B7200 rear wheel question

birdog

New member

Equipment
B7200D
Feb 28, 2014
21
0
0
Pekin, IL
I just purchased a B7200D and I noticed both rear wheels are loose on the axles. I can grab the top of the tire from the side and "rock" it back and forth quite a bit on the end of the axle. Is this normal or do I need to fix it?

By the way new to the site and new to Kubotas.
 

76_Bronco

Member

Equipment
B7200 4WD w/FEL, 4' disc, 4' Brush Hog, 14" Plow, 4' Blade, JD 246 2 row Planter
Mar 28, 2012
182
1
18
Rainsville, Al
This is what your hub should look like. the bolt should be tight, and the pin in place.
 

Attachments

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
This is what your hub should look like. the bolt should be tight, and the pin in place.
The photo that Bronco posted (1st photo below) is what the new, after market replacement hubs look like. They work great.

The second picture I posted below is what the Kubota original hubs look like. That is what you should find on your tractor now. Even if you bought new bolts, springs and pins from Kubota for your existing hubs, I doubt they would stay tight for long. Especially after your hub centers are egg shaped and worn by now. I bought new hardware years ago and it did not work. It was a waste of $$.

NO they should not be wobbling and creaking around - they need to be tight. The original hubs are terrible and never seem to stay tight. You could search ebay to find replacement hubs if you have the funds. They look like the first photo.

If you are handy at welding you could do the mod that Piker did to his hubs years ago. I could not find the link to his mod, but photo 3 is Piker's hub mod.

This might be the link for Piker:
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3209&highlight=b7100+rear+hubs&page=2

This link will show you what is available on ebay. I would stay away from any of the old style hubs on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk..._nkw=kubota+b7100+rear+hub&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Almost forgot: Welcome to OTT birdog...
 

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Last edited:

76_Bronco

Member

Equipment
B7200 4WD w/FEL, 4' disc, 4' Brush Hog, 14" Plow, 4' Blade, JD 246 2 row Planter
Mar 28, 2012
182
1
18
Rainsville, Al
Thanks fellas. I will be buying the aftermarket hubs on ebay.
The pic of the hub I posted is standard equipment for the B7200. If you have the older type hub, then someone has swapped it from an older tractor.
And welcome to OTT, the best tractor forum on the web!
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
The pic of the hub I posted is standard equipment for the B7200. If you have the older type hub, then someone has swapped it from an older tractor.
Bronco, sorry my bad. Guess I should have been wearing my glasses when I read the post. I'm sure I was seeing B7100 when I answered the question about the B7200 rear wheel question. :D

Good point though. I wonder if the early model B7200's went out the door with the older style hubs ?
 

76_Bronco

Member

Equipment
B7200 4WD w/FEL, 4' disc, 4' Brush Hog, 14" Plow, 4' Blade, JD 246 2 row Planter
Mar 28, 2012
182
1
18
Rainsville, Al
Good point though. I wonder if the early model B7200's went out the door with the older style hubs ?
That's always a possibility Dan, and I'm not sure of the year that Kubota started using the newer type hubs on the B7100. The first build year of the B7200 is 1984 (according to tractordata.com), and the parts manual I have only shows one style of hub(the new type). But the hubs could have been swapped by the previous owners.
 

Lil Foot

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
May 19, 2011
7,260
2,204
113
Peoria, AZ
The hub pictured above is the same design as on my B7100, which had wobbly wheel syndrome when I got it. The point where the two halves of the hex shaped clamp meet had no clearance, in other words they bottomed against each other before clamping on the axle shaft. It was a simple matter to cut more clearance in this area, (yellow arrows in pic below) then I replaced the pin with a tight fitting bolt, either 12mm or 7/16", I don't remember which, and the hubs are tight.
 

Attachments

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
The hub pictured above is the same design as on my B7100, which had wobbly wheel syndrome when I got it. The point where the two halves of the hex shaped clamp meet had no clearance, in other words they bottomed against each other before clamping on the axle shaft. It was a simple matter to cut more clearance in this area, (yellow arrows in pic below) then I replaced the pin with a tight fitting bolt, either 12mm or 7/16", I don't remember which, and the hubs are tight.
I agree with you 100%. I had the same issue. I also noticed that the big torque bolt did not seem to be long enough. I bought all new springs, bolts and locking pins. Without cutting off some of the spring (which I would not do) the bolt would bottom out on the fully compressed spring and not be tight on the hub clamp.

For that reason I did not ever try to cut additional clearance in the hub clamp and just got 2 new style hubs off ebay. Maybe I should take another look at the old hubs to see if I missed something. Guess it would not be bad to have a spare set of hubs. :D
 

Lil Foot

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
May 19, 2011
7,260
2,204
113
Peoria, AZ
I also noticed that the big torque bolt did not seem to be long enough.
I felt the same way, so I left the springs off all together. (thanks for refreshing my memory) A couple drops of Loctite 242 and they have remained tight.

I would guess the springs were designed to keep the torque bolt from backing off, but seems to me that they would not have 1/100th of the force necessary to stop that bolt from turning. Probably looked good on paper in the '70s & '80s.
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
I felt the same way, so I left the springs off all together. (thanks for refreshing my memory) A couple drops of Loctite 242 and they have remained tight.

I would guess the springs were designed to keep the torque bolt from backing off, but seems to me that they would not have 1/100th of the force necessary to stop that bolt from turning. Probably looked good on paper in the '70s & '80s.
LOL... I have always questioned the logic of that entire hub design. It never looked right and it plain did not work. I guess back in the early Kubota days it must of made sense to some engineer.

Good idea- no springs & some loctite. If I do mod the old hubs with the clearance, that is the route I will go. Thanks for the idea.

I will say that the newer, after market style hubs, are pricey but they are rock solid and stay put.
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
I have the hub you have pictured with the spring.
Thanks birdog. Then your best bet would be to mod them like Piker did or order replacements from ebay as you indicated. The newer style hubs you will order have a nice bolt design for tightening on the axle. I very happy with the set I installed.

So I guess there is the possibility of the early B7200's being shipped out with the older style hubs.
 

Morgan44

New member
Jul 7, 2013
38
0
0
Walton KY USA
On my b7100 I removed the hubs, cleaned them up and hit the bolts with an impact with spring still attached. They tightened up nicely. It's only been a couple of weeks, bug they haven't gotten loose yet. If the axle is still in good shape, it seems like the old style works, as long as they are kept an eye on for tightness. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the new ones are better, just an option to hold on to a few bucks for a while.
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
On my b7100 I removed the hubs, cleaned them up and hit the bolts with an impact with spring still attached. They tightened up nicely. It's only been a couple of weeks, bug they haven't gotten loose yet. If the axle is still in good shape, it seems like the old style works, as long as they are kept an eye on for tightness. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the new ones are better, just an option to hold on to a few bucks for a while.

Did you torque them down to factory spec's ? Or, did you just impact them to death. One important function is to be able to reposition them on the axle as necessary.
 

birdog

New member

Equipment
B7200D
Feb 28, 2014
21
0
0
Pekin, IL
Did you torque them down to factory spec's ? Or, did you just impact them to death. One important function is to be able to reposition them on the axle as necessary.
Thanks again everyone. Just out of curiosity what is the torque spec on that bolt?
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
Thanks again everyone. Just out of curiosity what is the torque spec on that bolt?
Sorry birdog I don't have it in memory. I will look it up for you when I get home to my manuals.
 

Dan_R_42

Member

Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
Dec 1, 2010
447
3
18
Taunton, MA
Hey Birdog, this is what I got from the Kubota manual.

"Tighten the Hub Set Bolts to 9.0 - 10.0 kgf.m"

From what I recall metric torque converted to ft pounds = (X) x 7.23kgf.m
so 65 to 72 ft pounds is your answer. :D
 

Morgan44

New member
Jul 7, 2013
38
0
0
Walton KY USA
I didn't torque them, but I didn't kill them with the impact either. I guess you mean sliding the whole wheel assembly in and out for different attachments and such? I've got my wheels all the way out, and as it is I don't need to change them for anything yet. If I do though, I don't know that I could move them without removing the wheel anyway. I don't know, haven't needed to or tried yet.