New Yanmar Tractor

[Gary A]

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

I can certainly attest to that. Mine looks several years old already. The hood has a dent and is pretty well scratched up on both sides. I have a roll bar and the fiberglass roof that is already looking kind of ragged from tree limbs. I do watch the radiator and am planning to put something on the front of the tractor to eliminate running a limb through it. Adding water to the tires for weight is also a good idea. I normally keep the tiller mounted for the extra weight. Even with the tiller mounted, I can lift the back of the tractor off the ground with the blade cylinder while prying tree roots out of the ground. It's my toy but it is getting well tested.

[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

I can certainly attest to that. Mine looks several years old already. The hood has a dent and is pretty well scratched up on both sides. I have a roll bar and the fiberglass roof that is already looking kind of ragged from tree limbs. I do watch the radiator and am planning to put something on the front of the tractor to eliminate running a limb through it. Adding water to the tires for weight is also a good idea. I normally keep the tiller mounted for the extra weight. Even with the tiller mounted, I can lift the back of the tractor off the ground with the blade cylinder while prying tree roots out of the ground. It's my toy but it is getting well tested.

It's good to get that first dent over with early Gary. Now you don't have to worry about it amymore and you can get down to business.

[Maizefarmer]

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

I can certainly attest to that. Mine looks several years old already. The hood has a dent and is pretty well scratched up on both sides. I have a roll bar and the fiberglass roof that is already looking kind of ragged from tree limbs. I do watch the radiator and am planning to put something on the front of the tractor to eliminate running a limb through it. Adding water to the tires for weight is also a good idea. I normally keep the tiller mounted for the extra weight. Even with the tiller mounted, I can lift the back of the tractor off the ground with the blade cylinder while prying tree roots out of the ground. It's my toy but it is getting well tested.

Gary

Most people think of their tractors in terms of hp. Mistake - that says little about what the machine is capable of - only how quickly it'll do it.

It's all about torque - and those little Yanmars and Kubota's have huge torque - put 2 tons on the front, put it in first gear - and you'll flip the tractor if you want quick easily.

Yes - great idea: cover the grill.

Water in the wheels? In small and medium tractors - no, not reccomended. It is not the best choice in small machines (will screw up the load bearing steering points over time)

Preferable to make up a bracket for the front end. Load it with custom cast pieces of concreate (actualy, you can use anything but concrate is great because you can cast it to whatever shape and weight you wish in a cheap wooden mold). Throw in some angle iron or very thick diameter re-bar sections - use them as u=bends to mount the cast weights to the bracket.

MF

Edited June 14, 2007 by Maizefarmer

[lannarebirth]

Preferable to make up a bracket for the front end. Load it with custom cast pieces of concreate (actualy, you can use anything but concrate is great because you can cast it to whatever shape and weight you wish in a cheap wooden mold). Throw in some angle iron or very thick diameter re-bar sections - use them as u=bends to mount the cast weights to the bracket.

MF

Yes, that would work as well, and is probably better. I use the water in the wheels because it has always worked for me in the past and continues to work for me. I keep the steering points well lubed and have seen no evidence of wear from this method. Personally I don't like these lightweight 4wd tractors. I'd much rather have a heavt 2wd tractor but not a lot of choices here in Thailand in the medium size range.

[chownah]

Here's a link that seems to have some good information on "Ballasting Your Tractor for Performance". It's a gov't site from the province of Alberta, Canada.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$departme...nsf/all/eng5240

I as a bit surprised that the discussion did not cover soil types so I guess this advice is good for all soil types....seems like a flooded rice paddy might have soil conditions so different that some adjustment in their presentation might be in order for rice farmers but I don't really know.

Chownah

[Gary A]

Preferable to make up a bracket for the front end. Load it with custom cast pieces of concreate (actualy, you can use anything but concrate is great because you can cast it to whatever shape and weight you wish in a cheap wooden mold). Throw in some angle iron or very thick diameter re-bar sections - use them as u=bends to mount the cast weights to the bracket.

MF

Yes, that would work as well, and is probably better. I use the water in the wheels because it has always worked for me in the past and continues to work for me. I keep the steering points well lubed and have seen no evidence of wear from this method. Personally I don't like these lightweight 4wd tractors. I'd much rather have a heavt 2wd tractor but not a lot of choices here in Thailand in the medium size range.

The problem with a bigger tractor is that I have many, actually most places that a bigger tractor just won't go. The tiller and the dozer blade are both 1.5 meters (60 inches) wide and that is a VERY tight squeeze. I have even seriously considered cutting the roll bar to lower the roof.

[svenivan]

Last Sunday there was a Tractor-rally in Chiang Rai. That was the second one organized by Yanmar. First one was in Nakhon Savan.

We were three farangs in the rally and 60 Thai people. It was a loop about 6-7 km and we stopped here and there to answere some questions about Yanmar tractors, maintenance etc, stopped for a ride in a very wet ricepaddy and then we should do some exercises with a 2-wheeltrailer and finally a special short track with ballons that we should avoid.

After we had lunch, 15 young and beautiful girls entertained us with singing and dancing. Then the prizecermony with first price a Honda Wave.

A question to MF: Do you see any problem for a farang without a workpermit running his own tractor plowing, tilling etc on his wifes land?

It is not a commercial farm, 36 rai with lumyaitrees, rubbertrees and bananatrees. We are selling nothing.

We bought the land because of the wonderful view and because it is so quiet and peaceful.

Regards

[svenivan]

Tripleposting......

Sorry, sorry.....

Edited June 27, 2007 by svenivan

[svenivan]

Doubleposting....

Sorry...

Edited June 27, 2007 by svenivan

[Tilapia]

Hello there.

I'm not MF, but I would like to make a comment on your question.

Up-country the question, if you have a work permit or not isen't really a big issue, of-cause if somebody is pist off with you they could report you, but what would the achive ?? nothing, if you have a one year visa, then it would take a really hard-liner in the labor department to do anything about it.

If you go straight after the book, then even with a work-permit you are only allowed to do excatly what it permits you to do, and I doubt you can get one saying that you are allowed to plow your land.

My advise, you just plow your land, go race that tractor and have a great time.

Regards.

Tilapia.

[Tilapia]

Edited June 28, 2007 by Tilapia

[Gary A]

As far as a work permit, I think it would come down to what you are actually doing. If you have a commercial business and are competing with Thai businesses you will most likely eventually have a problem. I drive my little tractor around and really don't do much actual work. Two wheel drive trucks are almost useless in the mud and around our village there are VERY few paved roads. When you see a pickup stuck in the mud and you pull them out it is appreciated. I rotary tilled a portion of our ten rai plot and about a week later I see all sorts of thing growing. There are peanuts, beans, corn and various other little plots of vegetables. I asked my wife what was going on and she told me that since we weren't doing anything with the land that it seemed a shame to let it grow back up in weeds so her relatives and friends were told to go ahead and plant whatever they wanted. As I have said before, it's a good thing that I don't HAVE to make any money from that land.