Requesting words of wisdom

[BenRich]

Again, thanks lots for the excellent advise. I was unaware of BXpanded and have checked out their skid plate. At least they have a price listed and the price seems very fair to me. I wasn't able to find a price on the Bro-Tek plate but had read a past thread where it was mentioned the rear plate cost $180... and this was back in 2012 I believe. The dealer is not charging me for the chain hooks and when I asked him about this being done he said they do it for most their customers, who are working farmers. I'm actually have a lot of confidence in this dealer; I know several people that use him and he came with multiple recommendations from people that do not know each other. They've been in business in this area for almost forty years and most of their mechanics have been with him for thirty years or more.

Again, thanks for the words of wisdom. I'm going back out now to do some more garden planting.

Ben

 

[Don87]

Again, thanks lots for the excellent advise. I was unaware of BXpanded and have checked out their skid plate. At least they have a price listed and the price seems very fair to me. I wasn't able to find a price on the Bro-Tek plate but had read a past thread where it was mentioned the rear plate cost $180... and this was back in 2012 I believe. The dealer is not charging me for the chain hooks and when I asked him about this being done he said they do it for most their customers, who are working farmers. I'm actually have a lot of confidence in this dealer; I know several people that use him and he came with multiple recommendations from people that do not know each other. They've been in business in this area for almost forty years and most of their mechanics have been with him for thirty years or more.

Again, thanks for the words of wisdom. I'm going back out now to do some more garden planting.

Ben

Have fun. We had snow here this morning, so no planting yet.................Looks like 'Global Colding' is taking over :laughing: :laughing:

 

[Grandad4]

Ben, welcome from another 8 year BX owner who lives not far from you. Our place is in Summerfield, just north of Greensboro. You've made a good choice for equipment and there's good advice here for you so far.

I agree 100 percent about the need for rear ballast... both in the tires and on the back end.

While I do not have skid plate protection on my BX and have been OK so far (accident waiting to happen, I suppose), these little units are very low to the ground and have lots of exposed hardware, including the fan, so the protective plates are indeed a good idea if you're headed into the woods or any overgrown area.

The other advice I'd add is concerning lateral stability. On its own, the BX is very stable due to its low design. But the FEL changes the picture dramatically. If you have 400+ lbs of something in the bucket (plus another 100 for the bucket itself) lifted to any significant height, it doesn't take much to get the whole tractor tipping to one side or the other. Transport any loads in the FEL as low to the ground as possible, avoiding bumpy or sloping terrain. After you've been using the BX for a while, you'll gain a sense of how it is balanced as you operate it, but be really cautious as you learn.

Share some photos when your new BX arrives!

 

[Egon]

You want to pull log's etc. ? Do it from the three point on the back. You can get a tool bar welded up that works well or you could remove the blade only from the back blade and use the frame work to tow. Weld on some hooks and you are good to go.

Now for the towing procedure!! Make sure the bucket has weight in it. Dirt or rocks work real good. Lift up a little on the three point to get weight ( ie. traction ) on the back wheels and lift the front of the log off of the ground and tow away. Make sure the frOnt wheels stay on the ground as this setup has a high tow point and could cause a backflip if not done properly.

Turf tires will do fine. The three point will put lots of down pressure on the rear tire giving good traction.:thumbsup:

If you wish I can post a few pictures of a Kubota B7100 HST at work. I have to use a different computer to do it.

Note: no words of wisdom here. Just what has actually been done!:thumbsup:

 

[BenRich]

Thanks for all the good advise. I do have a question regarding water in the tires. I understand this adds weight which acts as a counterbalance to the FEL. I would imagine it also adds a bit to traction (though with turf tires that might be marginal). My question is, how does this impact handling? When I test drove the 1860 I was very surprised by how "nimble" it felt, despite it's feel of "solidity". Will water in the tires create a certain amount of inertia or drag to the 1860's normal handling and, if so, is this at all a negative effect?

My other concern is tire wear and maintenance. Does water in the tires increase the wear of the tires?

In the maintenance department, if I spring a leak in a water-filled tire what is the process to get the leak repaired? One reason I decided on a SCUT was the knowledge that I would be able to do most of the maintenance myself, including removing the wheel and taking it to a tire repair place in the event of a leak. If the tire is filled with water will it be possible for one (beat up 56 year old) person to take the wheel off, wrestle it into the back of my aged SUV (or borrow somebody's pickup) and take to any tire dealer to get it repaired or will I have to drive it thirty miles to the dealership for repair/refilling? I guess this is a question I could ask the dealer when I call tomorrow, but I'd still be grateful for any sound advice and/or experience from those on this forum.

Ben

 

[gwdixon]

When my BX2200 got its FEL the dealer filled the rears with water. There was so little difference in handling and feel that I had to check to make sure that water would come out of the fill valve. In other words, the difference between filled and not filled is so minor that it will not be noticed.

The filled tires will probably wear a little faster if you drive on a hard surface. But the turf tires seem to wear incredibly well. After 600 hours the rear tires on my BX look unworn. The front tires take much more wear.

Most large tractors with filled tires are serviced by mobile tractor tire trucks. The tires are repaired in place. That is always an option.

For smaller tires it is possible to take the tire off by jacking up the tractor to JUST the right height and roll it off the axle. Put the fill valve at 12 o'clock and let out the air pressure. Then rotate the hole to the top where there is no water. A tubeless tire plug can be used to plug the hole from the outside using plenty of goo (repair glue). A kit for this task is inexpensive.

The bottom line is that it is very rare to have a puncture in these tires. More often flats are caused by leaky rims or deteriorating rubber sidewalls. At that point it is a simple task (well, sort of) to put in a tube. The tube can be filled with water as well.

 

[TripleR]

If you have concerns about filled tires, you can get weights, one of ours has filled tires and another has weights.

 

[BenRich]

I want to thank all of you for your responses and good advise. I'll be calling my dealer tomorrow and bring some of these suggestions up with them. As I mentioned earlier, this dealer has an excellent reputation among those that use them (and continue to use them). Thanks again.

Ben