The Marvelous Diesel Mini-Tractors!

By Will Rowan
Published on March 1, 1979
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Of the available mini-tractors on the market, the author chose this Yanmar 155D to replace a much larger Massey Ferguson 135 that was in need of expensive repairs.
Of the available mini-tractors on the market, the author chose this Yanmar 155D to replace a much larger Massey Ferguson 135 that was in need of expensive repairs.
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This Satoh Beaver is the lowest-priced mini-tractor in the sample group.
This Satoh Beaver is the lowest-priced mini-tractor in the sample group.
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The Bolens G154 is an able performer.
The Bolens G154 is an able performer.
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The Kubota B7100 has three cylinders.
The Kubota B7100 has three cylinders.

A tractor is one of the most important investments that any homesteader can make. One of these sturdy, reliable “mechanical mules” will handle any job from tilling a field to yanking a fencepost, and can really ease the newcomer’s transition from urban to rural life (or help the established farmer raise the productivity of his or her acreage).

Unfortunately, such vehicles cost money, often a good deal more than most folks (especially those who’ve just made their move back to the land) are able to afford. Even a medium-sized machine, for example, can easily set its buyer back $10,000 or more. And that price doesn’t even include the optional (but often necessary) equipment!

A few years back, however, several farsighted manufacturers realized that a different tractor market was developing, one that demanded equipment that wasn’t in line with what the established firms were offering. In short, while the “old guard” continued to design “bigger and better” machines (which had come to resemble construction equipment rather than tractors), the industrial innovators were busy producing mini-tractors: smaller work vehicles with diesel engines, big machine capabilities, and lower prices.

Time has, of course, proven that the “little guys” did, indeed, know what a large segment of the public wanted, and the number of manufacturers of smaller workhorses has increased to meet that demand. This year, in fact, there’s a real “bumper crop” of “commonsense compacts” to choose from. There may never be a better time to give the thought of purchasing a new tractor some serious consideration.

Little Immigrants

As you may have guessed, these mini-machines are—for the most part—imported. In fact, tractors made in Japan alone are being sold (or will soon be available) in the U.S. under no less than 10 different company names! According to a recent issue of Implement and Tractor (the agricultural equipment dealers’ official handbook), Ford—in the past few months—has signed a marketing deal with Shibaura, while John Deere has teamed up with Yanmar, International Harvester with Kumatsu, White with Iseki, and Massey Ferguson and Allis Chalmers with Toyosha! These arrangements will really “fill out” the small tractor field already represented in North America by Kubota, Satoh, Bolens, Suzue, and Hinomoto.

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