7500 vs 2710

[Anonymous Poster]

After finding this site and going through all the pages all I can say is congratulations to all who participate. This is one solid forum without all the BS.
So, the dealer dropped off a B7500HST yesterday to try out. It has a FEL and RFM which came in handy mowing under bushes and low pine trees. I have about 4-5 acres to mow with about a dozen trees & bushes and a long drive which circles around the house plus I'll have a small parking lot when my business gets going as far as clearing snow in the winter (which can drift pretty good and it's not uncommon to get a couple feet in one day). After reading all the posts concerning the 7500, that's what I decided to go with.
However, I have not been approached by the farmer who worked the 8-9 acres on the rear portion of my land prior to me buying it and might need to do something with it myself. Maybe smooth out the old corn rows and... I'm not sure yet.
I've been thinking if the 2710 with its extra hp and wider implements might be worth the extra bucks. Does the extra cylinder add that much more power or isn't it worth the extra fuel I assume the 2710 uses?
I'm thinking the 7500 will do the job and I already have one sitting here but, nothing has been signed yet and I'm looking for some added input.

TIA

 

[Von]

TIA, One thing that the B2710 will be able to do is handle a 6 ft. mower deck. With that much grass to mow you will like the larger cut. As for the other work, the larger the tractor the faster you can do the work. I would have him bring out a B27-2910 with the same set-up, then keep the one that works out the best for your needs. I think it will be the B27-2910, but thats just my guess!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[glennmac]

I concur with everything Von said. Very sound advice. If you are already having doubts now, believe me you will continue to have them later. You didn't mention whether you need to do snow removal.

Me, I would get the bigger tractor.

 

[Bird]

Fred, you will quite likely be happy with either one, but like Von said, if you're happy with the 7500 you'll probably be even happier with the 2710/2910./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yes, I'll have to clear the snow in the driveway and small parking lot. That's why I am wondering if the 7500 has enough horses. I won't be able to tell til next winter. The six foot mowing deck would be nice, and also the extra lifting height you Get with the 2710's FEL, but the $2500 more for the tractor plus the added cost of the implements... that's where I am having a hard time deciding. I'm starting to get into more than I wanted to spend and don't know that it's that big of a jump to justify the cost. It's my first tractor and I want something that will do the jobs needed but don't want to buy into overkill either, and hurt myself with too big a loss in maneuverability.

Fred

 

[Bird]

I understand the budgetary considerations, Fred. That's the reason I bought a B7100 in '95 and when I traded up to a B2710 in '99, I only took a $2,850 depreciation on the B7100 (of course then I also traded up with my brush hog and box blade, which cost me a few more dollars). You might do the same thing; buy the 7500 now and trade up later, if the budget permits.

 

[frank_f15]

freds: as von says i think u at least need to try a larger machine. then see which one works best for u.the 7500 would probably do fine, but it never hurts to check out a slightly larger tractor.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks, guys. I wish I had gotten a tractor to try out when the snow dictated (that's really my main concern as far as hp), but if $2800+- is all I might face in depreciation after 4 years and a trade in... I think I'll lean towards the B7500 for now. That will leave me a little dough to buy another attachment. Trying out a larger tractor won't really put it to the test at this time plus a friend of mine told me today that working the land with drag implements would require a larger tractor anyway as far as his experience.
Again, great forum you have here and I guess I'm now the proud owner of a B7500HST.

Fred

 

[PaulT]

Fred,

I am curious as to why you think the snow is your biggest concern with regard to HP? Are you planning to have a snowblower, a blade, or a front angle plow? In any of those cases, the biggest enemy you face in heavy snow removal (those times when it snows a foot or more in one day) is traction. The reason you won't be able to move those mountains of snow is because your tires will spin, not because your tractor will stall for lack of power! I think you should be thinking about HP for how large of a bush hog you can spin with it, rather than how much snow you can push. Chains will fix that problem. Speaking of chains, there are some threads on how easy/hard it is to get chains to fit the various tractor sizes. I particularly remember that the chains hit the fenders on a 2710 with R-4s (because that's what I have/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif). I don't have first hand knowledge with chains, since I use a p/up to plow with.

Also, for what its worth, I started with my eye on a 7500, and quickly moved up the food chain and bought a 2710. My HP concerns were that someday I'd like to own a PTO chipper, one of the most HP demanding attachments I am aware of. The 2710 will spin one up to about as large as I could afford.

Welcome/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Register and fill out the profile of where you live (it helps us to adapt our experiences to your environment for giving advice and help), and good luck!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Paul, not having much experience with living in the country (obviously) I just figured that drifting or heavy snow would be my main concern. A snowblower handled my previous home and I hadn't thought about the traction issue, good point. Most of the tractors I see driving around are what I would call your full size. My neighbor has a larger tractor and all he uses his for is to plow his driveway and occasionally brush hog the areas around his lawn. He also used it to pull out the 4WD-1ton dump truck that got stuck trying to plow my driveway last Dec. He uses a straight blade and that's the way I'll probably go, the dealer said you can get one to mount to the arms of the FEL. Like I said, I don't want to buy more than I'll ever need and be too heavy for the soft part of my lawn, but I don't want to be wishing for something bigger either. On the other hand if I ever needed something larger for a job that comes up I could probably work out some sort of deal with my neighbor. Decisions, decisions.
I'll look for that registration page.

Fred