Kubota braking traction

skyhook · Jun 25, 2014

iis said:
OK,

I should have mentioned that the reason I need Vbar is because I have a slope that has a 20-25 grade and it will ice over.

Anyways, so far I learned that Vbar is Vbar and along with having the tires loaded + ballast box it will grip.

Braking:
If I have the diff locked and in 4 wheel then I am technically stopping the wheels in the front via the tranny.

Thanks for the advice, 20 grand is not chump change for me.

I did pick that up in your first sentence of your first post.
again, in "your" circumstances, I would consider a larger machine,
if not new, then a good second hand one.
A ballast box on a smaller tractor "may" help, but in the conditions you described, I doubt it,
you need a good "stance" of a machine, the wider and further apart the tires are,
and the heavier the machine, the better off you'll be, in your situation. IMO

kco · Jun 25, 2014

Gary Fowler said:
I suppose having the brakes on the left would take some getting use to, but not near the difficulty of trying to use them on the right and use the HST pedal at the same time. Not many HST tractors have a clutch.

The left side brakes do take a bit of getting used to. I learned this the hard way on my new(in 2011) DK35SE HST. I parked it and shut it down on a gentle incline with the bucket down and brakes not set while burning a brush pile. I later put it in neutral and restarted it. When I raised the bucket I rolled back, uselessly pushing the hydro pedal before realizing the brake is on the left side. But not before I rolled part way through a 5-strand barbed wire fence, breaking three wires and scratching my shiny new fender.

Now the left side brakes are completely natural and I prefer the convenience of their being on the left side. It becomes natural, much like switching between manual and automatic transmission in vehicles.

flyingcow · Jun 25, 2014

iis said:
OK,

I should have mentioned that the reason I need Vbar is because I have a slope that has a 20-25 grade and it will ice over.

Anyways, so far I learned that Vbar is Vbar and along with having the tires loaded + ballast box it will grip.

Braking:
If I have the diff locked and in 4 wheel then I am technically stopping the wheels in the front via the tranny.

Thanks for the advice, 20 grand is not chump change for me.

IMO you'll be all-set. The 3200 is a nice machine, load the rears no need to load the fronts. V-bar chains are aggressive as **** and well worth the extra $$'s. Nice chains. A little ballast will help also. Leave it in 4 wheel drive, braking will work on all 4's. If you need to do a quick turn, thats what the wheel brakes a for. Ride on and have fun. Seat belts and and ROP's, :thumbsup:

ME83 · Jul 4, 2014

I also have a steep paved driveway. I have a set of chains for the rear of my 110 tlb (which is a heavy tractor) and will be upgrading them this year. The chains I currently have are the duo grip style by tirechains.com, but I have had a few times I had to stop at the end of the driveway when a car was coming down the road and I ended up sliding a bit due to the gap between the chains. This year I am buying these Tractor or there style without the extra studs. If you always have the chain between the tire and ground you will get the best traction and the smoothest ride.

RWK in WI · Jul 4, 2014

ME83 I have taken a set of duo grip chains and changed them so the ends of two cross chains are on one side attaching link. This brings the cross links closer together. Yes, it takes more cross links but I was shortening a set from 38 inch wheels to 28 inch wheels. I get better grip and the tractor rides much smoother.

kco · Jul 4, 2014

I made the same changes to my DUO's as shown in this post:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ed-modifications-post3207502.html#post3207502

It made a big difference. But if I was starting from the beginning I'd likely go with the Tryggs as the OP is planning.

DHD · Jul 5, 2014

iis said:
I have a 1200 ft driveway that is steep in one area. I previously used a 4x4 pickup with v bar chains on all wheels. This setup allowed me to grip ice without a problem. I am looking to buy a new B series Kubota(2650 or 3200) and have read all the posts here regarding traction. I know that V bar works great but my concern is now with braking going downhill. It seems to be true that only the back wheels brake (or do the front brake as well through the transmission via 4 wheel drive?). IF the front wheels in fact do not brake, how would this tractor react to ice and vbar chains? Can I turn? Will it want to go sideways? Is this where brake steering comes into play (can a B series even do this?)

Thanks.

If your planning on buying a new Kubota you may want to find out about any restrictions about mounting tires chains.
I would recommend talking to the Kubota mechanics rather than the salesmen.

I went to two Kubota dealers in my area and asked about putting chains on all four wheels of my B-7800 so that I could improve my steering on ice.
Both dealers recommended not to put chains on the front tires, claiming I could damage the front wheel drive because of too much traction.
They also stated that rear gearing of tractors are designed for loads, front geared wheels are designed only to assist.

Maybe this is not the case on other brands of tractors or even other Kubota model tractors, I don't know.
I have heard of many folks run chains on all four wheels of their 4wd tractors and claim no problem, so maybe it's not an issue for their tractor.

You mentioned B-2650 or B-3200, so I just thought you should be aware.
Good luck

flyingcow · Jul 6, 2014

I agree. Never been a big fan of putting chains on a front end of vehicles.

Agvg · Jul 6, 2014

Must be a very weak axle if chains overloads it. For off road use its very common to use chains on all wheels and many uses chains only on the front axle and studs in the rear for winter use.