Message 3 of 4
Posted by member Simon Kidd on Thursday 1 February 2018

As I understand it the 4LHA is a Yanmar specific design so options are likely very limited (and I guess Yanmar take advantage of this - much to the detriment of the Hardy owner!). The Yanmar 6L and 4L series fitted to earlier 32's and 26's etc were Toyota engines - so I suspect a lot more options,

I guess it's all down to confidence in the product. I was looking for aftermarket filters for my Caterpillars and fitted New Holland supplied units after a lot of research, I didn't run the engines hard at all, so the saving in money was considerable and helped pay for Pencil anodes.

With my Yamaha's I have the option of using "Ebay Specials", available for a couple of pounds (Who knows whats in them), but go for the £13 genuine parts. The engines rev and do thier fair share of work - I can rest easy and I just don't know where the Ebay Specials come from - there's no brand name.

I think if buying a boat, seeing the genuine filters on a late boat helps give confidence in the servicing, I often hear clients comment on after market service items - they do like to see the branded parts - It tends to be seen as an indicator on how well the boat has been looked after (rightly or wrongly). Not such an issue on older boats.

Happy servicing!

Add your comment | ^Top

Message 1 of 4
Posted by member Kenneth Herbert on Thursday 1 February 2018

After many hours searching the net' I have found a source of cost effective alternative oil filters for most if not all Hardy boat owners.
I have two 4LHA STP's in my Commander 32 and have original and spares of the Massively expensive Yanmar YAN 127695-35150-12 so will use them up first, but replacements will be in the order of £28 each!
Now for the good news; 'IN-LINE Filters' have two equivalents i.e. Fram PH3306A and Baldwin FFR-PH 3306 at a cost of just £4.41 each plus VAT and £6 P&P. s
So for the cost of 2 x £4.41 +£0.88 vat = £10.58 plus £6.00 P&P Total of £16.88 quite a bargain over 2x £28 inc vat plus £6 P&P = £62 a saving of £45.12
These filters as far as I can see are of similar quality and are fitted on Seddon Aitkinson and many other quality engines and are of similar specification to the Yanmar fitments. I certainly wouldn't fit lesser filters to save money but these Yanmar prices are simply outrageous. Will be looking to In-Line filters for other parts as they arise. Do have a look for your parts here too as you will be very surprised how much you can save.
CONTACT DETAILS ARE: In -LIne Filters tel; 01579 321351 or inline filters.co.uk.
Regards
Ken Herbert, African Queen, Commander 32 DS.

Add your comment | ^Top