B7100 hst worth it?

[kubquestion]

(app prices in aud)
Hi all, so after consulting a gardening subreddit and finding out that unless I buy a 5000$ tiller or tractor I cannot use our ground. Now as many of you will understand I ofc decided to go the tractor route. Since well 7hp single cylinder petrol vs 17hp diesel is a big difference. I had a look and was in talks about buying a Massey te20, but quite quickly realized that the tractor will be far far too fast to till with. And considering im also going to mow with it I'd much prefer a mid mount and hydrostatic. I looked at a fe35 for 2000$ but again the gear transmission and single clutch pto scares me, especially with the amount of obstacles and tendency to have implements drive the tractor. I then looked at a fairly nice modern subcompact, but 35000$ for a lawnmower+tiller is Abit too expensive for my linking. So I consulted Facebook marketplace. There I found a (admittedly rough) b7100. Now I have a fair bit of automotive experience, especially with diesels but my main concerns are

Does Kubota let you buy parts from them for b7100s?
Any big issues with the tractors

Would it be worth it? They're asking 3300 but I can get down to 3000$ fairly easily (2500usd)

, how well would it work being used In clay heavy soil/groundwork in general

Lastly, is it fairly hard to replace the driveshaft on it?

Photos are here

 

[My Barn]

Does it start-up and run? It's looking a little rough whats on the clock, hours? Parts shouldn't be a problem plus after market stuff.

 

[D2Cat]

Looks like it's been rode hard and put to bed wet!!

Find something like this even if you have to pay someone to move it: https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/kubota-b7100-hst-4k.61231/

 

[Biker1mike]

IMHO. If the body looks this rough I would worry about how the engine was maintained. I'd walk away from it. Below is my 86 B6200. Not polished for sale just in it's daily clothes.

 

[ken erickson]

I can address the items that I have had to replace/repair on my B7100 HST late model (same generations as the one you posted pictures of) that seem to be common items.

The radiator needed rebuilding by a radiator shop around the 900 hour mark.

They dynamo bearings replaced about the 1100 hour mark. This is a fairly common issue.

The seat pan and upholstery was replaced also at the 1100 mark. The metal pan had cracked around the pivot brackets.

I believe that a common replacement is the ball type steering box especially when these tractor are left outside in the rain and snow. Mine has survived close to the 1400 hour mark with no issues but I keep my B7100 under roof.

I think if the one your considering is worth the money will depend on a lot of unknowns. What issues does the tractor have that a front driveshaft replacement is necessary? I see the HST filter cover retaining knobs and speed set knob are missing (at least on one side of the cover). That might indicate some sort of issue. You mentioned mowing and a mid mount mower. Does this tractor come with the mower and all attaching hardware? Does the tractor , as far as you can test durning a test drive function as it should?

 

[TheOldHokie]

IMHO. If the body looks this rough I would worry about how the engine was maintained. I'd walk away from it. Below is my 86 B6200. Not polished for sale just in it's daily clothes.

View attachment 92966

I woudl wager better than most. I see you have purchased the OEM muffler and seat repair kit

I am curious - what is the orange piece on top of the front frame?

Dan

 

[Biker1mike]

I woudl wager better than most. I see you have purchased the OEM muffler and seat repair kit

I am curious - what is the orange piece on top of the front frame?

Dan

A new OEM exhaust was close to 500 bucks. There is a very small crack on the bottom of the stack from hitting a tree. Exhaust repair tape was a lot cheaper.
The seat is flex seal tape and works great.

The orange piece is the frame for the plow. The vertical hydraulic attachment point.

 

[TheOldHokie]

A new OEM exhaust was close to 500 bucks. There is a very small crack on the bottom of the stack from hitting a tree. Exhaust repair tape was a lot cheaper.
The seat is flex seal tape and works great.

The orange piece is the frame for the plow. The vertical hydraulic attachment point.

Just kidding you about the exhaust. I have one in similar condition.

Dan

 

[kubquestion]

Does it start-up and run? It's looking a little rough whats on the clock, hours? Parts shouldn't be a problem plus after market stuff.

I asked the owner and it runs fine,no blowback or anything in the slightest, but I'm just waiting for him to message back with if it has any problems

 

[kubquestion]

Looks like it's been rode hard and put to bed wet!!

Find something like this even if you have to pay someone to move it: https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/kubota-b7100-hst-4k.61231/

We have those,but that condition would be atleast 10K, which as you can imagine is Abit too expensive for me

 

[kubquestion]

I can address the items that I have had to replace/repair on my B7100 HST late model (same generations as the one you posted pictures of) that seem to be common items.

The radiator needed rebuilding by a radiator shop around the 900 hour mark.

They dynamo bearings replaced about the 1100 hour mark. This is a fairly common issue.

The seat pan and upholstery was replaced also at the 1100 mark. The metal pan had cracked around the pivot brackets.

I believe that a common replacement is the ball type steering box especially when these tractor are left outside in the rain and snow. Mine has survived close to the 1400 hour mark with no issues but I keep my B7100 under roof.

I think if the one your considering is worth the money will depend on a lot of unknowns. What issues does the tractor have that a front driveshaft replacement is necessary? I see the HST filter cover retaining knobs and speed set knob are missing (at least on one side of the cover). That might indicate some sort of issue. You mentioned mowing and a mid mount mower. Does this tractor come with the mower and all attaching hardware? Does the tractor , as far as you can test durning a test drive function as it should?

I'm probably going to go for a test drive sometime next week hopefully, but I have a mower deck already lined up to purchase,so that's completely covered. But yeah the general condition and missing parts concerns me slightly, especially when you factor in the limited photos and age

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'm probably going to go for a test drive sometime next week hopefully, but I have a mower deck already lined up to purchase,so that's completely covered. But yeah the general condition and missing parts concerns me slightly, especially when you factor in the limited photos and age

You have a mower deck lined up for this exact model?
That would be quite lucky of you, as here in the US where there are thousands of B7100's finding a mower deck to fit one is a huge long shot.

 

[kubquestion]

You have a mower deck lined up for this exact model?
That would be quite lucky of you, as here in the US where there are thousands of B7100's finding a mower deck to fit one is a huge long shot.

Wow really? I just looked again on marketplace and there's about 4 all within an hour of me, although it seems like our market is Abit weird + we imported alottt of the Asian machines so its not too much of a surprise

 

[PaulL]

Australian prices are higher, that's probably a reasonably good buy in Australia. I've seen better, but it's not bad.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Looks like a nice project.

 

[kubquestion]

Australian prices are higher, that's probably a reasonably good buy in Australia. I've seen better, but it's not bad.

Yeah our prices are really weird, a old Massey is cheap as chips but anything more modern is just really expensive,a good Kubota (b6xxx to b2100) are atleast 9-15000 easy. And yeah it's not a beauty but considering it's the only hydrostat,Im surprised with the price

 

[torch]

, how well would it work being used In clay heavy soil/groundwork in general

Lastly, is it fairly hard to replace the driveshaft on it?

Those are turf tires on that tractor. Great for driving over lawns and good traction on ice and shallow snow, but not the best for field work. At the very least, you would probably need to add chains to play in the dirt.

And before you ask, you cannot fit Agricultural tires to turf rims. You would need to obtain a set of ag rims, which can be difficult to find for a tractor that old.

All that said, I have a B7100 with turfs. I have a roto-tiller for it and it works not too bad unless the soil is wet. But we have very sandy soil, not clay in these parts. Clay gets greasy fast. The tractor itself is a solid performer. I have a FEL, forks, backhoe, land plane, snowblower and make use of it all the time. (Except this week, as I'm waiting on a new clutch.) The HST robs some hp but makes up for that in usability, especially when using the loader or the blower. Gear drive machines tend to put more power to the ground than HST models.

And while it's 16hp at the crankshaft, there's 13hp at the PTO. You have to know and understand the limitations and work within them. If you are planning to till a market garden then great. If you are planning to plow fields then you might want something bigger.

 

[My Barn]

I asked the owner and it runs fine,no blowback or anything in the slightest, but I'm just waiting for him to message back with if it has any problems

You may want to check it has a mid-ship

I asked the owner and it runs fine,no blowback or anything in the slightest, but I'm just waiting for him to message back with if it has any problems

Remember the hour meter only goes up to 999. A safe bet would be to add a 1K to it! You may want to check if it has a mid-ship pto? Unless you are planning to use rear mower deck.
Good luck on it....

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You may want to check it has a mid-ship


Remember the hour meter only goes up to 999. A safe bet would be to add a 1K to it! You may want to check if it has a mid-ship pto? Unless you are planning to use rear mower deck.
Good luck on it....

All B7100 HST's have a MID PTO.

 

[My Barn]

All B7100 HST's have a MID PTO.

Didn't know that !