Snow Larger tires and rims for plowing snow...
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HeLa
Gold Member
i wouldn't dare change the rolling diameter of one axle without doing so proportionally at the other. honestly, i probably wouldn't change the diameter at all for fear of changing final drive and load on the drivetrain. that being said, how to fit wheels large enough to make a difference in performance within the rear fender capacity? wheels large enough in the front that they will have space to turn?
if changing wheels and tires, what about moving to something narrower to avoid floating on the snow? or is the problem ground clearance?
my solution, unfortunately, is to go out more often and plow. if i wait until a big snowfall is over i may end up out there with my very slow (walk-behind) snowthrower :-(
if changing wheels and tires, what about moving to something narrower to avoid floating on the snow? or is the problem ground clearance?
my solution, unfortunately, is to go out more often and plow. if i wait until a big snowfall is over i may end up out there with my very slow (walk-behind) snowthrower :-(
bp fick
Super Member
Charles,
I've had both the BX and the much, much taller B series. The BX is intentionally built lower to the ground. I live up north and we regularly get the kind of snow you folks in S. MI got recently. While the B series, with its much higher ground clearance, might seem to be the better snow fighter, in my experience, the BX is actually better suited for the job in a few ways. Just be sure the tires are weighted or filled.
Unless you want to do some horse trading for a B, you're not going to put anything bigger, in terms of wheels/tires, on that BX. What you do have to do is fight the snow the way one eats an elephant; one bite at a time. Taking on the task, 6" at a time is far superior to waiting until all 12" are on the ground. This may not be possible if the timing is wrong and you find yourself at work. In such a rare case? Ask the guy with the 3/4 ton truck and front plow to plow you out. Just a rough plow. You'll take it from there, doing the tidying up. A sudden 12-15"" dump is beyond the abilities of a small tractor, in most cases, but the good news is that such sudden dumps are once every 4 year type events.
I've had both the BX and the much, much taller B series. The BX is intentionally built lower to the ground. I live up north and we regularly get the kind of snow you folks in S. MI got recently. While the B series, with its much higher ground clearance, might seem to be the better snow fighter, in my experience, the BX is actually better suited for the job in a few ways. Just be sure the tires are weighted or filled.
Unless you want to do some horse trading for a B, you're not going to put anything bigger, in terms of wheels/tires, on that BX. What you do have to do is fight the snow the way one eats an elephant; one bite at a time. Taking on the task, 6" at a time is far superior to waiting until all 12" are on the ground. This may not be possible if the timing is wrong and you find yourself at work. In such a rare case? Ask the guy with the 3/4 ton truck and front plow to plow you out. Just a rough plow. You'll take it from there, doing the tidying up. A sudden 12-15"" dump is beyond the abilities of a small tractor, in most cases, but the good news is that such sudden dumps are once every 4 year type events.
dodge man
Super Star Member
A couple of options are tire chains or a snow blower. In theory you could probably get larger tires and rims, but like already mentioned, the front to rear size ratio has to stay the same. You also have to maybe find rims that would bolt up.
RaydaKub
Veteran Member
May 1st 2013 I drove from Nashville, TN to Rochester, MN. It was as high as 86 degrees on that trip, even into Iowa. On May 2nd, I spent 6 hours scooping snow with my BX. We got 14 inches of the heaviest, wettest snow I've ever seen in my lifetime. The snow actually turned blue as you pushed it together. I pushed on it hard enough that I lifted the front wheels off the ground and then spun out, squawking the loaded tires on my paved driveway. I cleared 4 driveways that day, the longest being my own at 165 feet, but up to 3 lanes wide. 1 bite at a time, but I got'er done. So I guess I'd have to disagree that is "beyond the capabilities of a BX". It might be beyond the time desired to invest, but not the capabilities.
Oh, and the guy with the 3/4 ton had a hydraulic failure and couldn't lift his plow. I lifted that up so he could get it into town, and inherited one of the driveways he was supposed to clear.
bp fick
Super Member
Good David and Goliath story. Yup. These are incredibly tough little machines, no doubt.
I do my neighbor lady's drive and it often takes me two hours to clean up. The next neighbor lady hires a guy and he blows it out (lawn damage and all) and is gone in under 10 minutes. I like my small Kubota tractors as well as the next guy and know very well their capabilities, but the guys with the trucks who plow out lots and drives around here? There's no way i can compete with the speed and brute power those guys possess. Physics. They've got 350 horsepower pushing 5000 pounds of 4x4 truck. I've got 20ish hp pushing 1400 pounds of tractor.
Back to the OP. The BX has no room for larger tires and wheels even if the issues of ratios and bolt patterns could be overcome. The BX has 8 whole inches of ground clearance and that, as they say, is that.
I do my neighbor lady's drive and it often takes me two hours to clean up. The next neighbor lady hires a guy and he blows it out (lawn damage and all) and is gone in under 10 minutes. I like my small Kubota tractors as well as the next guy and know very well their capabilities, but the guys with the trucks who plow out lots and drives around here? There's no way i can compete with the speed and brute power those guys possess. Physics. They've got 350 horsepower pushing 5000 pounds of 4x4 truck. I've got 20ish hp pushing 1400 pounds of tractor.
Back to the OP. The BX has no room for larger tires and wheels even if the issues of ratios and bolt patterns could be overcome. The BX has 8 whole inches of ground clearance and that, as they say, is that.
fish6942
Gold Member
Are you using a front plow? If so, how are you getting hung up? I'd suggest chains all around which is what I do. However, I don't plow I use a rear blower.
rbarker
Platinum Member
This hasn't been my experience. Over the past 11 years I have handled many storms with 15" and over with my BX and I haven't always been able to do it in stages. It certainly takes a while but even 2 feet of snow has not stopped me from getting cleared out using the loader. The most I've had to handle so far with the blower is 20" so far but again it was up to the task.
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bp fick
Super Member
My point exactly. "certainly takes awhile". That is what matches the capability of the machine. We are in agreement. :thumbsup:
Firefighter Kubota
Platinum Member
I bought a B series over a BX for the taller tires and over all ground clearance be it in the snow or woods... Very happy plowing , or snow blowing, or using a rear blade. (just got the rear blower this year). Turf tires loaded in the rear with no traction issues and a 6' plow... You may consider upgrading....
