Buying Advice Price check on B7500HSD vs Mahindra eMAX 22

[generalbegg]

Hey everyone I'm fairly new to tractors, and very new to Kubotas so I'm hoping the experienced members of this forum can help me out. I'm in the market for a sub compact tractor with an FEL and eventually a backhoe. I have a quote from my local Mahindra dealer for an eMax 22 with FEL for $13,108. That being said I found this Kubota B7500HSD with MMM, FEL and Backhoe for $12,900. It has 910 hours and the gentleman selling says that it was just serviced and is ready to go to work. My questions then are:

Is this a fair price for this package?
Are these a reliable machine?
I'm concerned about the potential maintenance costs of a 13 year old machine vs a new Mahindra with a 5 year warranty. Is that a valid concern?
I'm very familiar with the installation and removal of the Mahindra backhoe. Can anyone tell me if this is a frame mounted or 3 point mounted backhoe?

I won't be doing any mowing with this so I'm hoping the MMM is easy to remove. I will be purchasing a 48" tiller and a 5' box blade as well. So I'm hoping the backhoe removal is not an all day process when it needs to be swapped out.

Any info you are willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[s219]

That B would be quite a bit more tractor than a eMax 22 (which is a value priced subcompact). However, I notice it has backhoe and loader that are not Kubota, which diminishes value some. If it's a 3-pt mounted backhoe (which it appears to be) that is even less desirable.

910 hours isn't a whole lot for a 13 year old machine -- under 100 hours per year if we average. So it couldn't have led too hard of a life assuming that usage was spread out.

For comparison, you could have a Kubota dealer price up a BX and B model the way you want, then compare features/price to the eMax.

 

[generalbegg]

Thanks for the input on this. I did call back on the B7500 to get some more details. The FEL is years old, and the backhoe is 3 years old and used only a handful of times. The backhoe is indeed a 3 point attach and based on my bit of research that also requires the removal of your top link of your 3 point to add a stabilizer of some sort for the backhoe correct? The majority of the 900 hours on the unit have been mowing hours with some FEL work mixed in. The backhoe was added to clear some stumps from a new section of pasture and not really used after that. Beings that the FEL and backhoe are not Kubota, what should my offer on this package be? Is $11,500 too much of a lowball offer? I'm beginning to think that I may be better off buying new? For comparison sake I did call up our local Kubota dealer to get a quote on a BX2370-1 with a FEL. The price ended up being almost $2000 more than the Mahindra, and from a feature comparison I was focused on weight and some of the loader stats such as Lift Capacity at full height, and breakout force. There may be some other items that I should be concerned about, but those seemed to be some of the more popular items on this forum. Based on those results I think I am going to head over to the Mahindra dealer again as the Mahindra has the advantage.

My biggest thing right now is that the price of the Kubota would allow me to get a backhoe now vs two years from now, but in the end I may be better off waiting for a frame attached implement anyway.

 

[McREBEL]

For comparison, there is a 2003 B7500 with 126 hours listed at Barlow's Equipment for 10,500 which has a Kubota FEL. I feel 10,500 is a little high. I bought a 2008 B2920 with 112 hrs, FEL and heavy duty finish mower for that price. I admit that was one of those deals that doesn't come around often. I would suggest you google "Kubota B7500 for sale" to see what you come up with if you haven't. Try to figure a base price for the tractor with FEL and then try to figure what the backhoe would be worth (how much is a 3 pt backhoe new?). Check coldwatertractors.com for backhoe prices.

I have no experience with 3pt backhoes but generally hear things said like s219 did above: "If it's a 3-pt mounted backhoe (which it appears to be) that is even less desirable." Would it be possible for you to try the backhoe out for yourself? That might tell you something about the tractor also. If you would only be using the BH occasionally then it might work for you.

 

[s219]

For comparison sake I did call up our local Kubota dealer to get a quote on a BX2370-1 with a FEL. The price ended up being almost $2000 more than the Mahindra, and from a feature comparison I was focused on weight and some of the loader stats such as Lift Capacity at full height, and breakout force. There may be some other item.

Shop around, as that is not a good price for the BX at all -- I can get a B2620 / B2601 with FEL for that price here. A BX would be a couple grand less.

You can also contact Barlow Equipment for a rock bottom price on a Kubota. They are a great option if your local dealer is not doing good on price.

 

[Grandad4]

It sounds like you've got dirt work in store for your tractor, not mowing. Something larger would seem to make more sense vs. a "subcompact" like the Max or BX. Something like a used Kubota B model would do more and has better ground clearance.

The backhoe question complicates matters. That's an expensive attachment new and finding a good used tractor that already has one is a challenge, as you've already discovered. You'll probably have better luck finding a good used tractor without the backhoe.

Be open-minded when buying used... there are lots of good brands and the condition of the unit means more than whether it's red, green, orange, etc.