Xerostar

[Maizefarmer]

I grow 3 primary crops: Corn (Maize), sugarcane and forage grasses - to support (feed) dairy and beef cattle (about 500 in total currently) - on just over 1400 rai.

We can talk all night regards what to and what not grow. It dpends primarily on

- location

- soil type/conditions

- water availibility

You need to look at all 3 of these factors before committing yourself - but as a rule your best starting point would be to look at what others around you grow. Now look at whatever crop that is and add water avalibilty/irrigation to the equation. Can you irrigate in dry season? This will determine you successfully you can utilise your land - the ability to irrigate can potentialy add around 30-40% to the productivity versus non dry season irrigation. This will give you more oppurtunity to rotate crops from season to season to sustain soil condtions, not to mention a greater choice to start with.

With land that size you could very successful farm livestock (beef cattle) - especially if you can irrigate. The average Thai cattle farmer has his margins severly limited because he doesn't have the water to irrigate in the dry season and therefore has to buy feed in the dry season, or has to settle for keeping about 30% of the cattle he would otherwsie be able to keep.

That size of land? - if you can irrigate, cattle farming has to be high on your list of options - it is defineatly right up at the top of potential money earners because you can use the land year round to support the cattle. It is defineatly a long term exercise and needs to be planned carefully and correctly for the conditions and choice of cattle type. Get all the parts of the equation correct, you can do very well.

Just a small note - it's hard work, it will be a 24/7 job for the first few years and will not work unless you are TOTALLY committed and are prepeared to put in long hours.

Go back thorugh the last 3 - 5 pages on the Farming in Thailand section of the forum - you'' find a lot of input from myself and others regarding crop growing and cattle rearing - just look at the topic description - loads of info - I suggest you put a few hours aside over a few days and read all the cattle related topics as a starting point.

MF

[Maizefarmer]

XEROSTAR

You asked about what to read: heres a starting point - a list of Farming in Thailand sub-section thread headings & pages which will give you some down to earth practical insight: the stars are my personal rating of the information contained in the writeups from a relivancy perspective (not quality of information per say) - and not only my contributions but those of other members as well i.e. all the info contained in the thread. Zero star does not mean no relivancy, and to be honest, I have not re-read all the threads - more so from what I recall about them.

On top of this, a look through the pinned subjects at the top of the first page contains some good feedback from members on a few subjects a lot of us encounter irrespective of type of farming we have in mind. A look thorugh them as well will be a good idea.

Yes - it is very much cattle oreintated - for 2 reasons, namely: it's the subject I understand best, and is in my opinion the best way to work land of the size you have in mind i.e. using what you grow to raise livestock. There are of course other options e.g. rubber plantations, pig farming, vegetable growing ect ect ... Those are crops I leave for others to commentate on as my experaince is zero to very limited on them - but whatever you decide to grow or raise your most important consideration is avalibility of water. Sounds stupid, but on the land size you are considering, without the ability to irrigate in the dry season (immaterial where it comes from - river, dam or bore hole) you are not going to be able to use this size of land to it's full potential (it would be better ag economics getting less land - after all, what's the point investing in land that can't be used for 25% - 35% of each year because of water limitation). It is your most important consideration when deciding how much land to purchase, and how much to cultivate throughout the year - and in the case of livestock dirty water is pretty much as good as no water i.e. establish a clean source (so important).

Page.........Thread Title

2 ..................Dairy Cows - What to Look For When Buying *****

.....................Milk Cow

3...................Irrigation Holding Tank

4...................Buying a Baby Calf

5...................Livestock Vaccine

.....................Lucerne Growing (Alfalfa)

8...................Silage Making ****

9...................Buying and Selling Cattle & Buffalo ****

11.................Sugar Cane Problems

12.................Raising Beef Cattle in Isaan*****

.....................Alfalfa ***

.....................Tb In Cattle *****

.....................Attention Maize Farmer

13.................Animal Feeds ****

15.................Corn Silage *****

.............. ......Maize Leftover As Silage *****

16.................Farming in Isaan (my personal reflection on farming overall - not crop/livestock specific - more a subject intro)

.....................What are/Is Thai Indigenous Cattle*****

.....................Thai Native Cattle *****

.....................Beef Cattle ****

.....................Farming In North East Thailand ****

A read through of the above will give you a far more valuable insight overall than any single academic writeup - it's all "real world Thai experiance" of Thai Visa farming members.

I hope you find this useful.

MF

[Somtham]

Gary - hope you're having fun with your new tractor and know its limitations. Today I saw the one below abandoned in a rice paddy because the driver obviously thought it could do more than it really could. Have fun.

rgds

[Gary A]

That's interesting. Last week we were up near Chiang Rai and I saw a number of the four wheel drive Kubotas rotary tilling rice paddy with water in the paddy. I think the many years of growing rice created a pretty hard plow pan that supported the tractor with no problem. The one corner (quarter) of our ten rai plot stays pretty wet. I was in there and quite scared that I wasn't going to get out. My wife plans to make that portion paddy but it will get tilled with the metal wheel mechanical buffaloes. It is definitely too soft for even a four wheel drive tractor. I'm not sure if a regular tractor will be able to build the dikes for the paddy even after it dries up. I certainly have plenty of dirt for the dikes but how to get it there to build the dikes is the big question.

[chownah]

This happened once in my neighborhood that I've seen. It happened because the soil is very sandy there and the sand goes down quite deep. When pulling hard if you spin your wheels and break through the hardpan (which is not so hard because it is sand and saturated) the underlying sand seems to be much softer than the hardpan and you quickly sink if you keep trying to pull. I got stuck once in the same area on my own land the first year I used my paddle wheel 2 wheel tractor. I tried to back out which is a big mistake (as I learned) because backing out makes the paddle wheel act like a scooping wheel and you quickly scoop out a hole which your wheels sink right into and your wheels fill up with dirt which is really heavy and makes it really difficult to get out of the hole.

Chownah

[ozzydom]

Saw a small 4WD tractor working a wet paddy the other day,Interesting thing was ,it bad bar wheels like a Kubota buffalo bolted onto the outside of the standard rear wheels.

[Tilapia]

Saw a small 4WD tractor working a wet paddy the other day,Interesting thing was ,it bad bar wheels like a Kubota buffalo bolted onto the outside of the standard rear wheels.

It's very common here, it gives the tractor a much better grip, and prevent it from getting stuck (in most cases)

Tilapia.

[Gary A]

Saw a small 4WD tractor working a wet paddy the other day,Interesting thing was ,it bad bar wheels like a Kubota buffalo bolted onto the outside of the standard rear wheels.

It's very common here, it gives the tractor a much better grip, and prevent it from getting stuck (in most cases)

Tilapia.

When I farmed in Ohio, most tractors had dual wheels on the back. The bigger tractors had 38 inch rims and dual wheels added a lot to the flotation and traction. In fact the inner tire normally contained fluid for the extra weight. I think it was calcium chloride. Anyways, it didn't freeze in the winter.

[svenivan]

Hi Gary,

Now I am also the happy owner of a small Yanmar.

'

"All my life I have wanted one of those little diesel four wheel drive tractors. I could never justify paying the big price and still can't but I finally decided that it's just money that my kids won't get."

For me it is the last year I wanted a tractor for our little farm, 35-40 rai.

I bought a used Yanmar from my very good friend that is going for the next size. It had only 53 hours on the clock and is almost as new.

But good, good fun! I think for us living in the outskirts we are not dreaming about a Ferrari or a Porsche, no, a good tractor is so much more fun.

I have just been on the tractor for 3-4 hours in our garden but it is really easy to learn to drive. Tomorrow I will probably go up to the farm. That will be good fun!

Cheers!

[Gary A]

Hi Gary,

Now I am also the happy owner of a small Yanmar.

'

"All my life I have wanted one of those little diesel four wheel drive tractors. I could never justify paying the big price and still can't but I finally decided that it's just money that my kids won't get."

For me it is the last year I wanted a tractor for our little farm, 35-40 rai.

I bought a used Yanmar from my very good friend that is going for the next size. It had only 53 hours on the clock and is almost as new.

But good, good fun! I think for us living in the outskirts we are not dreaming about a Ferrari or a Porsche, no, a good tractor is so much more fun.

I have just been on the tractor for 3-4 hours in our garden but it is really easy to learn to drive. Tomorrow I will probably go up to the farm. That will be good fun!

Cheers!

With only 53 hours it should be just like new. That's not enough hours to even break it in. Which model is it? Do you have a rotary tiller for it yet?

We just bought 9 more rai. It is an abandoned orchard and pretty well grown up with brush and small trees up to maybe three inches in diameter. I took the Yanmar there today and decided to clear it myself. My wife wanted to learn how to drive the tractor and I had a hard time getting her to get off of it. She was ripping out the big deep rooted weeds with the blade but no trees yet. I still have not tried out the plow, so that's the plan for tomorrow.

I think it's WAY more fun than a fancy sports car.

[SAP]

Hi Gary,

Now I am also the happy owner of a small Yanmar.

'

"All my life I have wanted one of those little diesel four wheel drive tractors. I could never justify paying the big price and still can't but I finally decided that it's just money that my kids won't get."

For me it is the last year I wanted a tractor for our little farm, 35-40 rai.

I bought a used Yanmar from my very good friend that is going for the next size. It had only 53 hours on the clock and is almost as new.

But good, good fun! I think for us living in the outskirts we are not dreaming about a Ferrari or a Porsche, no, a good tractor is so much more fun.

I have just been on the tractor for 3-4 hours in our garden but it is really easy to learn to drive. Tomorrow I will probably go up to the farm. That will be good fun!

Cheers!

How well do Yanmars and Kubotas hold their value, do you mind telling me the original price for this tractor and the price you paid? Do they hold their vaule like second hand cars and pickups??

Cheers

SAP

[Gary A]

I looked for about two years for a second hand tractor. I never found one that suited me so I bought a new one. Mine is a 30 HP diesel four wheel drive. That tractor retails for 385,000 baht. Ten year old models that are similar sell for about half the price of a new one. You seldom see second hand newer tractors.

[SAP]

I looked for about two years for a second hand tractor. I never found one that suited me so I bought a new one. Mine is a 30 HP diesel four wheel drive. That tractor retails for 385,000 baht. Ten year old models that are similar sell for about half the price of a new one. You seldom see second hand newer tractors.

Thanks Gary, I don't actually want to buy 2nd hand, I actually want to buy it new do some contracting with it for 2-3 mths and flick it on again. So anyone that knows what a kubota or a Yanmar retails at less than one year old, it would be much appreciated.

Cheers

SAP

[Gary A]

I looked for about two years for a second hand tractor. I never found one that suited me so I bought a new one. Mine is a 30 HP diesel four wheel drive. That tractor retails for 385,000 baht. Ten year old models that are similar sell for about half the price of a new one. You seldom see second hand newer tractors.

Thanks Gary, I don't actually want to buy 2nd hand, I actually want to buy it new do some contracting with it for 2-3 mths and flick it on again. So anyone that knows what a kubota or a Yanmar retails at less than one year old, it would be much appreciated.

Cheers

SAP

Thats exactly what I was looking for and failed to find. If you had someone like me, I would give a good price especially if the tractor was still under warranty.

[svenivan]

My tractor is an Yanmar EF352T. I bought if for 400 000 Baht included blade, discpow and a rotary tiller. Before I checked it up at the shop and the price was for a new tractor 389 000, blade 39 000, disc plough 24 000 and rotary tiller 52 0000. Then I wanted to add a grass cutter and that one cost 18 000. So all together it was 522 000 baht. After 10 minutes I had it down to 494 000 baht.

But my friend was going to buy the bigger 45 hp tractor, EF 453 T, listprice 519 000 baht, so I made a deal with him. Everything except the grasscutting thing for 400 000 baht incl delivery, full tank and free teaching lessons.

I got the grasscutting device today delivered to my house for 17 000 baht. The tractor had 53 hours on theclock, just served after the first 50 hours.

Yanmar Thailand http://www.yanmar.co.th

[Gary A]

My tractor is an Yanmar EF352T. I bought if for 400 000 Baht included blade, discpow and a rotary tiller. Before I checked it up at the shop and the price was for a new tractor 389 000, blade 39 000, disc plough 24 000 and rotary tiller 52 0000. Then I wanted to add a grass cutter and that one cost 18 000. So all together it was 522 000 baht. After 10 minutes I had it down to 494 000 baht.

But my friend was going to buy the bigger 45 hp tractor, EF 453 T, listprice 519 000 baht, so I made a deal with him. Everything except the grasscutting thing for 400 000 baht incl delivery, full tank and free teaching lessons.

I got the grasscutting device today delivered to my house for 17 000 baht. The tractor had 53 hours on theclock, just served after the first 50 hours.

Yanmar Thailand http://www.yanmar.co.th

My tractor is the EF312T. It is identical to yours as far as size, weight, hyd., etc, except yours has an additional 4 HP. You got it for a very good price. I haven't got a weed cutter yet but most likely will in the near future depending on what we do with the new 9 rai. I have the four disk plow, the blade and the 1.5 meter wide tiller. You are going to find that you have MUCH more power than traction but that's good.

Have fun with your new toy.

[lannarebirth]

To get maximum utility out of your new tractors, I recommend you have the tractor shop or a local welder make some protective steel screens for around the body. Then you can get into brush without worrying that you'll scratch ir dent it or send a branch through your radiator. Get yourself one of these too, so you don't just spin your wheels:

http://www.gemplers.com/tiressupplies/liqu...llast/AQF1.html