7500 vs 2410

TractorTeen · Aug 2, 2003

Stvman,

I believe it is worth the extra money also.

Dave

Rick Jay · Aug 2, 2003

8561,

( I also should have mentioned that my father will likely borrow it next year to dig footing trenches for a small house addition. I know it will take a while but he's retired and would enjoy it, and he lives near the ocean and the digging where he is would be easy. )

You do know they call New Hampshire the "Granite State", right? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Anyway, you probably know your Dad's soil type better than I, but I've seen some coastal property that's pretty tough. Last year when we were in Ogunquit, Maine, I saw some pretty big excavators used near the shore to dig a "normal" foundation. The rocks they were pulling up were unbelievable.

Anyway...back to your situation...assuming your Dad is in the northeast, our frostline is somewhere around the 4 foot mark, so you have to go down atleast that far. If he's going to put in a full basement, that's really beyond the normal ability of a hoe on this size machine. The Woods 7500, for instance, can dig down 7 1/2 feet with a 2 foot flat bottom. That's gonna be a lot of repositioning for most foundations. Plus, one good size rock down there and I think you'll be stopped. (Keep in mind, also, that one shouldn't get in a trench deeper than about 4 feet unless shoring is used. Again, this is beyond the normal use of this type of equipment.)

Well...I don't want to rain on your parade, just want you to fully realize the capabilities and limitations of these great little tractors. The foundation aside, it sounds like you'll have some use for the backhoe so I recommend the larger units in the B series to get the extra reach on the hoe.

Good Luck.

~Rick

8561 · Aug 2, 2003

I'm prettty confident it can do his foundation. It's only a 4' crawl space and when we built the place about 8 years ago I watched that foundation go in as well as city water/sewer. There wasn't a stone in the place bigger than a soccer ball.

I know the B2910 is the probably the best tractor around, but I really think that it will be way bigger than I need once I'm done with the bigger projects and settle into lawnmowing/ snowblowing and small projects around the house, neighbor's, etc. I have a friend (who is probably reading this thread) who bought a B2910 with several attachments this year and loves it.

I guess at this point I'm wondering if anyone has purchased a B7500 and thought it was insufficient to do what they needed.

Rick Jay · Aug 2, 2003

8561,

Sounds like the foundation is definitely do-able. I'm planning on doing something similar for an addition on our house within the next 5 years or so. That was one of my justifications for getting the backhoe.

I'm partial to the B2910, so keep that in mind as I post. In reality, the B2910 isn't really that much bigger than the B7500. A few inches longer and a few inches wider...a couple of pounds heavier...but if it fits where you want it to go, the extra size really isn't a problem. I've been able to maneuver my B2910 anywhere I needed. I just make my gate passageways wide enough to allow the tractor and a 5' implement to fit through. No real big deal.

If you have some time, have your neighbor show you how much easier it is to connect 3 pt. implements with the extendable lower links of the B2910. For me, that feature alone was worth the extra $$$. If you're younger and in good health, it's probably not as big a deal.

One other thing...if your neighbor has a B2910 and the two of you are on good terms and you get a similar class tractor, then perhaps the two of you can "share" implements.

O.K....this will be the last "one other thing"...as much as I like my Woods 7500, there are times I wish I had just a bit more reach on the backhoe. I can usually make it do what I want, but a bit more reach would be nice. The smaller 6' and 6 1/2' hoes would be a bit more limiting. Just some things to keep in mind as you work through the decision making process.

~Rick

stvman · Aug 3, 2003

( there wasn't a stone inthe place bigger than a soccer ball )

Shurely you cant be in New hampshire /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

On my property they start at soccer ball size /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Kelvin · Aug 3, 2003

( just a lot of shaping the yard )

How important is 3-point hitch "position control" to you and your plans?

You won't have it with the B7500.
You'll gain it with the B2410.
You'll lose it again upgrading to the B7800.
You'll gain it again upgrading to the B2710/2910.

For smoothing out dirt with a yard box and using a rotary mower (bush-hog), I have found the position control to be very useful. When using a landscape rake or rear-finish mower, position control isn't that critical.

Size: I don't believe that "size" is significantly different between the B7500 and B2910. Like was mentioned elsewhere, if your neighbor has a B2910, then if you get a B2710, B7800, or a B2910 then you know that you should be able to share most any implement. Of course, a lot of the B2910 implements will also work on the B7500.

Kelvin

TresCrows · Aug 3, 2003

"I'm wondering why anyone is buying the 2410 or 2710."

Because, believe it or not, TBN does not represnent the average Tractor Joe. Most of the guys here--increadible people top be sure--but they love tractors and working with them--they are tractor enthusiast /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Kubota, JD et all make many different sizes of tractors to suit many and varied tasks and pocket books, not just those of enthusiast /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.
To be specific--why a 2410 over a 7500, the engine has more displacement and several more horses and it is in fact more powerful than the 7500. The 2410 has a better seat more fuel capacity, more hydraulic capacity, more 3-point lift capacity and more FEL performance, quite a bit more with the LA352. AND, the 2410 has position control which is very valuable when working a boxblade and other dirt altering equipment. Further, why not get the 2910? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif The 2910 is a wonderful unit, it is longer, heavier, wider and it's mower deck is more cumbersome and all in all the 2410/7500 size tractor is in MY OPINION /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif as large as I would want to go with a tractor if I were to use the MMM (which I do) and have a single do everything tractor. Now, if I had kept my BX here rather than send it to my parents I would have probably gotten an L class unit instead of a B2410. Why, because it is considerably heavier, more durable under heavy work, has much more capacity in all measures than any of the lightweight B series tractors (all B series are lightweight units--comparitively speaking) and only cost a little bit more.
The 2410 is the tractor for someone who wants a small do all unit that can mow, move dirt and all that they implies, brushhog small areas and requires exceptional manuverability and ability to squeeze into tight areas and still be able perform useful work.
Oh, as to the 2710, the wisest owl and certainly most respected gentleman on TBN owned a 2710, yeah, I would be speaking of---well--he can speak for himself. You all know who I am talking about /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif. J

8561 · Aug 3, 2003

Great post trescrows. That info helped me alot. It sounds like you really like your B2410. Do you have the bi speed turning or the standard. Also, I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the position control feature. If anyone can give more info on that I'd appreciate it as it would help me weigh how important it might be to me. Thanks to everyone who has responded so far, I'm really gaining a lot of good information.

Ken_f · Aug 3, 2003

I too went through the great debate on the BX22 vs. 7500 vs. 2410 vs. 2710 vs. 2910.

I have a bit over 20 acres and with future pond construction, barn construction, 2+ miles of fences to put in as well as many other projects that will come up over the years I wanted to make sure that I bought the right "sized" tractor.

Using the resources of the TBN as well as a number of trips to different dealers I drove them all. A major consideration was in the future when the big projects were over. I have appx. 5 acres of grass to mow and the BX1800 did this very well. Trading in the BX1800 that I got in Apr 2002 made size a factor. The BX was fun to ride and I used it as my 4x4 atv to get around on the trails that I have on the property. This ease of use swayed me towards the BX22 and the 7500/2410. The 2710 and 2910 were just too big.

So.. That narrowed the search down to 3. The BX22, 7500 and 2410.

I liked the BX22 but lets face it... Its just a BX1800 with some more HP. I did not want to get stuck with something too small. But, I could have saved some $$$ with the fact that the MMM off of my 1800 would have worked on the 22 (I think) Also the FEL did not have the capacities that I was looking for as I have lots of 32in TV sized rocks to move.

So now I was down to the 7500 / 2410.

I liked the creature conforts on the 2410 as well as the engine displacement and the increased capabilities of the 2410. So, I picked up a 2410 with the FEL the MMM and the Kubota backhoe. Now after 50+ hrs and 3 months I feel that I made the right choice. I use the FEL all of the time and I am amazed at what it can do. The backhoe is very capable and I have used a L35 so I was worried that it would not be able to do real work. But, it can dig very well in my rocky soil. The FEL goes on/off in a few minutes. The 3pt backhoe is not that bad after a few tries. I can take it off in 10 min and putting it on takes 15 or so. The only bad thing was its not as much fun to drive around. So, I picked up a Polaris 4x4 ATV to cover that.

Kelvin · Aug 3, 2003

( Also, I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the position control feature. If anyone can give more info on that I'd appreciate it )

I'll try. I sure that someone else can do a better job of describing it.

Without position control:
Kubota's 3-point lift control basically has three positions, UP - NEUTRAL - DOWN. The tractor operator can position the 3-point implement full UP, full DOWN, or anywhere in-between. When the operator finds a certain height that they like to operate their piece of equipment, the world is great until they have to change position momentarily. Then they have to use the TLAR (that looks about right) method to return their equipment to that same position again. Note that most 3-point lift mechanisms have a tendency to lower over time, so for extended operations the operator must nudge the 3-point equipment back to the correct height.

With position control:
There is a label next to the 3-point lift control lever that typically has a scale from 1 to 10 (or some other scale). Once the tractor operator finds a particular height that suits them well, all they have to do is make note of where the control lever is. If they have to change the implement's position momentarily, then they simply set the lever back to the desired working height when they want to continue.

Working examples:
(1) Dirt moving: When dragging dirt from one location to another with the purpose of spreading it out at the destination, I typically lower the yard box to its lowest position so that the yard box can fill with dirt. Then when I am at the location that I want to spread the dirt, I will lift the position control to "3" to let the dirt start dropping out. Using a constant yard box height when dropping the dirt helps keep the dirt smoothed out. I accomplished the same task using my older B7100 without position control, but the result wasn't as smooth. Note that it is difficult to get a smooth result (ready for seed...) with a yard box, regardless of whether or not you have position control.

(2) Rotary Mower: When using a rotary mower (bush hog) where the cutting height is totally dependant on the 3-pitch height, the position control comes in handy when the tractor operator has to raise the mower to clear obstacles or make turns at the end. With position control the operator can easily return the mower to the pre-established mowing height.

Hope this helps,
Kelvin