People who own or have used Yanmars before what are your thoughts on them. I've been looking at Cat 303's and Kubota kx91-3. I've noticed that Yanmars are cheaper in price. I've been looking at a Yanmar VIO35-3. What are the negatives of buying a Yanmar compared to a Cat or Kubota???:??
The negatives..hmmm..the Yanmar jackets are not as fancy as the new Cat ones In my opinion it came down to the dealer. Try this thread:
1) Brand name is not as "prestigious" in hardcore construction circles. 2) "Baby blanket" paint colors and plastic compartment cover are not cool. 3) Dealer network in the USA is terribly weak compared to CAT or Kubota. 4) Replacement parts cost slightly more than a king's ransom. 5) Resale value is not high due to flood of ex-rental machines. Now, would you like to know the positives ? Dougster™ :usa
I have never run one but I really dig the hyd. coupler.
I would love to hear the positives!!! You must have some it looks like a yanmar in your avatar
Yanmar versus JCB I looked at the Yanmar size = to the JCB 8040ZTS [io1045 I think]. The almost 3000 lb dif in bucket breakout force persuaded me to the 8040, which I've had for one week. Both of them make the comparable size Kubota and Bobcat look like toys.
I tend to be a bit skeptical of advertised buck breakout figures, relying more on real performance. In regards to various discussions on power with hydraulic excavators; at the end of the day the machine is a hydraulic lever with a counterweight. It can only apply as much force as it has weight and ability to hold its position. The Yanmar has more than enough hydraulic power to pull itself around. Our own experience with Yanmar has been all positive. The standard factory hydraulic quick coupler is excellent. Parts are very competitive in our part of the world and are well cheaper than Kubota. Cylinder guarding on the Yanmar stick was another reason to run with the machine. It has been an all around solid little machine that does its job without any drama.
I am new to the whole mini-ex world, so be aware that I am speaking from the perspective of a recent researcher/shopper and not a long-time owner/operator. My top five positives: 1) Street price (new or used) lower than CAT (303CR) or Kubota (KX91-3). 2) Will do anything that any other 3.5 metric ton ZTR machine will do for less cash outlay . 3) Universally considered "bullet-proof" and proven as such a thousand times a day in severe daily rental service across USA. 4) "Free" hydraulic quick coupler and fully-guarded cylinder rods are very cool. 5) You get Squizzy as a personal resource and advisor!!! Dougster™ :usa
The JCB 8040ZTS outweighs the Yanmar VIO35-3 by almost a full ton... so yes, I would certainly hope it has somewhat higher performance numbers. If you can afford it... and if have the means to tow it around town... yes, by all means Go for it! :drinkup Dougster™ :usa
I've had several long discussions with factory reps and others about the breakout numbers of the (older) Yanmar VIO35-3 vs. (newer) VIO35-5 vs. all other popular 3.5 metric ton machines. The bottom line is that figures lie and liars figure. God bless those marketing folks! It doesn't take a mechanical engineer to determine that a certain "breakout force inflation" effect has taken place over time the magnitude of which cannot be explained by changes in geometry, hydraulic operating pressure levels and cylinder diameters. Pinned down, Yanmar will admit that the dramatic breakout force increase of the (newer) VIO35-5 over the (older) VIO35-3 is more the result of changes in test/calculation methodology than any real physical change. Dougster™ :usa
I definetly liked the Yanmars and both the 1045 and JCB 8040 swung my 500lb grade beam easily. My comparison was of similar weight class machines. The higher breakout + the $7000 lower price and 0% 4 yr financing sold me on the JCB. I'm using it on my own private development of acreage I bought next to my house--no off site use-- and was told that full insurance coverage for it would be $94/mo.--same as my e-350. The sales guy said about 10 bucks--ouch!
and that be the truth of it:drinkup
Opps... I didn't get your point. Sorry about that! You were comparing the Yanmar VIO45 against the JCB 8040. Can't speak to relative performance or pricing on either of them. They are both way out of my league price and weight-wise. Dougster™ :usa
I gotta say, Takeuchi's have out performed others in there weight class time and time again. I've run them for a long time. And, it's like they have a extra 20 percent weight on them. Put a 145 up against any other 10,000lb machine and it will always out dig it. Only bad part is there aux.
You may want to check out IHI. They make a fine excavator. I ran one for 4 years and it was great running excavator. They are popular in rental yards, great control system, a finer control system than my TK has. The guys at compact excavator sales in E-town, KY are first class guys. Parts were never more than 24 hours out, but I never needed much even with over 3K on the machine.
I would agree that TK puts a lot hyd power in their machines. My biggest gripe is the lack of aux. gpm and I would like more bucket articulation. I suspect that that the limited bucket articulation is the reason for the class leading bucket breakout. However the amount of work they can do for their size continues to amaze even seasoned GC and other excavators. I have one of 4 TB53, 153 and 180's in the area. I am convinced that these TB machines will work with machines of the next class size above.
Pretty much how I rank all there machines. I need a 10,000. I could get by with the 135 without sacrificing anything 015, 135, 070. works well for me. I like the 153 a lot. but, more money when i already have these payed for...lol
Not sure if this was addressed at me or at the OP; but yes, I've heard that IHI makes a fine machine. In fact, a nifty, brand new, cabbed IHI was the very first mini-ex machine I actively tried to buy for the business. Unfortunately, the sales person was highly unmotivated to say the least and seemed to have thought that the one new unit he had on his lot for sale was made out of gold. Later, I went on to focus on an older used Airman mini-ex (sold to someone else), a slightly used CAT 303CR ( way too expensive), both new and used Kubota KX91-3 machines and a brand new (leftover) Yanmar VIO27-3 before settling on the used Yanmar VIO35-3. Except for the sorry lack of dealer support locally, I am quite pleased at how it eventually worked out... and now I have no monthly payment to make! Ironically, the IHI dealer never did sell that brand new cabbed machine of his. It appeared he eventually decided to add the machine to his rental fleet before suddenly reversing direction and putting a big For Sale sign on it with a bargain basement "leftover" clearance price... even lower than I had offered him a year earlier. I laughed out loud when I happened to drive by one day and saw it!!! Dougster™ :usa
what does a cat 303 run for in your area? I've looked used and am guessing they go for around 41k new?
The thing that got me going on used CAT 303's was that a couple of them went for low to mid-20's on a certain large auction website not long before I started my own serious shopping. Seemed like relative bargains to me although I don't recall the specific details of each. Once I was ready to buy, there wasn't a decent used 303 to be found at a fair price anywhere... right up until I found a pristine, near new one two towns over from me! It was just a year old, cabbed model, with hydraulic thumb. Unfortunately, the owner was asking $42K! I figure he would have taken $40K, but that still seemed much too high for a used unit. He implied that he had paid closer to $50K brand new, but I've got to believe that included sales tax (5%) and maybe a few other extras. Dougster™ :usa
B7-5a We bought a yanmar B7-5A about 2 years ago and this little (18K lbs) dude is very very impressive. I gotta say, if yanmar made a large machine to the specs of this one, they would have the baddest machine out there. I love it! I definitly reccomend it. Cant beat it for the price!
what do you think of the gehl 503z compared to a Yanmar vio 40
My thoughts Ive got about 35 hours on my Yanmar 35-5. I love it. It's the only machine I have owned so I cant compare. I bought the machine with 156 hours on it and the price was a steal to pass up. I had looked at the Kubota and Cat but price got me. I like the hydraulic coupler, the cab is comfortable even doing a whole day of stump digging. The unit burns about 5 liters of fuel an hour at WOT so I dont know how that compares to other machines in it's class. It has great tractive force on the undercarriage using it on slopes. The pilot controls are smooth as silk, I think I could butter a sandwich with the bucket teeth! Now for the bad: Changing the engine oil is a real fiasco. Remove battery, relocate the water seperator then one hand it to get the filter off. I would say plan on at least 1-1.5 hours of missery. I am glad it doesnt need to be done too often, but the engineers werent thinking on that one. Even reaching in to check the oil is idiotic. Other than that one item I will live with it. I have been pulling stumps all week and I cant beleive what this machine will pull out and lift. My .02
Wow that is arkward to service, and like you say upnover even looks very arkward for daly checks! I cant really say much bad about the Yanmars, except for the price of parts!! i have a few costomers with them and when to go to the main dealer for parts you and espect to come home without an arm! Having said that they rarely give trouble and most parts can be got aftermarket (now that i've done abit of looking around) and they really are a great little work horse very smooth to operate!
If you can imagine sticking your hand between the battery and fuel seperator to check the oil daily you'll know what I mean. They could have designed a stick on the end of the oil filler cap but what do I know.
Hi, does anyone know how to get the manuals for a Yanmar Vio40 from 1996?
Yeah, it does look crowded in there...lol I guess that is the price one pays for zero swing. Still, it looks like they had room to make the compartment bigger while maintaining zero swing. Wonder what your hydraulic compartment looks like... My 'old' beast looks vacant compared to yours...my hydraulic compartment bugs me though. Too messy to figure out what goes where...and I can't clean the floor below the spaghetti because I can't get my hands down there... https://www.flickr.com/photos/90546471@N04/8223631085/in/photostream/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/90546471@N04/8223636523/in/photostream/
I owned a cat 303, sold it and bought a yanmar 35 of the last year they made the -5. I wanted somethin 5.1" wide still in the 3.5 ton machine. No machine is perfect. The negatives, they don't have the "cool factor" of the cat; not the pretties colors, and the left side handle will give you a headache with the front window up, tight access to servicing. Beyond that, awesome, awesome, awesome machine. Can't wait to get my hands on a 55 to replace my 50C. Love the pin grabber and the protected cylinder. Such a well thought out machine.