YANMAR "GRAY MARKET" TRACTORS
What are they, why are they, where can I get one?
Q - What the heck is a "gray market"
tractor?
A - A gray market machine is anything that has been manufactured
for sale in any country other than the country it is in. A gray
market Yanmar has been manufactured, usually, for sale in Japan.
You can tell these models by the Japanese decals and the 4 digit
model numbers or model numbers that start with F. Other gray market
Yanmar models were manufactured for sale in South Africa, Sweden,
Portugal, England, and several other countries. The Japanese tractors
account for over 90% of the gray market machines.
Q - Are these things legal?
A - Absolutely. The tractors are legally brought into the US.
Q - Are they the same as the Yanmar tractors that
were sold in the US?
A- Close, but not exact. Many of the models such as the YM1700,
YM2000, YM1510, etc have tractors that are up to 98% identical.
The difference usually is the multiple speed PTO on the gray market
tractors. The US tractors only feature a single speed pto. Most
of the gray markettractors share almost all of the same parts with
the US tractors.
Q - So what about parts?
A - As stated earlier, many of the gray market parts are identical
to the US model parts. You can find them at any of our sponsors
or other parts sources. Very few parts are no longer available.
The ones that have been discontinued from the manufacturer are now
being reproduced.
Q - What is Yanmar's position on these tractors?
A - Up until recently, Yanmar was very passive about gray market
tractors. A lawsuit , apearantly from a family that lost a relative in a roll-over,
changed everything. Yanmar was suposedly sued for "supporting" tractors
with inadequate safety features such as a ROPS, seat belts, etc.
Yanmar is believed to have won but the have since distanced themselves from the tractors.
There are a few companies building canopies and seat belts for these
tractors if you feel that you will need them. Common sense, however,
will usually keep an operator out of those dangerous situations. Yanmar's Position On "Gray Market" Tractors
Q - What about manuals?
A - The new translated English Yanmar operation
manuals are almost all available from our sponsors. The parts
manual will be in Japanese..... WAIT!... It's not that bad! The
manuals will have the detailed "breakdowns" showing every
part on the tractor and its relation to other parts on the tractor.
Out beside the picture of the part will be an English part number
and a Japanese description. You really dont need the description
if you can see the picture of the part. You can tell the steering
wheel from the piston, etc. The service manual are from the tractors
that were sold in the US. They may not be exactly like your tractor
but it will be so close you might not ever be able to tell the difference.
You can find all of these from our sponsors.
Q - What are the Vietnam rebuilds?
A - The yanmar tractors that are not in good enough shape to be
imported directly into the US for sale are often taken to Vietnam.
There they are repaired, repainted, and resold. Many stories about
substandard rebuilds are keeping many customers away from these
tractors. Some say that they take pieces from several junk tractors
to build one tractor that runs (often times they don't run for long).
It is our position that one should avoid these tractors if possible.
--- NEVER BUY A TRACTOR
THAT WAS "..... completely rebulilt at the factory and so we
can call the new" or that "....they have zero hours on
them because they were refurbished at the factory". Yanmar
does not do this!!!! these are not new or zero hour tractors! They
are usually pieced together from junk tractors and repainted.
Q - Where can I get one?
A - You can find them on EBAY, local dealers, or online.
Copyright TMS 2004. All rights reserved.
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