Tires L3010 Tires and Power

[SteveSr]

I currently have a L3010HST/FEL/R4s with about 175 hours on it and have noted the following issues that I was hoping to get some comments on prior to making any changes. The tires currently have a few gallons of sealant each but no other ballast.
1. On wet/damp turf going downhill with Woods 72" mower have noted tractor will slide until ground levels off. No control and very scary.
2. We don't get alot of snow but the R4s seem to float way too much when we do. Straight lines not bad but even slight sidehills it wants to slide. Also very scary.
3. The R4s tear up my yard a little too much on turns.
4. The tractor seems to runout of power mowing uphill.
About 70% of my use is finish mowing with a 72" mower and the other 30% consisting of bushhogging(60"), loader, backhoe, boxscraper. I have compared my tractor to a friend's L2900 with Ag tires and noted he gets much better traction than I and about the same turf damage. I have also noted Carver lists an R3 tire which would seem to suit my needs better than the R4. Does anyone have any comments on these type tires. Will they hold up to heavy loader use and what are their drawbacks. Because of the power issue and cost of tires/rims a HP upgrade may be justified. My first thought was to replace the base tractor with a 3410 with AG or R3s and use my current loader. Then I thought the 3710 or 4310 may be a better option, but may not be as cost effective. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[Boondox]

Steve -- My L3010, Clementine, is almost identical to yours with a couple of exceptions. I run aggies, and they're loaded. And you have a backhoe while I only long to have one. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif About 30% of my (3 season) use is mowing our seven acre meadow which in places has a 22% slope. The brambles were long ago beaten back, so I use an LP FDR2572 finishing mower. Unlike you, I have absolutely no trouble mowing uphill as long as I ease up on the pedal. That has me stumped.

As for the loss of traction, my neighbor had trouble with R4s when trying to drive his Deere up wet or muddy slopes, which is why I opted for the aggies. But I've never heard of side slippage with those tires except on snow and ice. Have you considered loading them? I was astounded at the difference ballasted tires made in performance! Clementine is much more stable because of it, even when hauling heavy logs, plowing snow, doing loader work, etc. Guess my advice would be to load first, and see how much of a difference that makes.

Of course, if you're looking for an excuse to trade up to a larger tractor.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Pete in northern Vermont

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[Pks]

Steve,

I have a B2400HSD 4x4 with R4 tires. The tires are not loaded. I keep the FEL on, when I mow to act as a counter weight for the Woods mower. The mower is a 700 lbs Woods RM600 which is has a 72" cutting width.

When I mow up and down my hills I use low range and 4x4 mode. I only have a problem slipping on wet grass when the tractor is in 2wd mode. If the tractor slips mowing uphill it's on the steepest sections (about 30 degrees inclination). The grass there is also VERY thin, so the sand gives way. But if I mow the same section going down, there are no problems. Most of the mowing is done at about 2100 RPMs.

As far as snow and ice are concerned- I agree with you. I put chains on all four tires. Those chains are well worth it!

Peter

 

[BruceW]

Steve,

Try the afore mentioned trick "of letting up on the pedal" as you go up hill. I have the same set up as you except for a Kubota 72" deck and was having major bog downs on uphills when I noticed that if I let up on the pedal I would actually pick up revs and speed, has me puzzled but maybe one of the resident HST experts can explain why the 3010 HST is behaving this way? I have loaded pillow die turfs and have been on the hills in the rain with no real slippage.

 

[b8200hst4wd]

I have an B8200 With the Pillow Dia Unloaded turfs notice a bog uphill in High Range in Medium Range in goes away. In 2wd the tires spin alot in 4wd they don't spin at all


Alex (B8200/HST/4WD/FEL/MidM/Tiller

 

[Bird]

BruceW, you've learned to use the HST properly, and yours is normal./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I suspect most of us (myself included, at least) start out thinking of the hydro pedal like an accelerator; start to slow down or bog down, step down harder on the pedal, and of course, that's exactly the wrong thing to do. The throttle lever sets the RPM, not the hydro pedal. Then think of the hydro pedal as a gear selector or range; the farther down you push it, the higher "gear" you're in, so letting up on it is similar to using a lower gear; more power. Just takes a little getting used to.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

When you slip down the hills is it possible that your mower is holding your rear wheels a little off of the ground? Try raising the mower off of the ground a little when you are going up or down the slope and see if that helps.

 

[Sailorcrew]

Bird, excellant explanation. I was reading down the posts and thinking of my answer when I got to yours. It really is hard to get used to letting off the pedal when you need more power because like you said, it seems like a gas pedal. My dealer explained it to me, don't for the life of me remember the technical details, only remember to let up when I need more. David

 

[radman]

SteveSR:
Is your tractor a MFWD (4 wheel drive)? If it is engaging the front end will help tremendously when going down hill. When going down hill most of the weight is transfered to the front. As someone else mentioned, raising the mower just slight will transfer more weight to the rear tires and help with traction when gong downhill and on hillsides. Engaging the MFWD will also help on hill sides. AG tires will give better traction but may tear up more grass when turning tight corners. Ballast in the rear tires is also a big plus but at the cost of making a deeper track on soft soil. Try the cheap methods first, if not better consider ballast or different tires.