R4 Mowing Tears Turf

[oldballs]

After two seasons of MMM mowing with the stock R4 tires, I'm wondering if switching to a set of Turf tires (just for the front) would be easier on my lawn area around the house. Usually I mow without any other attachments on and only in two wheel drive. But turns still tear up the sod even at slow speed. If I forget and make a sharp turn with any speed, that really tears things up. Occasionally I have the FEL on, and that makes it worse especially if the turf is even a bit wet. Would the turf tires just on the front make much differance??? Thanks to the TBN membership for your help in the past years.

Cheers, Mike

 

[dave1949]

Is your front wheel alignment correct?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think that even with turfs, if the ground is wet and you turn sharp at higher speeds, you are going to damage the grass. You may not get as much damage with turfs but still some damage. Best thing is to avoid tracking on to the soft /wet lawn and slow down on the turns, make wide turns and use only 2 wheel drive to avoid damage to the turf. Better to let the grass grow a little long and wait till the ground is dry before mowing even if you have to make it a double cutting.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks Dave and Gary. Will have all winter to think about it. Routinely I do mow three acres in the late afternoon when things are driest, certainly not when it is wet. As for front end alignment, I can't say for sure. ... haven't done any damage that I'm aware of....but that's a possible even though they look okay. You know, I mowed three seasons with a BX2660 (60 inch MMM) that had turf tires and don't remember this as an issue. But heck.....I'm remembering less and less.:laughing:

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody........Mike

 

[aczlan]

Does being in or out of 4wd make a difference? I notice a difference with our B7500 (R4s) and L3830 (R1s).

Aaron Z

 

[Gary Fowler]

Does being in or out of 4wd make a difference? I notice a difference with our B7500 (R4s) and L3830 (R1s).

Aaron Z

4 wheel drive makes it more difficult to turn and will cause some tire slippage on the tire inside the turn. My LS has a really sharp tire turn and it isn't as noticeable as on my Kubota. You can actually see the inside tire spinning in the grass when turning full turn of the steering wheel. Check it out with full lock to lock on the steering wheel in 4 WD and then in 2 WD then measure the diameter of the turning circle.

 

[whis]

turn your tires backwards

 

[Recoveryhill]

Don't mix R4's on the rear and turf's on the front. Different rolling diameters will not be kind to 4WD kit.

 

[RickB]

Don't mix R4's on the rear and turf's on the front. Different rolling diameters will not be kind to 4WD kit.

Nothing says R-3's can't be found that match the dimensions of the R-4's close enough to work well. In fact, many common sizes of CUT fronts are available in both tread styles. It's not at all uncommon to see CUT's equipped with FEL to have turf rears and R-4 fronts due to the increased load capacity of the R4 as compared to R-3's.

 

[chim]

There can be a difference in the way things work because of the grass - and dirt below it - at different locations. Brand new tires with sharp edges do mark things up more than tires with a hundred hours of "experience".

I used turfs on a 2WD for the first 2 years we lived here and then R1's on a 4WD for the next 10 years and now R4's on a 4WD for the last 12. The only times any of them tore up grass was if I used 4WD on a tight turn OR made a tight turn with the FEL on the tractor. On the original 2WD tractor an attempt at a quick turn resulted in the front tires slipping sideways.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Nothing says R-3's can't be found that match the dimensions of the R-4's close enough to work well. In fact, many common sizes of CUT fronts are available in both tread styles. It's not at all uncommon to see CUT's equipped with FEL to have turf rears and R-4 fronts due to the increased load capacity of the R4 as compared to R-3's.

That kind of defeats the purpose of tearing up the grass with the front tires doesn't it. Rear tires don't do much damage to grass when turning, just the fronts and if proper care is done to slow down, avoid super sharp turns and stay off the grass if the ground is wet, will pretty much eliminate the damage. If one wants a golf course cut and groom, get a machine made specifically for mowing and use the tractor for pulling, loading and other tractor type activities.

 

[TerryR]

Rear tires don't do much damage to grass when turning, just the fronts and if proper care is done to slow down, avoid super sharp turns and stay off the grass if the ground is wet, will pretty much eliminate the damage.

Is that commonly the experience? I've never used a tractor for lawn mowing, but the area in front of my equipment shed is turf, and both there and when bushhogging my field I find all the damage to the turf from sharp turns is done by by the rears.

Terry

 

[oldballs]

Well, my place ain't no golf course, but tight turns are an issue around the house where there are a lot of trees. The straight aways in the open fields are not a problem. Having a dedicated mowing machine is not in my budget and I doubt that new turf tires for the front are either....but I have considered that turfs on the front could help my situation on down the road. In the shady damp areas the turf itself is rather shallow as Chim alluded to. Cheers.

 

[RalphVa]

My experience with R3s on the 4010 and now R4s on this 1025 is that the R3s tear up the turf more because they grip better in front during a turn. The R4s, because of their design, tend to skid sideways when the tires are turned past a certain point.

Ralph

 

[Dr_Zinj]

....If one wants a golf course cut and groom, get a machine made specifically for mowing and use the tractor for pulling, loading and other tractor type activities.

That's the rub, isn't it? Most CUTs are general purpose machines; Jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none. I went with a 3000+ pound machine because my primary use was to push, pull, dig, and plow. The only mowing I'm likely to do is rough mowing the weeds and saplings on the sides of the drive, or on the trails through the woods; not manicuring a putting green. (God, can you imagine using AG tires on a putting green? The green alone would be a par 6!

 

[RickB]

That kind of defeats the purpose of tearing up the grass with the front tires doesn't it. Rear tires don't do much damage to grass when turning, just the fronts and if proper care is done to slow down, avoid super sharp turns and stay off the grass if the ground is wet, will pretty much eliminate the damage. If one wants a golf course cut and groom, get a machine made specifically for mowing and use the tractor for pulling, loading and other tractor type activities.

If you take time to understand what I posted, you would realize that I was using the R4 front/ R3 rear combination FOR THE REASON I STATED as an example of how the opposite configuration could be used just as successfully to suit the OP's purposes. I didn't expect my post to be so hard to grasp..............

 

[ksJoe]

As for front end alignment, I can't say for sure. ...

If you have a cheap laser level, it wouldn't be hard to check.

Park 20 feet or so from a wall or garage door, with the tractor facing the door, and square up the wheels as best you can. Then hold the level against the rim, with the laser shining on the door. Mark on the door where the laser hits it. Repeat on the other side. Measure the distance between the two places the laser hit the door. How does that compare to the front wheelbase?

That wouldn't be good enough for a car. But if you have an alignment problem bad enough to hurt the turf it would show it.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks, Joe......that's easy enough that even I can do it......and a cheap laser level I do have. If it isn't too cold the next few days, I'll do it and report the result. Boy, I hope they check "okay".

 

[tractchores]

I have a B2920 with fluid filled turfs. In 4wd they tear up the lawn at any speed in a turn, in 2wd as long as I'm not flying in high gear or something I've never had any issue (as long as it isn't muddy). My lawn is particularly sensitive as it's loam over clay, so any water and the top layer is mush. I don't mow, but driving around with the FEL on only I'm fine and never have an issue in 2wd. With more weight like the BH or a heavy implement I have to be more careful. If you mow with turfs and a MMM with no FEL I'd say that you'd be totally fine. There's no much that the R4's will do that turfs won't (except wear faster on paved surfaces), so you probably won't be losing much by switching, I'd just try to sell the R4's.

 

[oldballs]

:2cents:

Is that commonly the experience? I've never used a tractor for lawn mowing, but the area in front of my equipment shed is turf, and both there and when bushhogging my field I find all the damage to the turf from sharp turns is done by by the rears.

Seems to me that could happen when the hog is raised during a turn because the weight of the hog would make the rear heavy, whilst the front would be light. But I've never had a bushog and consider myself an amateur in tractor stuff.

Terry