Mowing FEL Off for mowing help!

[RhallVA]

Hi!
Am going to take my FEL off for the mowing season, but wonder what other issues it will create??? I have a B2410 and the rear (Ag-Turf) are filled. Will it be okay to take the FEL off, or will I also have to add from weights for stability?
(I have a MMM I will be using for the mowing)
Thanks for any info!
Roy in VA

 

[TonyC]

My opinion is that you will be just fine. A lot of folks use liquid as ballast and don't even have a FEL. I'm one of them...every tractor I've had for 15 years has had fluid in the rear tires to keep me stable on these hills and I've never had a FEL until now. My tractors have all been 40 to 55HP but I don't think that would matter. I see no problem. Have fun!

BTW I'm over near Lynchburg...what part of VA are you from?

 

[chim]

Roy, I don't think you'll have a problem. I just got a B7500 with a loader and decided on a Landpride 3PH finish mower. I have R4's and the 12X16 rears have 12 gallons of water/antifreeze in each. My other (soon to be sold) tractor is a Ford 1210 with a Caroni 3PH finish mower. The weights listed for the tractors show the Ford weight at roughly 100# more than the Kubota. The Landpride mower, on the other hand, is 160# heavier than the Caroni.

I was surprised at how well the Kubota handles the weight. The loader subframe apparently provides all the ballast needed for the Landpride. The Ford (no FEL) needs two suitcase weights out front to handle the lighter mower. I spent close to 3 hours tonight mowing grass that should have been cut last week, and things went much better than expected................chim

 

[TresCrows]

I took my loader of my 2410 for mowing. I have the 60in MMM. Why would you need front weights? J

 

[RoyJackson]

Will it be okay to take the FEL off, or will I also have to add from weights for stability?
(I have a MMM I will be using for the mowing)

I had the same concern (especially for going up hills and while the mower is in transport position) about adding front weights after removing the FEL. The difference between you and I is mine is a rear mower.

Well, it appears to be a non-issue. Actually, the tractor has a more stable feel. And your MMM adds weight right where you want it....as low as possible.

BTW, Roy...sounds like you need to update your profile!

 

[chrisjbell]

I was going to start a thread about how great it is to take the FEL off for mowing. I was following one a couple of weeks ago where the idea was kicked around and this last weekend I gave it a try.

I can't stress how much better it is to mow with the FEL off on my B7300. I have a 60" brush hog on the back, so I was concerned that I'd be "back heavy". I have very hilly property, and so all my tires are filled, but with my backhoe on (with FEL) the tractor definately tends to lean towards the back.

So I took the FEL off (thanks to Bird for mentioning how easy it is) and did some mowing. Up hills, down hills, turning on hills the tractor is much more stable. The back end does not "pull" the front up (although I'm now thinking that there is room in there to add front weights even with the FEL on).

And the other thing that had been mentioned, that I hadn't fully appreciated, is that is it so much easier to move around trees, etc. without that long thing on the front. (Yes, I have trees to deal with, too - used to be an orchard.)

Finally, I don't think you'll decide to leave it off all season long. I haven't put it back on yet, so hopefully these won't be famous last words, but it is easy enough to remove that I'll be putting it on and off as needed. Naturally, as soon as I'd pulled it off I had to head up to my neighbor's house with some tools and I wound up lashing them to the mower deck, so I want the utility of the loader.

Happy mowing...Chris