B7100 Replacement Seat

[RickNC]

Anyone know of a Kubota seat that will directly replace the seat on the B7100? I'm sure that one can be adapted with some prudent welding, but I am looking for a more comfortable replacement, perhaps from a later model. The original is a steel shell with a vinyl cover over what must be < 1/4 inches of foam and gets uncomfortable after 10 seconds or so.

 

[B2400]

Do you have access to a TSC( Tractor Supply Store)? 2 years ago I purchased a suspension seat for $100 from our local TSC. The only modification was to the new seats 4 bolt bracket, the rear bolt holes had to be relocated. Drilled two new holes and seat was installed. I absolutely loved that seat and wished I could have kept it for my B2400, but due to the rear fender cross brace I didn't see a way to mount it without major sheet metal alterations. The suspension turned my mowing sessions from a kidney bruiser into a easy ride around the yard!!

 

[HammerFour]

B2400, was this seat install you posted about done on a B7100? I want a better seat for B7100 as well.

Thanks!

 

[B2400]

I'm sorry, got to typing so fast( about 2 words per minute!) that I forgot to mention that fact. Yes, it was on a 1994 B7100 and was very easy to install.

 

[bpence]

I installed a suspension seat on my 1995 B7100 as well. Probably the same type seat from our local TSC. It took all of an hour to take the old seat off, make the mods necessary (no welding) and drill any needed holes for positioning. Worth every dollar spent for the seat and every minute spent installing it many times over. I'm kind of surprised that you thought the original seat was comfortable for as long as 10 seconds. I disliked it the instant my butt hit it.

 

[B2400]

You never know how bad it is until something better comes along!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[HammerFour]

My seat on my mid 80s B7100 has a pin at the front and two sort of spring things to support the rear. Is this the same layout you have/had on your newer B7100s?

I would LOVE a better seat than the little pan thing I have now.

If anyone could snap a picture of their seat upgrade on a B-7100 I would really appreciate it....I will try and get one of my current seat's mounting setup.

 

[B2400]

Sold my B7100 to buy the B2400 so I can't help you on the pictures. The bracket which your seat pivot is attached to must be removed( 4 bolts I believe) and the suspension seat bolts up to the two front holes but the rear holes had to be redrilled on the new seat bracket and then attachedto the existing slide mount on B7100. Takes longer to tell about it than to do it!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chrisjbell]

Interesting to see this post - I was just about to ask about a replacement seat for a B7300. Is the B7100 close enough in size that I would be able to use the same TSC seat? My seat, as well as being pretty uncomfy, is getting kind of ripped up in a couple of spots. Any thoughts from the readers of this thread or should I do another post?

 

[B2400]

I'm not familiar with the B7300. Does it have a sheet metal cross brace at the rear of the fenders? If so, it may interfere with the suspension seat when it is moved all the way back on the seating slide adjustment. That's the only reason I haven't installed one on my B2400 yet. I haven't given up on it yet, I'm still eyeballin' and will find a way eventually as it is a very comfortable seat.

 

[chickenfriend]

I'm not familiar with the B7300. Does it have a sheet metal cross brace at the rear of the fenders? If so, it may interfere with the suspension seat when it is moved all the way back on the seating slide adjustment. That's the only reason I haven't installed one on my B2400 yet. I haven't given up on it yet, I'm still eyeballin' and will find a way eventually as it is a very comfortable seat.

I know this thread is dated.

Kubota B7100. I need a replacement seat. The old seat pan is rusted through. This particular tractor has a pivot bracket in the front, so the seat will fold down over the steering wheel, and a bracket in the rear which has two rubber cushioning pillars. Also, that rear bracket spans the distance between the two fenders and bolts to them.

Will the suspension-style seats, like the one from Tractor Supply work on this without removing the cross-brace?

 

[bdhsfz6]

I know this thread is dated.

Kubota B7100. I need a replacement seat. The old seat pan is rusted through. This particular tractor has a pivot bracket in the front, so the seat will fold down over the steering wheel, and a bracket in the rear which has two rubber cushioning pillars. Also, that rear bracket spans the distance between the two fenders and bolts to them.

Will the suspension-style seats, like the one from Tractor Supply work on this without removing the cross-brace?

When the seat went on my B7100 HST, the dealer recommended a generic replacement available at Northern Tool:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...&type=search&gclid=CJqa5IKky88CFYxZhgodcWIEdA

At $99, it was far cheaper than the Kubota replacement part. Although it is a direct bolt on replacement for many Kubota models, I had to make an adapter bracket to fit the front pivot. The seat has many tapped screw holes so it wasn't difficult. My seat pivots front to rear for use with a backhoe so I'm not sure if it will bolt up directly to your tractor. It isn't a suspension seat but it was far more comfortable than the factory OEM seat.

I don't know about the suspension seat from TS so I can't help you there.

 

[chickenfriend]

Thanks for the reply.

So, did you leave the rear bracket in place, and does the rear of the new seat rest on the rubber pillars?

 

[chickenfriend]

You can see the rear bracket has two purposes, support for the seat and brace for the fenders.

I see that bolt working its way loose.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Thanks for the reply.

So, did you leave the rear bracket in place, and does the rear of the new seat rest on the rubber pillars?

Yes, the seat rests on the rubber pillars but they are mounted to a swivel plate which replaces the rear fender bracket. My seat was designed to swivel so it faces to the rear to use a backhoe. I'd post a pic but I traded the tractor several years ago.

One reviewer of the Northern Tool seat said it bolted right up to his B6100 which, as I recall, is very similar to the B7100.

 

[chickenfriend]

Thanks for the information.

I looked at that Northern Tools seat and it looks like Tractor Supply sells the same one, and it is in stock at my local store. Tractor Supply also shows a bracket kit designed to fit the seat to the front pivot.

I think I could cut or grind the welds off the old brackets which are a part of the stock Kubota seat, and bolt them, instead of welding them, to the new seat pan.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Thanks for the information.

I looked at that Northern Tools seat and it looks like Tractor Supply sells the same one, and it is in stock at my local store. Tractor Supply also shows a bracket kit designed to fit the seat to the front pivot.

I think I could cut or grind the welds off the old brackets which are a part of the stock Kubota seat, and bolt them, instead of welding them, to the new seat pan.

Yes, it appears the TS seat is the same as the one sold by Northern Tool.

I did what you propose to do. I used an air grinder with a small wheel to cut the bracket welds off the old seat. The welds were pretty sloppy to begin with and it was easy to do. I was able to drill holes in the brackets and screw them to the pre tapped holes in the seat. It took a little time to get them to line up properly though.

 

[chickenfriend]

I chose to try the non-suspension compact tractor seat "Black Talon" seat sold at Tractor Supply. The seat is sold by a company called "Concentric". The main problem was not the brackets, but the 3pt hitch lever which the seat hit. I bent the lever handle as much as I could, then bent the trim flange on the seat, where the lever hit--using a deadblow hammer. This combination got me clearance.

There was already one bolt hole on the old Kubota seat brackets which I cut off the old pan. This hole is perfect for attaching the bracket to the Talon seat, except that the bolt head prevents use of the middle of the three pivot pin adjustments because it impinges on the bushing holder.

There are two places on the seat bottom the bracket will bolt to. I experimented. I ended up using the most forward bolt hole pair, with the rearmost pivot pin location. That is about a middle position in respect to the tractor.

It is a very nice seat. If I were to re-design it specifically for this tractor, I would take a half the height off the seat back. I did not look to see if a low back version of the same seat were available.

In summary, I did not need any adaptor plates and did not need to drill any holes. I re-used the brackets which were on the stock Kubota seat pan, so the pivot and functionality is the same. The only modifications I made were for clearance for the lift lever over the right fender.

I used two bolts, 5/16" by 1/2" long. with plain washers and Loctite on the bolt threads.

 

[bdhsfz6]

So, I went with the non-suspension compact tractor seat "Black Talon" seat sold at Tractor Supply. The main problem was not the brackets, but the 3pt hitch lever which the seat hit. I bent the lever handle as much as I could, then bent the trim flange on the seat, where the lever hit--using a deadblow hammer. This combination got me clearance.

There was already one bolt hole on the old Kubota seat brackets which I cut off the old pan. This hole is perfect for attaching the bracket to the Talon seat, except that the bolt head prevents use of the middle of the three pivot pin adjustments because it impinges on the bushing holder.

There are two places on the seat bottom the bracket will bolt to. I experimented. I ended up using the most forward bolt hole pair, with the rearmost pivot pin location. That is about a middle position.

It is a very nice seat. If I were to re-design it specifically for this tractor, I would take a half the height off the seat back. I did not look to see if a low back version of the same seat were available.

In summary, I did not need any adaptor plates and did not need to drill any holes. I re-used the brackets which were on the stock Kubota seat pan, so the pivot and functionality is the same. The only modifications I made were for clearance for the lift lever over the right fender.

I used two bolts, 5/16" by 1/2" long. with plain washers and Loctite on the bolt threads.

It sounds like you got the job done. You had a much harder time of it than I did. The swivel backhoe seat is a bit higher than the OEM and had plenty of clearance for the 3pt lever. There was also no interference with the pivot pin holes.

 

[chickenfriend]

Brackets cut from seat, to be bolted to new seat so it will fit the stock pivot system. You can see the existing hole I will use for the fastener bolt, on the right bracket:



Bracket mounted in final position showing holding bolt installed. Pen shows which position where I am going to set the pivot pin. Note how tight it is against the seat lip. I had to clearance the bracket there some to get the bolt hole aligned:



Bracket and seat installed in final position. My fingers are pointing to the other pair of seat pan holes I could have used to mount the bracket. That option would have either brought the seat forward about as far as it can go, and rearward, about as far as it was originally designed to go:



Final view:



I had mentioned the Talon seat had no provision for attaching a triangle; however, the back of the seat is metal, and the holder bracket from the old Kubota seat is easy to grind off the old seat. Might be possible to attach the Kubota bracket to the back of the Talon seat with short sheet metal screws.

Thanks for your comments and help.