How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills

   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #1  

Bar Bender

New member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
3
Location
HI
Tractor
John Deer X-500
I am thinking about buying a machine to move some dirt around my property, just to change the structure of my drive way and reshape some areas around my house, put down like 20 tons of 2" clean rock topped with some lighter gravel. I have no experience driving construction equipment or tractors, except for a few hours on a skid steer at work in the foundry. I thought that some thing like a bobcat t190 track loader with a back hoe attachment would be sort of the thing that would work for me. I do have one steep hill that I want to move some dirt down, I don't know the actual grade of that hill but i would say its like 15 degrees. It is some thing that my John deer X-500 all terain mower can probably just go up as long as it is not to wet, although I havent tried it yet because I just got here and I have not cleared out some of the brush yet.

Here is my question how much climbing ability does a machine like a 4 wheel drive Kubota b21, with the big tractor wheels, have in different conditions?, would it be tippy going up and down hills carrying a bucket of dirt? Would you have to drive down the hill back wards? Would it be sliping and sliding? Is this the wrong type of machine to even think about? I would like to consider it because it is lower in cost and I could use it for some light hobby farming and mowing. Or must one have a machine with tracks to drive on dirt hills?. Looking to spend ideally around 20K or less.

Thanks,
BB.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #2  
traction comes from multi things, a lot comes form tires, and proper ballasting the tractor. and over all operator experience.

would suggest bare min a "SCUT" (sub compact utilty tractor) possibly moving into the lower end "CUT" (compact utilty tractor) range might be good for ya. the need to break away from a "riding lawn mower" along with upper sized "garden tractor" and getting into a tractor, that has a "cat 1" 3pt hitch, and FEL (front end loader) is primary thing were a lot of things open up for folks. and being able to use different implements and getting things done.

wheel types, most like R1 / agriculture style tires for better traction, vs turf or industrial R4 tires.

rear 3pt ballast, and/or rear tires filled with fluid, and/or rear wheel weights. is again to deal with traction and to keep from tipping tractor over.

a "skid steer" what you call a bobcat, (bobcat = trade name) can do a lot. and at a time thought about going that route at one time or another. but steered away from "skid steers" for variety of reasons. some of it included extra cost of similar machine but in tractor form, and implements / attachments cost more for a skid steer vs a regular tractor.

=======
i am not sure what HI stands for for your location? in you profile...

suggest looking through various forums here on TBN for a week or more. to familiarize yourself with different things.
www.everythingattachement.com has a lot of different implements for tractors, and a descent description of items, but more so videos for nearly every implement/attachment. to help give you a better idea of what this or that does.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #3  
I recently completed a very similar project. Here's what we did... maybe there is something from this experience that would be helpful to you. Our project involved use of our tractor+ loader + backhoe setup to excavate and move a large volume of dirt (probably 200 yards) over some distance to fill in a hillside gully. The gully was 10-15 feet in both depth and width at the top and tapered off over its 100 ft. length down the hill, with several downed trees crossing the gully at various angles. We used the backhoe to loosen the material at the source and the front bucket on the tractor to transfer the fill material about 500 ft and place it in the gully from the top. Some chainsaw work broke up the trees into removable sections.

Yes, it was a lot of trips back and forth, but after completing the job, I concluded this equipment was a pretty good setup for that kind of thing. Since the work involved approaching a drop-off with a loaded bucket, precise, safe control was critical, making the 4wd and HST very worthwhile. The heavy backhoe enabled us to travel forward down the slope as the gully got filled in with a full bucket in front (backhoe outweighs loaded FEL bucket on our machine), and the 4wd enabled us to back up the slope for the next trip.

Like you, I don't know the exact slope, but I considered it moderate... perhaps a drop of 1 foot for every 5 feet of lateral distance (20%). Working in dry conditions with good traction was essential. Also essential is operating straight up and down; you don't want to get the equipment sideways on a grade like that. Obviously, smooth, careful operation was needed... when you're on a hillside with 10,000 lbs of equipment and payload, you take it very slow and gentle.

A combination of heavy equipment (excavator, dump truck and dozer, for example), would have been better, but I don't think any other single machine would have worked as well for our project. Skid steers, for example, could do the digging and bucket work, of course, but are less efficient in covering any distance with a load, and are not as stable on slopes because of their more compact footprint.

Our tractor was larger than a B21, so it moved more dirt at one time, but I'd think that size of machine should function just as well in a similar situation.

Hope this is helpful, but would also suggest you evaluate whether this dirt moving work is a one-time thing or an ongoing process. For a one-time project you might find it cheaper to hire or rent, as backhoe equipment is pretty costly if you don't have recurring need for it.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #4  
I do this with my B21 frequently, hauling DG around the property, which is quite heavy stuff. The tires are filled, there is plenty of weight on the 3 pt (even better w/backhoe) and I keep it in 4 wheel drive. If it does tip forward, the front wheels will keep it from free wheeling down the hill. I keep the bucket as low as possible and my right hand at the ready in case I have to drop that bucket in a hurry. It has never tipped on me but I do keep myself prepared for any surprises just as you would do with any tractor.

You should do OK.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #5  
Exactly what Troutsqueezer said... low and slow. 4WD on hills is great. I have moved more than a hundred yards of dirt, crushed rock, etc. up and down slopes as you describe with no problem with my BX. I like the small footprint for maneuver ability in tight spots. You will need rear ballast and more than just loaded rear tires I think for your situation.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #6  
I have a B21, it or a similar size machine can do what you want. Like others I will emphasize safety, it is easy to get in trouble on a slope that has small bumps and holes and might be slippery, especially while turning. Low, slow, ready to drop bucket quickly. Having outriggers down and hoe extended back will also lower center of gravity and give increased counterweight, useful when approaching a drop off. But if you find yourself doing that it is worth thinking maybe you are pushing the envelope.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #7  
I have the B26 which is the later model than the B21 but with similar specifications. I don't ever remove the back hoe from mine and have hauled buckets full of damp sand as high as it will pile with no evidence of tipping. I have carried a bucket of large stones heaped up and climbed up a 45 degree embankment on my pond to dump them with plenty of power in M range. H range doesn't have a lot of power but will climb a 15 degree hill without out stalling as long as I back off the HST pedal a bit as it is climbing. The only drawback to this TLB is a rather small FEL bucket as compared to my LS P 7010 so it takes a lot longer to move material with the B26. I think that the B26 does have a bit larger bucket than comparable B series tractors though as it has much more weight than the B26xx or B29xx series.

If you find a good deal on a B21 or B26 I would grab it for sure. I bought mine as a 2 year old with 60 hours for $20.5K which was $10K off original price. It is a very capable little TLB and easily maneuverable in tight spots which is the reason I bought mine to get in spots that my larger tractor cant go. It is my go to tractor 90% of the time.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thanks for those replies,

How do you "fill" the tires?

Can you put pallet forks or some sort of work plat form on a B21?

In shopping for a used machine how many hours on a machine would you look for?
I see Kubota b21's , year built 2000, with about 1500 hours for around $1500. This would be in my budget as I also have to pay to go look at it and then ship to Hawaii probably from the California area.

Any suggestions on specific kubota years, other models or variations of the B21 to look for?

BB.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #9  
BB,

I have had the B21 since new in 2001 and it is a workhorse and with the integrated TLB frame it is tough. It weighs in almost 4000 pounds and much of this is steel lower in the frame so its not tippy and I have never been stuck yet. My tires are not filled though and I haven't had any issues.

The only time I felt uncomfortable was on a job where I had to traverse a 15-20* slope on a slight angle with a full bucket of material - so I took it slow and bucket low to the ground - no problem. It has the full enclosed ROPS frame too so it is safe as long as you wear your seatbelt.

As far as models - the B21's are all the same, and the only options were 4 work lights and the 3 PT Links. If you can find a 5-700 hour machine for $15K that's a good deal, if 1500 or more hours expect to be $12K range.

Forks (bolt on are about $150 range) and the HD bucket does fine with these, and other things you would want is a thumb (mechanical) and hooks on the bucket.

For shipping you probably would not want to load the tires due to added weight - it is done with a pump and a tank of fluid - most tractor stores will be able to do this - It just costs a bit $200 a tire maybe?

Good luck and hope you find a good B21 - I think you will be happy with this unit.
 
   / How would a TBL like a Kubota B21 handle hauling dirt up and down hills #10  
The B21 will do the job. Just go straight up/down the hills. And I do recommend loaded tires for added stability. I also want to caution to check out the auto return on the backhoe. they are known to fail, and as I understand, very hard to get parts to repair the auto return. At least that is what a friend of mine claims on his. The local Kubota dealers are telling him they can't get parts to fix the auto return. Perhaps other owners have a different experience and can shine some light in this. I've heard there is a way to bypass the auto return, but couldn't find any info on how to do it.
 

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