New to me B6000

[firekat]

Greetings All!

I just purchased a B6000 that I found on Craigslist. I have been wanting/needing a SCUT/CUT for a while. I have 3 acres and a looong driveway as the main house is at the back of a pie shaped lot.

I was thinking of a new or one season old Kubota, but the prices are too dear even if I was to finance it. Dropping the better part of 20K is just too much, as I also have other things to spend that kind of money on.

I always kept an eye on Craigslist to see if anything interesting came up.

One B6000 came up, it had the rototiller on it only and looked pretty beat up. A few days later amazingly another B6000 popped up that has the rototiller and a FEL. I really want/need the FEL.

This one supposedly sat in a garage for a long time and was only used occasionally until it was sold to the guy I purchased it from.

Once I got it home, now the list of stuff that needs to be fixed/replaced will begin. I will be contacting the previous owner and getting a full list of what he did and had done. There was some injector work done prior to my purchase. My list of parts is beginning to grow already.

One thing that bugs me is that the FEL seems to be tweaked. I saw this before I purchased it and mentioned to the seller. It seems to work ok, it just bugs me. Is this common and does anyone know how to rectify it? I have seen pictures of other B6000's that appear to have the same thing.

I did get a manual included in the purchase. One thing that is noted in the manual is a "accelerator pedal". Was this an option or is it a standard item? I don't see any vestiges of this device on initial inspection.

I am pretty sure that this is a North American machine as all the placards are in English including the plate mounted on the transmission. The serial number starts with B6000- . The funny thing is that the badge mounted on the grill is in Japanese!

I downloaded off the web some manuals, but some of the pictures and diagrams are pretty difficult to see, and quite honestly the Japanese tainted vernacular is not all that easy to read.

Any initial advice for the newbie will be greatly appreciated. The list of my questions is starting to grow in leaps and bounds!

Sorry for the long first post.

Here are the pix:

 

[E-clip]

Hello,
I found mine through Craigslist also. It came with the same FEL as yours. Mine is tweaked mostly at the subframe assembly. I moved the loader through all extreme positions and checked for any binding. It works fine, just watch the hydraulic oil level and keep the pivot points lubed. Someday I may straighten the subframe and weld on some reinforcements. Yours looks like it might be a little more distorted than mine but can't tell for sure.

The B6000 has a lot of torque for it's size. I think that's what can cause operators to push the loader beyond what's it's designed for.....just my thoughts. I'm real happy with mine.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Hey Vic please correct me if I'm wrong but doesnt he have a grey maket Kubota that was just rebaged as a B6000 in English? The Nother American model is a B6100 which is what I have and my "console" for a better lack of terms looks different then what his does. His gear shifter, seat, steering wheel and floor boards all look different then what my B6100 has on it.

 

[firekat]

Thanks for the info! I am in contact with Vic to start the maintenance/parts replacement dance. According to the s/n the tractor is in fact a US model. Who know's where the Japanese badge came from. I kind of like it.

The FEL works fine, and I did check the limits prior to purchase. The 3 point lift on the rototiller screeches at the limit of the travel. Saw a post on a search that said there were some adjustments that have to be done. On inspection found an mechanical actuator rod with two adjustable blocks on it. Will have to check into that.

I would like to get a wagon/cart to haul around stuff in. Thing is that the rototiller looks like a major job to remove. It also serves as a counterbalance to the FEL. Would there be a good way to mount a wagon/hitch leaving the rototiller in place?

 

[DBCSteve]

You will need to remove any 3-point implement to tow. Assume you have a tow bar, but could not tell in the pictures. Changing 3-point implements can be a pain, particularly if the top and right side adjustable links have not been regularly lubricated. I just got an L3400 with 250 hours on it, and both links were stuck -- a bit of muscle and lube got 'em working again. It still does take time to switch implements, but you'll get used to it.

When you use the FEL, especially for anything heavy like gravel or road base, you will need a counterweight. The good news is a scraper makes an excellent counterweight, and you would need a scraper anyway to spread gravel and maintain your road.

I had top and tilt (hydraulic cylinders to replace top and right side links) on my old Ford 1910, and it does make changing implements and grading roads much easier. Just added it to my Kubota, but it does add cost. If you do get a scraper, make sure those manual links are in good working order and are well lubed. It will make tractor use much easier.

Finally -- if you have some spare change and a good relationship with your local Kubota dealer, you might consider getting a ROPS and a seat belt. Recent posts seem to indicate that Kubota can provide and install a ROPS for $300 plus or minus. The need depends on your topography, how you use the tractor, and of course lifting a fully-loaded bucket much more than a few feet off the ground. Your best investment, of course, is learning how to use the tractor safely! Good luck.

 

[DBCSteve]

One more thought. If you do get a scraper, some folks weld a ball mount on top so that they can tow without removing the scraper. Be mindful that towing a small trailer is one thing, actually dragging and pulling something heavy is another. When you are pulling something very heavy that has some resistance -- like trying to pull a tree stump out of the ground -- you want to pull from a location close to the ground, which is what a tow bar is designed to do. Pulling from the top link is dangerous, especially without a ROPS.