Anyone mowing with a B50 series?

[Fiziksgeek]

I must have missed your original thread. I mow with my B3350 with the 60" mmm and the blower grass catcher on the back. Purchased just for cutting grass and snow blwing. I have turf tires & fel with quick attached bucket. I first tried cutting with the fel on without the bucket and I got some front wheel sod ripping. I took a TBN member suggestion and removed the fel and it's been fine. I had a Simplicity sunstar 20 hp and replaced it with the B33. The grass cut quality is equal( which is great) but I had a 48" on the Sunstar and now a 60". If your lawn is flat, no issues. The 4 wd will tear the sod on a tight turn so I only use it going up and down my short 25 degree hill. Straight up in 4wd , then to 2wd turn 180, back to 4wd, down the hill, 2wd ,180 , 4wd repeat....
I keep my tires soft and thoroughly enjoy cutting grass with the a/c blowing on a hot day.

Unfortunately, a cab is probably not in my future....too much of a price increase to swallow for a little bit of comfort, but its good to hear your experience. I have mowed with my loader on, when in a real hurry...like trying to mow after work before rain starts. It's not my usual routine, but i've done it. In makes maneuvering much more difficult, but other than that, Ive seen no adverse affects. My machine has a base weight of just over 1400 lbs, ~300 more for the deck, and probably ~400 more for the loader. A B2650 isn't that much heavier, which makes it appealing to me. I love my Massey, but the next size up starts at ~2600 lbs, before adding the mower. I think that's to much to be driving around the yard on a weekly basis....

 

[MikeBo]

Thanks. I'll be interested to hear about your experience. I am worried about the "sharp turns", what exactly does that mean? There are many areas of my yard that I turn as tight as I can...and still don't turn tight enough with my GC2400. I have adjusted mowing patterns to limit this, but there are still some difficult spots. I can see that being a problem if the tires tear the turf. What kind of soil and grass do you have out there?




A rear finish mower won't work for me, too difficult to maneuver. I've seen people report marking with r4s, on much smaller tractors. I would never drive your machine across my yard in anything but the driest weather..and even then I'd be worried. It's probably 3000+ lbs including mower?

The 3350 weighs 1896 w/o the loader on, plus 300 or so for the mower...that's only a few hundred lbs more than a BX ...that are widely used for mowing! The B3350 also has much larger tires than the BX, pressure is probably similar.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

The talk about weight you quoted me on was in reference to a Mahindra 3616, quite a bit heavier than any B series!

Again, my GC2400 is ~1450 lbs, I have the 60" mower deck, and I would likely go with the same size again, so I'll assume the kubota 60" will be similar in weigh tto the MF deck. So I am really comparing the 1450 lbs of my current machine to the 1786 lbs of the B2650, so about 300 lbs more, but with mu bigger tires. However, I know that while bigger tires help spread the weight, they can also cause tearing in tight turns, which is a concern..

 

[kcender]

I have never mowed with a B50 series but I did have a mower deck on my B2620.I found the front tires on it cut up the turf when making turns,even in 2WD.The B50 series has different steering,hydrostatic verses hydraulic,so it may work differently.The tearing was so bad I bought a GR2120 for mowing and sold the mower deck for the B2620.Many people seem to be happy with the B series for mowing but I wasn't.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I have never mowed with a B50 series but I did have a mower deck on my B2620.I found the front tires on it cut up the turf when making turns,even in 2WD.The B50 series has different steering,hydrostatic verses hydraulic,so it may work differently.The tearing was so bad I bought a GR2120 for mowing and sold the mower deck for the B2620.Many people seem to be happy with the B series for mowing but I wasn't.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I understand the differene between hydraulic and hydrostatic steering...? I thought there were basically two systems, power assisted in which there is a direct connection between the steering wheel and the front tires, but the turning effort is assisted with hydraulics, and hydrostatis, where there is no physical connection between the steering wheel and front tires. My JDX534 had hydrostatic I believe...I could just keep turning the wheel round and round. One you hit the relief valve, nothing more is happening, but the steering wheel will keep turning. If you have a spinner knob, it will always be in different locations....When there is a mechanical connection between the wheels and steering wheels, it will always come back to the same place. Did that make any sense?

In any case, I'm not sure the method of steering will affect the scrubbing of the tires when turning? As long as you are not stopped when turning the wheels, or in 4wheel drive, I wouldn't think the front tires would have much of an effect, compared to the large rear wheels....?

 

[kcender]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I understand the differene between hydraulic and hydrostatic steering...? I thought there were basically two systems, power assisted in which there is a direct connection between the steering wheel and the front tires, but the turning effort is assisted with hydraulics, and hydrostatis, where there is no physical connection between the steering wheel and front tires. My JDX534 had hydrostatic I believe...I could just keep turning the wheel round and round. One you hit the relief valve, nothing more is happening, but the steering wheel will keep turning. If you have a spinner knob, it will always be in different locations....When there is a mechanical connection between the wheels and steering wheels, it will always come back to the same place. Did that make any sense?

In any case, I'm not sure the method of steering will affect the scrubbing of the tires when turning? As long as you are not stopped when turning the wheels, or in 4wheel drive, I wouldn't think the front tires would have much of an effect, compared to the large rear wheels....?

I understand what you are saying about the steering types.I basically meant the same only in simpler terms.My point was that since the tractors have different types of steering then they may also have different geometry in the front axles.On my B2620 you could watch the front tires ripping up the turf when making turns even in 2WD.I would say the back tires were trying to push the tractor straight even when turning the front wheels.

 

[628pm]

I have a b2620 with fel, mmm, and backhoe. In my opinion I don't like mowing with the B. Thinking of going back to a bx2370 or bx2670 to mow a lawn. I bought the B to work on some property I had, but I sold it. I need a bx that has a lower center of gravity to mow ditches. I also have a zd326 zero turn. But they are worthless on ditches that are a little wet. My old bx2200 would mow it with no problems.

I liked my B, but need something a little smaller now.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I have a b2620 with fel, mmm, and backhoe. In my opinion I don't like mowing with the B. Thinking of going back to a bx2370 or bx2670 to mow a lawn. I bought the B to work on some property I had, but I sold it. I need a bx that has a lower center of gravity to mow ditches. I also have a zd326 zero turn. But they are worthless on ditches that are a little wet. My old bx2200 would mow it with no problems.

I liked my B, but need something a little smaller now.

Thanks for the response. It sounds like your mowing needs are driven by some sloped areas, where the higher center of gravity of the B series is actually harmful. Is that true? On relatively flat areas, how did it cut? Any problems with rutting or tearing of the turf? I only have some gentle slopes in my yard.

 

[628pm]

Flat mowing is okay. With the industrial tires you can tear up the ground if you are not careful. My problem is that I always kept the bucket on which doesn't help. I know if I sell the B2620 I will then need the backhoe for something. My wife likes mowing, but she doesn't like the zero turn and the B won't fit under our trees.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Flat mowing is okay. With the industrial tires you can tear up the ground if you are not careful. My problem is that I always kept the bucket on which doesn't help. I know if I sell the B2620 I will then need the backhoe for something. My wife likes mowing, but she doesn't like the zero turn and the B won't fit under our trees.

The loader/bucket adds a few hundred pounds to the tractor, a lot of it up front, so I can see why you get some front wheel damage. I use turfs now, and will again if I move up to a larger machine. Most of the time I remove the loader, but not always. My current machine is only 120lbs lighter than the B2620. Though a B series would actually be lower, with the ROPS folded. Mine are fixed.