Tire Choices + Mowers for TC33D

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks to all for the valuable information on this board. I am zeroing in on a TC33D, and have conflicting information from the dealers I've spoken with.

I am looking to finish mow about 2-3 acres, plus brush hog the perimeters of 4 fields between 2-6 acres each. Front-end loader to maintain woods roads and move stuff around. Most dealers did not recommend the turf tires, saying they are too slick for loader work and will need chains in snow (true?). The conflict is between the R1 and R4, which different dealers say will float better on the lawn. I am looking to avoid ruts and tears in the lawn part, yet have traction in the field and snow. Any advice would be very helpful.

Also, the TC33D seems to pack the most horsepower into the 25/29/33 frame-any negatives on a 33D over a 29D?

And , if I can impose once more-belly mower vs rear finishing?

Thank you for your help.

Regards,

Ritchie, new-be in jersey.

 

[Snowman9000]

The type of soil in your lawn will play a part in the decision process. The more clay, the more it will compact and leave ruts from each tire bar. I think for the lawn, I would rank them: Turf way in front then R4, then Ag. Ag will leave dents in most lawns, for sure.

My tractor has turfs and a FEL. Works fine in dry or damp conditions. But if I have to get into mud, well of course the turfs are useless.

Loader work on gravel or dry dirt/grass, yes you can slip the turfs a little, but not enough to be a problem in my opinion. It depends how efficient you have to be in your loader work. If you have to be able to dig in and fill the bucket as full as possible, then turfs won't be as well as the other two. But for all around dry terrain FEL work, turfs are fine.

R4 probably the worst all around in the snow, Ags maybe the best all around. Some snow traction is better with turfs!

R4s are considered the all around compromise. But my lawn could not take them.

-Don M

 

[poman]

I have a TC33D with R4 tires. So far it has worked just fine. I have done some work with the tractor pulling broken limbs off of trees close to water and needed more traction than the turf tires would provide. As has been said, it will depend a lot on the type soil you have. If the soil is soft or easily compacted, turf would be best. Most lawns would suffer from ag (R1).

Good Luck

poman

 

[poman]

To the other question, I chose a rear finish mower because of the cost and because I like the rear discharge. No grass cuttings building up on the side to be mowed again.

My 2 cents

poman

 

[JJT]

I've been real happy with the R4's. 1 point nobody has raised - they are the least prone to puncture damage. I've also been happy with them in the snow, (without chains) and have had no traction problems, but the L3710 with FEL, loaded tires and a blower weighs in over 6000#'s.

 

[John_Mc]

I have a 33D with FEL, R4 tires (loaded rear) and a 5 ft Woods rotary mower (aka "brush hog"). I've taken it over what will eventually be my lawn (once the house is built) and mowed in the area a number of times. As long as I'm not in 4WD and don't turn sharply, I've not had and problems with tearing things up. I don't see much in the way of marks from the bars either... but then I really don't care for the "manicured, golf-course lawn" look either. The R4's have worked fine for FEL work, and for pulling a 6' Box Blade to make drainage swales and maintain a gravel road; turf tires don't do well at this type of work, unless the ground is in ideal shape for it.

Tips for minimizing marking of the lawn: mow in 2WD, keep the tractor as light as possible: take off FEL and other unneeded attachments, avoid sharp turns, avoid mowing when ground is wet/soft. If you do a lot of loader work, you'll probably want weight in the rear tires. Rather than filling them with fluid, consider using wheel weights, which can be removed when mowing (you'll probably want the weight when snow plowing or . (Of course, having said all of that, I never take off my FEL for mowing and have filled tires. the only rule I follow is to stay in 2WD).

There is no significant weight difference between the 29D and the 33D, so weight should not be a factor in that decision.

 

[Kent]

Weight is a big factor

When I bought my TC-40D in September, I had the dream that it could do everything, including finish mow my ~1 acre lawn. The NH Dealer, of course, was most eager to agree, selling me every possible attachment I could afford. I purchased the rear-mount, Woods 72" rear discharge mower...a gorgeous piece of equipment (http://www.woodsonline.com/catalog/tg_finish8.html). I was pumped to mow that lawn in mere minutes instead of hours using my 21" hand mower!

I got loaded R4's, which are fantastic for loader work and crashing through the woods to skid or pick up logs, grading the road, etc. (I bought rear duo-grip chains for snow blowing the steep driveway from http://www.tirechains.com/).

But the first time I drove on the lawn with the tractor+mower, soil compaction was instant, mashing the grass and leaving at least 2"+ indentations into the dirt under the grass. The impression of the R4 cleats wasn't the problem....just that the dirt under my lawn isn't that compacted (so I found out!). I know that grass doesn't like compacted soil (weeds love it), and my soil is somewhat loamy (nestled in New England woods). So unless you live in an arid climate with very dry soil and your lawn is really hard, then don't be mislead by anyone into thinking ANY tire will be OK for your lawn. Even if you do the math and figure out that the PSI of your tractor weight through four tires is lower than your footprint, the back-and-forth driving on your lawn will eventually take its toll and compact the soil. Don't re-learn my expensive lesson in soil compaction! The point is that it is difficult to generalize forum members' experience with finish mowing with their tractors, as soil condition/grass type is so varied. What works there won't necessarily work where you live.

Plus, a major problem of finish mowing is turning and maneuverability. I thought I had a big lawn (from the perspective of a 21" mower) until I compared it to a tractor with a rear-mount mower. No way. I also thought my lawn was relatively flat. Looks flat. But whoo boy, turns out to be 15 degrees in spots (http://www.tiltmeter.com/page18.html), it is not worth tipping over to mow that part of the lawn! In my mind, the tractor is great (among many other things) for bush mowing fields with compacted soil (e.g. my neighbor's 6 acre hay field), but from now on, the tractor stays off the lawn except for those occasional, unavoidable trips to get something or go somewhere.

Not being able to finish mow my 1-acre lawn with my tractor was a major post-purchase disappointment. I was depressed for two days over this. So, I am actually waiting delivery on a 42" walk-behind mower (the new DR Brush and Field mower with finish attachment http://www.countryhomeproducts.com).

I am not sure what I'll do with the finish mower. Store it until I move to a larger place (with a more "field-like" lawn) or try to sell it (any offers?).

 

[DVerbarg]

Re: Weight is a big factor

Kent,

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. You are right on about soil conditions having a major impact on how much weight the lawn will support without leaving marks. One thing that you mentioned will greatly affect the compaction, wheel weights. I need to gingerly drive across my yard without extra weight in order to avoid compaction (how do you gingerly drive?). In a situation like this I prefer bolt-on wheel weights. Don't yet have any but have them on my list (along with a full complement of rear hydrualics).

Others on TBN have the removable weights for this reason. I just wonder, how hard is it to remove them, how often do they get removed and put on? Do they tend to get put on and left on? From my wheel weight naive perspective I would expect that I would put them on for the winter and leave them off for the summer with the exception of doing heavy FEL work during the warm months.

DaveV

 

[Kent]

Wheel Weights

I wanted to go the wheel weight route (though I can't see that wiggling 100 lbs onto a set of bolts would be that much fun), my dealer refused to sell me the FEL without loading the wheels. His experience is that it is simply not safe to pick up anything with the FEL w/o counterweight. He is an experienced tractor guy and I trust him. He said I would grow tired of taking the weights on and off. Plus, the weight of the fluid in the tires is more than what you can put on the axles and the weight of the fluid is also supposedly closer to the ground. And much cheaper. The third alternative is a 3-pt hitch counterweight (like a heavy attachment or weight box). But for some of my loader work, the filled tires and the 900 lb box blade aren't even enough!

But of course, the downside with filling the tires is that the weight is always there, compressing that precious lawn....so you have to decide, I guess, what is more important--a heavy duty workhorse or a lightweight mowing machine. I am giving up the idea completely of mowing with the TC-40D, even when stripped down w/o a FEL. That is my solution! But again, given another soil condition, my solution would be the wrong one.

 

[rmorgan]

Ritchie--I have a 33D, filled R4s, belly mower, FEL, Bush Hog. IMHO, there is no reason but money to buy a 29 instead of a 33--and the price isn't much different. Remember that the hydro xmsn cuts hp on the 33 down to 30-31 or so.

Tires. I have friends with turf tires who wish they had R4s. In turn, the R4s are definitely a compromise, and lots of folks on this board hate 'em (and mock 'em mercilessly). I've gotten stuck in tall wet grass on a steep slope where I couldn't get traction to back up the hill and had to get a pull from the pickup, but that's unusual. I've never been stuck with the R4s doing loader work, although I try to stay out of really serious mud. On the other hand, ag tires are great for traction but really do a number on any kind of turf--I had them on another tractor and basically couldn't mow except when the ground was really dry, and even then the grass would get chewed up. I have no regrets re. the R4s.

I bought a belly mower rather than a stern-mount this time because in close quarters, the rig is a lot longer with the 3 and you have to be a good bit more vigilant in tight quarters. But this is a close question because the rear mower is great for getting under trees, fences, etc., and so you might try out a 3. mower before you make a decision. The NH belly mower comes off and goes on fairly easily, although not as easily as a 3. mower---10-15 minutes either way if all goes well.

Enjoy.

Rick