Grading 2210 Rear blade, tire, ballast questions

[Dirkt]

Hi all. I just took delivery of my 2210 and couldn't be more pleased. I was going back and forth between a 2210 and 4115 and ultimately couldn't justify the extra $4K. Thanks to everyone's input, I think I made an excellent decision and am very happy. I have a couple questions:

1) How well will a 270 lb 6' rear blade work for light grading/leveling? Will the 2210 really pull that much dirt? I would prefer a 5', but the local Fleetfarm has 6' KingKutters for $175 and everywhere else I look 5' blades are way more expensive and special order. At that price you can't go wrong. I have some sloping to do around a garage and my house as well as about 25000 sq ft of topsoil grading to do.

2) How much better are the bar tires? So far my traction is on par with the power on hand with turfs when using the loader to pick up packed dirt in my yard. I am concerned that as soon as the MN snow flies, the turfs will become a joke. Is it worth having bar tires for the winter?

3) How much rear ballast is everyone using with the loader. I have the JD rear weight box with sand (about 450lbs total) and the tractor really squats when I pick it up. It almost seems like it is too much. Thoughts?

Thanks for the input!

 

[prosperity]

I can give an opinion on (#2).

In my past experience in snow, turf tires with chains have always been better for me. Usually the ground will be frozen underneath and the turfs put more tire on the surface than bars.

This will be my first winter with the 2210, and I'm quite confident with the machine in snow with the 4wd, some extra weight, and chains on the rears. I would put chains on the front also but the manual says not to use chains on the front. I can see why as there isn't much clearance on the fronts.

I'm sure that there are others with different experiences with snow, but I plowed my 800' driveway with a hill last winter with a 2wd 332 with turfs, chains, and loaded tires with out much problem last winter.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Dirkt,

Not sure on the blade--most are saying 48 inches (for the 2210) on a box blade, but grading with a box blade takes more than a regular blade. If you have a gravel driveway to maintain, I would strongly consider a boxblade, but if your doing the types of jobs you describe in the post, then a regular blade should work fine. If the 2210 pulls anything like the 4010, you'll be amazed at what it can do.

I have the 4010 (just a little heavier machine than the 2210). This past winter I cleared the driveway (500 feet of gravel) using the fell--no chains and not even 4WD all the time. The largest snowfall we had (in our area) was just under 12 inches and the 4010 handled it easily.

The turfs work well--somtimes you need 4WD for loader or tiller work, but engaging the 4WD is so easy that it's never a problem.

Ballast--I'm using the ballast box and 6 quick tach weights which works for most applications, but I am going to add sand up to the bottom of the weights as a real heavy load in the FEL will tend to make the rear wheels spin if I'm working in soft ground.

What part of MN are you from. I'm in northern Anoka county.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I've been enjoying my 2210 for about 3 months now and love it, I think you'll find you made a good choice.

I have a 5 ft bushhog backblade and find it to be the right size. I think 6ft would be a little much. Got mine as a scratch and dent special for $180. If you have Tractor Supply Co stores, they carry the 5 ft KK blade for $180. Basic backblade and not heavy duty, but it is cheap!

I have turfs. They are great for general work. A couple of times I buried it in the yard trying to navigate 8-12 inches of loose snow. Had to push myself out with the loader, then dig a path. I also find I am traction-limited in doing any agressive loader work. So I'm really wishing I had bar tires for loader work and winter but needed the turfs for mowing. I did find that 4wd works great for snow removal, just don't try to drive through a foot of more of snow, move it out of the way first.

I have 2 50 lb weights on each rear wheel and a 3pt reciever hitch that holds 6 of the 42lb quick-tach weights. This gives me 440 pounds and has worked great so far. I know I'm 200 pounds light for the loader capacity, but I also have a 4ft rotary mower and if I'm going to lift something heavy I will hitch up to him instead.

I have not loaded my tires, am still considering this as an option.

Enjoy your new tractor, they are a lot of fun to operate.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Congrats on your new rig. Good choice!

I have had my 2210 most of the MN winter (south of the cities in Lakeville). I spent the winter plowing using Turf tires. Since I have a tar driveway, I won't put chains on. I prefer off axle weight where I can. So I had the back tires filled with liquid ballast. A shop did the filling for me in Northfield, about $100 including the tubes. The weight added was about 65 pounds on each tire. Its low center of gravity weight, thus helping balance.

I have the JD plow up front, and was able to push anything this last winter was able to dish. Not once did it hesitate, and 90% of it is in 2wd. Traction was far from an issue, even on hills. Occasionally I used the bucket for fun, but the plow was MUCH more effective at snow removal.

To save cash, I purchased a 3-point blower that runs off the rear PTO ($1000) instead of the very expensive JD blower. I used that to clean the piles of snow by simply backing into them. But most of the plowing I didn't carry the blower because it made the tractor too long to be nimble. I'd plow first, attach the blower, and clean the edges.

The front JD blower weighs the front of the rig down WAY too much, causing rear wheel traction problems. Not to mention it's WAY too expensive.

As far as ballast for the bucket, thus far I've only weighed it w/ a few bricks. Since the tires are filled, and I carry very little, I haven't given it much more thought. I'm sure I'll add more to the ballast as I start getting into spring dirt moving. I personally prefer not to see my green machine squat.