4wd garden tractors

[MESSMAKER]

I understand if you want to buy something new, but Your Cub Cadet with filled tires(fluid) and wheel weights should take you most anywhere. Lug or atv tires will make it nearly unstoppable.

 

[Taftag]

Ive never heard of filling tires with fluid. How does that work?

 

[Gittyup]

An x749/x749 with AWS will be way more stable than a bx. Lower center of gravity. Drive wheels always facing drive direction. Wider stance. Add OEM spacers to the rear and I doubt you could turn it over. You'd fall out of the seat first. The best mowing tractor you can buy. BX's are nice little do-it-all machines, but they wouldn't perform as well for the OP's problem.

 

[dex3361]

I understand if you want to buy something new, but Your Cub Cadet with filled tires(fluid) and wheel weights should take you most anywhere. Lug or atv tires will make it nearly unstoppable.

I used a cub cadet 129 garden tractor with ATV tires and they were fluid filled up until I got my BX1500 which is 4WD. The old and I mean old cub cadet was made in 1973 and it was a real quality machine. Set up with the ATV tires that were fluid filled it was a tank but not like the 4WD.

 

[dex3361]

Ive never heard of filling tires with fluid. How does that work?

It is a common practice to fill the rear and sometimes front tires with fluid for weight. There are several fluids you can use but most people now days use windshield washer fluid or a glycol mix.

There are some fluids made from beet juice that are heavier than glycol based fluids. The old way was to mix a fluid out of calcium and water but it is corrosive and would eat rims in a hurry if allowed to stay in contact with metal.

Tires are usually filled to slightly above the height of the rim leaving a bit of an air space for cushioning. The fluid is pumped in through the valve stem.

The fluid adds weight to the tractor below the center of gravity and helps to keep it from turning over. :thumbsup:

 

[scoutcub]

The jd 749is what i was thinking about but its expensive. However it would probably seem less expensive if i hadnt blown a few grand already on my cub ztt 46" with bagger. The jd dealer said blue book on it would be about $1k but i dont't know how to check that. Also wold consider buying used but nobody seems to want to get rid of those 749's in any of the used places ive seem online

Taft - Seems like I've misread your equipment - thought you own a typical zero-turn mower, but I now see it's a ZTT. I'm quite surprised it's giving you issues on slopes, mine is very stable on side slopes. Perhaps you have REALLY steep slopes! I've never tipped mine over, but I'm leaning so far on in the seat the safety switch is activated a few times.....:laughing: and, before I had thick grass the whole tractor would slide sideways down the slope, so I would have to turn into the slide and drive out of it.
In your particular situation, you could try the fluid filled tires, but something like the X749 might suit you better, they are nice machines. Any pics of your slopes?
Good luck!

 

[skspurling]

I have 2 mowable acres with fairly steep side hill/ down hill areas. I bought a cub cadet zero turn tractor 3 yrs ago and have regretted it because it cant handle the hills well and i get scuffs. Thinking about replacing it. Looking for suggestions and if a trade in might be an option because i'm into the cub cadet for over $4k with attachments

I have the same mower. Ditch the bagger and use the mulch plug. If your clutch isn't adjusted properly, you don't get full power to both drive wheels. Do a search. I paid 25 bucks for a pdf shop manual to figure out something that should have been in the owners manual. When the clutch is released, the pin on the end of the clutch rod should be in the middle of the slot on the idler arm. If it isn't one wheel pulls and ends up scuffing trying to compensate, and it becomes weak on hills it normally pulls like a mule. I figured that out last winter when i was pushing snow... then snowpocolipse occured and i bought a kubota b2620. Anything above 8 inches was too much for the little tractor. LOL!!!

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with the others to try all the simple less expensive fixes first such as hdap tires, wheel weights or fluid and adjustment of control levers to specs.


About the x749,
I really like the hdap tires as they have great traction without damaging the lawn. I do have 3pt a boxblade, rearblade, landscape rake, pine needle rake, chipper and other tow type spreaders and carts so far it has done a good job handling all of these implements. The thing that sold me on this model was the tight turning radius with all four wheels engaged and the variable hydraulic front wheel drive axle, much less scuffing if all the wheels are pulling at the right speeds. For lawn work I felt this is better than mfwd.

Most of my uses for the x749 is to perform cleanup in tight places where the larger compact tractors won't fit, so far it has performed admirably. Backing implements such as rakes between trees is much easier with the 4 wheel steer and is something that comes up all the time for me.

The BX series Kubotas' are good garden tractors as well and a better comparision would be the Kubota BX2360 or BX2660 to a Deere x748. The x749 with all wheel steer is quite different from any of these in handling. If you compare the prices I don't see much difference when comparing apples to apples.

 

[Grandad4]

Did not aim to launch a product A vs. product B debate by mentioning the BX. The X749 may be John Deere's rendition of the world's finest lawn mower, but there is other equipment out there that would also be a big improvement over his current setup, including the BX. Considering no one else has seen Taftag's place or knows his specific work requirements, it may - or may not - be that a different product would serve him better. Being that we are all eminently sensible, reasonable people, I'm sure we'd all want the OP to consider all the options.

 

[Taftag]

Here are some pics that I brought with me when I bought my ZTT1046 in 2008.

 

[lockhaven]

I have a dixie chopper filled tires and knobby tread should work to stop the slipping unless it is wet then nothing helps

 

[CHDinCT]

Do you need AWS or just AWD/ 4WD? I thought simplicity makes a more entry level 4WD model, or the BX1860 or GR series are some alternatives to the JD X series. Nice piece of property by the way.

 

[Taftag]

This may seem like a novice question but how do you pump fluid through the valve system? I have a feeling my bike pump wont get the job done.

 

[Don87]

This may seem like a novice question but how do you pump fluid through the valve system? I have a feeling my bike pump wont get the job done.

Look here:

Installing Liquid Ballast in Tires | Gempler's

 

[Grandad4]

First, you put down plenty of newspaper to soak up the mess you're going to make. :laughing:

Actually, it is a pretty cumbersome process (it was for me at least). There's a tool you can get at an auto supply store to remove the actual valve (called a Schrader valve) from inside the valve stem. You need another fitting that has a valve stem thread on one side and a garden hose thread on the other. Then you rig up one of those impeller pumps that runs off an electric drill, a funnel and you start pouring. Don't forget to jack up the tractor before you let the air out.

If you are in a farming area, there will be a local tire dealer that services ag equipment who does the same thing commercially for farmers. In hindsight, it would have been a whole lot easier for me to have just paid someone like that to do it. I can only speak for myself and maybe others had an easier time doing it.

By the way, you have a beautiful home, and I see why you need something a bit more capable for your mowing chores. I would think any 4x4 setup would operate well on your front lawn, although you have some trimming work where the 4 wheel steering or something like the Kubota F with a front deck would save you from using a push mower.

 

[jenkinsph]

Taftag,
It would be easier to have the tires filled at a tire store or your dealer if this is your only piece of equipment to deal with.

Nice place you have and shows lots of TLC.:thumbsup:

If you need to upgrade an x749 would do well for you without extra weights. Looking at your pics I didn't see anything steep enough to be an issue for my mower.

 

[dex3361]

This may seem like a novice question but how do you pump fluid through the valve system? I have a feeling my bike pump wont get the job done.

I use a small pump with the valve from Tractor supply that is used for filling tires. Then mix your fluid and hook up your pump to this adapter.
Tractor Supply Tire Ballast Valve

 

[LBrown59]

I was thinking of the BX type machines, as LBrown noted. The x749 admittedly has some nice features, particularly 4 wheel steering, but the BX has all the basics to make a fine 4x4, diesel, hydro, power steering, mid-mount mowing rig for quite a bit less than $13k. Just comparing specs, the machines are more similar than different in weight, power, width, drivetrain, tires, wheelbase and so on. If the OP figures the X749 would do the job at his place, there may be some situation in which it would work while a BX wouldn't,
*but I don't know what it would be.

*Neither do I.

I used a cub cadet 129 garden tractor with ATV tires and they were fluid filled up until
* I got my BX1500 which is 4WD. The old and I mean old cub cadet was made in 1973 and it was a real quality machine. Set up with the ATV tires that were fluid filled it was a tank but not like the 4WD.

*What do you think about thr comments concerning the BX1500 in post number 23?

 

[LBrown59]

I agree with the others to try all the simple less expensive fixes first such as hdap tires, wheel weights or fluid and adjustment of control levers to specs.


About the x749,
I really like the hdap tires as they have great traction without damaging the lawn. I do have 3pt a boxblade, rearblade, landscape rake, pine needle rake, chipper and other tow type spreaders and carts so far it has done a good job handling all of these implements. The thing that sold me on this model was the tight turning radius with all four wheels engaged and the variable hydraulic front wheel drive axle, much less scuffing if all the wheels are pulling at the right speeds. For lawn work I felt this is better than mfwd.

Most of my uses for the x749 is to perform cleanup in tight places where the larger compact tractors won't fit, so far it has performed admirably. Backing implements such as rakes between trees is much easier with the 4 wheel steer and is something that comes up all the time for me.

The BX series Kubotas' are good garden tractors as well and a better comparision would be the Kubota BX2360 or BX2660 to a Deere x748. The x749 with all wheel steer is quite different from any of these in handling. If you compare the prices I don't see much difference when comparing apples to apples.

The BX tractors are SUB COMPACTS and the x748 x749 ect are Garden Tractors.

 

[dex3361]

*Neither do I.


*What do you think about thr comments concerning the BX1500 in post number 23?

I guess you would just have to try one to understand. The BX1500 is a fine little machine and it has met my needs for a lawn machine. I cut 3 solid hours of hills and banks every week. Just what I need.:thumbsup::thumbsup: