Some B26 questions

[hemiguy]

Hi Kubota guys,
I currently have a small JD TLB which is a nice machine and does OK but the BH is definitely on the smallish side. It's a 6.5 ft hoe and trenching with it is especially inefficient. I probably use 3-pt attachments as much as the hoe and I can't really justify an upgrade just yet but want to educate myself on what I might want in the future. The B26 is machine that has really caught my interest. I'm not sure it was available 3 yrs ago when I bought the JD. My JD is also a 26hp machine but it looks like the B26 would have been about $10k more than I paid. Seeing as its a commercial grade machine it looks like you get a lot for your money. So some questions about the B26 for you guys that have one

- How easy is it to swap between 3-pt and BH attached?
- Do the 3-pt arms stay on the tractor or come off when mounting the BH?
- When trenching, is the machine set up to easily advance it without dismounting the BH seat to lift the loader, put in gear etc?.
-What bucket options do you have and how easy is it to change buckets? Are toothless ditching buckets one of the available options?
- Are there any options for a folding ROPS setup or is the 4 point fixed ROPS with the roof the only way it comes?
- I know its pretty light at around 4k lbs. Do you guys typically add ballast in the form of wheel weights and/or filled tires?

Sorry that I was too lazy to search the other B26 threads out there already
Thanks

 

[ultrarunner]

I can answer a few...

The 3 point arms can be stored in the cross bracing of the loader...

The ROPS have no provision for folding or lowering... it's a problem for me because I can't fit one in my 7' high Barn Door.

There is a quick change option for buckets...

 

[MarkV]

Hemi I don't have a B26 but do have a B21 and L39 which both have some similar features to the B26. Dropping the backhoe is very easy to do so switching to 3pt isn't bad. All of the 3pt equipment is removed when the backhoe is on. The tractor is not designed to move while in the backhoe seat although you can often move the tractor with the hoe itself. They do offer a backhoe bucket quick release system for changing buckets. No folding ROPS only the OSHA approved FOPS is available. I have added ballast to mine and find it helps.

MarkV

 

[RichT]

- How easy is it to swap between 3-pt and BH attached?

very easy, about a 7min job; tricky part is getting just the right amount of lift on rear wheels to remove BH pins (just takes some practice)

- Do the 3-pt arms stay on the tractor or come off when mounting the BH?

as noted earlier, 3PH arms/hardware come off before mounting the BH and are stored on frame

- When trenching, is the machine set up to easily advance it without dismounting the BH seat to lift the loader, put in gear etc?.

not easily, its a hydro so you have to reach the foot pedal to advance; if you're flexible you can manage it without getting off and swiveling the seat

-What bucket options do you have and how easy is it to change buckets? Are toothless ditching buckets one of the available options?

I welded up a quick-attach pallet fork attachment which I use extensively to move around steel plates. Very easy to change - two levers to raise/lower the spring loaded QA pins

- Are there any options for a folding ROPS setup or is the 4 point fixed ROPS with the roof the only way it comes?

as stated earlier, only comes with fixed ROPS

- I know its pretty light at around 4k lbs. Do you guys typically add ballast in the form of wheel weights and/or filled tires?

I haven't encountered a situation where I needed extra ballast on my B26; I upgraded from a smaller tractor so 4000lbs seems plenty heavy to me (all relative I guess).

IMO the B26 is a very nice compromise between a light duty and full size machine; small enough to maneuver around obstacles, light enough to drive over grass, yet with substantial hydraulics

 

[powerstroke444e]

I have a B26 and I really like it.
I did add foam to the tires to make it heavier and it helps alot. Changing backhoe buckets is very easy I have a 12" 18" & 28". Moving while trenching is very easy I made a lever to put on the hydro peddle to use it from the hoe(yes saftey volation but is very big time saver). Removing the backhoe to 3pt takes 5-10 min for one to the other I have done it on a job site then switched back @ the end of the day.

 

[hemiguy]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Powerstroke,
Your hydro pedal lever idea sounds like a winner. I guess its obvious to conclude you can also easily reach the joystick to lift the loader when moving? On my JD you also have to put the hydro in neutral when you get off the driver seat or it will kill the engine. A real PITA. Like I said, trenching with it is really inefficient. You can only get 5 linear feet of trench for each machine move. The two seat arrangement means I really can't reach any of the controls from the BH seat. I really like the rest of the machine but nobody makes a hoe bigger than 6.5 feet for it. Is your 28" bucket a toothless one? I'd really like a toothless type ditching bucket to do things like remove sod and, as the name implies, clean out ditches. I haven't been able to find one of those to fit the JD.

I'm tempted to stop at the Kubota dealer and try out a B26, but I'm afraid I'd fall in love. Unfortunately though, that 4 point ROPS would not let it fit into my garage. Oh well, I need a barn anyway

 

[RichT]

powerstroke - can you post a pic of the pedal extension?

hemiguy - which car/year hemi? I'm currently restoring a 70RR 440-6 convertible

 

[hemiguy]

RichT,
Oh how I wish I could say it is the the '70/71 426 Yellow Challenger Convertible (worth BIG $$$$ today) I tried to get my dad to buy back when I was car shopping with him as a youngster. But unfortunately my dad was never the yellow convertible kind of guy and we did not buy anything from that small upstate NY Dodge dealership that day. As a matter of fact, a few years later (when I was at college) my dad and Mom ended up with his & hers K-car wagons. What on God's Earth were they thinking? Oh well.

No, my Hemi is a '04 Quad cab 1500, 5.7. It does OK, but definitely not our father's Hemi and never won any NASCAR races. I already have diesel truck envy and will be waiting to see what happens with the Chrysler/Fiat vs Cummins situation.

I'd say when finished, your 70RR 440 will be one sweet ride on a hot SoCal afternoon!

 

[dodge man]

Rich T. look at the photo in my profile, its a underhood shot of a 70 Road Runner with a 440+6 I owned until a couple of year ago.