First tractor - wet ground... ?

   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #51  
Since not everyone realizes this, I'll just point out: Ground pressure is basically exactly equal to the air pressure you put in your tires. So if you have a little tractor with 15 psi in the tires, or a big ***** tractor with 15 psi in the tires.... they both put 15 psi onto the ground..................

Hmmm (scratching head) So if I put 30PSI instead of 15PSI in my tires, it will somehow make my tractor push down on the lawn twice as much? Can't grasp that.
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #52  
The more weight on a FEL on bad ground the more gravity can suck it down regardless of tire pressure !!! Weather it痴 a small 25 hp tractor or a 70 hp tractor, full size back hoe or Front end loader. Take all these machine hep there front buckets up with heavy dirt then precede to go threw wet muddy snotty ground this is where compaction is at its greatest Full Buckets on FEL !!! Now running just machine around operator can get away with a little more as compaction is reduced by weight not on FEL it痴 common sense if you致e worked in bad ground conditions.Gravity will even pull track machines down if there痴 no good bottom where your working one other fact typically the bigger the machine harder to get out of a stuck situation.In another direction people who run vehicles on beaches where aloud will typically lower there Tire pressure to give them flatter bottoms to not sink in as much this is on coarse sand that by water is typically packed fairly hard.
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #53  
Hmmm (scratching head) So if I put 30PSI instead of 15PSI in my tires, it will somehow make my tractor push down on the lawn twice as much? Can't grasp that.

Yes, the contact patch of the tire will roughly shrink in half, and thus the specific pressure will just about double, to carry the same total weight of the tractor. This logic is sound for smooth tires but I think R1's with inflexible lugs/bars may not respond as linearly.

So Lou, this is probably what happens in your case. If the tire can't flex much to expand the contact patch, it will certainly exert more ground pressure if you load up the tractor weight. It's pretty hard to visually determine tire contact patch area though. A tiny bit more sidewall squat can make a big difference in the true effective patch underneath.

I didn't mean to start any arguments, just thought this might help provide some context. But also! Does muddy dirt care about pressure, or total load? Maybe it's the total weight that matters more.
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #54  
Two tractors with the same size tires and tire pressure, the one that weighs the most will go down faster! lower air pressure will only increase the surface area of the tire to the ground. R1 tires only have the cleats hitting the ground. R4 have heavier side walls. Tire pressure will work on cars and trucks, but not so much on tractor tires. In most mud where I live, you want to sink down to the hard pan and go thru it. If there is no hard pan under the mud, you just keep going. The better plan would be to try and stay on top of the mud, lower weight or increase the surface area of the tires, or build the road up. I will only drive my bigger equipment over the hard packed areas of the farm in wet season to stop tearing the grass up. A lot of ways to build the road up. You can lay down rock, trees, or maybe find a contractor getting rid of an old slab that he want to get rid of. I know of someone that just had over 250 feet of side walk busted up and taken to the dump. He had to pay to dump it.
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ?
  • Thread Starter
#55  
Thank you for all the kind comments on this thread. I was about to pull the trigger on a Kubota L2501 and then contracted a pretty strong case of Covid in July and canceled purchase interest.

Fast forward to 2021, and energy had mostly returned as had interest in a tractor. Unfortunately, inventory in this area almost non-existent. Stopped at a dealer 70 miles away while on a motorcycle ride and had a good vibe. Mom and pop place, family owned, definitely not the new Kubota boutique look. Expressed interest in a tractor. Emailed pictures later (he gave me his personal cell #), called several times, and he was always apologetic but had a line of customers at counter.

As luck would have it, a new MX5400 came in on trade with another dealer. It's mine! Now he just needs to find R3's or R14's :)
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #56  
Thank you for all the kind comments on this thread. I was about to pull the trigger on a Kubota L2501 and then contracted a pretty strong case of Covid in July and canceled purchase interest.

Fast forward to 2021, and energy had mostly returned as had interest in a tractor. Unfortunately, inventory in this area almost non-existent. Stopped at a dealer 70 miles away while on a motorcycle ride and had a good vibe. Mom and pop place, family owned, definitely not the new Kubota boutique look. Expressed interest in a tractor. Emailed pictures later (he gave me his personal cell #), called several times, and he was always apologetic but had a line of customers at counter.

As luck would have it, a new MX5400 came in on trade with another dealer. It's mine! Now he just needs to find R3's or R14's :)
Glad you got better, and happy you found a tractor. If it turns out to be less than ideal, maybe grab a good excavator for the first clean up, then sell it if you don't love it? I have tractor, skid and x, other than mowing, the others get used a ton more than the tractor.

Best,

ed
 
   / First tractor - wet ground... ? #57  
I'm glad that Turf tires were brought up in this thread. Those are by far the best for soft conditions. Floatation is what you want! Good luck!
 
 
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