mtn_jake,
<font color=blue>Does it make a difference what year the tractor is in purchasing a manue?l</font color=blue>
Normally, no. In fact, many Kubota dealerships will tell you that Kubota doesn't release information that lets you know what the year model is. Some websites claim to de-cipher the serial number for you and tell you the year model. I don't know how accurate they are, but those on this site that have used the information seem to trust it. It may make a difference whether you have the gear drive or hydrostatic transmission model, though.
<font color=blue>Will I be able to use this tractor with a 5' finish mower on the rear?</font color=blue>
I would not recommend it, especially if you have anything other than LEVEL terrain. The PTO hp will be limited but probably adequate for light grass cutting. Your biggest problem will be that the front end (with no front-end loader) will come off the ground easily with the weight of the 5' rear mower. Also, during turns the weight of the mower can push the tractor sideways causing a turn-over hazard if the side-ways sliding rear-end suddendly gets traction. This "sliding" is particularly noticable when the mower wants to travel down a hill and you'd prefer to travel back up the hill. This hazard is minimized when going slow on level ground. These statements are based upon my experience I gained when I tried a 5' rear mower on my B7100 (16hp) gear drive tractor with the idea that I'd use it instead of my 48" mid-mower. I found that I'd have to mow so much slower to be safe with the 5' mower that I could actually complete the mowing job in less time using the 4' mid-mount.
Bottom Line: Refer to your owner's manual recommendations.
Hope this helps,
Kelvin
