In agriculture, mechanization of work is indispensable. But for a small private enterprise, the decision to purchase a standard modification tractor is not always justified. Is there an alternative to a fully functional unit? Minitractors may well cope with most tasks. Japanese mechanisms are traditionally distinguished by quality and reliability. Their compact four-wheeled equipment was no exception.
Mini tractor
Any owner of a private house, even having a small plot of land, sooner or later thinks about the need for mechanization of work on it. Farming, gardening, homestead farming - self-propelled machinery on wheels will come in handy everywhere. Many solve the problem by purchasing a walk-behind tractor. This technique is proven and inexpensive, but over time it comes to the understanding that two wheels are not enough for normal housekeeping. And our craftsmen have already learned to remake walk- behind tractors into mini tractors. Japanese models of small - sized agricultural machinery often serve as a guide for them.
But home-made alteration can not compete with industrial technology. A mini-tractor is an economical, maneuverable and functional unit capable of performing a wide range of work in confined spaces. A large set of removable attachments makes it possible to use all the advantages of mechanization. Plow, planter, cultivator, digger, mower - the list of agricultural and auxiliary devices can be continued. Transport trolley, snow blower, loader - this is a compact mini-tractor in the teeth. Where a standard car cannot pass, it will even turn around.
Japanese mini tractors: reviews
Farmers all over the world appreciate the quality of agricultural machinery. Damage to the tractor in the field during sowing or harvesting always causes a lot of problems. A small private enterprise is unlikely to boast of a large fleet of vehicles that can replace a failed mechanism at any time. Therefore, everyone is trying to choose time-tested mini tractors as the main “breadwinners”.
Japanese designers designed their units in such a way as to accommodate in a small mechanism the largest possible set of functional potential. Equipment with 15-25-horsepower diesel engines is able to provide the necessary amount of agricultural and auxiliary work even in harsh field conditions. At the same time, Japanese developers always pay due attention to the ease of use and the conditions for controlling machinery.
According to customer reviews, tractors from MITSUBISHI, KUBOTA, YANMAR, ISEKI, HINOMOTO, SHIBAURA are guaranteed high build quality, economical diesel engines with a long resource, reliable suspension. Appliance prices may seem high to our consumers. Indeed, at the cost of a compact Japanese mini-tractor, it is quite possible to purchase a fully-functional domestic unit of standard modification.
Used machinery
The reality is that Japanese mini tractors come to us with mileage. Oddly enough, the product quickly finds a buyer, because the cost of such units is half the price of new ones. Is it justified the decision to purchase a former for a small farm who does not know who the minitractor is in consumption, because this is to a certain extent a lottery?
In Japan, the government creates favorable conditions for farmers to upgrade working equipment. And they are ready to change their still quite working five and ten-year-old mini-tractors to more modern and convenient. Accurate Japanese technicians follow regularly. Each unit they often performs one or two operations. Therefore, even a ten-year-old tractor in use has a negligible output. The engine, chassis and suspension of such units can serve for many years to come.
Service and Repair
If the unit undergoes pre-sale preparation before shipment from Japan, then, as experience shows, even a ten-year-old tractor has been working for several seasons without any problems for the new owner. Further, as someone is lucky. Some manage to change just one light bulb in five years. According to the forums of owners of used agricultural equipment, it is clear that spare parts for Japanese mini tractors are hard to find. This is especially true for technology that is more than 20 years old.
If Japanese-made diesel engines even at this age continue to work, then the secondary components and assemblies of the tractors inevitably wear out: the rubber wears away, the sheet metal rusts, the pipelines lose their elasticity. A new light bulb and belts can still be picked up and written out according to catalogs for motorcycles. But in order to replace a flange, shaft or bushing, one often has to turn to the turners to carve a similar one.
After such alterations, the unit already ceases to be a "Japanese", but from this it does not lose working capacity. And our homegrown "techies" are capable of much. So it turns out that experienced owners of Japanese mini-tractors do not agree to exchange their ten-year-old “hard worker” for a new “Chinese”, even with a surcharge.