Determining a tractor's age

[19thSF]

I often read posts asking for a way to determine a Kubota tractor's age. There is no easy way to do that. Even the term "age" has more than one meaning where tractors are concerned. You can refer to websites like TractorData.com and perhaps get the years the Kubota model was produced, but that is about it. Following is some information that may be helpful if you want to pin down a particular tractor's dates.

A tractor is traditionally "aged" by the date the original dealer sold it.

Kubota tractor serial numbers have been sequential, showing the model number and a manufacturing sequence. They have not contained a code to determine age.

A polite e-mail to Kubota customer service giving them the model and serial number will usually get a reply with the tractor's year of manufacture, date of first sale and the original selling dealer's name.

Kubota | Contact Us Form - Inquiries & Information

Need to communicate with Kubota? Submit questions or comments regarding product info, marketing opt-out, technical service & parts info. Contact today!

www.kubotausa.com

A cooperative dealer can also get the information for you.

Reference to tractors for sale sites that give serial numbers and "claimed" age are useful in determined a tractor's "not older than and not newer than" age. This may be be all you want when looking at a used tractor.

Kubota engine serial numbers do have a code that indicates the date of production. Determining the engine's production date at least gives you a "built after date" for the tractor. Please refer to the attached information. The portion of the chart that covers tractors older than 2010 was omitted. The chart in its entirety can be obtained from Kubota, or by following the link below.

6-22-21 I recently learned that Kubota may be introducing an ISO compliant seventeen digit Equipment identification number. If that is the case, you will be able to decipher the VIN if you know Kubota's code. I do know that the first three digits will be the World Manufacture Code, and the last five will still be the manufacturing sequence. When Kubota institutes that, the vin will tell you the production date, but .........you will still need the code, and as I understand it, it will not be made public (dealers only). Here is the sequence.

1st, 2nd, & 3rd digit - World Manufacturer's code
4th digit - product line
5th digit - Series
6th digit - Horse Power
7th digit - Traction & Transmission
8th digit - Cab/ROPS
9th digit - check letter
10th digit - manufacture year (M = 2021)
11th digit - manufacturing factory
12th digit - manufacture month
13th-17th digits - Sequential number of manufacture

Kubota Engine Serial Number ID | Kubota Engine America

Find all of the information you need to correctly identify your Kubota engine.Find all of the information you need to correctly identify your Kubota engine.

www.kubotaengine.com

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It's stuck!

 

[19thSF]

It's stuck!

Thanks Wolfman! Could we add it to the Service and Repair, and the buying advice categories if you think that is appropriate. That is where I see the inquiry the most. Or ...........you pick the right category. I am just trying to see this question answered for all who are going to ask it going forward.

 

[GeoHorn]

I can guarantee you a brand new car sitting on a dealer’s lot slowly deteriorates...just not at the same rate as a car mfr’d the exact same day and/or a sequential serial number ...which was sold and driven daily.
In actual fact, the car which sat on the lot unsold and undriven.... deteriorates FASTER in some ways than the car sold/driven. How?
Well... anyone who’s visited the Tractor Dealer will see brand new unsold tractors sitting out in the weather and sun. It’s brother, which rolled off the assembly-line the hour before or after which was sold and went to work somewhere.... might have been properly stored indoors. It’s engine was run and achieved regular lubrication from it’s oil-pump and it’s cylinders coated with oil. The unsold one on the dealers yard sits with dry cylinders and every day the sun heats it up and the air exits the crankcase.... and at night cools down and sucks moist air back into that engine.... and rusts internally.
The rubber components environmentally age sitting in that unprotected yard. So does it’s wiring. And the lubricants and hydraulics slowly absorb atmospheric moisture.... which the operating tractor heats up and drives the moisture out.

Those sequential serialed tractors were produced to a similar modification-standard...while the same model number which came off the assembly-line the next year might have a very different set of improvements and/or modificaitons which materially affect value.

So, in my opinion.... serial number is most important...but year of manufacture is also valuable information.

 

[19thSF]

I can guarantee you a brand new car sitting on a dealer’s lot slowly deteriorates...just not at the same rate as a car mfr’d the exact same day and/or a sequential serial number ...which was sold and driven daily.
In actual fact, the car which sat on the lot unsold and undriven.... deteriorates FASTER in some ways than the car sold/driven. How?
Well... anyone who’s visited the Tractor Dealer will see brand new unsold tractors sitting out in the weather and sun. It’s brother, which rolled off the assembly-line the hour before or after which was sold and went to work somewhere.... might have been properly stored indoors. It’s engine was run and achieved regular lubrication from it’s oil-pump and it’s cylinders coated with oil. The unsold one on the dealers yard sits with dry cylinders and every day the sun heats it up and the air exits the crankcase.... and at night cools down and sucks moist air back into that engine.... and rusts internally.
The rubber components environmentally age sitting in that unprotected yard. So does it’s wiring. And the lubricants and hydraulics slowly absorb atmospheric moisture.... which the operating tractor heats up and drives the moisture out.

Those sequential serialed tractors were produced to a similar modification-standard...while the same model number which came off the assembly-line the next year might have a very different set of improvements and/or modificaitons which materially affect value.

So, in my opinion.... serial number is most important...but year of manufacture is also valuable information.

Your point is well made!

 

[Tx Jim]

Back when I was employed by a Tractor/equip dealership if a unit sat on lot unsold for a year or 2 then the unit was classified as being a year or 2 older not current yr model. Serial #s were utilized to determine actual yr model of manufacturing.

 

[JRaf]

On my very old L245DT there are stamps on the wheels that date the tractor (or at least the wheels) as having been manufactured in 1977. It's the only date I can find anywhere on the tractor.

 

[Dennis.D]

I know this an an old post, but so is my story. When I purchased my new Kubota (Gr L 6060) I was looking for a smaller (hp) model Gr l. They had some smaller ones all set up and this 1 Grand L 6060 in the crate. I ended up going with the 6060 in the crate 1 of the reasons was because it hadn't been setting out in the weather for an undetermined about of time. The salesman must have thought I was a quack when I asked him if he would make sure the tractor stayed inside after assembly while waiting for the snow blower to come in and be installed. Regardless of what he might have thought he said I'll do my best and he did. LOL

 

[DonP]

I know this an an old post, but so is my story. When I purchased my new Kubota (Gr L 6060) I was looking for a smaller (hp) model Gr l. They had some smaller ones all set up and this 1 Grand L 6060 in the crate. I ended up going with the 6060 in the crate 1 of the reasons was because it hadn't been setting out in the weather for an undetermined about of time. The salesman must have thought I was a quack when I asked him if he would make sure the tractor stayed inside after assembly while waiting for the snow blower to come in and be installed. Regardless of what he might have thought he said I'll do my best and he did. LOL

Beautiful story!!!

 

[reginasilke]

How to Find Your Tractor’s Birthday

How to Find Your Tractor's Birthday

My mom inherited a 1939 Farmall M from my grandpa a couple of years ago. It’s a beauty of a tractor, and the happy memories of riding it with my grandpa

antiquetractorblog.com

The first two numbers in the code are the month and day – for example: “6 11” is June 11 and “12 5” is December 5. To determine the year, look at the last letter in the series. Add the number of that letter’s place in the alphabet (A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and so on) to 1930 to determine the year. Here’s an example: The letter I is number 9 in the alphabet. When you add 9 to 1930, you get 1939 – the year of our sample tractor’s manufacture. At the end of the article is a table to make it a little easier, along with a couple of exceptions to the letter/year system.

Of course, your tractor might have a couple of parts with different casting dates on them. It’s also entirely possible that a part with a date code has been swapped with a part from another tractor. But if you are looking for a day to throw a birthday party, I go by the date stamped on the block – that seems to be the heart of the tractor to me. It’s also the easiest to find!

This can be a lot of fun. Perhaps you’ll find a tractor that shares your birthday, or the birthday of someone in your family!

 

[19thSF]

How to Find Your Tractor’s Birthday

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjC6K2igIH0AhVHxIUKHYFkBm0QFnoECB0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fantiquetractorblog.com%2F2015%2F07%2F06%2Fhow-to-find-your-tractors-birthday%2F&usg=AOvVaw2w6cJW8KXGW-4NmtzgGAnA

How to Find Your Tractor’s Birthday

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjC6K2igIH0AhVHxIUKHYFkBm0QFnoECB0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fantiquetractorblog.com%2F2015%2F07%2F06%2Fhow-to-find-your-tractors-birthday%2F&usg=AOvVaw2w6cJW8KXGW-4NmtzgGAnA

Interesting information, but unfortunately not applicable to Kubota

 

[homerrichards]

That is not a simple task. If you have a John Deere tractor, the serial number can be found in the third column under "serial number breaks," which lists a range of serial numbers. You are in the correct box if your serial number falls on or between the two serial numbers mentioned. To find out when your lawn tractor was made, look in the column to the left.

 

[19thSF]

That is not a simple task. If you have a John Deere tractor, the serial number can be found in the third column under "serial number breaks," which lists a range of serial numbers. You are in the correct box if your serial number falls on or between the two serial numbers mentioned. To find out when your lawn tractor was made, look in the column to the left.

Hello Hommerrichards,

Nice to see a member from "down under". We are not so much interested in John Deere tractors on this forum. If you read my original post, it will provide some insight into how Kubota does things. For tractors more than fours years old, you will have to contact a dealer, send an e-mail to Kubota customer, or use the "not newer than, not older than" estimate. Newer tractors are supposed to have a 17 digit VIN, but even if you have the VIN, you still need the code to de-cypher it. As I have said before, Kubota has thus far made the code available to dealers only.

Best of luck to you .......................................................mate!

 

[Mark Farmer]

I bought a B7100D 2 days ago and it has the number B7001-55220 stamped on the chassis on the left side just forward of the transmission. Can this be used to determine year of manufacture. The machine is in very good shape, but someday I may need to buy parts.

 

[19thSF]

I bought a B7100D 2 days ago and it has the number B7001-55220 stamped on the chassis on the left side just forward of the transmission. Can this be used to determine year of manufacture. The machine is in very good shape, but someday I may need to buy parts. View attachment 75311

Hello Mark,

Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum that will be glad to help with your questions.

The answer to your current question is no, not directly. You need to read the original post. Use the link below to get you started.

Good luck to you. The tractor looks to be in good shape considering its age.

TractorData.com Kubota B7100 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

19thSF, I changed your link to the tractor data page.
This is one of those cases where the model-serial Number ( B7001-55220 ) is actually wrong.
There were a lot of the B7100's that started with the stamped code of B7001.
Yes it's another one of Kubota's fine quirks.

 

[Mark Farmer]

19thSF, I changed your link to the tractor data page.
This is one of those cases where the model-serial Number ( B7001-55220 ) is actually wrong.
There were a lot of the B7100's that started with the stamped code of B7001.
Yes it's another one of Kubota's fine quirks.

I could not find the serial number B7001-55220 associated with any year of production of Kubota B7100D's. So I contacted Kubota Customer Care and they replied that my Kubota B7100D with serial number B7001-55220 was built in 1979.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I could not find the serial number B7001-55220 associated with any year of production of Kubota B7100D's. So I contacted Kubota Customer Care and they replied that my Kubota B7100D with serial number B7001-55220 was built in 1979.

Good to know.

 

[19thSF]

Good to know.

I have found Kubota Customer Care to be very helpful with inquiries of this type. Thank you for the "Tractor Data" correction.

 

[SonofOrange]

On my very old L245DT there are stamps on the wheels that date the tractor (or at least the wheels) as having been manufactured in 1977. It's the only date I can find anywhere on the tractor.

I have a copy of the original bill of sale on my L245F, it gives the month and year it was imported - April, 1977. I have it because my Dad tracked it down through the selling dealer that happened to still be around. He was able to do that because Kubota corp keeps records of all units sold. So the key is to get friendly with someone inside Kubota Service.

It's interesting to know, but what matters more is the life the equipment had since then. Mine was sold new to a concrete plant in Florida. Where it worked for 32 years. It had sand everywhere it should never have sand.