High vs low range.....whats your policy?

[chucky79]

When do you guys use high vs low range? I know the difference and intended use just wondering what everyone's real world experience is with their BX tractors. I ask because today i ran down to the barn real quick for some tools to shovel gravel. I usually climb my steep hill back up from the barn in low range but today i forgot to switch it down to low like i usually do when mowing and i got to a point on the hill where the tractor almost completely ran out of torque. Ive had this happen with atvs and the like but never my tractor. I shifted to low and off she went but just got me thinking about what the real work limits for the tractor in high range might really be? I reckon what i experienced was normal and i hope i didnt damage anything as it was a really steep short bank that i was climbing but i later realized it was also the first time ive tried the hill since having 250lbs of ballast filled in the tires so im sure that added a little extra strain on things. I kinda had it in my head though that i had climbed that hill before in high but maybe i hadnt..:confused3: So guys whats your all experience with high and low range? Anyone ever ran out of power/torque in high like me? How bout ran out of power in low range? Ive never seen a tractor run out of power in low range before.....its always been my experience that anything with a motor lost traction before it lost power when pulling in low.

 

[whistlepig]

I don't have a BX but do have a B. Low is for grunt loader work. Medium for mowing and almost all of my everyday farm chores. High is road gear. I won't work my B in high range. Just for transporting the B on the road or level ground do I use high range.

 

[aczlan]

With the B7500 (Loader) and BX2660 (60" plow blade), we use High for everything but filling the loader on the B or pushing dirt with the blade on the BX. For those we use low range.

Aaron Z

 

[chucky79]

being that i dont have a medium im starting to think maybe my policy should be low range for everything besides driving it around on flat ground..... 4mph in low is plenty fast for mowing i would think which is the top end of speed in low range..... I wish i had a B series but it would just be total overkill for what i do which is mostly mowing my 2 acres....maybe someday right.

 

[chucky79]

With the B7500 (Loader) and BX2660 (60" plow blade), we use High for everything but filling the loader on the B or pushing dirt with the blade on the BX. For those we use low range.

Aaron Z

what else do you use your bx for? mowing or other work? Ive used high alot on mine but i have to admit the hill i was climbing was probably at the extreme end of safe and shouldn't have been attempted in high to begin with. I was scary though to have the tractor just stop on me like it did and start to scream back sorta like saying "back the **** off...."

 

[ENC]

I'm with whistlepig. I have 3 ranges and have only used high about 3 times in 115 hours. Med most of the time. Low for grunt work with loader or box blade. I lose traction before power in low, but I can stall it in med if i forget what gear I am in. My driveway is really steep and my tractor won't climb it in med if I am in 2wd.

 

[whistlepig]

Kubotas have a pressure relief on the hydro. If you push the hydro too hard you can feel the pressure relief let off. Feels like a surge. If my gear too high I can feel this pressure relief kick out. Kubota says kicking out the pressure relief on the hydro every now and then doesn't hurt anything. But long term switch to a lower range. Constantly pushing the hydro to the point it kicks out the pressure relief on the hydro is hard on the hydro.

 

[aczlan]

what else do you use your bx for? mowing or other work? Ive used high alot on mine but i have to admit the hill i was climbing was probably at the extreme end of safe and shouldn't have been attempted in high to begin with. I was scary though to have the tractor just stop on me like it did and start to scream back sorta like saying "back the **** off...."

Mowing, pulling a small trailer around, etc. Generally speaking, the mower deck goes on the BX in April or May and comes off in Oct or Nov.

The B7500 also gets used to move haywagons around. It goes in low gear for that.

Aaron Z

 

[whistlepig]

Don't get all squirmy wormy about your BX. It's a highly capable tractor for what you are using it for. Learn the tractor and you will love it.

 

[rbarker]

When do you guys use high vs low range? I know the difference and intended use just wondering what everyone's real world experience is with their BX tractors. I ask because today i ran down to the barn real quick for some tools to shovel gravel. I usually climb my steep hill back up from the barn in low range but today i forgot to switch it down to low like i usually do when mowing and i got to a point on the hill where the tractor almost completely ran out of torque. Ive had this happen with atvs and the like but never my tractor. I shifted to low and off she went but just got me thinking about what the real work limits for the tractor in high range might really be? I reckon what i experienced was normal and i hope i didnt damage anything as it was a really steep short bank that i was climbing but i later realized it was also the first time ive tried the hill since having 250lbs of ballast filled in the tires so im sure that added a little extra strain on things. I kinda had it in my head though that i had climbed that hill before in high but maybe i hadnt..:confused3: So guys whats your all experience with high and low range? Anyone ever ran out of power/torque in high like me? How bout ran out of power in low range? Ive never seen a tractor run out of power in low range before.....its always been my experience that anything with a motor lost traction before it lost power when pulling in low.

I've run out of power in high when I was first learning the BX capabilities. It was a strange feeling. I've never run out of power in low range though. You just need to experiment a bit to see what works best. I mow mostly in high except certain areas that are sloped where it works better in low. Snow blowing in low but if I'm using the back blade I go with high to generate speed for more momentum to help move snow to the side. If I'm using the loader I almost always have it in low. Well, that how I do it anyway. Find what works best for you, the tractor is tough and you're not likely to break it experimenting a little.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet