My (new) used B7100

[Chuckanut]

The sales guy delivered my B7100HST-D yesterday afternoon. Here are some pictures for you to look at. I am excited to get out and use it but I have a list of projects that I need to finish first.

I was not home but my wife was there. Which is a good thing since the sales guy talked to my wife and explained the benefits, the resale value (in the event of an upgrade), and Attachments that a tractor can do. You see, she does not always believe me when I tell her something; after all, I am just the husband! I know she was listen to the sales guy because she said something I never thought I would hear from her? And that statement was "Now, you can put a backhoe on this tractor, Right?"

BUT I panicked and I MESSED UP! I said "Yes it could take a backhoe" WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID WAS "NO. But if we need that, we can get a little larger tractor with one already attached"

Chuckanut

 

[Egon]

Maybe a backhoe with a larger tractor attached!

 

[B2400]

You're going to love the little 7100. One of the hardest working tractors Kubota has ever built

 

[B7510HSD]

Congrats on the new tractor!!! You'll have a blast with that!!

 

[bruski]

Congratulations on acquiring a "little mule." You'll have a lot of fun with that. I had a b7100. Kept it for a year before selling it to a neighbor for what I paid for it. Bought a b2400 w/loader as a replacement. I miss the little mule. Never would have sold it if it'd had a loader. . .

Lefty

 

[KubotainNH]

Looks like the paint still shines. I have it's cousin, it's amazing how much work these little guys will do.

 

[lp333]

...The sales guy delivered my B7100HST-D yesterday afternoon...

Chuckanut, you are indeed a lucky person. The B7100 sold very well from 1977-1983. It was replaced by the B7200 (starting in 1983), then later by the B1550 (starting in 1988) and then again by the B1700 (1995).

In my opinion and experience, the B7100 is a very very special little workhorse. The B7100 is as close as it gets to a North American legend when it comes to Kubota tractors. The reason for this being that after the B7100 was discontinued in 1983, sales of the new models (B7200, B1550 and B1700) in NA were not as good as Kubota had expected. Further, the public kept asking dealers for the B7100. In light of lagging sales and public demand, Kubota finaly elected to re-introduce the B7100 in NA 1991. When Kubota finally stopped selling them around 1996, it wasn't because public demand had stopped, but rather because Kubota's inventory had run dry and none were left to sell.

The re-introduced B7100 can be easily distinguished from its older brother by an elegant front grill that bulges outwards. In my opinion, the B7100 is probably the longest running Kubota model sold in NA, and arguably Kubota's most popular model at least until the advent of the very popular BX series. Perhaps the only real failing of the B7100 was its lack of power sterring when used with a front loader.

The B7100 remains a remarkable little workhorse. The B7100HSD (like yours) was my very first Kubota, and a source of immense enjoyment. Chuckanut, I know that you will LOVE owning and operating this legendary machine.

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks to all for your kind words. After driving it around a little this weekend, I have realized that is the perfect size tractor for my little 5 acre home. Before the tractor I was in shock at how much work I was going to have. Now, I am confused as to where to start using the tractor.


I already have my 2 year old daughter saying "Daddys tractor" and pointing to it. You will deffently be hearing questions and comments from me about this tractor.

 

[AchingBack]

Looking at your first picture makes me think a bigger tractor might be too wide to clear the building.

And by the way, that is a cool looking cobblestone driveway. Did you do that yourself?

 

[charlz]

Thanks to all for your kind words. After driving it around a little this weekend, I have realized that is the perfect size tractor for my little 5 acre home. Before the tractor I was in shock at how much work I was going to have. Now, I am confused as to where to start using the tractor.

I have a b7100 gear and 4.5 acres, I agree it is about the perfect size. Certainly a lot of work on that many acres... but I am not sure yet if the tractor saves work or makes more "gee, I could put on the hoe and run a trench right along there..."

 

[Bigtwin]

@Chuckanut, did you get a user manual? I've owned a B7100HSD since 96 and have enjoyed it very much on our 4 acre place.

 

[Chuckanut]

Looking at your first picture makes me think a bigger tractor might be too wide to clear the building.

And by the way, that is a cool looking cobblestone driveway. Did you do that yourself?

That is the second tightest area on the property. The first is my gate leading to the front yard but I made sure you could get a wheel barrel thru easly.

No, I can not take credit for that driveway. Our driveway way put in by a master cement guy when our house was built. It is exposed agraget with 6 center squares, stamped to look like shale rock. The man loved cement.

Chuckanut

 

[Chuckanut]

@Chuckanut, did you get a user manual? I've owned a B7100HSD since 96 and have enjoyed it very much on our 4 acre place.

YES, I did get my Owners manual for the tractor and the 1630C loader. I have already ordered a parts manual for my tractor.

As far as the Repair/Maintenance manual, I have been looking on the internet but the prices vary so much, that I am leery about buying since I can not open it and look thru the pages to see if it is worth it. I usually buy the manufactures repair manual since it is FULL of great information but the cost is usually very high.


So who has bought a repair manual and where and how much?

Chuckanut

 

[M_Brown]

Chuckanut, I have a 1991 B7100 I purchased a year ago. It is a great tractor. I bought the parts and service manuals from my dealer. The engine manual and parts manual are a must and were good copies. The tractor manual I recieved form the dealer is not worth the price in my opinion. It is a very poor copy and most of the pictures are to dark to see. It looks like it was reproduce on a poor quality B & W copier and it did not have good detailed procedures like I would have expected from a dealer manual. I don't have the prices with me but will send them later after I look them up. I believe the Tractor parts manual was about $30 an about the same on the engine manual. I think the tractor manual was over $100. Search the internet for the tractor manual for a better price and maybe even a better copy. I use the parts manual with the exploded views all the time when I am working on the tractor or just interested in seeing how something is put togeather. I'll have to say this tractor has not needed much in the way of repairs. It is also a work horse. I put a 600 lb counter weight on the 3pt and I don't even care that it doesn't have power steering.I noticed you have different rear hubs on your tractor,the new style I believe. Mine are the old ones that get loose form time to time. Do You think you could take a close-up picture of your rear hub for me to check it out? Mike

 

[Chuckanut]

Chuckanut, ---.I noticed you have different rear hubs on your tractor,the new style I believe. Mine are the old ones that get loose form time to time. Do You think you could take a close-up picture of your rear hub for me to check it out? Mike

Ok mike, here are my pictures of my hubs....
(whisper the next sentance ) What are exactlly we looking for?

Chuckanut

 

[M_Brown]

I wanted to see what the new style hubs looked like. I am putting in some pic's of my hubs and you will see what I mean. I would like to have some for my tractor but I understand they are pretty expensive. I am not sure of the best place to buy them nor sure of the price. If you look at the 2 pictures you will notice shim under the pinch bolt on one of the hubs, which works pretty good to keep it tight. I see yours are not painted so it looks like they have been updated. I also put in a picture of my counterweight. It is 600lbs. Before I put the weight on I had lots of tire spin when using the loader and it was hard to steer because of the lack of ps. The rear tires are also loaded and weight 135lbs a piece. It now steers very easy, even with the loader full. I can push into hard ground with plenty of traction. I am still looking for the price of the manual and will post them when I find my receipts.

Mike

 

[Chuckanut]

I wanted to see what the new style hubs looked like. I am putting in some pic's of my hubs and you will see what I mean. I would like to have some for my tractor but I understand they are pretty expensive. I am not sure of the best place to buy them nor sure of the price. If you look at the 2 pictures you will notice shim under the pinch bolt on one of the hubs, which works pretty good to keep it tight. I see yours are not painted so it looks like they have been updated. I also put in a picture of my counterweight. It is 600lbs. Before I put the weight on I had lots of tire spin when using the loader and it was hard to steer because of the lack of ps. The rear tires are also loaded and weight 135lbs a piece. It now steers very easy, even with the loader full. I can push into hard ground with plenty of traction. I am still looking for the price of the manual and will post them when I find my receipts.

Mike

Wow!! I had no idea they have that much difference. So to make sure I have your hub setup correct, You have one bolt that goes thru your axle and (what looks like) a Retainer ring and the second bolt is cinched down on the hub to lock it in place. It looks like it would be a straight swap if you had the parts.
Well I will try to find out the part numbers. That is when I receive my parts manual.

THANKS. Traction. That was going to be another question once I have had more seat time. I drove up a slow sloping hill on some loose soil in 2wd and the tractor got stuck. I had to switch to 4wd to get up the slope. I CAN DRIVE OUR MINIVAN UP THAT SLOPE WITH OUT GET STUCK!

The sale guy never said the tires were filled and I never asked. So you have fill tires (I assume Calcium) and you use a 600 lb rear weight? I ask because if you have already resolved the issue, I would rather learn from you then spend countless hours trying to figure it out. I guess I will have to do some (pro and Cons) research on Calcium filled tires.

Did you make you own rear weight?

 

[mrwitty_1]

The part number for the hub is 66416-17303, around a $120 per side. But much better set-up.

 

[M_Brown]

Mrwitty 1, thanks for the part # on the hub, Is that price though the kubota dealer? I thought I heard $300 a piece at one time. It must have been $300 for both. $120 sound like a resonable price.

Chuckanut, ya they would be a direct swap, there is suppose to be a pin and a hairpin where the bolt is, just like yours. Mine had the bolts when I bought it. The counterweight is a loan from a friend. I thought it would be to heavy for the 3pt but it lifts it fine. The 3pt is rated to lift 1036lbs and so we tested it. My buddy and I stood on the block and that was well over 1000lbs and it lifted us fine. The front of the tractor is still planted firmly on the ground. I keep saying I am going to make my own but have not got around to it yet and he is not in a hurry to get it back. When I mention getting it back to him he will just say not to worry about it. He is a good friend and we help each other alot. Before I had the weight on the back it was very difficult to get any traction when using the loader to dig. As soon as the weight would come off the front tires the back ones would spin. There is alot of info here on TBN on making you own and some really good ideas.My tires are filled with Calcium. When I bought the tractor I noticed that one tire was much lighter than the other. One was 75% full and the other was maybe 20%. I took them to Les schwab and had new Calcium water put in both for $43. The color of the old fluid was very light brown and the guy said that the wheels were ok and if I keep it at 75% it would keep the wheel covered and be less likely of rusting out the wheel. Of cousre if you run over something and put a hole in the tire it will leak out. I do alot of work in the woods, brush and heavy limps and have not had any problems so far. Oh I found prices on the manuals. parts manual for tractor was $32 , the manual for the engine was $33, tractor manual was $157. I took another look at the tractor manual and Its not a bad as I thought , the picturse are not very good but the rest of the content is not to bad. But I would probably try to get a better price if i were to do it again. Most of the photos are just to dark to be of use. Maybe I just like pictures.


Mike

 

[Egon]

My hubs were $300 apiece. I tried shims on the old ones but that was a never ending repeat job. The hubs make a world of difference.

If you fellows send me your email addresses I may be able to send you a version of the parts manual. At least I'll try. It's too large for an attachment here. I used it yesterday to order some parts and the numbers were all valid.