B7500 Manuel Trans?

[ScottieM]

Are there any happy B7500 Manual transmission owners out there. I have finally made up my mind to buy a B7500 I have owned manual trans cars/trucks my whole life and will continue to buy them. I want to spend the least amount possible on this tractor. I am going to get a 3PT finish mower to save $$ over a MMM. I am going to test drive one tomorrow, I know I will more than likley not have a problem with it at first. I am more worried about long term. I will not be using the FEL alot, just for the occasional odd job.There are not going to be an abnormal amount of trees I have to mow around. Does anyone who has driven cars/trucks with manual trans, regret getting a Manual Trans in there B7500????

 

[GlueGuy]

Sorry Scottie, I have the HST (and love it). I think the biggest issue with a manual would be using the FEL. The HST is perfect for that.

The GlueGuy

 

[Bird]

ScottieM, I grew up with manual transmissions in cars and trucks; just got rid of the last manual transmission car two years ago, and I've got a lot more hours on manual transmission tractors than I do with the HST. However, I'm now firmly in favor of HST on my tractor, and our car and pickup both have automatics; lazy, spoiled to modern conveniences? Probably./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif <font color=blue>I will more than likley not have a problem with it at first. I am more worried about long term</font color=blue> What are you worried about? Getting tired of it? Its durability? I think the tractor will hold up just fine, but if you try mowing with a manual and then do the same thing with the HST, I think you'll be a convert.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I was 24 hours from ordering my B7500 with a manual transmission and changed my mind and went hydro. 9 out of 10 people I talked to said go hydro so I did and love it. I am 51 years old and plan on this tractor to be my last so why not get something that is effortless to operate. Good luck, Jethro

 

[kingoflenthill]

I agree with Glue guy and bird. If using the FEL, Hydro cant be beat. I have a MMM and it cuts better than anything else I have had. If you have a large open lot to mow, a rear mounted mower may be the ticket but don't write of the MMM.
Another point for hydro(maybe) is that the significant other in the house will love it. I let my wife cut grass once and now I have to fight tooth and nail just to burn some diesel.
I know one thing for certain... whether you get hydro or manual you will not be sorry you spent your money on a 'bota

Craig

 

[glennmac]

Scottie,

I grew up on manual transmission cars and still have one, my yellow Mustang convertible. But if I had to parallel park and do J turns 10-50 times and hour, and if I had to drive all the time in stop and go traffic, and if you told me I could do that without ever having to clutch or touch a shift lever--then I dont think I would prefer manual transmission any more. So it is with tractors, for me. I have bought 2 hst tractors and am positive I would have regretted getting a gear tractor.

 

[looch]

I went through the same thing 2 months ago when I was lookng at the B7500. I liked changing gears on my existing tractor, I didn't have plans for extensive FEL use, and there was a 2000$ (Canadian) price difference. I was all but set to buy the manual transmission when I tried out a hydro. That was it and I have no regrets. There's a lot to be said about being able to vary your ground speed on the fly without losing rpm's.

I also bought a 3pt mower, and do a lot more forward/reverse transitions than I did with the old MMM. I love it, though. It's great for getting under trees. I would suggest a rear-discharge - it's great. Mine's a Farm King F550R, 60" made by Buhler Manufacturing http://www.buhler.com

 

[Will]

I've been driving standard transmission cars for 30 years, so I figured the convenience of HST wouldn't be a big deal for me. I bought a B2100DT (this is almost exactly the same as the B7500 manual transmission model you are looking at). It's a great tractor, but I traded it in on a B2410HST. The hydrostatic transmission is extremely useful, especially for mowing. If you go to the link in my signature you'll find some information about pricing, and also a link to a page describing, in more detail than I'd want to write here, some opinions I have about MMM vs. 3pt mowers, etc.

Will

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a link with pricing info on Kubota B series tractors.

 

[skgolfer]

ScottieM

I know you are probably reading all of these posts thinking....I'm gonna have to spend the extra money and get the HST. Well....all these folks are probably giving you the right scoop. Nobody I've heard from was ever sorry that they bought the HST instead of the gear driven model. If you talk to folk or read through alot of the older posts on this site you'll find that many people have bought the gear and then traded it in shortly thereafter for the HST. Another point to consider is that the HST should be much easier to sell and at a much better price if you decide to trade in or up at a later date.

Good luck with your decision.

sk

 

[Haldawson]

I must be a minority of one, but I got a manual B7500 and have no regrets. Certainly some jobs would go faster with HST but I have the time and I enjoy shifting. I also enjoyed saving the money, and I have a hunch that the manual will be more service free.

 

[Bird]

Nope, Haldawson, you're not the only one, or they wouldn't still be making them and selling them./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif It's true that the HST has lots of advantages and most of us prefer it, but if the manual transmission meets your needs, and you're comfortable with it, and can save money, then I say that's the way to go.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Well If you like taking more time to mow then BOTH opf those choices are for you. But If time is important then both the HST and the MMM is the way to go. The Cost on the HSt is far cheaper then what the Cost of keeping the Gear shift in Clutch's over the years is most often more then the differnce in the hst cost new. And nothing is harder on clutch's than mowing because of all the gear changes. And the MMM is faster because it dosen't have to pick the grass up after being ran over by both sets of tire's. And if you are like me with a touch of arthritis then looking over the shoulder all the time to see where the deck is can be a real pain in the neck! Some times saving money can cost you more in the long run in repairs and asprin! to give you a Ideal I used to mow my deck with a 48' wheelhorse gear shift tractor and it took me a 1:45 to mow it I used my neighbor's same horsepower but it had a HST and a 42' mower and I could mow my same yard in 1:15. So when I got a new machine it was a Hst and Rear mower BUt I traded it for a MMM and have NEVER regreted it!

 

[ScottieM]

First of all I just want to thank all of you, for all of the valuable information that I have read at this site also for answering my questions. I went to test drive a manual drive B7500, while driving it I played with the FEL, and my hand/foot coordination would need great improvement if I wanted to stick with a manual drive transmission. So I opted for HST. I put down some money to reserve a B7500hst, ag tires, fel, 6' 3pt finish mower, foldable rops, 4' backblade with skids, all for only $14,695.00. The dealer I bought this from is Seyberts out of Coldwater Michigan, they were just awarded the title of Fifth largest seller in the nation for Kubotas, so they got some breaks from Kubota on their equipment. After looking around for weeks for the best price prior to this I found 14,900 without foldable rops, so I truly feel I got a good deal in my area of the country. I will taking delivery of it in late October early November.

 

[glennmac]

Congratulations. I think you'll have fun. I guess you'll take delivery just in time to use the backblade and fel for snow. That's what I use. And if you are sure you want the 3ph mower, it can serve as the counterweight for your fel during mowing season.

 

[Bird]

Sounds like a good deal to me, ScottieM. I guess I'm a little surpised at the 6' mower instead of a 5' one. I'm just using a 5' one on my B2710, but sometimes think maybe I should have gotten the 6' mower.

Bird

 

[ScottieM]

I am getting the 6' mower because the dealer had no plans of ordering 5' mower,(same price as 5' cause of that reason) but I was just looking at the B7500 brochure and it look like it is only rated for a 5' mower, will I be ok with a 6' mower or ask the dealer to order a 5' mower?
Also anyone tried both is a 6' harder to keep and eye on than a 5'? Also will my tractor be ok to pull it?

 

[Bird]

ScottieM, I think the tractor will pull it just fine; however, if you're mowing with the FEL off (as I always do), you may have to have weights on the front of the tractor to pick up the mower without lifting your front wheels. Of course, I don't know what brand/model of mower you're getting, so I don't know just what the weight will be. I know you can sure tell the front end is light on my B2710 when I pick up my Bush Hog RDTH60 mower, although not light enough for me to worry about it.

Bird

 

[GlueGuy]

I agree with Bird. I have a 4' brush cutter (Woods). It's pretty heavy, but I can cut without the FEL for getting into tight areas. However, I "usually" leave the FEL on for a counter-balanbce.

When I'm turning on a slope without the FEL, the front end is noticably "light" and the front tires will "skid" because the the lack of traction.

I would imagine the 5' would be even worse.

The GlueGuy

 

[glennmac]

Scottie,

Bird has raised a good point and I think you should give some further thought to whether you might not be better off with a 5' mower. I wouldnt get the 6' solely because that's what your dealer has available. He shouldnt sell you one solely for that reason either. (Not saying he is.)

I'd say there are 5 things to consider:

1. Can your tractor lift the 6' mower when you are transporting it. That will depend on the weight of the mower (get the exact weight) and the lift capacity of your 3ph.

2. Even if you can lift it, can you comfortably and safely drive it with no fel or weight on the front of your tractor. Bird mows without fel or weight, but he has a larger, heavier tractor and a smaller, lighter mower than you are considering. If you end up rear heavy two things can happen. You lose good steering ability. More dangerously, you have the chance of tipping over backwards when you go up a hill. This then partially depends on the character of your land.

3. Can your tractor pull the mower. I'm sure it can on flat ground, but you have to consider the contours of your own land. If you have hills, the tractor will have a more difficult time with larger implements.

4. Scalping. The wider mower will have more of a tendency to scalp the lawn if you have dips and gullies and small mounds. If you are very flat, that wont be a problem.

5. Maneuvering between and around things. The rear mower in general is more difficult to maneuver around things than a midmount. The wider the mower, the more careful you will have to be. Also, you may not be able to squeeze through some places with a 6' mower that you could with a 5'.

Only you can judge these factors. My gut instrinct without knowing your land is that the 5' is more properly sized for a 7500.

 

[radman]

I used to own a B7500 with a 5' rear mount finish mower. A 5' is the best for this size of tractor. A 6' would probably work but if the grass is thick or damp you will probably need to overlap as you mow. The biggest concern I believe is the weight of the 6' mower. I used 50-100 lbs of front end weights when I mowed without the loader on using the 5' mower. Without the weight the front end is quite light. I doubt if the tractor could lift a 6' mower without front end weight. A 6' mower will also max out the lifting capacity of a B7500. I used a King Kutter 5' mower I purchased on a close out sale for $650. I sold the 7500 but still kept the mower for use on my brothers B7500. Still works great. My recommendation would be a 5' finish mower.