Bought a larger tractor!

[ZXT 2,401]

I've needed a tractor with a bucket on it for a long time. I do a lot with cars, and dragging engines around by hand in the dirt got old real fast.. it also made my back feel old. A family member got a bigger tractor and was going to sell this, so I popped off and wound up with it. It's Yanmar YM2500, made in 78-79. Good running little tractor, and seem to be decent tractors from what I've read. Only a 25HP, but it should work for my needs. It's small enough that it'll get into fairly tight spots. 

Only issue with it is the brakes are stuck (Common problem and easily fixed, I just need to do it) so driving it on unlevel ground is a bit sketchy, and one ram on the loader leaks.

 

Apparently the loader is a Chinese unit, and there isn't much info on it. When it comes to rebuilding hydraulic rams, are they all of similar design even if brands are different? It leaks on the down stroke and when you put pressure down with it. I figure it needs new seals/packing, but I've never been into one before so I'm not completely sure. 

For 1/3 the price of a new box store riding mower, and given the fact that it came with the loader and a mower, I think It'll pay for itself easily.

Edited November 10, 2020 by ZXT

[Pullstart 62,864]

Nice score Jonah!  I learned cylinders trial by fire...  if you pull it apart, have a good set of inside c clip pliers and the rest should be self explanatory!

[Zeek 2,286]

That should get some work done. I bought a TYM recently for around the property stuff. Although I never done it personally, there a BUNCH of videos on YouTube walking through ram rebuilds.

[ZXT 2,401]

Thanks guys! Hopefully once I get the cylinder apart, I'll find some part numbers on the seals so I'll have some sort of reference when I go to find replacement parts!

[pacer 3,169]

If youre like me, that FEL will be a beautiful thing!!! and yes that Yanmar is a pretty highly rated tractor. In case you dont already know of them - https://www.surpluscenter.com/  has hyd parts up the kazoo.

 

I too found that as much as I love my horses, there were just too many times a FEL was needed .... so I started a search and found a (gray market) Mitsubishi 1650 4x4 with a bucket  for $$4000 and jumped on it. It only needed a ign switch and a seat. But one thing I quickly found was ---- the thing steered like a tank!! WOW! really get a workout, especially with a bucket of dirt!

 

In case you find that yours also is hard to steer (I bet it is!!) I put power steering on mine - electric - power steering! Heres a link to the post on another forum where I found all the info. On down into the  ... long post, I wrote up some of my experiences doing this. Been on now for some 2-3 yrs and still works GREAT!

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/1848775-35-electric-power-steering-fail-safe-no-ebay-module-no-caster-issues-2.html#&gid=1&pid=42

 

 

 

[8ntruck 7,003]

Leaks on the down stroke - you probably have a bad rod seal in that cylinder.

[oliver2-44 9,749]

Think of the cylinder as being just like an engine cylinder.  When you pull it apart, if you can see scratches or rust pits in the cylinder wall, you can try to hone them out or at least smooth them.  If there's a lot of scratches or rust pits it time for a new cylinder.

Also if the cylinder chrome rods have a few rust pits, you can clean them, then fill them with JB Weld and blend/smooth it with the top of the chrome. This will kept the rust pits from tearing up the top seal as the rod goes back and forth.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

The yanmar‘s are same like Iseki/bolens, Misubishi‘s and Kubota‘s.

They be bulletproof and rocksolid, but for a quick job to lame.

 

For most smaller Job‘s i found a little unhandy, but therefore we have Wheelhorses.

Wheelhorses are much more flexible and handy for a quick use.

 

To have both Worlds aside is a perfect combination, i found, but the most Seattime have my Horses.

 

If you like to work harder with the FEL, use whenever possible a Counterweight on the Backlift.

 

That saves a lot of wear on all Steering rod‘s and Steering parts and reduces even your needed Force on Steering wheel.

I have no Powersteering and i don‘t need it because of that Rule.

 

Most of the chinese FEL‘s i have seen are work with metric industrial standart Cylindres,

where ton‘s of interchangable parts available.

if you have to exchange the Seals, i wold suggest use bit better ones, they last much longer.

 

Have a lot of Fun with it.

[ZXT 2,401]

13 hours ago, pacer said:

If youre like me, that FEL will be a beautiful thing!!! and yes that Yanmar is a pretty highly rated tractor. In case you dont already know of them - https://www.surpluscenter.com/  has hyd parts up the kazoo.

 

I too found that as much as I love my horses, there were just too many times a FEL was needed .... so I started a search and found a (gray market) Mitsubishi 1650 4x4 with a bucket  for $$4000 and jumped on it. It only needed a ign switch and a seat. But one thing I quickly found was ---- the thing steered like a tank!! WOW! really get a workout, especially with a bucket of dirt!

 

In case you find that yours also is hard to steer (I bet it is!!) I put power steering on mine - electric - power steering! Heres a link to the post on another forum where I found all the info. On down into the  ... long post, I wrote up some of my experiences doing this. Been on now for some 2-3 yrs and still works GREAT!

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/1848775-35-electric-power-steering-fail-safe-no-ebay-module-no-caster-issues-2.html#&gid=1&pid=42

 

 

 

Thanks for the info on the surplus center! I'll check it out. I believe this Yanmar is a gray market tractor too. I haven't had any weight in the bucket yet, but it steers quite easily. Did your Mitsu not come with PS originally or was it just not enough? Strangely enough, I have come across your thread you linked to more than once in the past, when doing some research on electric steering conversions using Saturn parts!

11 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Leaks on the down stroke - you probably have a bad rod seal in that cylinder.

That was my thought. 

9 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Think of the cylinder as being just like an engine cylinder.  When you pull it apart, if you can see scratches or rust pits in the cylinder wall, you can try to hone them out or at least smooth them.  If there's a lot of scratches or rust pits it time for a new cylinder.

Also if the cylinder chrome rods have a few rust pits, you can clean them, then fill them with JB Weld and blend/smooth it with the top of the chrome. This will kept the rust pits from tearing up the top seal as the rod goes back and forth.

The chrome rod looks to be in excellent shape with no rust pits that I've seen. Hopefully when I get it apart it looks alright inside. If the rod is pitted anywhere, I'll definitely try the JB weld route! 

 

7 hours ago, Tractorhead said:

The yanmar‘s are same like Iseki/bolens, Misubishi‘s and Kubota‘s.

They be bulletproof and rocksolid, but for a quick job to lame.

 

For most smaller Job‘s i found a little unhandy, but therefore we have Wheelhorses.

Wheelhorses are much more flexible and handy for a quick use.

 

To have both Worlds aside is a perfect combination, i found, but the most Seattime have my Horses.

 

If you like to work harder with the FEL, use whenever possible a Counterweight on the Backlift.

 

That saves a lot of wear on all Steering rod‘s and Steering parts and reduces even your needed Force on Steering wheel.

I have no Powersteering and i don‘t need it because of that Rule.

 

Most of the chinese FEL‘s i have seen are work with metric industrial standart Cylindres,

where ton‘s of interchangable parts available.

if you have to exchange the Seals, i wold suggest use bit better ones, they last much longer.

 

Have a lot of Fun with it.

A counterweight is something that this tractor will definitely need. One of the rear tires is filled, and the other needs to be done still. I've seen it pick up car engines on a couple of occasions, and it was definitely a little light in the rear end!

Thanks!

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Hey jonah, 

my Iseki lifts easyly lots over 460Kilo without any Counterweight even up to 2 Ton i know it will Work.

The main point is, when you pull such Weights via the FEL without a Counterweight about the double the weight lay‘s on the Frontaxle.

A Counterweight reduces that forces on Frontaxle dramatically, this can be simply’s compared to a beam balance. 

The fulcrum is your Rearaxle in the equation and must be the Centerpoint in the whole balance System.

 

So filled tyres are a good add on solution for the grossweight, but they will not remove any Load from the Frontaxle by Balance over the Rearaxle. In fact you be misbalanced and all the Load must be taken from your Frontaxle.

 

you have to see your Tracta with FEL compared to a beam balance, and your rearaxle is the fulcrum, you can simply see how misbalanced it is. Each Weight you lift with the FEL take a load on your Frontaxle, what is at least double the weight you lift without counterweight.

This load can be easily calculated how much Counter weight how far behind the rearaxle give you a good balance,

to reduce the frontaxle weight to a save value its a simple Beam balance equation, where the fulcrum is your Rearaxle.

 

Even you shall drop the height of the Counterweight, to drop the tilt angle down as well.

 

[Handy Don 12,217]

Exactly.

Weight added behind the rear axle lessens the downforce on the front axle—the farther behind, the greater the effect.

Weight added at the rear axle (e.g filled tires or wheel weights) has no effect on the front axle. 

Both will help offset the weight being lifted in a FEL to prevent tipping forward and to keep traction at the rear wheels.