In Focus: Yanmar Compact Tractors

With the slogan ‘Let the people and the future bloom’, Yanmar is determined to put its customers and innovation first. As a company spanning over a century, Yanmar has and still has an extensive range of agricultural machinery, especially compact tractors.

More Than 100 Years of Engines

The company’s origins can be traced all the way back to 1912, when it was founded as Yamaoka Hatsudoki Kosakusho, beginning with the production of gas engines. 1920 saw the production of a vertical oil engine model for agricultural applications, followed by a horizontal model the next year. This is when the name Yanmar emerged. Over the next decade, Yanmar diversified their products, with a fishing boat oil engine coming out in 1925, and a 2-cycle vertical diesel engine with 5 HP in 1930. Three years later production started on the world’s first commercially viable diesel engine.

The next few decades were full of changes, with the Amagasaki plant opening in 1936. 1937 showed Yanmar to be far ahead of the trend, when they proclaimed ‘To conserve fuel is to serve mankind’. The Nagahama plant opened in 1942, increasing production, but this expansion was interrupted by the destruction of their main facilities due to the Second World War. However, the setback was short-lived and the Nagahara plant opened in 1949, producing parts for small diesel engine fuel injection pumps.

1952 was a year of duality, with the development of both the 120-130 HP 4MSL medium speed auxiliary engine, and the 1.5-2 HP world’s smallest water-cooled diesel engine. The 1960s brought new business developments, with the opening of the Omori plant in 1960 and the Osaka headquarters the next year. In 1962 Yasuhito Yamaoka assumed presidency, swiftly followed by Tadao Yamaoka the next year. The decade also saw the launch of both the YC and YS diesel tillers, and the opening of the Kinomoto Plant.

The early 1970s brought a new mini excavator and an outboard boat motor, as well as an outpost in Indonesia, with an extension to Thailand in 1978. As a new decade dawned Yanmar launched their largest output engine, which came in at a mind-boggling 5,000 HP. As with the previous decade, Yanmar continued to spread across Asia, as well as entering the markets in France, the Netherlands and the USA. The company continued to expand across the globe and produce new machinery throughout the nineties until today, innovating new technology such as the SmartAssist machine to machine (M2M) service.

An Innovative Range

Yanmar offers a great range of innovative compact tractors to fit gardens, estates or smallholdings:

With a narrow frame, the SA Series is ideal for vineyards, orchards and gardens, but the power of 22-26 HP, and the choice of a cab, make it a good choice for larger farm work too.
The YT2 Model boasts a tidy 35 HP but all the creature comforts of a cab with plenty of legroom, intuitive and ergonomic controls, but still compact on the outside. This means it suits owners who are always on the go in their tractor.
The YM Series combines low-speed torque, high speed drive and a low environmental impact. At 47-60 HP, this series is a fantastic option for the busy but eco-friendly smallholder.
Yanmar names the YT3 Series as the ultimate compact tractor. With a comfortable, well-designed cab and the smart-variable i-HMT (Vario) transmission, it’s not hard to see why. The 47-60 HP give this series the power to take on just about any task.