new user with questions about 7510 and 7610

jheady · Mar 17, 2005

Hello everyone. I am strongly considering trading my ZTR in on a tractor to get more stuff done around the house. I have been lurking and reading everything I can find on the BX22, the B7510, and B7610 on this site.
I have 5 acres that is all fairly flat and I do mow all of it. Hindsight is 20/20, so I find myself constantly running into needs for a tractor but just have the mower handy. (My father in law has 60 acres 7 mi. away and he has an old 35hp Long that I can use when I need it, and that is why I went with the ZTR) 90 - 95% of my needs will be lawn mowing, but I know I will be using it to move dirt/rock, pulling fence posts or replacing fence, general landscaping, maintaining 300+' gravel drive, and possibly limited use with a 5' bushhog (father in law's place, which is wooded and hills).

Which ever model I would end up choosing, I know I will be getting a HSD model with a FEL and at least a 60"MMM to start off. I am really leaning towards the B7510 but I still have questions for some of the owners of these models, or any input or advice that may help my decision. I think the BX will be too small for my needs, but I still have not knocked it from the list.

How well do the B7510 or B7610 mow or work as a mower? I have read both good and bad, but how "good" is the cut and finish? I do understand the scuffing on turns and I am not expecting a commerical mower finish.

If you had to change anything on your purchase, what would it be? Would you buy the same thing again? What options should I be consider adding or considering?

Is it worth it to consider the R4 tires instead of Turf? How well do the turfs perform when digging or using the FEL? Does filling the tires make much difference for the ride? Anyone use SLIME or similar to keep the from dealing with flats?

On pricing your purchase, how variable are quotes? I have seen where some people are getting some great prices and some of the online pricing I have seen are really good. Any complication with buying out of state? So far I have gotten this:

B7510HSD - $10500 (I haven't gotten the price yet on the HSDTR)
B7610HSD - $12500
BX2230HSD - $10500
FEL - $2500 - $2700 according to model
MMM - $1850

Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

smwelden · Mar 17, 2005

Hi jheady.....in my unprofessional opinion, you should keep your ZTR! I have been drowling and studying CUT for 5 years now... I FORCED myself to by a ZTR for mowing and put off buying the CUT. In short it came down to I want the right tool for the right job! I wanted a real mower for mowing and I want a real tractor for doing tractor stuff! I may be greedy, but get by for a few more years borrowing your inlaws tractor for your tractor needs, save your money, and then buy the tractor that fitts your needs. YOU ALREADY HAVE A GREAT MOWER! I hate using a tractor with a mower deck on it. I spend my time making sure I don't damage the mower deck, instead of getting the job at hand done! Once again... the right tool for the job is the underlying reasoning. The hard part for me is the patients /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Thats my 2 cents....Good luck!

momedic · Mar 17, 2005

The price breakdown I got is listed below, this is before I called back to the dealer and talked him down to $ 15,450. The other dealer who does not have the tractor in stock just quoted a package price of $15,250 ( did not get breakdown of items).

B7610 HSD-F with R4 tires & Fluid at $10,700
Loader LA352 with grill guard 3,000
60" MMM RCK60-24B 2,000
Total 15,700

rswyan · Mar 17, 2005

Just a bit different take:

I have 16.5 acres with about 5 or so in lawn, of which about 70% is large open areas with no obstacles to mow around (like trees) I already had a ZTR - a Simplicity Commercial with a 44" deck. While it's great for mowing around the house and backyard where there are obstacles, it sucked channel water on the large open areas - deck was too small, wheelbase was too short not to beat you to death if you tried to mow fast.

We bought a B2910 with a 72" MMM (and FEL, and backhoe, and other attachments) - the mowing went from an all day ordeal (sometimes more than a day) to about 3 hours using one machine at a time - or about an hour and half if my wife gets on the ZTR and does around the house while I use the 2910 to do the large open areas. I like mowing ..... but I would rather be spending my time doing something with the FEL or Backhoe /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

all depends on your needs.

edski · Mar 17, 2005

jheady,
Like you, I've been lurking and learning on this forum for some time. I've been shopping for a new tractor and have narrowed it down to a B7510 or B7610 TLB. I've visited dealers in PA, WV, and OH. They are all "local". The best prices quoted are as follows:

B7510 HSD F R4 - $9400 (pre 2005 increase)
LA302 - $3000
B4672 BH w/ 12" - $5900
Woods Toothbar for LA302 - $265

B7610 HSD F R4 - $10500 / 10200
LA352 - $3300 / 3400
B4672 BH w/ 12" - $5900 / 6800
Woods Toothbar for LA352 - $285 / 0

Block Heater - $33 / 0
High Cap Alt - $165 / 0
Fill Tires - $100 / 100

For the English majors out there... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
B7510 TLB ~ $18,900 (dealers #2 & 3 aren't even close)
B7610 TLB ~ $20,300 (dealer #2 matched price, #3 ~ 10% more)

I plan to purchase tomorrow before my CFO changes her mind.
While I'd prefer the B7610, my practical side want's to save $1400 and go with the B7510.

Questions for the community...
Is the B7610 with additional 3HP, 2" of bucket and 110# of lift worth $1400 more than the B7510?
Will I even notice?
Is Kubota doing this to me intentionally? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Do I justify the $1400 as a gift from the state to which I won't pay sales tax?
Do I just disregard this "practical side" since if I really had one I'd spend the $20K on contractors, and go back to drinking beer in the shade?
Should I seek counseling or just be happy that there's no wrong answer?

Any input is appreciated.
Happy St. Patricks to all.

dholly · Mar 17, 2005

I think you and your 6' hog would ultimately be happier with 3 more gross hp and 2 more pto hp. Doesn't sound like much I know, but it actually translates to 15% and 12.5% more umphh respectively. I wobbled a bit on this one too, but justified it because the cost per hp is actually less with the 7610. Go for it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Henro · Mar 17, 2005

My first thought also was to keep the ZTR. Did you mention how wide it cuts? A fast ZTR with a narrow cut might not be that fast at all when compared to a CUT with a wider mower.

How fancy is your lawn? If it is a show piece, the ZTR may be better for you.

The BX is a nice mowing machine, but the 3PH is small and if I were to have only one tractor, it would be larger than a BX for that reason.

If I were in your shoes and really wanted a tractor, and had a yard rather than a show piece lawn, I would go with the B7510 or larger machine.

The reason I say that is that I have found there is no comparison between my B2910 and my BX when it come to hooking something to the 3PH, or when I try to pull something. I know the larger tractor has more HP (and a little more weight) but it must be the larger tires or something, because the difference is more than weight and HP should be.

But the real issue for me is the 3PH of the BX. THey call it CAT 1, but it should be called a limited CAT 1. I call it a CAT 0.5 ... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Just read your post again. Lot's of questions there!

The loader capacity goes up with tractor size. Along with 3PH capability.

5' brush hog...well all I can say is 5 foot works on my B2910, but if I were doing heavy cutting a smaller brush hog would be better, so if you are going with something smaller than the B7800 a 5' cutter may be impractical.

I've seen how a B2400 with MMM cuts a lawn, and how my B2910 could cut my yard with a RFM, and to me these tractors cut pretty well. The B2400 is the same size as the B7610.

Hope some of this helps... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

edski · Mar 17, 2005

Thanks dholly,
I plan to keep the MF 253 for now. It has the wt and HP for the 6' hog. That sucker must weigh 800#, and on the steep grades it teaches you to steer with your brakes. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It'll be my "beater" tractor.
And I love your $ per % HP rationalization. It appeals to my "practical" side /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

hambob · Mar 17, 2005

Let me suggest bigger is better (sometimes). Look on the positive side, if you have your own tractor, less trips to the inlaws, and when they come to your place, you can do all that work with "your" tractor that just won't wait, therefore won't have to visit. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif :Also, think about not insuring it to travel on the road so it does not go to the inlaws, because it will be so much better than his, he will want to barrow it. Really, the disadvantages of the bigger tractor are so small and so seldom that I would go for the larger. I had a 7500, now the 7510 and now have a 7800, a little wider and longer, but have yet to be sorry. Of course, I only have about 12 hours on it, and I do not have a mower yet.

JimMorrissey · Mar 17, 2005

Yes, you will notice and you'll wish you got the 7610. It's small enough that the extra hp does make a difference....If you can afford it, go bigger. I'd go 7610 anyway...Actually, I'd wait and get the new 3030 with a 72" deck with a lawn and driveway that size, but that's just me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif