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Opinions on the YM342

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4.4K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  bmaverick  
#1 ·
Everyone else I know runs Kubota, Kioti, New Holland or John Deere so I have no local advice on this purchase other than the dealer.

I need a claw grapple, and none are available from the local dealer.
Yanmar doesn't seem to have any grapples for much of anything on the corporate site.
I like what I have seen on the Yanmar -- it come with a third function (Separate from the FEL controls though :/) and the dealer states that the FEL loader uses "standard skid steer mounts".
If that's the case would a LandPride 48" or 60" grapple mount?
Or any 48" or so grapple?
I like the 10 year warranty as standard.
I'm worried about parts and service for the Yanmar as I see a lot of "Don't by these models" when searching.

Can anyone chime in with long term experience with any of the YM3 series models?
 
#3 ·
Yanmar's YM legacy series is bullet proof. It's the series in the 70s that caught the attention of John Deere. It's the series to offer the first time in history a true 4WD tractor. It's the series that first offered the true PowerShift (nearly an automatic) for tractors.

The new YM series is build upon the same principles. Some of the learning Yanmar obtained with the MTD Cub Cadet and then the RK tractor series moved their technology further into the American market. The SA series is alright, but the new YM series is their main product offering going forward.

About the warranty, read the fine print. Sure, it's better than most, but the fine print tells you what is covered.

On other tractor forums, the SA and the new YM series use grapples just fine. A few owners bought the grapples to do cleanup in the southern states from hurricane storm damage of downed timbers and entire wooded areas.

Beet juice and or RV/Marine antifreeze work well for rear tire fill. It would be needed using a grapple in those applications.