loader on the B7800 (mostly)

   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #1  
F

farmyid

Bronze Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2003
Messages
53
Location
Western Mass at 1500 feet elavation
Tractor
Century 3040
Hi All,
I have been lurking for a few days and this is my first post. Having suffered with my grandfather's 1938 Ford 9n for a decade or more and also having owned (for a time) a Case 580ck with lots of black smoke and leaky hydraulics, I am on the verge of buying a nicer tractor. I am considering a machine similar to the Kubota B7800hst as I can't see anythinf smaller being able to deal with the rocks, stumps, snow and hills of my 4 cleared (and150 wooded) acres of Berkshire hills. My feeling on looking at that tractor is that the 302 loder is made of awfully thin metal and lacks a decent edge to it. Would I be better buying the tractor without the loader and adding a Koyker or other loader?
Maybe I can find a better used or other brand machine in that size that has a more rugged loader. Awfully rocky here. HST is important because my wife wants it, and I have a feeling I wil love it too. Mark L.
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #2  
Mark, I'm not really sure what you've looked at, but the B7800 should have the LA402 loader; the LA302 is for the B7500. And while there are certainly some good aftermarket loaders available, personally, I'd prefer one that matches the brand of the tractor because it has been tested, approved, and guaranteed by the tractor manufacturer. You may or may not ever have a problem with an aftermarket loader, but I wouldn't want to be in a situation of having a problem and the loader manufacturer blaming the tractor manufacturer and vice versa.
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #3  
Hi,

I have the 54" bucket on my B2910, which is the same tractor as the B7800 with a couple extras related to comfort. Like Birds says, the LA402 is the loader that is put on the B7800.

There are two bucket options, a 60" and the 54". The 60" is a lighter duty bucket from what I understand. If you are going to work it hard, the 54" is a better choice in my opinion. The 54" is ever so slightly wider than the rear tires, at least if you have R4s...

With a toothbar on the bottom lip the bucket is pretty strong from what I can see. I did reinforce the top lip by welding on a piece of 2x2 angle, but that was so I could mount bucket hooks on it.

You mentioned rocks...

It's not a rock, but still proves something...

I moved 250 tons of fill loaded with stuff like this a couple months ago...when enlarging our parking area.

Now if I had more property and money...well I would probably go for something like the L3130 through L3830 models. More beef and more lifting capacity. BUT if you want a smaller tractor with a pretty good power to weight ration, the B7800 is really a great tractor.

Perfect for my needs...glad I bought one...has done a lot of work for me. Takes a little longer than a bigger tractor would, but it gets the job done.
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly)
  • Thread Starter
#4  
<<Mark, I'm not really sure what you've looked at, but the B7800 should have the LA402 loader; the LA302 is for the B7500.>>

You know, tht's yet another reason that makes me wonder if my local kubota dealer is on the up and up. It was definetly a 302 on a 7800, and I thought it looked awfully light gauge. I think i'll do some driving to see one somewhere else. Mark
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #5  
Yeah, sounds like you need a different dealer. You should be able to get a pretty hefty loader for that tractor. I'd also recommend that you get the Kubota loader, but with your conditions you should probably add a toothbar before you ever use the loader.

You'll love HST. You'll also be amazed at how easy it is to operate the new tractor vs. the old one. You might even get bored and have to drive the old one once in a while to keep yourself interested /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #6  
kubotaie,

Welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Are you sure you weren't looking at a B7500 with the '302 loader? I don't even know if a 302 would fit on a B7800.

Anyway, I've got a B2910 with the LA402 loader and 60" bucket. I, too, prefer the tractor to have a loader designed and approved by the original manufacturer. However, if you wish a bit more performance or options, I know Woods makes a loader for the B2710/2910/7800 series. I think it's lift height is greater and perhaps it's lift capacity as well. However, keep in mind that the higher and heavier you lift, the greater the possibility of a roll-over. I think that's why most of the OEM's choose a loader with fairly conservative ratings.

Have fun on your search.

~Rick
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #7  
I have the B7800 with the 402 loader. The bucket use to flex when I was doing heavy work. I added a very heavy duty tooth bar and have been very happy. I too agree that I would try to keep everything from the manufacture. Don't want to get into their part broker our part. If the loader is a lot heavyer duty, it is too much for the tractor. I trust the Kubota engineers to match tractor and loader.
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #8  
I'm far from the B7800 league but when the cutting edge wore out on my B7100 it was replaced with a welded 1/2 by 4 in welded on one. This really stiffenend up the bucket.

Egon
 
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   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #9  
Egon.Henro.
I was worried about some of the rocks I need to move . But after your pictures they seem to be mere pebbles !
John
 
   / loader on the B7800 (mostly) #10  
Well shuckins; the b7100 handles Nova Scotia pea gravel real well but if'n your talking TEXAS pea gravel that's another matter.

Egon
 
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