B7500 useless in mud

narcnh · Jan 25, 2004

Thanks for the detailed reply, Kelvin, you really helped clarify things for me. As you probably guessed, I have been leaning towards the 72" unit. Just needed to hear someone'e real-life experience as a reality check. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif In the spring I'll take a look at the setting I've ben using on my lawn tractor to see how high I've been cutting my grass. Three inches sounds like it would be fine with my lawn/weed collection.

KubotaSteve · Jan 25, 2004

narcnh:
I have the 7800 with a 60" MMM. I haven't gotten to actually mow with it yet, but I went with the 60" MMM for a couple of reasons. First and foremost was my shed door was 72 inches wide, therefore it wouldn't fit in the shed!! Secondly was I had a 7200 with 60" MMM and it worked very nice for me and some of the trails I had in the back of my lot only have enough room for a 60" deck. I really wanted the 72" deck to get more clearance around the tires, but didn't work out. Also with the 60" deck, you can use the FEL in the curl position to pick the tractor off the ground to help in getting the deck out when removing it, but at 350 pounds it is quite a task for one person. Then you have to have someone help you move the deck or use the FEL to pick it up and move it. Driving over the deck sounds a lot easier a more operator friendly. Good luck but make sure to check all of your measurements for clearance before going to the 72" deck. I have also heard that it is difficult to trailer a tractor with a 72" deck if the trailer has fender wells that stick above the bed of the trailer because of clearance.

narcnh · Jan 25, 2004

KS, thanks for the good points to consider. Doors should be OK, since I have double swinging doors on the barn. But, the trailer is a good one. I have a 16 ft. landscape trailer, and I THINK it is 6 1/2 feet rail to rail. But, will have to go out and measure, when it is not below zero. Of course, I don't have any need to move the tractor with the MMM on it right now, but I always worry about that guy Murphy, who's lurking in the background. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Glenn1 · Jan 26, 2004

Sorry for not responding imediately. I do not look at a computer on the weekends. The problem I have is not in deep mud, but mud 1 or 2 inches deep. These tires fill up with mud and become as slick as a babies butt. I have fluid in the rear tires only. I have ordered a set of ag tires from Kubota, they told me I would have problems with the 4wd if I put the wrong size tires on the tractor. Jacobi Sales in Fern Creek, Kentucky charged me $750.00 for new tires and rims. Still a lot of money to correct a problem they said I would not have.

The Yanmar was 2 wd with ag tires and would do a much better job in mud than the Kubota. The dealer had problems at my house without a load behind the tractor.

I sold the Yanmar and finish mower to the first person that looked at the tractor.

Thanks to everone for their comments.

Pks · Jan 26, 2004

Glenn1,

I believe 100% that you fill be very pleased with the performance of your Kubota once the Ag tires are in place.

With my own little B2400, I added Ags to the stable for various landcaping projects and have been real happy with their performance. Often when I'm digging, the tractor feels like a little bulldozer. I loaded the Ags with anti-freeze for ballast. They even do real well in snow. But not quite as well as the R4s with chains.

I agree, it's expensive. But you'll be happy about making the change. Just keep them off of the nicer portions of your lawn. Those tires will chew up the lawn in a hurry.

Happy tractoring. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Kelvin · Jan 26, 2004

KubotaSteve makes a good point about the trailering.

My 16'x6.5' trailer is actually 64" wide between the inside of the wheel wells, which happens to be the exact dimension of the 72" mid-mower with discharge chute removed (which means that it would be a friction fit at best). The guy I bought it from also had a 6.5' wide trailer, but his was 66" wide and he said that he had no problems hauling the tractor with mid-mower installed.

So it appears that if you remove the discharge chute the B7800/B2710/B2910 with 72" mid-mower will fit on SOME 6.5' wide trailers and not on others.

I found a good deal on an old roll-back truck designed for farm equipment that hauls my tractor just fine with plenty of clearance, so I don't worry about the trailer not being wide enough for the tractor with mower installed. One day I may upgrade my 6.5' wide trailer to a 6.5' wide trailer that's really 6.5' wide.

Kelvin

Kelvin · Jan 26, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just keep them off of the nicer portions of your lawn. Those tires will chew up the lawn in a hurry. )</font>

I had an older B7100 with a set of turf tires and a set of AG tires, and there wasn't a noticable difference in how the tires treated the turf ON DRY GROUND (** See note below).

However, on wet ground, there were differences. At times, merely driving the tractor across the lawn and up a hill, the Ag tires would get better traction than the turf tires would. The result is that the turf tires would spin and tear the turf up more than the Ag tires would. At other times the Ag tires would leave its footprints in the ground if the ground was soft enough; in this case the turf tires were better.

Bottom line: I predict that the turf damage caused by Glenn1's B7500 with Ag tires in 2wd will be similar to his 2wd Yanmar with Ag tires. If that level of turf damage was acceptable then he'll probably keep the Ag tires on most of the time. If that level of damage was excessive, then he may end up doing a lot of swapping the tires.

** NOTE: In this discussion I am talking about turf damage visible to the eye. I realize that the cleats on the Ag tires may cause soil compaction to a greater extent than turf tires will, and this "turf damage" probably won't be visible to the eye.

Kelvin

tomnky · Jan 27, 2004

This exactly why I bought a 7 foot wide trailer : Just in case of hauling wider implements or tractors.

A good point You bring up about the width of trailers. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Glenn1 · Feb 17, 2004

I received my new ag tires yesterday. What a difference. The new tires do not look as good as the tractor did with the wider R4 tires but the performs great.

I have someone interested in my R-4 tires and rims. I have five hours on the tires, the rear tires are loaded. What is a reasonable price?

Pks · Feb 18, 2004

Are you certain you want to part with the R4s? I use my R4s in the winter (the chains fit them) and in the summer for mowing the lawn. Any digging or driveway sculpting I do, is performed with the Ags. Both sets are loaded.

With only 5 hours on the tires, I'd consider contacting the dealer and finding out what the purchase price is for the R4s as new. Maybe sell them for 90% of the as new price.