Purchase advice: Kubota B7300 vs B20

[dochockin]

I may have the opportunity to purchase either a Kubota B7300HSD '99 or a Kubota B20 1996. I don't yet know about hours on either tractor. I have no experience with tractors. I own 5 acres of mostly pasture.

I'm planning to use a small tractor for: moving materials (gravel, wood chips, compost, etc...), mowing the pasture, repairing the gravel driveway, light tilling of future garden/crop beds, smoothing some terrain, possible post hole digging, who knows what else?

The B20 has a digger arm, both have FEL. I'm ambivalent about the digger arm (could be handy, but mini excavators aren't expensive to rent/ far more efficient... or so I've been told).

What do you advise? Which is better? I've looked at the stats, and they seem pretty equivalent.

Thanks!

 

[tylertown]

B20 all day. youll be glad you did the first time you need to work on something or fix a water line or if you need to stop a drainage problem, more horse power never hurt anyone! :thumbsup:

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Most all Kubotas are good. The B7300 is the good home users tractor and the B20 is the commercial grade heavy duty from the factory tractor. Engines may be the same but almost every thing else will be the heavier duty part. That "digger" or back hoe your talking about is my most favorite, after FEL, implement. My brother and nephew and myself will testify to that fact just from yesterday. Brother needed spot cleared for a small bldg. and a big ornamental grass was in the spot. I dug the grass, took it down the street and set it out in my yard. My nephew bought 2 fair sized trees and I went down and dug 2 deep holes in heavy clay in under 10 minutes for him and saved him over an hour of heavy back breaking digging.
Hours and condition will/should be the final determining factor but if any where equal hours and condition then for me rfor my uses and my experience of my uses it would be a no brainer decision.....B20.

 

[newbury]

Does the B20 have it's 3-point arms?
These are often lost and may cost several hundred to replace (http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/226163-inherited-b20-gramps.html).

Is the price the same?

If the B20 HAS the full 3pt equipment and the hours and condition are comparable then as tyler and John wrote it's a no-brainer.

/edit - and if the B20 has more hours, say < 1,000, I'd still say the B20.

 

[Kyle241]

B20 IMHO. That was my previous Kubota and it was a workhorse. Total hours ended up being around 2200hrs and I sold it for a decent price in 2011 and the guy called me earlier this year to tell me how well it's still working. Without my B20 I would not have been able to do a lot of the work I have done on two homes.

 

[art]

The B-7300 didn't even come with power steering and is not a comparable tractor. The B-20- is a commercial machine and as mentioned many never had the backhoe even removed and the three point arms might be missing which you will need.

 

[dochockin]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the replies. It all turned out to be moot, since both tractors were Craigslist scams... The emails I got back mentioned 'amazon payments' and 'stored in a warehouse' and 'free shipping within 3 provinces'....

Ah well, I'll keep searching...

Cheers!