Are wheel spacers worth the money?

[Kubota Possum 2018]

Hello I am new to the forum, and just recently purchased a brand new Kubota bx 23 S. I used it for the first time on my sloped 2.5 acre lawn last Sunday evening to try it out, and it feels alot different from my previous mower which was a 2008 model Cub Cadet GT 3200. I haven't put it into any sticky situations so far, but feel like it is going to take some getting used to on the slopes. I have no real experience with tractors, and wanted to know if anyone thinks that the Bro-Tek wheel spacers are worth the money. I was considering possibly purchasing and installing the 1.5 inch spacers. I run the 54" MMM. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I said this is basically my first tractor, not counting the cub cadet. Thanks, and nice to meet everyone!!

 

[sweettractors]

A extra 3 inch tread width would be beneficial for stability. In addition, ballast in the tires will also help it stick better on the slopes. Ken Sweet

 

[TripleR]

Well worth the money, I have 60" decks on both our BXs, so I went with the 2", even rides a bit smoother.

 

[RickB]

With the 54” deck you won’t have much deck hanging out beyond the rear wheels. Spacers should be paired with a 60” deck IMHO.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Beware of tire to mower deck clearance. I had thought of spacers on our BX1800, until I noticed the tire clearance issue. However, I find it to be quite stable as-is... more stable than my comfort meter most times!

Aside from that, I'm a big fan of spacers... built my own for my 3005, gained 4.5" each side... amazing sidehill stability improvement.

 

[LarJea]

I run 2 1/2" spacers made by Motorsport Tech on my B2601 and the difference was like night and day on slopes. Also use a 54" mmm which just covers the rear wheels.

 

[HillStreet]

I had the dealer install 1.5 inch spacers on my B2650. Very good but I don’t mow with it, just grade land, haul material, and blow snow.

 

[ericm979]

Tractor front axles have pivots. Until you reach the travel limits on the pivots the front axle does not provide stability... only the rear does. That means that you can increase stability by spacing out only the rear wheels. On my old B7100 I adjusted the rear wheels out as far as they would go and it increased stability. On my current tractor I had the dealer install spacers before delivery. The rear wheels on that are heavy even before being filled.

 

[rbtjr]

I can't speak to the mower-clearance and wheel-clearance issues, but we put 4" spacers on each rear wheel of our L3800. This 8" increase in the rear-wheel separation made a big difference in stability. On our prior M5400 (R1 tires) and our current MX5800 (R4 tires), there are several variations in how much the rear wheels could be separated. Not so on the L3800 with R4 tires. Hence the spacers. We bought our spacers from Christian Hansen at The Tracks Company Tractor Wheel Spacers Hub Extensions, Kubota, John Deere, Compact Tractor, Utility Vehicle 510-601-7550.