BX Too Heavy For Mowing

[zoltanthegypsy]

Hmmm, don't we already know the psi? That's the pressure in the tire, and seems to me that it has to be the same as the pressure outside. That is, if the tire has to support 500lbs and it's at 10psi, it's going to have 50sq in of contact patch, more or less.

The psi determines the contact patch, not the other way around - in my simple-minded way of thinking.

That aside, I'm here to tell you that it's entirely possible to make a mess with a GR2120. Did that Thursday. A real mess. The grass was dry enough to mow, but not the soil, at least at the lower part of the lawn. Manged to churn things into mud, and I was too bleeping stubborn to just park the machine for a dry day. August, maybe...

Should have ordered the pontoon option

Later,
Z.

 

[George the Beagle]

My two cents' worth is not to trade for the GR. The BX is a pretty darn good mower given its versatility for other tasks. The GR has other attachments available, but not like the BX.

My previous mower was a Farmall Cub Loboy with 59" Woods finish mower. The BX doesn't mark up my lawn any more than the Cub did, but my lawn is fairly firm. Sharp turns with the Cub weren't a good idea, though--made my lawn look like it had crop circles.

 

[kcender]

Just checked my tire pressures.I had 18 in the rears,max is 22,and I reduced them to 13.The fronts had 20,max is 22,and I reduced them to 15.I won't know if this makes any difference until I get a chance to mow later in the week after it hopefully dries up a bit.I don't want to get the pressures too low and run into other problems like spinning a tire on a rim or rolling it off the rim.It will take a bit of trial and error.

 

[LD1]

Hmmm, don't we already know the psi? That's the pressure in the tire, and seems to me that it has to be the same as the pressure outside. That is, if the tire has to support 500lbs and it's at 10psi, it's going to have 50sq in of contact patch, more or less.

The psi determines the contact patch, not the other way around - in my simple-minded way of thinking.



Later,
Z.

Thats not entirley true. Some easy googling will turn up pleanty of dis-proofs to that common claim.

And simply sitting here and thinking about it, As we all know, when doing loader work, and if is soft at all, the fronts really rut things up. I am running ~30PSI in my fronts and ~12 in the rear. The rears dont rut up much (they are much bigger).

Simply lowering the fronts to 12PSI isnt going to make them float like the larger rears.

ALSO: what about the guys running the R-4's vs my Ags. The R4's are MUCH wider, but also can be inflated more. Do you think a 17.5" wide R-4 @ 22psi is going to rut more than my skinny 11.2" AG tire @ 12PSI????

 

[zoltanthegypsy]

I'm already working above my pay grade here, so I think I'll just retreat...

Not before observing that the contact patch also reflects the weight on the wheel vs. the psi that the soil can support. Until the tire sinks deep enough to widen the contact to the point where the soil can support it, it doesn't much matter what the tire psi is.

Z.

 

[BrianR]

That it.......I'm switching to rubber tracks now!!

Even without observing how the tire sinks into the soil, just to do a simple comparison between two machines, park them on a flat surface, mark around the contact area where the tire meets the surface, calculate the area and divide. All I was interested in was comparing pounds per square inch that each machine exerts on the ground, to see if the machine weight of one machine is *really* much better than the other.

Obviously, the tire's over all diameter, width, air pressure, etc will all change how the tire loads the soil as it sinks (if it sinks at all). But if the soil is saturated with heavy rain, this is all for naught anywho!!

 

[timswi]

I've been mowing with my BX23 for 8 years and I have about 1000sq ft of clay that I stay away from in the spring...Other thatn that, I only cut when the grass is dry...If you don't it just cakes up the deck...The clay is the only area that ruts in the spring..I have turf tires, unloaded.

The BX is a great machine, I'd have a really hard time giving up mine.

 

[IC Smoke]

R4's and a BX24:

I would get the R4's before turf tires if you have a FEL or use it in any type of dirt. I have yet to mess up a lawn with the r4's.

do you roll your lawn?

 

[Taycel]

SMOKE - Those are some fine-looking stripes considering you are using a tractor to mow with. I have seen a couple of ZTR's that couldn't stripe that nice. Which model deck do you have on your BX? :thumbsup:

 

[timswi]

SMOKE - Those are some fine-looking stripes considering you are using a tractor to mow with. I have seen a couple of ZTR's that couldn't stripe that nice. Which model deck do you have on your BX? :thumbsup:

My oem deck on my BX will do that..No rollers either..Just the way they cut.