# Buy Yanmar 1978 YM2500 w/ 1600 hours?



## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

I consindeing buying 1978 Yanmar YM2500 with 1600 hours:









I am old and retired and it want be used much. Mainly Box Blade, Root Rake (leaves, limbs etc). Small suburb area.
Questions:
No P/S: How hard are they to steer? I had Farmall 140 long time yrs. ago. Steering similar?
I know it's grey market. How hard to to get parts?
General review of Model YM2500. OK tractor for light work.
If all checks out well, what its value?
Should I consider or run?


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> I consindeing buying 1978 Yanmar YM2500 with 1600 hours:
> View attachment 74954
> 
> 
> ...


Q: No P/S: How hard are they to steer?
A: Steers better than a Ford 8N w/o PS. And there are PS kits out there for this machine. 

Q: I know it's grey market. How hard to to get parts?
A: This is the EZ-est machine to get parts for. When it's painted John Deere green, it's the identical machines called the JD850. So, 97% or better, the parts that fit on a JD850 fit on this machine. 

Q: General review of Model YM2500. OK tractor for light work.
A: Actually, this is a good workhorse of a machine. It can run circles around a Ford 8N and keep pace with the Ford 4000 (gas version). You can bale hay, grade driveways, run garden tillers of the 6FT size, run a post hole auger, run a 6FT brush mower or a 72-in finish mower, and many other things.

Q: What loaders fit on the machine?
A: Any loader that can fit a JD850/950 can fit on the YM2500, YM2610, YM2620. 

Q: If all checks out well, what its value?
A: non-refurbish should be $3,500. A refurb unit about $6,000. 

Q: Should I consider or run?
A: Take it for a trial run, put it thru all the paces. Make sure the 3PT can lift and hold, both running and engine off.

YM2500 and JD850 being made on the SAME production line by Yanmar in Japan. 










And there is the support network of the, Yanmar Tractor Owners Group with over 35+ years on the internet for these machines. GeoCites > Yahoo > GroupsIO. Link in my sig below. That's where the FREE manuals are for the machine. Both in Japanese YM2500 and in English JD850/JD950/JD1050 docs. 

Would it be a smart option to get this model in a Gray Market machine. One of the BEST actually, unless you want an automatic with PowerShift - Shuttle Shift. Then the YM2610 is the way to go. Same frame and engine too.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Bebop. I'm pretty sure bmaverick will have your back and answer just about any question you may ever have on the Yanmar. It looks like a pretty good unit, there!


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> Q: No P/S: How hard are they to steer?
> A: Steers better than a Ford 8N w/o PS. And there are PS kits out there for this machine.
> 
> Q: I know it's grey market. How hard to to get parts?
> ...


Thank You very good info. 
As usual I am late to dance...it sold hour or so ago....


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> Thank You very good info.
> As usual I am late to dance...it sold hour or so ago....


It went because Yanmars are so reliable and that model is so easy to work on with all the John Deere literature. If a person got the machine at a good price, all they need is JD green and JD yellow paint, do a nice job and resell for 2X the price selling it a John Deere instead. 

Here's my restored JD850 after Fredricks had redone it top to bottom. Lots of YM2500 parts were used to bring it back to life.


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> It went because Yanmars are so reliable and that model is so easy to work on with all the John Deere literature. If a person got the machine at a good price, all they need is JD green and JD yellow paint, do a nice job and resell for 2X the price selling it a John Deere instead.
> 
> Here's my restored JD850 after Fredricks had redone it top to bottom. Lots of YM2500 parts were used to bring it back to life.
> View attachment 74963





bmaverick said:


> It went because Yanmars are so reliable and that model is so easy to work on with all the John Deere literature. If a person got the machine at a good price, all they need is JD green and JD yellow paint, do a nice job and resell for 2X the price selling it a John Deere instead.
> 
> Here's my restored JD850 after Fredricks had redone it top to bottom. Lots of YM2500 parts were used to bring it back to life.
> View attachment 74963


What are other Yanmar model numbers that would be good to consider in the PTO HP range of 25 to 40?


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> What are other Yanmar model numbers that would be good to consider in the PTO HP range of 25 to 40?


YM2310
YM2500 aka John Deere JD850
YM2610
YM2620
YM2820
YM3110 (has turbo like the YM4300)
YM4300 aka John Deere JD150

YM276 US market
YM330 US market
YM336 US market

JD750
JD755
JD850
JD855
JD950
JD955
JD1050


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> YM2310
> YM2500 aka John Deere JD850
> YM2610
> YM2620
> ...





bmaverick said:


> YM2310
> YM2500 aka John Deere JD850
> YM2610
> YM2620
> ...


Thanks for the list.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> Thanks for the list.


fixed a typo. JD1050 is the right one.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

Yanmar was one of the early pioneers in the compact and sub-compact market and they have been around for a long time...In addition to building several models for John Deere they also build engines for several other compact and sub-compact companies.. I don't know how their new ones are but their older tractors where rock solid and had a long life in them and good power for the size....I have never really heard anything bad about the older Yanmar tractors...


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> It went because Yanmars are so reliable and that model is so easy to work on with all the John Deere literature. If a person got the machine at a good price, all they need is JD green and JD yellow paint, do a nice job and resell for 2X the price selling it a John Deere instead.
> 
> Here's my restored JD850 after Fredricks had redone it top to bottom. Lots of YM2500 parts were used to bring it back to life.
> View attachment 74963


Looks too good to use. LOL. Can it handle 5' Box Blade?


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> Looks too good to use. LOL. Can it handle 5' Box Blade?


Indeed it can. It can use a 6FT too as my machine uses one of those and it's of the same family with the same engine.


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> YM2310
> YM2500 aka John Deere JD850
> YM2610
> YM2620
> ...


How reliable are the Shuttle Shift Transmission? Where you can shift on the go 3 gears without clutch etc.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Bebop said:


> How reliable are the Shuttle Shift Transmission? Where you can shift on the go 3 gears without clutch etc.


It's so reliable that the saying of, Copying someone else's work is like flattery because it's so good, really applies here. 

In John Deere models after the 50 Series, John Deere begins using that Power Shift system and renames it for their machines. 

And the fact still stands today, the power Shift is more reliable than the HST machines out there today. 

Want to know more. Hoye Tractor Parts has a GREAT blog posting on it here.

Yanmar's Powershift Transmission explanation. (hoyetractor.com) 

The Yanmar Power Shift has evolved the CVT transmissions of the modern era too. HST can slip and can't properly give the machine all the torque on demand like direct PowerShit gears can. Ever tried using HST machines on hills? Or what about a filled front loader on wet grass? HST is not great for traction reliability when you need it. 









Understanding CVT and powershift transmissions when buying a tractor - Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk) 

Another good site on the PowerShift. PowerShift is now a modern type of EU transmission in vehicles too. Thanks to Yanmar in the Ag industry bringing it to the world, the technology grew. 
The principle of operation of RKPP Powershift | PS-Auto.Ru (1-ps--auto-ru.translate.goog)


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## Bebop (Mar 20, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> YM2310
> YM2500 aka John Deere JD850
> YM2610
> YM2620
> ...


My main task will be spreading dirt & sand with a box blade. How well would the little JD 750 do? I guess if would need approx. 60" box to cover tire tracks etc.


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