B7500 Pros and Cons After 20 Hours Of Operation

[RAllen]

<font color=red>the fuel bowl is very exposed when mowing heavy brush. No problem yet but is a very real possibility</font color=red>

I have a B2910 and yes I did break the fuel bowl and fitting. Had diesel leaking everywhere, used a visegrip to clamp the hose. Cost about $40 to fix. A short log, buried in mud, was thrown up breaking the plastic bowl.

Rick

 

[MikeFLA]

Jeff,

You are right. Easy on easy off belongs in the pro's. I edited my original post.

I guess I don't use my differential lock enough for me to consider it a problem, but if I did, I would have to agree with you.

 

[MikeFLA]

Re: B7500 Pros and Cons After 20 Hours Of Operatio

Will,

I will do this as soon as I can remember what my password is. It is a requirement.

 

[MikeFLA]

Paul,

A simple way to check the hydraulic level is to lay the dipstick down on your index finger and drag it back towards you. You can immediately tell where the level is on the dipstick in relation to the wetness on your finger.

 

[Lizard]

Mike, good tip, tried this and it works like a champ.

Vance

 

[Jeff396]

I had the same problem shifting from low to high or back. I finally realized after reading many posts here that it will shift very easily on the fly and you won't feel or hear anything that would indicate it is bad to do. I just make sure I am going in a straight line and that the tractor is not under load. Give it a try and it will shift as smooth as can be. It makes me think of when I drove truck and had a good old time shifting without using the clutch....great fun but more difficult to do without clashing the gears.

Jeff

2001 B7500HSD, LA302fel, 60"mmm, grass catcher

 

[MikeFLA]

Jeff,

I have done this "accidentally" and did not hear any gear clashing. At the time it made me wonder if it was okay to do because it sure was a breeze.

We probably won't get the Kubota people to endorse it but in my mind it is a way to deal with the "problem".

As many times as I shift from L to N to H, this is a critical deficiency as far as I'm concerned.

 

[TresCrows]

Mike, the gears are not synchromeshed. If they stop rotating in an opposed condition then it will not shift. That is why it is needed to bump the hydro pedal etc. Your 7500 is brand new and very stiff. It will become easier to shift as time passes. Of course there will be times it does not want to shift and then just bump the hydro pedal to rotate the cog and try again, this is possible on the PTO also especially when going from center PTO to rear. The BX does not have a clutch and when I first got it it would hang up often, now it is a rare thing. I have noticed also on the 2410 having a clutch makes it easier to shift ranges but sometimes I forget to use the clutch. I have about 30 hours now on the 2410 and it has begun to loosen up, it is shifting better and the hydro is beginning to quiten down.
You will learn to handle these oddities quickly and soon you will begin to like the treadle hydro pedal also, I cannot imagine having it any other way now, it will grow on you.
Good luck with the new tractor.
j

 

[chrisjbell]

A warning about shifting from L to H, etc., "on the fly" - my B7300 has the same condition. I figured out the shift while moving trick and it worked great most of the time.

Until the day I was on a slope (going down), and tried to shift from L up to H. The *non-synchro* (as pointed out in a previous post) didn't mesh and I found myself *in neutral*, which would have been fine if I'd been prepared and had my foot on the brake. As it was, I had a few moments of terror as my tractor started accelerating down a 10% grade with a heavy load of gravel in the front.

Fortunately, I found the brake pedal pretty quick. But I don't use that trick any more. Much easier and safer to stop - the way I get the synchros to mesh is to put it in neutral and then just kick the HST pedals. It only takes one or two trys to get it in gear.

BTW, I find the HST pedals to be very usable where they are, and hit the diff lock all the time with my left heel. I have trouble adjusting to the different pedals on my JD rider, but I've had the Kubota longer.

And one more "con" (although I love my tractor). I think this applies to the 7500, but that may have a different cooling system. But on the 7300 the coolant drain valve is exposed much like the fuel filter bowl. One day, I'm out mowing and the thing just up and dies. Got the dealer out there "real quick" and figured out that the thing drained and overheated. Fortunately, I didn't keep trying to flog it so there shouldn't have been too much damage.

 

[Jeff396]

It's really not a problem as long as the engine is not under load which would include either pulling something or going up or down a grade. If you do, the engine will speed up when it hits neutral and you would no longer be able to get into the other gear without a synchronized transmission. I wouldn't even think of trying it if I was on ground steep enough that the tractor wouldn't just stop if the clutch were pressed.

Jeff