Am I Crazy???

[Ob1kubota]

"I wouldn't side mow a 15 degree - do it safe, up down. The faster speed of the tractor will make up for it." I agree with this statement don't mow on it sideways, besides you are taking a chance on internal machine damage if your fluids are low.

 

[stimpee]

I fold the ROPS, drive in, park, idle down, turn it off, caress the steering wheel, kiss the loader, hug the backhoe, and go inside cursing the clock.

You made me chuckle...I stare fondly at my BX24 out the back window every chance I get...the poor thing has no shelter yet...just sits there, a target for the birds...

Don't feel bad. I have my new B3030 parked in our barn. It is our first spring here, and TONS of birds have made nests in the eaves of the barn from the inside. They fly in/out through the upper open doors of the horse stalls. There is more white on the floor than visible concrete, and my tractor is taking a beating...

 

[downslope]

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?

To let some air out, rotate the wheel so that the valve stem is at the top; you might want to jack one side up and rotate the wheel. Then depress the valve core for a sec or two so that some air blows out; this will blow any liquid solution out of the valve stem. Then you can use a tire pressure gauge to measure the pressure. You can probably drop down to 10-12 psi without a problem. Be sure to expel some air before using the gauge, otherwise the liquid can go into the gauge and ruin it, especially if calcium chloride. There are also available special tire pressure gauges for liquid filled tires if you want to get one. A liquid filled tire will loose pressure more quickly than one that is all air, so you will have to check from time to time anyways,

 

[tutorbell]

See if the dealer will switch out your turf tires with a set of bar turfs. The standard rear turf tires are 33x12.5-15 and the bar turfs are 31x15.5-15. So they are lower, which may make the difference in getting in the garage, and they are wider, which will help with stability. Look in your owner's manual on page 42, they are the fourth one down under the "Rear Wheels" heading.

FYI, the front standard turfs are 23x8.50-12 and the bar turf fronts are 21x8.00-10, so the ratio stays the same between the front and rear tires.

*I see that you are in Canada, so I'm not sure that the above applies...the bar turfs are listed under the "USA models" section...

 

[slewisma]

I fold the ROPS, drive in, park, idle down, turn it off, caress the steering wheel, kiss the loader, hug the backhoe, and go inside cursing the clock.

You made me chuckle...I stare fondly at my BX24 out the back window every chance I get...the poor thing has no shelter yet...just sits there, a target for the birds...

When I stare out the window I see the 10 year old 4Runner. The Kubota got the garage slot. Now we're shopping for a large shed or small barn.

 

[whbob]

I know what you are going through. I am replacing a nimble JD X740 with a 2920. The loader, serviceability, ground clearance, and power outweigh the sports car handling of the Deere. The feel gets better the more I use it. You might consider having the rops shortened 1 inch. Just a thought.

 

[flusher]

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.
[/ATTACH]

A ZTR riding mower is a better and safer choice for that hill. It may not look very steep, but there's always the danger that the ground becomes uneven (gophers, etc). And hitting a depression with a front wheel while on that hill could cause you to roll-test that ROPS on your 2620. The closest I came to rolling my 2005 Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL occurred when the front wheel dropped into a 6-inch rut while I was using the FEL.

You need something with a lower CG. If I had your hill on my 10 acres, I would mow with my 1964 MF-135 diesel that's set up as a ground-hugging orchard tractor. The rears are on 16-inch diameter rims and the front wheels have short spindles. The rears on your 2620 are about 49" wide while the rears on that 135 are 84" wide.

If you're uncomfortable with that 2620, get off that tractor and find something else before you hurt yourself.

 

[jcaledon]

Flusher,

I have decided to keep the tractor. I have gotten more comfortable on it, and have changed my mowing pattern. I mow up and down the hill, not across it. With my garden tractor, mowing up wasn't a problem but mowing down was dangerous since it sometimes became difficult to stop the tractor. The result was that I mowed sideways as much as possible.

The pictures of my hill are deceiving - it is much steeper than it appears. It must be the camera angle with which I took the picture.

I wanted the utility of a compact tractor because of the many projects I have planned for my place, and do not have the storage space (nor the budget) for multiple tractors. I also hope to purchase some acreage in the near future, and so the utility tractor should be a good investment for today and tomorrow.

In an ideal world, my shed would be 15X15, and I would have the extra cash to buy a ZTR to compliment the B. Who knows, maybe I'll have the time and money to build a new shed/garage sooner as opposed to later.

That tractor in your photo's is fantastic. It looks like its brand new. We had a Massey Ferguson when I was growing up. Really nice to see.

 

[stuarth]

I have a 50 hour John Deere 2305 with loader, mmm, two set of tires and wheels r4's and turfs, front power angle up down snow blade and the independent mower lift I will trade you.

 

[628pm]

I've had my b2620 for several months, it is great (last kubota was a bx2200). I have a 5 ft landpride rotary cutter also, if you get one of those you will have to a fel on front or weights. Just remember to take the weights off when you install the fel, I didn't, bent a couple of hydraulic lines, no damage, but felt pretty bad about it. Looking now to buy either a tiller or if I play my cards right, a backhoe attachment.

 

[jas67]

A ZTR riding mower is a better and safer choice for that hill.

ZTR's suck on hills. I know, I have a ZTR, and a sloping property. Due to obstacles, and the layout of my property, I need to mow across in several areas, and the ZTR just wants to turn downhill, since the design of a ZTR is castering front wheels and differential speed of the rears. If there is a the slightest moister on the turf, it will turn downhill, and you end up ripping the turf with the rear wheels trying to compensate. This was a factor in my decision to replace my 1 year old ZTR with a 10+ year old G1800S. The G1800S has 4-wheel steering, so I can get around all the small/tight areas almost as good as the ZTR.

You'd be better off just following the many pieces of advice to mow up and down, instead of across. There areas where you can't avoid going across might be better done with a garden tractor, or a walk-behind.

 

[txkevin]

I think a little apprehension can be a good thing. Certainly better than the alternative. Everyone should really check out the following if they plan on driving on a slope....

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/116448-tractor-rollover-demo-pictures-videos.html

It will give you a really good look the peril of cross slope driving.

I have a whole 10 hrs on a BX 24. I was .... er am ... still very tentative when dealing with my slopes. I go very slow and try to stay up and down. I even backed up one the first time instead of driving straight up the slope.

I do not plan on tackling a lot of really rough terrain. I plan on using my tractor primarly on my 1 acre for landscaping, lifting stuff, as a really nice wheel barrell, planting trees, raking /clearing rocks, digging ditches, moving dirt and lots of mowing. So far it seems to be able to tackle each of these requirements very well and still fit nicely into the garage. If I had more acres, rougher terrain or planned on more serious field work such as plowing, I would have considered the larger clearance of the B series. In my case it was not worth the extra expense.

 

[slewisma]

Finally checked the angle of my worst slope. A little more than 20 degrees mostly with some less and a few spots that could be much worse if you hit them just right. I'll add to the volume of up and down recommendations here. Pretty much all up and down for me from now on. I went across it once or twice sideways before I measured and felt more stable than on my old riding mower but that's not saying much. Just not worth the risk.

On the BX24 with MMM on and FEL + BH off I don't have any issues going up. Down calls for 4WD so you get more wheels braking through HST. I don't use a bagger so no extra weight on the back to worry about.

 

[TPS]

Wow,
Great thread to give us a heads up and safety reminder. I have a small Kubota BX 1500 and got it because I can use and FEL instead of a wheelbarrow on my hills. Plus it has a lower center of gravity than the larger ones. Still I do have to mow side to side on some of my slopes and have been able to do so with no incidents to date. The property that I mow has some slopes that fall about 2-2.5ft every 10 ft and that is steep on a tractor. What I have found is it is better to mow in low 4wd and slowly. Avoid abrupt turns on a slope, be very careful when going downhill at an angle, the less angle the better. Even when doing all this when you can back up or drive up slowly. This works for me with the MMM. When using the FEL it is as much up and down as can be. If I must go down at an angle I am very cautious and carry the bucket low and have had to set it down a time or two. I usually get my loads as close as possible and transfer with a wheelbarrow rather than traverse a hill at an angle with the FEL. Hopefully I can get some pictures of the hill I mow and the slopes I am talking about.
Anyway good thread and reminders-TPS

 

[RayCo]

I got up on two wheels today and it was really quite frightening! I was pulling out of an area that I dug out for a walkway, and there was a drainage trench along next to it that I put in. I was a bit too close to the trench, and the ground gave way and I slid in and tipped enough just to come up a little bit and then settle back down. In reality, I probably wasn't as close to tipping as it felt, but it was still quite unsettling. I immediately went and filled the trench back in since I was in the process of making it no longer necessary anyway.
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[jcaledon]

I was looking for an inclinometer, and saw some very nice units here on TBN, but didn't want to spend the $80.00 it would have cost me to order here in Canada. This was especially true since I could get something very similar at my local Canadian Tire. I posted some pics of the RV levelers that I bought in a two pack for under $15. I didn't use the double sided tape that they came with and instead used some 3M tape - so if I ever want to remove them, its no problem.

As you can see, one is on my dash, and the other is on the ROPS, so both forward and side to side levels can be monitored. I can feel when I'm approaching 15-20 degrees. I try never to exceed 20 degrees on a side slope. I know that the tractor can handle 20 degrees quite easily if I'm careful. I use the inclinometers to confirm what I'm feeling, and they work great in this regard.

 

[Timber]

Well you can always add another set of tires to the rear. It certainly is a very cool look and would take away your stability problems, give you better float over your lawns & better traction without loading your tires. Every option solves 1 problem but creates another. Loaded tires are a real problem in the spring thaw, Duel rears are a garage problem, smaller tractor will cost you lift ht. & wt. capacity. Lots of options hear but keep the tractor you have, you will regret trading it later

 

[LBrown59]

Never go down in tractor size, or you will be sorry.

I didn't go down in size .
I just added smaller to what I already had.
Is that OK?
Must be as I'm quite happy with it !