History:
I have always lived in VT, and in rural VT for over 30 years. I only have 3 acres, but half is woods and half is mowed field with garden. My home sits in the woods with a nearly 400ft drive. In 1982 I bought a used 1977 CASE 446 with 48” belly mower, 50” snow blower for $1000. Later I added a 42” tiller and cart. This worked very well up until about 2000. When I started to have electrical & engine issues, rather than rebuild it, I began looking at options such as newer or bigger. A new Ingersoll with 18HP with only a BM and SB was going to cost over $8K. I also began looking at new and used sub-compacts.

In August 2002, I heard of a used 2000 B7300 for sale and took a look at it. It had 104 hours, a 48” FEL (LA271), 60” MMM (RCK60-24B), 54” Pronovost Snow Blower (PUMA54), a 48” Bush Hog (SQ48), and loaded turf tires with chains all for $8000. A 2 year old with very low hours compared to new equipment, this was a steal, so I bought it.

Deficiencies:
A few, but they are there. As others have stated the headlamps are a shame. Also the headlight switch is easily bumped to the on or off position when moving around. I added floods/spots from NorthernTool and am much better off. I also added “rear” facing attachment lights. The 3PTH height limit adjustment is just a bad design. I moan each time a 3PTH attachment needs limits to be adjusted. I constantly catch clothing on the Hi-Lo range lever and the TWD-FWD selector when in TWD position whenever I hop on or off. The TWD-FWD selector should have a lock, as it is too easy to move in and out of position when operating the 3PTH hydraulic control. I am trying to fashion a “lock” of sorts that I can rivet in place. The differential lock seems hard to get into position at times, but will go with tapping left and right brakes. The hydraulic oil filter is in an exposed position. I have twice damaged filters while working in the woods. Sometimes the tires will kick up a piece of wood and it will hit the filter. The OEM oil filters for this model are particularly hard to find. Even my dealer sometimes offers the Kubota “replacement” number filter, which will not fit correctly. I finally found a WIX replacement so am happy. Instrument lights for night use and a temperature gauge would seem appropriate, but will live with as it is. It would really be nice to have power steering, but beggars cannot be choosers.

Positives:
Great system for the deal I got. The tractor has plenty of power for what I do. 4WD and differential lock are very handy. Living in the North Country with wild winter storms, this setup is by far better than what I had before. The snow thrower alone is a Godsend. It will now actually “throw” snow, no matter how wet it is, and cast it 15-20 ft away. A storm with over 12 inches is no longer a fear. I can clear my drive in about 1/2 the time I spent with the older setup and my neighbor now hires me to do his drive. The belly mower is also great. Sized correctly for the tractor, and designed for mowing, I can mow my front yard in about 2/3 the time as before, and the lawn looks great, almost professional when done. I have only used the bush hog a few times, mostly doing odd jobs for others, as I have nothing here that truly requires it. But it has been handy, and I have picked up a few bucks for its use. And now for the good part, the FEL. What a work horse and time saver. While it will move earth, stone, gravel, etc. with ease, it is all the other uses that have made it pay for its self. I will never install or remove the belly mower without having the FEL on first. I lift the front end up, roll the mower under, connect, drop down and remove the FEL now in less time than without it, even if I have to install the FEL first. I have old growth woods that surround my home. We have suffered ice and hurricane damage in the past several years. Several beech trees are suffering some infection and are dying. Cutting and moving downed and dead trees is now a pleasure. Pulling and setting posts is now a no brainer. The drive is now well graded, as the bucket will back drag it in no time flat.

New implements:
I had a friend weld up a counterweight box for the 3PTH when using the FEL. It holds 300 lbs of solid 4x8x16 cement blocks. If I did this again, I would have it build about 50% larger. Design is nice, just would be nice to be able to kick it up to 450 lbs. Using the 30 lb blocks is nice as I can add or remove weight as needed. I have asked my friend to weld up some “fork” attachments for the bucket as well. And finally, since we do suffer occasional and extended power outages, I picked up a Winco W7PTOS/A stand by generator with 3PH frame. While it is probably max for the tractor, it was a bargain for the setup. For a few bucks more I had a double throw switch connected to the house, and now can run nearly all of my power needs during an outage as opposed to my old 4KW gas generator which was only good for the few items I could run off extension cords as it was never wired in. While my wife originally questioned the size of the tractor, she has no doubt now that it was a good deal. During the last winter power outage of over 3 hours, we had complete use of all electric items including furnace, water pump, freezer, fridge, lights, stove, microwave, TV, etc. Others in the neighbor hood, if they had generators, only had lights, and depended upon wood stoves and fireplaces for heat

Date Purchased: 8/2002
Purchased: New
Price Paid: US$8000
Pros: Great value for the money
Cons: Lack of P/S, control locations, and lack of intruments and lights
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