Am I Crazy???

[jcaledon]

Hi there,

Just had my B2620 delivered on Friday. It is beautiful - what a machine. Took it out to mow the lawn, and when on my hill, didn't feel very comfortable. I have 2.5 acres to mow, with a big hill behind the house. If there are any doubters out there as to whether this thing will mow in mid range on steep hills, I can tell you this thing will have nooooo problems. But the machine feels too big for me. Even parking it in the garage it felt big. The ROPS are 3/4 of an inch too tall to make it through the garage with the turf tires - this is an accident waiting to happen for me.

I called the dealer on Friday evening, and told him that I didn't feel that comfortable on the machine on my hills, and asked if he could price out a BX2660 for me, with a FEL, MMM, ballast box, loaded tires - just like the B. He's going to get back to me - and promised that he would treat me fairly because he wants to make sure that I'm happy. I believe him.

Spoke to my neighbour yesterday who has a 2305. He made a good point - it could be the tractor, or it could just be me. What do you think? I only have 2 hrs on the machine, so its new - the dealer will take it back without any problems. Am I crazy? The B2620 is a beautiful machine, but I'm not feeling comfortable on it - mind you I only put 1 hour on it. Additionally, can I take 3/4 of an inch out of the rear filled tires? Is the BX2660 going to be any better on the hills? Any help/advise would be very appreciated.
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[Turtro]

The hill in those pictures doesn't look too bad to me.
If I were you I would ride the tractor for another couple weeks, and get use to it before you decide to downsize.

When the wife & I were shopping for tractors they all looked big too me, but
the wife at one time helped her brother with his excavator jobs, so she has been on some big machines, and when she got on a B3030 she felt it was like a small riding mower. So we went with an L3240, which to me is a big tractor, but I'm sure I'll get use to it

Clint

 

[Ductape]

If it were me, i'd spend a little more time with your new tractor before you send it back. You might even want to have rear wheel spacers installed. They will widen the stance a bit, and make it more stable. I suspect your tractor may "feel" more tippy than it actually is. Or...... make a new mowing pattern so you are going up and down on your hills, instead of across them sideways.

As far as the ROPS... can you remove some trim around the opening and replace it with thinner material? Or... remove it altogether without it looking bad? Even i'll admit folding the ROPS every time for missing 3/4 inch would be annoying in principal alone ! I had to remove trim (and will be replacing it with different trim) to get my cabbed tractor through my overhead door. A bit of a pain maybe.... but definitely NOT worth not getting the tractor over.

If the majority of your tractoring is mowing, i may have recommended you get the BX from the git-go. But.... that being said, i couldn't see going down in size after having the new 2620...... its a great tractor !

 

[dillo99]

j,

Can't tell you about the BX but I would say there are spots on that hill that will be uncomfortable on any tractor when crossing the hill. Even when you feel comfortable, a bump can suddenly scare the heck out of you. Regardless of which tractor you settle on, you will probably have to learn to do most of your mowing and work on those hills going up/down rather than across.

You may also want to look at whether or not the 2620 has adjustable rear wheels. My B7500 has the ability to adjust the rear wheels to a wider position for increased stability.

 

[NuBota]

I can't answer your questions directly, but may be able to offer some perspective. I have hills to mow as steep (and some more steep) as your picture. I have a BX24. It took me two weeks to get the nads to even drive down some of the hills. Now 60 hours in, I mow, have moved 40 tons of fill, cleared brush, etc. I still go very slow and never feel 100% comfortable. Have had a few pucker moments where tires slightly left the ground. With only an hour - I would say your comfort level should still be very low. I remember having a similar "pucker break-in" period with my lil' lawn tractor. Park the tractor on the hill, rock it by hand, and see if the wheels lift. I think no matter which model you get, it will take time to get the feel - these things have a high COG. I hadn't realized it for like 10 hours (till I went to add air) but the dealer had filled my real tires - I think this saved me many times without knowing it

As far as the ROPs - the BX won't fit in the garage either - already wedged it once in the door frame - thought I was gonna have to let air out to get it free (tires are filled though). Ended up pulling the pins and "tapped" the ROPs free with 3# sledge (and wood block)

I don't know much about the other models, but I imagine your gonna have a similar initial uneasiness....

-Eric

 

[art]

I can't speak as to your crazyness but I know that what is nothing for one person might be over the edge for the next as to hills. You tires should have full contact of tread with with the ground while driving not standing on the centers.
This might help with the garage door issue as well as lowering your height. You should have your seat belt on at all times.
Normally on hills it is better to go up and down then across I'd try it again and see how it feels or if you can get to be comfortable.
To look at the pics I'd say you should be fine on that hill!

 

[ChuckinNH]

A couple of suggestions. See if the dealer will bring out a BX for you to try on the hills. He likely won't want you to actually mow, and mess up the deck, but that would sure remove some doubt, and save you both some money perhaps. The other thing is to have the tires loaded as that will make your travtor feel more solid if they aren't now. The seating position on Kubota tractors especially is pretty high, and it does take some getting used to when you are seeing slopes from up there. The suspended deck is helping you more than you realize though, and it may just be a matter of getting more used to it. You don't mention the tires you have, but turfs will make it feel a little more stable since they sit flatter on the ground, and have a slightly wider stance..... couple of inches, or so.

Try riding around on it without mowing. Up, and down at first, and then at slight angles as you get more comfortable. You will build some confidence that way, and perhaps will want to keep the tractor you have. ROPS up, and belted for safety, and confidence too. There are places in my yard that I have had to gradually build my confidence level on, and there is no reason to really push your comfort zone. Fire the beast up, and take a ride without being focused on having to take a certain path as in mowing.

 

[canoetrpr]

I agree with Chuck on loading the tires. My land is flat but on the odd slight incline my L3400 did feel tippy initially. Once I loaded the tires, its a breeze. I say this even though I currently have a messy leak with my rims sitting soaked in salt water waiting for the tire guy to come after the long weekend is over. No way would I ever go back to not having loaded tires. The stability is awesome.

I think you will be fine with that hill.

I suggest getting a TiltMeter (advertised on this site). It will help give you an idea what a safe zone really is.

I'd keep the B2620. Just load the wheels and add a spacer. Your tractor is not too big, your garage is too small ;-)

 

[srs]

I say stick with this tractor. The hills don't appear to be that bad as long as you can mow up and down and not sideways. I'm pretty sure if you switch to industrial tires they will be a lower profile than the turfs. This should allow you enough space to get in and out of the garage. Also I wouldn't remove the roll bar!!

 

[jcaledon]

OK, I took the advise, and went out again today with my son and measured the degree of the slopes. You can't tell from the pictures, but the back slope is about 15 degrees, and a little more in some spots. Took the B on some of the side slopes that I would mow sideways (10-15 degrees) and tried to rock the tractor from side to side - it wasn't going anywhere. Spent a lot more time on it today, and I feel much better. My son would have never forgiven me if I traded in the B2620 - its our Ferrari! We're keeping the B. What I realized however, is how great a deal the B is. It is a lot more tractor than the BX (which is a terrific machine, don't get me wrong), but if you have the space, the B is a great value.

But I still need to lower the tractor by about 3/4 of an inch. If I can do this, then I will be able to get it in the garage without lowering the ROPS. I will fold them, but in the event that I forget, I don't want to destroy the house.

Here are some pictures of the loaded tires. They are not sitting flat. They appear to be really pumped up, because it looks like they are riding on the crown. I could take 3/4 out of them easily, and they would essentially be riding flat on the tread. I looks like they did a good job on loading the tires - there is a second valve stem added on to the stock stem for the calcium chloride. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to lower the pressure in the tires. Is there a special tool that I need? What about the air in the tire. The manual says that the tire should only be 3/4 filled. I'd rather take air out, rather than the liquid ballast. Is this a job best left to the dealer?

PS. Its nice to know my Kubota dealer, B.E. Larkin, would have looked after me if I wanted to trade it in. Mark the sales manager had already made the sale and delivery - he didn't need to do anything for me, but promised that he would treat me fairly notwithstanding. Its very true what a lot of you have been saying - dealer support is really important.