Yanmar SA Series Tractors: When Lawn and Garden Tractors Just Won’t Cut It

Yanmar SA Series TractorsIs your garden tractor not cutting it? Do you wish you had a tractor, but can’t justify their high price? Maybe what you need is a Yanmar SA series. These compact tractors bridge the gap between tractors and lawn equipment, offering a mix of features that make them flexible, powerful, and easy to use.

Attachments: What Makes a Tractor a Tractor

No matter how big a garden tractor may be, attachment use is limited. At most, you may be able to add a snow blade or pull a grass seeding trailer. With the SA Series, you get three places to attach implements, either built for these tractors by Yanmar, or by third parties using industry-standard fittings.

At the rear of these tractors, you’ll find a standard three-point hitch. The PTO has a 35mm (1 3/8 inch) outside diameter with  6 splines, and it can spin at 554 or 3,200 RPM. This makes it compatible with a wide range of aftermarket equipment, including everything from brush mowers to snow blowers.  Yanmar makes a backhoe that fits this hitch.

There’s a second mid-mounted PTO designed for under-frame attachments. It has an SAE 16/32 inch PTO with 15 splines, and it can spin at 2,057 or 3,200 RPM. Yanmar offers a 60-inch mowing deck for this attachment point, making the SA Series a great replacement for a lawn tractor.

The SA series also supports front-mounted attachments with connections to the tractor’s hydraulic system. The hydraulic pump moves up to 4.3 gallons of fluid per minute, giving it the power to operate attachments including front loader buckets, forks, and hay spears. Yanmar even offers their own boom loader for this hitch, as well as a grading blade, snow blade, and rotary broom.

Lawn Tractor Usability with Tractor Capability

These tractors use a hydrostatic drive that’s just as easy to use as the units on lawn tractors. It uses two pedals to control forward and rearward motion, with no need to use a gear shift or hand throttle to set the speed. Top speed is 8.6 MPH going forward, and 6.3 MPH in reverse. Selectable four-wheel drive gives these tractors added grip on soft surfaces. Yanmar designed every part of the drivetrain in-house, so these components are built to work together for maximum efficiency.

Since there are no shifters, the operator position has a large, flat footboard. Coupled with the high backed seat and armrests, this makes the SA more comfortable to use than most full-size tractors.  Like a full-size tractor, these models have hydraulic steering. Instead of spinning a steering shaft, turning the wheel controls valves that move the steering rack left and right. This eliminates bump steer and reduces vibration. A full-frame quells vibrations before they can reach the seat and controls.

The ROPS protects the operator from rollovers, and it folds down, reducing the tractor’s total height by 20 inches for storage. The SA Series comes with front and ROPS-mounted work lights, as well as side marker lights for visibility.

The SA Series is powered by Yanmar’s famously reliable liquid-cooled diesels. They’re guaranteed with a 5-year powertrain warranty. The built-in 6.1-gallon fuel tank will keep this tractor running all day.

Models

Yanmar makes three versions of the SA Series: the 221, the 324, and the 424.

The 221 is built to be a low-cost upgrade from lawn and garden tractors. It comes with an engine that makes 19.4 HP.

The 324 is targeted at 3-5 acre properties. It has an engine that produces 21.7 HP, so it can handle larger implements than the 221.

The 424 is a 324 outfitted for earth moving. Bigger tires give it 9.9 inches of ground clearance, 1.4 inches more than the 324. It comes with a YL210 front loader attachment from the factory.

Looking for Better Lawn Care Tools? We Can Help.

Looking for something with more flexibility than a standard garden tractor? Shank’s Lawn equipment carries Yanmar tractors, BCS America two-wheel tractors, and MultiOne mini loaders. Looking for implements? We also carry OEM attachments from these brands, as well as products from Woods Equipment. Visit us at 4900 Molly Pitcher Highway in Chambersburg, PA. You can also see our current inventory and order OEM parts and accessories at www.shankslawn.com. We can ship your order to any address in the U.S. or Canada.

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