Looking at B7800 or B2910

[bobintexas]

Thanks all for the comments, ideas, and of course the support for my poor FEL skills. What a wealth of experiece. And, yes, I will get a toothbar. Learned that trick from TBN posts.

First let me add some info on my mowing chore. The 1.5 acres I want to finish mow is still field, prairie grass. It is not a sodded or seeded yard. I may have over stated my concerns about marks and mislead that I have nice grass. The house sits back among trees with just a small amount of nice grass for a yard. A push mower works well. I want to cut some of the close in field and frontage a bit nicer than the rotary cutter can do. The tractor can get to these areas just fine. I just don't want to get this area all rutted up over time. From your comments, I am leaning back to R4's for the traction they offer for all jobs and I feel I can drive with better technique.

I have been mulling over and over the suggestions to keep the 7100 for the finish mowing task and small jobs. Very interesting. My older 7100, though, has no mid pto for MMM, has a manual tranny and the pto is transmission driven (ie not continuous). Those features make it some work to mow. I think the right size new tractor (7800) will be so much easier (read fun) that I am afraid the 7100 would just sit there. Regarding other suggestions, if (when) the hand mowing becomes a chore, I can see a riding mower becoming the in-between tool.

Thanks for the positive comments on power/weight. They bring out a few new questions regarding balance. With an easy on/off FEL, I will probably run the mowing operation without the FEL. Tight areas will be that much easier and I won't damage trees. Will I need front weights? How much? For FEL work, can you get by with just one of these - filled rear tires, weight box, or box blade only? Or do you need the combination filled tires plus something? I researched a few TBN posts but I am still not that clear on this issue. My 7100 has filled tires, and I forgot to check the 2710 rental.

The Foldable ROPS comments are very interesting. I have not dealt with ROPS yet, except the rented 2710 kept me much further out from under the trees than I was accustomed to with the 7100 no ROPS. I still think I want foldable ROPS. Didn't realize they were hard to deal with. The extra height won't be a problem, I have 10ft doors. I will need to go to the dealer and operate one.

I appreciate how loyal the 7800 owners are as I am likely to be one. Regarding the 2910 extras, I don't know if they are worth it. It will be interesting to see if the 3030 really is priced lower than a 2910 and how close to the 7800 it gets. The features I value the most are the 3ph attachment and position control. I like the idea of the rear hydraulics but honestly don't know what implement I would want that needs it. I noticed the position control immediately on the 2710 rental compared to my 7100 crude up/down control. I have not tried the QIV but I expect it to be closer to how my 7100 operates than position control. I have to go test it out at the dealer too. Don't know if that can be an individual option to the 7800.

The biggie for me is easy implement hook up. I leave my cutter on (my only implement right now) nearly 100%, whether it makes the FEL job awkward or not, because I think it is so difficult to attach and remove. That will be a problem as the years go by for the length of time I intend to own and operate the new tractor. Plus, I intend to own more implements and swap between them with some frequency in the future. The 2710 rental had telescopic stabilizers which helped some, but I still had to push the cutter around to get it hooked up. I would think the extendable arms, telescopic stabilizers, and ratchet lift rod would be much better. Any experiences? I guess I can add those to the 7800 rather than go all the way to a 2910 (or 3030).

Going down a different path, I have recently been researching TBN for an alternative to those 3ph features - the quick hitch, quick coupler type systems. An example is the Speeco rig. These look and sound pretty slick. One issue seems to be that they all aren't perfectly univerasal, all usually needing some 'adjustment' to your implements, which concerns me some. I am interested in your experiences between the adjustable link system (good enough?) and these quick hitch systems (better?).

Hope you are having a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Bob

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> I would think the extendable arms, telescopic stabilizers, and ratchet lift rod would be much better. Any experiences? I guess I can add those to the 7800 rather than go all the way to a 2910 (or 3030).
</font>

Bob, a year ago I priced these items as I was thinking I might like to adapt them to my BX2200. My recollection is that they were quite expensive to buy as replacement parts. Something on the order of $500 to $600 to get what you listed.

You could verify this by going to tractorsmart.com and down loading the parts manual for the B2910, then plugging all the parts numbers into their on-line pricing tool.

I might even be low in what I think the price would be. I remember emailing Tractorsmart to verify the price of one piece, thinking it might be a pair of which ever part that was, and the reply was, that the price was for one, not two...

IF the extendable lower links and ratcheting side adjuster is important to you, and if the price difference between the B7800 and the B2910/3030 is only a $1,000 or so, it probably would make more sense to buy the deluxe tractor. The suspension seat is also a nice feature, by the way.

All depends on the cost difference, which I am not up to date on. I just guessed on that $1,000...seemed to remember someone throwing out that number in the past...

 

[riptides]

Telescopic Links </font><font color="blue" class="small">( I guess I can add those to the 7800 rather than go all the way to a 2910 (or 3030).
)</font> Yep. But as Henro said if your looking at 1k difference, you might as well get the 2910 or 3030. I like my 7800, but when the Links go, I may move up to the telescopic stuff just to save my knuckles and back.

It is a tough choice, but remember money over pain. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bobintexas]

Henro,
Thanks for the info on the links. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but wow. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole I guess. How do you like these links on your 2910? Do they help? You must like them since you were looking to modify your BX2200. What do you know about the quick hitch devices?

 

[aloha]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The biggie for me is easy implement hook up. )</font>
I struggled with attachments until I discovered that a 5' long 2x4 used as a lever will easily shift a 500+ lb box scraper or brush hog onto the 3PH.

I am considering replacing my turnbuckle "check chains" with the pinned stabilizers the 2910 uses to adjust the width of the lower links.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> How do you like these links on your 2910? Do they help? </font>

Yes, they help more than you can imagine. ESPECIALLY if you have a 3PH backhoe! I can't imagine putting my backhoe on without them. It is just so obvious how much they help each time I put the backhoe on.

You get close to whatever you want to hook up, then you have several inches of extension to play with. So if the heavy implement is not exactly square to the tractor, you can usually get both lower arms hooked up without having to move the implement. Not always maybe, but almost always.

Once the top link is hooked up, you lift the 3 PH and the lower extensions generally click back in place on their own. If they don't you back up with the implement on the ground and they will push back in.

I would not buy a tractor without them if the option was available. But I might buy a tractor without them if I really liked the tractor and was willing to struggle a little more just to have it... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Don't have any experience with quick hitches...

 

[rswyan]

Like Henro says, they are very, very handy <another satisfied B2910 owner>

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Once the top link is hooked up, you lift the 3 PH and the lower extensions generally click back in place on their own. )</font>

Of course you don't want to do this with a Kubota 3PT backhoe - unless you have the lift limiter on the 'hoe unbolted - otherwise you might hose the 3PT.

 

[rswyan]

Come to think of it, you wouldn't even want to do it even with the lift limiter unbolted - due to the design (double pin) of the top mast assembly.

 

[bobintexas]

Henro, I went to tractorsmart.com and found the parts area but could't get the parts list or a download. Is there a trick?

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> I went to tractorsmart.com and found the parts area but could't get the parts list or a download. Is there a trick?
</font>

I think if you email them they will send you a link to the parts manual you want.

I remember that once I saw the way they set up their data base that it was easy to figure out how to download other manuals you might want to look at too.

Unfortunately, I don't remember what the link was...

But if you send them an email, the will likely be back to you promptly with the link you need to download the manual.

Well worth the effort of sending an email to them...

Best I can tell you...try it, you'll like having the PDF manual I think. If you don't already have Adobe reader (or whatever they call it) on your computer, you will need it, but it is also available free on the net.

Hope this helps....