B7400/B7500 history

Anonymous Poster · Jul 19, 2001

I am working in the Philippines with a translation/linguistic organization. I need to purchase a new tractor/mower for the center, which covers about 10 hectors. The tractor needs to have front bucket capability also. I am looking at a B7400 or B7500 series. Because of our location I can not see one or talk to a dealer. What is your experience or recommendation?

Kelvin · Jul 19, 2001

Roger,

Steve Carver's web site is a good place to go for information when wanting to compare models (there are usually links from this forum's opening page).

Here are my comments...

Power Steering: If you are going to use a Front End Loader (FEL) then the predominate opinion on this board is to opt for a tractor with power steering to make life easier. The B7400 has manual steering while the B7500 has power steering.

Transmission: Again, for FEL work, go with the Hydrostatic Transmission. Especially if there is a lot of fore-and-aft tractor movement during the FEL work (I'd guess that greater than 80% of all FEL work involves a lot of changing direction...at least mine does). The B7400 is available only in hydrostatic; the B7500 is available in both gear-drive (B7500D) and hydrostatic (B7500HSD).

Both of the 3-point hitches are category "1" hitches. Neither tractor has position control on the 3-point lift. You'll have to consider the next larger tractor (B2410) to get position control if you think that you'll need it.

Horsepower ratings (based upon the sales brochure) is as follows:

Model Engine HP (PTO HP)
B7400HSD 16 (12.5)
B7500D 21 (16)
B7500HSD 21 (17)

That should be enough information to pass along for now. If there are more questions don't hesitate to ask. There is plenty of wisdom and experience lurking within the members and readers of this board.

Kelvin

Bird · Jul 19, 2001

Good answer, Kelvin. Roger, as far as quality, they're good. Just look at the specs at Carver's site or Kubota's site http://www.kubota.com to determine how big a tractor/mower you need, lift height and weight for the front end loader, etc. And as Kelvin said, I'd sure go for the HST and power steering, both for mowing and for front end loader work.

Bird

glennmac · Jul 19, 2001

What's a hector?

looch · Jul 19, 2001

A hectare is used to measure area and is equivalent to 2.47 acres.

DVerbarg · Jul 19, 2001

Glennmac,

A hectometer is 100 meters, so would a "hector" be an area of 100 sq meters?

DaveV

glennmac · Jul 19, 2001

Thanks, Paul. I wouldnt have known what is was with either spelling.

looch · Jul 19, 2001

I have an extremely useful little program called Convert. I think it's great, only 570Kb - and it's free! I highly recommend it. Here's the link if you interested. http://www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/download.asp

RPM · Jul 19, 2001

Roger,

I have friends and family in SE Asia, so your requests sparked off some thoughts ...

1. What's the most common, reliable, tractor in your area?

Tropical climates are tough on vehicles. Spare parts (and skilled mechanics) can be a challenge. Is Kubota well represented in the Phillipines? If not, you may want to consider another brand (boy that hurts to say!).

Even if a locally produced tractor needs to be repaired more often, the total cost of ownership may be much lower if the parts and labor are cheap and easily available.

2. Who's doing the maintenance on the tractor?

Hand-in-hand with the purchase goes the cost of maintenance - as I just stated. This is needed relatively frequently. Additional costs for specialist tools etc. need to be factored in - espec. if you are far from a dealer.

There are also few good substitutes for specialized hydraulic fluids that you will need a stockpile of (Kubota Super UDT is hard to find sometimes even in the US) ...

3. What are you planning on doing with the tractor?

The attachments can be a bigger hassle than the tractor itself. There are hundreds of years of combined experience on the forum that would be interested to help you out here!! Again, different attachments have pitfalls in terms of maintenance and 'gotchas' that you may want to consider in the purchase ...

I believe that the last question will get you the most responses ... tell us what you plan on doing and we'll give you suggestions ... you may also want to poke around this forum for items such as fuel filter funnels, high rated torque wrenches and so on ...

Hope this is helpful,

Patrick

Anonymous Poster · Jul 20, 2001

Thank you for the information. I am not familiar with the Steve Carver web site. Do you have a web address? For that matter, I can not spell "hectare". Again, thanks for the help.

Steve_Carver · Jul 20, 2001

frank_f15 · Jul 20, 2001

ROGER: u don't really tell us what u want to do with tractor.but if u intend a lot of fel work then the b7500(power steering) or the b2410 is probably the way to go, also hst is my choice.u say there is no dealer for u to look at one, how will u buy it and how will u get it serviced? is there a different name brand dealer close to u? if there is that may be a better choice(did i just say that?) take all these factors into account. i do love my kubota!

Kelvin · Jul 20, 2001

Looks like Steve responded sooner than I did, and with better information than I could've provided. Hopefully that'll be all you need.

Kelvin

Anonymous Poster · Jul 21, 2001

Patrick

Thank you for your response. Here in the Philippines there are a variety of tractors available, including Kubota. What I have found is that tractors made locally are of very poor quality and dependability. The vendor we contacted in Manila (actually owned by Kubota) is offering a B1700DT with MMM and FEL for about $16,600 US. Parts and SKILLED mechanics are hard to come by even in Manila. A warranty does not have much meaning for us here. It is over 200 miles, or 8 hours to Manila for service. With the cost of travel and lodging it is usually easier to purchase parts outright for the repairs.

We have a Cub Cadet that I inherited with this job. I have really learned to dislike that tractor. The only thing that hasn't broken on it is the Kubota engine. That is the main reason I am looking at a Kubota for the replacement.

Parts delivered from the US usually take about 3 weeks. If I order from Manila it will be at least 3 weeks if the item is available. Part of being here is learning how to put up with the inconvience.

I have a standing quotation from a vendor in the US for $13,800 for the B7500HST, MMM and FEL. I am not sure about tires and some of the other things that need to be researched. Because of our contract the the Philippine government we are able to import duty free. The other costs would be sea freight so we would actually come out with a better price fromt the US and have a better model.

As far as use, the tractor will used for mowing about 25 hours a week. The FEL would be used about 4 hours a week for sight cleanup and maybe moving some sand. I might pull a section of chain-linked fence along the road to smooth the gravel.

Again, thank you for your assistance.

Von · Jul 21, 2001

With that much grass to cut I would want to step up to a 72" mower deck. If you need to have a MMM that puts you into a B2710. If cost is not an issue (read government job) I think with that much property to maintain you will be better off with the bigger tractor.

RPM · Jul 21, 2001

Roger,

25 hours a week of mowing will certainly keep you busy!

Well, I think that the dominant factors in your decision will probably be influenced by the organization you work for. If it's American, it probably makes sense to import from America. If it isn't then you might want to investigate importing direct from Japan. The dollar is strong right now ... but then you do add the language barrier for Japan.

Some more questions that will help people on the board provide feedback:

1. I assume the 25 hours a week is what you spent on the old tractor. What size deck did it have? Was is gear drive or hydrostatic? (You may be able to drop this number)

2. Is your land very sandy? If so, that may be the cause of some of your problems. Sand is very hard on mower decks and parts for obvious reasons. You may not be able to get around some of the issues there. What were the typical failures?

3. Is the land you are mowing all well groomed or is there some 'brush'? You may want to consider more than just a typical mid-mount mower if there is any rough cutting being done.

Finally, looking at the manual for my tractor (a BX 2200, so smaller than what you are looking at), the maintenance schedule looks as follows:

Rotary Mower - grease every usage, first gear box oil change at 50 hours, follow ons every 150 hours.

Tractor:
50 hours - change engine oil, filter, transmission fluid, filter

Follow-ons:
Change engine oil every 100 hours and filter every 200 hours.
Change trans fluid and filter every 300 hours

Most of the other items are 'check and replace as necessary' every 100 hours or so along with regular maintenance.

So, based on 30 hours a week of work you're going to have a fair amount of maintenance on your hands. Every 3 weeks you're going to be changing engine oil or transmission fluid or one filter or another. Probably a good idea to stock up on fluid and filters as I mentioned last time!

Just a few additional notes - hope they help.

Again, the more detail (you won't be able to give too much) on the type of property, soil type, what you plan to mow, how many obstacles you have to mow around, what the specific problems you were having with the last tractor were etc etc will all help ...

Patrick

r0GuE · Jul 22, 2001

Roger:
get a quote from Carver on the model you decide on. He was the cheapest even with shipping (for me) but not by enough to give up local service (for me/ not an issue for you).
Also, definatly look in to a more direct import (from Japan?) for the tractor and parts.

Rogue

Anonymous Poster · Jul 28, 2001

Patrick

Thanks again for your help and sorry for the delay. We are literally the last customer on the phone system here and the lines are down not always working.

Here on the island of Luzon we get about 100 inches of rain a year. Our property is an old rice field with very rich black soil. The 20+ acres is a small community with 38 buildings, an airstrip and after 30 years, lots of trees. This time of year the ground stays very wet mowing is a problem.

The Cub Cadet we have has a 60" MMM. It is driven by an electric clutch from the front of the engine. We use Mitsubishi belts and have to change about every 2 weeks, even with new pulleys.

The Cub has a hydrostatic transmission and that is one of the biggest problems. There is no one here who knows how to work on it. It is functional but it looses about 1 qt of fluid a day through the relief valves.

The other big problem with the Cub has been the electrical system. None of the original harness or switches are being used. It has been totally rewired so that we can keep it running.

I have a few questions abut the Kabota:

What is the drive mechanism for the MMM on the 7500? How is the MMM raised and lowered?

Does the FEL and the transmission use the same fluid from a common pump.

Can you get me the name and type of the hydraulic fluid/s use by the Kabota so I can check to see if it is available in Manila?

With the hydrostatic transmission, can the Bota be pushed or towed if the engine is not running? (we have built a sled to pull the Cub when it breaks, it takes a good 4-wheel or a carabau to pull it)

Is the front axle drive hydrostatic or mechanical?

Again, thanks for the assistance.

glennmac · Jul 28, 2001

While someone is answering Roger's technical questions, I say we start passing the tin cup. This is the most pathetic tractor situation we have yet encountered. Sounds as if a manual push lawnmower would be a step up.

I should point out that it would be far closer to ship a Kubota from Japan than from Dunn, North Carolina.

woodstock · Jul 28, 2001

Glenn
You have to understand/remember history to understand why they would buy it from the US and not Japan.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

2001 BX2200 (20 hrs) All Kubota FEL,Tiller, box blade, blower w/elec shute, 60 mid mt deck, Ag tires.
Grey market B7000 w/Tiller (120 hrs)
1984 JD 316 after 687 hrs.