Tractor help

[Skillet]

but at a much faster pace than your preferred 2mph.

 

I have an "extra" gear on my Yanmar that is above 1st on the gearbox.  It is locked out unless you pull a knob and it lets the lever go all the way up.  I have no idea how slow it goes, but at rated engine speed you can hardly tell it's even moving.  I'll have to measure distance over time one of these days and calculate the ground speed.  I'd wager it's in the .075-.15 MPH range, though.

[motg9_6]

I used to run a service truck as a master Deere technician for RDO in sunnyside. Started at Barnett implement in Yakima, both great dealers. Great service and parts availability which brings me too my point. If you buy an off brand tractor parts and service will be less than par. Stick with green or orange. Blue red and whatever other colors are less than par for service in our area and getting parts can be a pain.

[Knocker of rocks]

I think I have to get to fourth gear before I break the mythical 30 minute mile barrier.

Some of the big machine with creeper gearing can go full RPM at 0.15 mph!

[Knocker of rocks]

I used to run a service truck as a master Deere technician for RDO in sunnyside. Started at Barnett implement in Yakima, both great dealers. Great service and parts availability which brings me too my point. If you buy an off brand tractor parts and service will be less than par. Stick with green or orange. Blue red and whatever other colors are less than par for service in our area and getting parts can be a pain.

Even old Yanmar Deeres can be a problem for parts

[Skillet]

I used to run a service truck as a master Deere technician for RDO in sunnyside. Started at Barnett implement in Yakima, both great dealers. Great service and parts availability which brings me too my point. If you buy an off brand tractor parts and service will be less than par. Stick with green or orange. Blue red and whatever other colors are less than par for service in our area and getting parts can be a pain.

I'll say it again, you've got to know what you're getting into before you buy.  Not all gray market tractors are created equal.  Blanket statements like this above, however, are not true - especially if you can turn your own wrench.  You pay a LOT of extra money per HP for shiny green or orange paint, just for the honor of paying a premium for their service techs.

If a guy has an ounce of DIY in him, and having an older but low hour tractor that may be down for a couple of days while parts arrive isn't going to lose the farm, a grey market tractor is worth looking at and considering.  I have two (one Yanmar and one Kubota), and have no regrets.

[motg9_6]

its not a matter of waiting of few days, grey market tractors are a royal pain for parts, but i have had to wait on parts for over a month at a time to take the slow boat across the big pond (cub cadet, branson, podunk tractor etc). and trust me i have alot of DIY in me as a matter of fact I do ALOT of side work and DO NOT work for a stealership anymore. what part of my above comment makes it a blanket  one? you should really know what a grey market tractor is before you spout off just because its yanmar or kubota doesnt mean its grey. a grey market tractor means it was brought in from another country and not sold in the US. example purchased in canada or mexico and brought across the border. in my opinion you cant go wrong with kubota, massey, deere, case OLD ford and IH stuff. the rest might as well be junk.

[Special T]

A better tire solution for weight is Beet juice. Many dealerships now sell it it does not eat steel like calcium chloride. Its down side is during the winter the liquid gets thick and does not flow inside the tires as well.. more like maple syrup.

[bucklucky]

I run Beet juice in my tires . I never noticed any issues during the winter with the juice .

[Whitpirate]

I hate open it up but what about a 30 horse Bobcat?  Same as a Kioti or so I am told.  Crazy deals on them as they close the brand.  I'm considering it.  Anyone have one?

[Special T]

What kind of $ is a crazy deal?

[philepe]

are there any kioti dealers in WA if you get the bobcat?  I have not looked into either of those two brands

[Knocker of rocks]

Town and Country in Monroe is presently a Kioti dealer.  They may still have some Cub's in stock, and may be a YM dealer also. 

Their repair facilities are probably the largest in Snohomish County.  I have never dealt with them because I've always been green, but by the looks of things, they can fix and sell anything.

[Skillet]

what part of my above comment makes it a blanket  one? you should really know what a grey market tractor is before you spout off

Not spouting off, I know well what a grey market machine is and stand by my statement.  Your comment that "If you buy a grey market tractor parts and service will be less than par" is incorrect for all grey market machines.  For a third time, I'll say you have to know what you're getting into.  There are websites that specialize in parts for gray market machines.  My gray market Kubota is a rice-paddy tired B6000 4WD with the japanese script decals instead of english.  I needed to rebuild the steering box for it because I made a mistake and left it out over the winter and water got in it, and a quick search had a donor box in my hands in less than a week.  I also replaced all the tines on the tiller; another quick web search got those out of Canada.  That did take longer than a week, but I'm sure that was only because I told him to take his time as I wasn't in a rush.  My grey market Yanmar is a YM2020D of 1982 manufacture.  It is one of a dozen or so early grey YM models with excellent parts availability.  I did a lot of looking at parts availability prior to buying that one.  There are many grey market Yanmars that I wouldn't have if you gave it to me just because of a lack of parts availability (FXX-series, for example), but the one I have is a great machine for which I have never had to wait for either repair or service parts. It works like a champ and is far from junk.   The best part is I could buy three of these for the price of a comparable new green or orange machine.

[Skillet]

What kind of $ is a crazy deal?

If it is truly the same as a Bobcat, you've got the best of both worlds.  Parts will be really easy for that machine.

[Knocker of rocks]

Bobcat construction wants nothing more than to get as far away from Bobcat/Kioti CUT's as they can.  You will probably have to get all parts from Kioti, and expect nothing but stonewalling from Bobcat Construction