Most tractor people know the engine in John Deere's compacts is a Yanmar — Deere's own spec sheets for the 1025R, the 1R 25, and the 2025R all list the Yanmar 3TNV80F-NCJT, from the same engine family as the 3TNV80F in the Yanmar SA325 and SA425 on our lot. What most people don't know is how much deeper the relationship goes than the engine.
Yanmar didn't just supply Deere's engines. For years, Yanmar built the whole tractor.
The history is public record, and Tractor Time with Tim laid it out in detail on YouTube after touring Deere's Augusta factory — his video is worth the twenty minutes. The short version: when the John Deere 850 and 950 arrived in 1978, followed by the 650 and 750 in 1981, those were Yanmar tractors end to end — designed by Yanmar, owned by Yanmar, built in Yanmar's own plant, painted green. The 70-series and 90-series that followed: also Yanmar-built. Those are the machines people still call indestructible, and we'd know — we've been pulling salvage parts off 750s and 850s for years, and the demand for those parts forty-some years later tells you everything about how they were engineered.
Deere gradually brought assembly and then design in-house — the 4000-series compacts of the late '90s were still Yanmar designs assembled in Deere's Augusta, Georgia plant, and by Tim's account the last Yanmar-designed models ran in the lineup until around 2016. Today's compacts are Deere designs. But two pieces of Yanmar never left: the engine in every 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-series tractor, and the driveline — Deere and Yanmar jointly own Transaxle Manufacturing of America, the venture that builds transaxles for Deere's compact tractors and Gators. And with hundreds of thousands of these Yanmar engines in the field, parts for them will be available longer than any of us will need them.
So Deere's small tractors have run on Yanmar engineering for nearly fifty years. The only question left is what you get when you buy that engineering with Yanmar's own name on the hood — and that comes down to the tractor built around the engine. These numbers are straight off each manufacturer's published spec sheets.
Pick by the work, not the paint.
Mowing and light chores: the small-frame machines — Yanmar's SA223 against Deere's 1025R. The Deere carries a bit more power and hitch capacity in this frame; the SA223 answers with a lower price and a longer factory powertrain warranty. For a mow-and-maintain property, it finishes the list for less money.
Loader work — firewood, gravel, pallets: this is where the gap opens. The SA325 and SA425 are rated 1,209 lb on the 3-point hitch and 1,200 lb at the loader pivot pins. Deere's 24-horsepower machines, the 1R 25 and 2025R, both publish 915 lb on the hitch, and both carry the 120R loader rated 803 lb at the pivot. Yanmar builds the engine, transmission, and axles for the SA series in-house and matches the hydraulics to them — and the result is roughly 300–400 more pounds of work out back. That's a loaded ballast box, or one trip to the woodpile instead of two.
Rough ground and snow: the SA425 rides on a larger tire package with 9.9 inches of ground clearance — built for ground that looks like Cumberland County, not a fairway. The small-frame Deeres publish 7.7 inches.
| SA223 | 1025R | SA325 | 1R 25 | 2025R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine (per mfr. spec sheet) | Yanmar 3TNM74F | Yanmar 3TNV80F | Yanmar 3TNV80F | Yanmar 3TNV80F | Yanmar 3TNV80F |
| Rated hp | 21.5 | 24 | 23.9 | 23 | 24 |
| Wheelbase | 57.9 in | 57.1 in | 63.0 in | 63.0 in | — |
| 3-pt lift @ 24" behind lift point | 660 lb | 758 lb | 1,209 lb | 915 lb | 915 lb |
| Loader lift at pivot pin | 825 lb | 803 lb | 1,200 lb | 803 lb | 803 lb |
| Ground clearance | 6.4 in | 7.7 in | 8.5 in (9.9 SA425) | 7.7 in | — |
| Factory powertrain warranty | 10 yr / 3,000 hr | 6 yr / 2,000 hr | 10 yr / 3,000 hr | 6 yr / 2,000 hr | 6 yr / 2,000 hr |
On warranties, just the facts. Every new Yanmar tractor includes a 10-year or 3,000-hour limited powertrain warranty from Yanmar, standard, plus 2-year/2,000-hour full coverage. John Deere's published factory powertrain warranty on this class is 6 years or 2,000 hours. Extended coverage beyond factory terms is available in the market as a separate purchase — with Yanmar, the ten years is simply included.
What the green tractor has going for it. More dealers, more videos online, and strong name recognition at resale. All fair. But Yanmar runs strong retail programs of its own — financing and seasonal offers that change through the year — and we can quote them same-day. If you're pricing both, bring your green quote in. We'll put an SA quote with a real monthly payment beside it, current Yanmar promotions included, and you can decide with both sheets on the counter.
Questions people actually ask us
Where are Yanmar tractors made? I read somewhere they're built in India.
That's a mix-up worth clearing up. Some of John Deere's value-line compacts are Yanmar-designed and built overseas — which may be where the rumor comes from. Yanmar's own SA-series tractors are assembled at Yanmar America's plant in Adairsville, Georgia, and parts distribute from there across North America. Yanmar is a Japanese company, founded 1912, and it builds the engine, transmission, and axles for these tractors itself.
What about the emissions stuff — DPF regens and DEF?
Not on these. Because the SA series stays under 25 horsepower, its Yanmar diesel meets emissions standards without a DPF or DEF system — and injection is fully mechanical, with no ECU. No regen cycles, no fluid to buy, no computer between you and the engine. It starts, it runs, and there's nothing electronic to fault out when the tractor sits between jobs.
Why buy new when there are used Kubotas and Deeres for less?
Sometimes used is the right call — we sell used equipment too, so we're not going to pretend otherwise. But the math people skip: a new SA comes with 10 years or 3,000 hours of factory powertrain coverage and 2 years bumper-to-bumper. A used tractor at 600 hours comes with whatever's left, which is often nothing. Price the warranty into the comparison and the gap shrinks fast.
What's the difference between the SA325 and SA425?
Same tractor — same engine, same loader, same 1,209-lb hitch rating. The SA425 runs a larger tire package, which is where its extra ground clearance comes from: 9.9 inches versus 8.5. If your ground is rough or sloped, get the 425; if not, the 325 does the same work.
What happens when it needs parts or service?
The dealer matters as much as the brand — anyone who's owned a tractor knows it. We're a full-line Yanmar dealer with a stocked parts counter at 846 Greenspring Rd, and we've been the parts house other shops call for forty-year-old Yanmar-built Deeres. If we can keep a 1981 John Deere 750 running, we can keep your 2026 SA running.
Yanmar has been building diesels since 1933, when it produced the world's first commercially successful small horizontal water-cooled diesel engine — and it's been building complete tractors under its own name since the 1960's. Green Spring Tractor, 846 Greenspring Rd, Newville, PA — 717-776-4040. Come lift something heavy with one.
Specifications from Yanmar America and John Deere published specification sheets as of July 2026; set by manufacturers and subject to change — verify current figures with us before purchase. Historical manufacturing details per public reporting and Tractor Time with Tim's published history of John Deere compact tractor manufacturing. John Deere® is a registered trademark of Deere & Company. Yanmar® is a registered trademark of Yanmar Co., Ltd. Green Spring Tractor® is a registered trademark of Green Spring Inc. Green Spring Tractor is an independent authorized Yanmar dealer, not affiliated with Deere & Company.