Cutting Grass With R4's

garbageman · May 9, 2004

Cutting Grass With R4\'s

I own a Kubota B7500 with R4's and a 60" RMM which a get a good cut from. My problem is making turns and the front tires cutting in to the grass. My dealer wants $800 for a set of turfs. Does anyone have turfs on a 7500 or similar tractor and how are the results. I was thinking of selling the RMM Befco C30 and just have a dedicated lawn tractor. The mover is one year old and in excellent condition. What is it worth? What do you think?
Thanks,
Ray

chim · May 9, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

I have a B7500HST w/ R4's and a LandPride 60" RFM. How much pressure are you running? I just checked my R4 fronts and they have 11.5#. The type of soil and amount of moisture in the ground probably affects the performance of the tires. Unless I have the B7500 in 4WD or am running around with the loader on, mine isn't hard on the grass..............chim

755inNY · May 9, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Ray,

I can't comment on your particular set-up but I can say that turf tires will not necessary solve your problem. I have turfs on my 755 and I can tear up grass in turns.

Jeff

ChrisJ · May 9, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

I'm not familiar withthat set up, but does your tractor run in 2wd? If so this can play into the way the wheels turn while cornering. I mow my lawn with R4's, but I have to be in 2wd so I don't rip up the lawn in corners.

garbageman · May 10, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Chim,
I have been running it with the loader on. Matter of fact the loader hasn't been off the tractor it's been so useful. What is it like removing and putting the loader back on. Any tips?
Thanks,
Ray

cisco · May 10, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Sequence re. loader in Kubota manual isn't bad, but prior threads on TBN really covered the topic well. Anyhow, getting the loader off is not difficult, but if it isn't on level ground, putting it back on can take a bit of patience. I doubt the loader is a major problem, and would favor, as others, the usual culprits - 4WD, wet ground, tight turns. Minimize the aforementioned, and if you've still a problem, try the loader removal.
I've an L4300 with a FEL, R-4's, and a 72" Woods brush cutter - if I'm not leaving major ruts, you sure as heck shouldn't be.

garbageman · May 10, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

No, I don't leave ruts in the grass, just cut it up while making turns. When I make (what I consider too wide turns) the grass is fine, but I feel I waste alot of time doing that. It seems to be the edge of the tires that do the damage. Looking at the front tires they are "pigeon-toed", thinking that may be the answer. The dealer says thats the way it's built. I'll try removing the FEL and see what happens.
Thanks for the advice,
Ray

chim · May 10, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Cisco gave you a good explanation. I keep my tractor and loader in the garage, so there's the benefit of working off of a level surface. One biggie after unhooking the loader is to shut the engine down and work the joystick till all movement has stopped before disconnecting the hoses. This makes it easier to pop the quick-disconnect fittings back together when remounting the FEL.

I just put my FEL on for a 5 minute project tonight, and removed it again. After you do it a few times, it really takes less than 2 minutes.

If you remove the FEL, you will notice quite a difference in the way your tires perform on grass while making turns. It also makes the tractor much more maneuverable..................chim

garbageman · May 10, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Thanks for all the helpful advice! I'll let know how it goes.
Ray

chrisjbell · May 11, 2004

Re: Cutting Grass With R4\'s

Should be a lot better with the loader off. I don't do finish mowing with my tractor, but I take it off for a number of reasons - one of which (that would apply to you) is that the front end doesn't dig in as much during turns. Also allows me to make larger radius turns, which would prevent the wheels from digging in. But I don't think that going to turf tires would fix your problem - just change the shape of the ruts in the grass /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. Big tractor for mowing the lawn /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.