b7500 ? good or not.

[jims5acr]

I am looking at a new B7500, with a FEL. How does everyone feel about this tractor? What are the limits of the P.T.O.? What is the largest bush hog I could run on it and not have a power problem. Is there a better choice for the same money (or close)? I am getting to the upper limits of my budget and I looked at the BX and I do not think it has enough ground clearance.

 

[Bird]

Jim, my opinion is that you would want a 4' brush hog, and the B7500 should be a very good choice if the BX doesn't have enough ground clearance.

Bird

 

[theboman]

I have a B7500, 60" MMM, Woods 1006 FEL and I am 100% happy.
On Bush Hogs (rotary cutters) they only suggest the 4" models. Actually the rule of thumb on the B7500 (or that size of compact) is 4' implements. Using a bigger rear blade is not a problem just beware of 3pt hitch weight limts.

Bluegrass, Pick It Up!

 

[GlueGuy]

Jim,

I've got a Woods XT148 (48", or 4') mower on my B7500. Seems to run great, and has never bogged down. I would say that it's just about exactly the right size.

The GlueGuy

 

[skgolfer]

Jim

I have the b7500, 60"MMM and 302 Fel. It is a great tractor and a great setup. I also have the Woods XT148 and it works great. I've read through many of these threads that you shouldn't go any bigger than 4' on the rear end implements on the B7500. Seems like good advice.

sk

 

[crown]

The 7500 is a great machine, I run a 4 ft brush hog on mine has never lacked for power.

 

[looch]

I am somewhat offended by your subject title (kidding/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif). Of course, as long as B7500 owners are the only ones posting to this thread, you won't have much to compare to. I like mine a lot.

I use a 48" brush cutter without any trouble. As for choices for the money, not where I live. The closest I saw here was the JD 790, but no HST, and the mid-PTO, 4WD were optional.

 

[jims5acr]

I want to thank all of you for the information on this board and the replys to my post. I will be picking up my b7500 tomorrow or monday. thanks again and I can't wait to get the machine.

 

[pcmem]

sk,

How do you like the 7500 w/ 60" MMM? I'm curious about how
well it cuts in comparison to the BX with the suspended
deck. I realize you don't have the BX to compare to but
does the MMM cut well w/o scalping and contour nicely?
Another concern of mine is how easy/difficult is the mower
and loader to remove and replace? I haven't been able to
find a 7500 w/ either yet to see in person but several
dealers have assured me they'll call when they are ready.

Thanks for the info,
Michael

 

[jims5acr]

I did not get the MMM, insted I bought a 4' bush hog. The bush hog cut the grass great on the 7500. Removing the FEL is a peice of cake, pull 2 pins and put the feet down then use the hyd's to lift it off the tractor, then disconnect the 4 hyd lines and back out. It take less the 5 min to do it.

 

[snowman]

I've got a 60" MMM on my B7500 - lawn looks great; some
scalping here and there, but that's to be expected with
a new mower. After mowing a few times, you learn where
the scalping may occur; but that's the case with any mower.

I mow over some good size berms and don't scalp.

No wheel marks either, unless the ground is muddy.

Mower is easy to take on and off - two pins hook it up to
the 3pt hitch, one front bracket, and attach the PTO.

 

[Nuckman]

I have a B7500HST with the 60"MMM. I also have a Woods BB48 rotary cutter, I think this is their new model. I have a Woods 5000 chipper shredder too. The MMM can be removed in less than 10 min. by using a couple of wood blocks between the front wheels and the mower deck, then just back over the mower deck. I have 3-50 lbs. weight on the front. You will need the FEL or the weights to use a rear attached implement such as the 4' rotary cutter or a chipper shredder. The B7500 has plenty of power for the rotary cutter. The chipper shredder run great too, except when feeding 4-5 in. long branches, etc. it will occasionally bog down. The Woods 5000 is gravity feed and when it starts eating a large branch it is hard to stop it.
The dealer was out of FEL when I got my tractor the end of July. The loaders are due in this week. I'm to get one soon as I can get my tractor back to him. He is taking the front weights back on the FEL.

 

[pcmem]

Thanks for the info on the 7500 and mowers. I'm hoping to
check one out in person shortly. Also the chipper/shredded
sounds like it would be quite handy. I'll have to check
into the "Woods" impliments.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[pcmem]

snowman,

Which blower do you have on your 7500 and how well does it
work?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[snowman]

I have the Kubota brand model B2660, which is the front
mount 5' two stage blower, manual chute.

Works great. Purchased it with the tractor in 2/01, so I had
it pretty much all of last winter.

I live in Central New York, so I get all types of snow - lake
affect, powder, heavy wet stuff; moved everything very
easily.

Only problems I've had are:
(1) The chute has a wire grid in it presumably to prevent
solid objects from being shot out (ie: rocks), That
clogged right up with the wet snow. I just bent it back
with my hand and have had no clogging problems since
then.

(2) There are two shafts on either side of the blower coming
off the PTO shaft. The actual "cutting augars" slip over
this shaft and are kept from slipping via the shear bolts.

I had a gravel driveway (just paved it last month) and
was constantly breaking the shear bolts. One of the
shafts was slightly offcenter and I could not get the
replacement shear bolt in; I have no idea how the original
shearbolt was able to be inserted. I had my dealer (who
subsequently closed) come and they fixed it by cutting
off some of the sleeve so that it had more play on the
shaft (which let me line up the shear bolt holes).

The dealer had loaned me a B7400 with a rear blower while I
was waiting for delivery of mine, so I was able to experience using a rear blower; the rear blower is physcially larger than
the front for some reason, but there is no real difference in
the capabilities. The front mount was definitely easier to use. Even though the front mount is more expensive, I felt
that it was worth it, as my primary rationale for purchasing the
tractor was snow removal. If I was able to put a plow on my
truck (which I can't - 1999 Ford Expedition), I wouldn've done
that and probably just purchased a riding lawn mower.

 

[pcmem]

Sounds like it handles the 5' just fine. At one time I
had a Snow King walk behind that had a slip clutch on the
chain drive to the front auger (2 stage). Great feature
for a snowblower (I've yet to find another with that).
When blowing gravel drives and the auger would jam on a rock
I'd either reverse and it would self clear or shutdown and
clear it and get back to blowing snow. Shear pins are cheap
but replacing them in freezing weather is a pain. I still
don't like working with wet, frozen tools. I've since
learned tricks to letting the gravel hardpack and such but
the slip clutch was a handy feature.

Thanks,
Michael