My first real tractor!

quincy

quincy

Member
Hi Folks,

This is my first post, just wanted to say hi.:Tip-Hat2: I'm just about to buy a little kubota B7100 and I'm just doing a final bit of research. I've been looking for a good, well priced kub for quite a while now. My current garden machine is a 13hp "White" ride on lawn mower that I have abused for long enough. I use it for all sorts of garden work and i have been asking a lot of it over the last 2 years. Its belt drive and I've replaced too many drive belts... Got the belt change down to a fine art now...lol
I needed something with a bit more kahuunas and after a lot of web therapy, I zoned in on the kubota for various reasons, not least of which was that i think it just looks cool!!! not to mention the physical capabilities I've been reading about. So, here i am, just a couple of days away from buying my first kubota, the one I have decided to go for is the 4x4, B7100. the one I'm looking at has 1600 hrs on the clock and seems to be in good order.
Any advice from you guys on this machine, what should I be looking for prior to handing over my hard earned cash...

Quincy
 
Welcome, glad you made your way over here.

Upgrading from a ride on to a compact will keep a smile on your face for weeks, you wont be disappointed.
The B7100 is a solid machine, and the one you are going for has plenty of life left in it if you keep up with maintence.
Take it for a test drive to make sure everything works as it should.

BTW, I see you are in Ireland, nice to see mroe members from this side of the pond :D
 
Hi Quincy! Welcome to Net Tractor Talk. I'm glad you found us, :beer:

I'm very fond of the B7100 It was the 1st tractor I was drooling over. What a workhorse. I never had any luck finding a used one I could afford, then I moved to where I needed a bigger tractor, so I've never owned a B7100 but have admired them for quite a few years. Awesome machines.
Congrats on your purchase. Post pictures of it when you can. :thumb:
 
Welcome Quincy.

My neighbor had one and I HATED IT!....no, no it was a fine tractor, but it was his and not mine LOL.

He's had it for about a year and it does everything he asks of it. I'm often surprised at how powerful and capable a machine it is. You'll love it I'm sure :).

Mark
 
I forgot to add, a neighbour across the road from me has a B7100 that they bought about 5+ years ago for £4k. They use it to mow a 5-6 acre field regularly, apart from hitting the occasional brick it hasnt missed a beat.
 
Hey Quincy, i dont know much about the kubota as i own a new holland, But hope all goes well with the purchase. As long as you have done your homework im sure you wont be disappointed. Anyway welcome to the group.:biggrin:
 
Well, I'm all set to go. Had to do a bit to my trailer to get it ready for a 600 mile round trip. Replaced a couple of bearings, greased them all, fixed a puncture on the spare and had to get some lights fitted. Had a hell of a job finding my ramps but eventually found them buried down back of the shed.
I'll be heading off early in the morning tomorrow. Will let you guys know how I get on. I hope this 7100 works out for me.
Want to thank TC once again, that 7100 owners manual .pdf he directed me to was awsome. I have read it cover to cover a couple of times now and I think I should be able to give the 7100 a good checking over with the info I now know about the machine... THANKS TC!!!

I am glad to have found you guys...

Q
 
Good luck with your road trip Quincy. It's always exciting getting a new toy ...er I mean tractor. :beer:
 
quincy said:
Well, I'm all set to go. Had to do a bit to my trailer to get it ready for a 600 mile round trip. Replaced a couple of bearings, greased them all, fixed a puncture on the spare and had to get some lights fitted. Had a hell of a job finding my ramps but eventually found them buried down back of the shed.
I'll be heading off early in the morning tomorrow. Will let you guys know how I get on. I hope this 7100 works out for me.
Want to thank TC once again, that 7100 owners manual .pdf he directed me to was awsome. I have read it cover to cover a couple of times now and I think I should be able to give the 7100 a good checking over with the info I now know about the machine... THANKS TC!!!

I am glad to have found you guys...

Q
Click to expand...
Quincy,

A little new to the forum, but I'm wondering how everything went? I'm thinking you'll be wondering how you ever managed before.

What part of Ireland are you from? I vacationed there 3 years ago (stayed at Springfield Castle in Drumcollogher for an incredible week) and me and the Mrs. can't wait to return!
 
Everything went very well JD, thanks for asking. I have been using the kubota for just about everything lately and it is awesome! I know it is not up to the tractor standards that some of the guys have on this forum but compared to what I used before I bought it, it is a giant leap forward... Major grin factor that I dont think will go away for a while. It is nice to not have the worry of smoking a drive belt when I need to pull something heavy. Even recently, a pile of 40 odd railway ties I had around the back of my shed, i dragged them 2 at a time to the other side of my garden with no problems using the kubota. I started the task of moving them early on in the summer with my White ride on and it wouldnt even drag one without complaining... I think I move about 3 before I started to worry about the drive belts, so I stopped.
I cant agree with you more on your comment about "wondering how I managed before"... I should have got one of these years ago.
All i can think of now is implements...!!!
 
Quincy,

I've found your posts fascinating from the very beginning. The tutorial of finding, testing, buying and putting the Kubota to work is reminiscent of my very fist tractor...and most probably many others shared the same enthusiasm.

IMHO, the single most useful implement, and another state of tractor Nirvana, is buying or building a FEL. If you thought the transition from a garden tractor to a compact utility was incredible, the front end loader, it's uses (and mental stimulation) are equal to, or better than the initial purchase of your Kubota. Something nearly impossible to explain but easily understood once you have, or can use and try out from a friend, neighbor or dealer.

I thought I would get by without the attachment, then calculated the rental costs or swapping labor for borrowed equipment and eventually decided (even though it was above the budget) purchasing and installing my first one. I recovered my initial investment in the first three months vs. paying to have it done or renting the equipment to do it myself.

I'm certain you posses the equipment, facility and knowledge to convert a used loader or build one from scratch. A VERY rewarding experience and one that pays dividends for the span of the tractors life.

Mark
 
Thanks Mark. A FEL would be cool. I had started looking for a kubota with a fel & backhoe but the more I saw of them, the more I noticed how wrecked they were compared to units that were used for mowing and yard work. For an example.... a 6100 I went to look at just 100 miles north of me. It had a FEL but the front end was wrecked, I assume by overloading. The pivot pin over the front axle was worn and bent outta shape, front wheel bearings shot and various other signs of a hard life were evident in the front end... It also had a huge lump of concrete hanging off the rear 3 point for counter weight. So from that point on I knew I wanted a kub without FEL fitted. I would prefer to fit a FEL myself and at least then I would know I had a good unit beforehand. Again, a backhoe is another thing I'd like to have but I personally think the 7100 is too light to be useful for digging. I can go hire a 3 ton mini excavator for €80 euro a day from my neighbour. Even it too has its limitations at 3 ton so I wonder how a unit at 800lbs would do... SO in justifing for my own needs, a FEL, yes eventually.. backhoe, would be fun, but no... as for all the other stuff that runs off the 3 point and PTO... BRING EM ON!!!!!!

JD... sorry, I forgot to answer one of yuor questions.... Where I am in Ireland... I'm down at the very south. About 20 miles North of Cork city. 35 miles from the atlantic coast. Some beautiful landscape where I live. Its a rural farming community and a tight knit neighbourhood which I really enjoy. That is another reason I bought the kubota. I am a voulenteer with the Community Development group in my local village. We work as a group every other weekend, to improve the appearance of the area, be it by landscaping, planting and general maintenance within about 3 miles radius of our town. I am responsible for about 1000 yds either side of my home. mainly litter control and mowing the verges of the roads. A couple of times a year we all get together for a big project like tree planting or building something... That is always fun. I also tend a nature woodland trail which is a 4 mile walk through a forest up behind my home. The Kubota will have its work cut out for it.
 
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