B7100 serial numbers

[byrd]

I have been looking at B7100s in the Portland, Or area for the past month. All serial number stamps on the left side of the transmission of the B7100s I've seen at dealers or private owners begin with "B7001". Previous threads have indicated that "B7001" in the serial number indicates the model number and would thus identify the tractor as grey market.
I have brought this up with several Kubota dealers who are selling B7100s and they assure me they have run the serial number through Kubota and they returned with the original owner and area dealer where they were purchased.
I don't understand this unless all B7100s were manufactured with a "B7001" serial number pretext.
Can anyone explain?

[handyman]

Check your other post for link the 7001 serial number is a gray market the 7100 was built for American market. Vic or Eserv or someone else will jump in shortly.I have a B7100 the serial number starts with B7100. This is not to say you cannot find parts or anything else but it is what they call a gray market. Standby for someone else to jump in and explain it better. The B7100 is a well built tractor and a lot still running after 4500 plus hours ask bulldog about that.handy

[handyman]

Forgot didnt explain previous post real clear the B7100 is the one made for usa kubota dealers. The B7001 was made for the japaneese market and are called gray market. Sorry if I confused you sometimes I cant explain myself the way I want to. Like I said Vic Eserv or bulldog but someone else will jump in that can explain it better than I can. handy

[byrd]

That is my understanding from reading previous posts on similar threads on this forum but four separate Kubota dealers here (around the Portland area) all have B7100s for sale. All of the stamps on the left side of the transmissions start "B7001". Three dealers showed me responses from Kubota indicating they were sold new at local dealerships and give the names of the original owners.
All of the dealers insist, therefore, these are not grey market tractors.
All the stickers, labels and instruments are duel language (English and a foreign language) and all have PTO guards and the PTOs turn clockwise.
So, are these USA or Grey?

[handyman]

Byrd all I can tell you is check this link it is kubotas website. Maybe someone else will jump in but the way I read it according to the following website the B7001 ARE GRAY http://www.kubota.com/priorproduct/GrayMarketList.aspx handy

[Bulldog]

Byrd, I believe that handyman is telling you correct on the gray market deal. I wish that I knew what the serial number was on my old B 7100. Mine had dual language labels on it like what you are discribing but I didn't even have pto guards or any of that fancy stuff. The pto turned the correct way but that's about it. Mine was a 74 model if I remember correctly and was one of the first built to come over to America from Japan. As far as parts go what little I did have to buy for mine the dealer didn't have a problem to get for me and I put roughly 6000 hrs on it and was still running when I traded it in.

[byrd]

Thanks Handyman...You are right. There is not doubt a B7001 is a grey market tractor. My question is surrounding the serial number stamped on the left side of the transmission. Four Portland area Kubota dealers have B7100s for sale. All are marked everywhere as a B7100 with the exception of the serial number stamped on the left side of the transmission. All are marked "B7001" followed by five numbers. The one I am interested in is serial number B7001-71953. All four Kubota dealers that have these B7100s that are marked as such but with a "B7001" preface on the serial number stamped on the transmission insist the tractors are not grey market. They all show evidence that they are US models they say, by running that serial number through their dealer website to Kubota and show me the date of sale to a specific owner at a Portland area Kubota dealer in the late 70s or early 80's. That is why I am perplexed. The moderator from this site wrote in another thread from January of this year that the beginning numbers of the serial number stamped on the transmission is the model number and I have no reason to disbelieve him.
Can anyone explain this discrepancy and are the dealers correct or giving me misinformation?

[handyman]

Byrd I would get all the numbers off tractor and call kubota myself and talk to them the number is listed on the link for kubota I sent you . Let us know what they tell you. handy

[Bulldog]

It may be that they are the very first models that came to America. They were produced in Japan to come to America and that is why they have dual language on them. By having that they could be sold in either place and they labels would still apply. I don't know how Kubota does their ser. numbers but on a piece of Cat equipment the first number identifies the model of the machine and the second tell the how many where made. In other words the 71953 would mean that the machine that had that number was the 71,953 machine produced of that particular model.

[Kytim]

Hello all, I for one would also like to know about the serial number issue. I also own a B7100 that is labeled stickered and marked B7100 but also shows a serial number prefix of 7001. any insight would be helpful. I would even be willing to suggest a serial number registry to assist this interesting question.

tim

[Service Dept Vic]

Serial number prefix on B Series tractors have always been B5001, B6001 and B7001 for North American destined B51, 61 and 7100's.

When the B7100 was re-launched as the 'new' B7100, the serial number prefix on the transmission tube prefixed out as a 'B7100'.

So a gray Market B7001 and a bonafide North American B7100, would both prefix as B7001 with serial numbers running sequential in both 'models'.

Your dealers are as correct as they can be without telling you that their North American unit came down the same assembly line on basically the same day as a dreaded gray market B7001.

Kubota overlooked the serial number stamping on models destined for North america, because to Kubota, the tractor is and was the B7001.

that's not all KTC overlooked in the early days.

For instance, a good majority of the pictures shown in Kubota's Workshop Service manuals, clearly show Gray market tractors being worked on! Several lubrication and filter guides published by Kubota list gray market models along side all the North American models.

You think you're confused! Kubota is confused!

[handyman]

Byrd :oI may have mislead you on this serial number according to Vic. I in no way meant to do that I was going by the gray market list on Kubotas website I refered you to. I am sorry if I told you wrong I would not intentionally do that to anyone about anything. handy

[Bulldog]

Byrd :oI may have mislead you on this serial number according to Vic. I in no way meant to do that I was going by the gray market list on Kubotas website I refered you to. I am sorry if I told you wrong I would not intentionally do that to anyone about anything. handy

Handy,

If that is the worst thing that you ever do to anybody then I think everthing will be just fine. Any one of us would, could and may forever be confused by some of these tractor numbers. I'll give you a pass on this in my book for sure. :D

[byrd]

Service Dept Vic...Your response was spot on. Thanks very much. I confirmed with an e-mail to Kubota that the B7100 I was looking at with a "B7001" prefix in the serial number was in fact a US model.

And Handyman, your advice regarding the model itself, a B7001, was correct too that it is a grey model. I was simply trying to find a definitive answer regarding the "B7001" prefix in the serial number.

This topic is confusing but the responses have cleared up the question quite well. If you are in doubt about a serial number on an older B7100 or presumably a B6100 model that begins with B7001 or B6001 in the serial number, e-mail Kubota with the entire serial number and they will verify if it is a genuine or grey market tractor.

Thanks very much for all the responses. They were all very helpful.