Steering Brakes,,, A Necessity,, Or A Nicety?? (41HP, 3000 Lb Tractor)

[aczlan]

I used turning brakes yesterday on our B7500.
I was bushhogging behind our beehives last night, it was muddy and there is a slight slope behind them.
I slid sideways and the bushhog was about to snag on the cinder block under the last hive.
I was able to use the turning brake to pivot the tractor on that wheel and swing the bushhog clear of the hives.
If I hadn't had turning brakes, I would have had to get something else in there to pull me sideways, or drop the bushhog and reconnect from a different angle.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

Bushhogging in January.... there's just something wrong with that! What strange weather this year.

Wife and I went to an Ice Festival yesterday (ice carvings and winter fun).... it was 61 degrees and the busiest place was the ice cream cone stand!

We went for a walk today and one of the first things I noticed was the side of the roads could use a good cutting. Sheesh.

 

[Fallon]

I don't use my steering brakes a lot, but love them when I need them. Using them more or less means tearing up whatever you are driving on. So I don't really use them when mowing. I'll use them a bit on dirt or gravel if I need maneuverability.

They were invaluable for putting my fuel tank up on the stand inside of my barn as the tank was 90 degrees to the door. Took forever to turn that 90, but sitting sideways in the barn I only had 6' of clearance between walls & obstacles total between the back of the tractor & the end of the tank on the pallet forks.

 

[olPete]

To be brutally honest I have farmed and been around farmers for almost all of my 48 years and all of us rarely use the "steering" brakes, which we refer to as turning brakes. They are called turning breaks since they are really only used to make sharp turns at the end of large fields when you are doing tillage work such as discing, cultivating, harrowing or even plowing. They are used in loose soil only and for stopping and for setting the tractor in park when it is standing still. Generally never use them when haying since you don't prefer to mar up the hay field and leave clumps of sod and dirt that you would have to mow through the next time around. I can imagine if you are relying on these breaks to steer that you will be burning the breaks up since they weren't designed for this use.

Most if not all the tractors I drive have wet brakes so I see nothing wrong with riding it a little when mowing on a side slope, not to the extent of locking a wheel/ripping up the turf. In the right circumstances it will actually reduce turf damage- if the front end is needing quite a bit of correction to stay on a slope, then a light pressure to keep on line is second nature to me. It is hilly country though. First thing I do in any tractor, is uncouple the brake pedals for safety sake. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for that habit.. however I can't claim any experience on the smaller gear. My tractor I consider small at the 90hp mark, most of what I drive around the area is 150-180hp.

 

[CADplans]

Well,, in spite of over 2" of rain,,,
the John Deere 4105 that I purchased, without steering brakes, arrived today!! :cool2:

They even included a damaged grill guard, off a new tractor, that I can modify, and install.

I am happy when torching, welding, and painting,,,

Notice how wimpy the mounting brackets are,, that is what buckled when the guard was bumped,
they will be thicker when installed. That buckled guard cracked a $585 hood.
Even though that bracket is off a 100HP tractor, the height, and width are perfect, except for the mounting.

So, if the lack of steering brakes fails me, hopefully, the grill guard will save the hood,,, :laughing:

If I have a job that specifically needs steering brakes, I will use one of my other tractors.

 

[ovrszd]

You are gonna get a LOT of good use from this tractor, brakes or not!!!!

These models always catch me a bit off guard in regards to the extreme difference in tire size front to rear.

Keep us posted on your upgrades and repairs. I'm just like you, I can't leave things alone.

 

[olPete]

Well,, in spite of over 2" of rain,,,
the John Deere 4105 that I purchased, without steering brakes, arrived today!! :cool2:

They even included a damaged grill guard, off a new tractor, that I can modify, and install.

I am happy when torching, welding, and painting,,,

Notice how wimpy the mounting brackets are,, that is what buckled when the guard was bumped,
they will be thicker when installed. That buckled guard cracked a $585 hood.
Even though that bracket is off a 100HP tractor, the height, and width are perfect, except for the mounting.

So, if the lack of steering brakes fails me, hopefully, the grill guard will save the hood,,, :laughing:

If I have a job that specifically needs steering brakes, I will use one of my other tractors.

I want one!!!

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Good looking machine, what size mower are you gonna run on it? Also how fast can you run that mower?

 

[N2DFire]

Well,, in spite of over 2" of rain,,,
the John Deere 4105 that I purchased, without steering brakes, arrived today!! :cool2:

Hey their neighbor, looks like I'm coming late to the party but I don't think the lack of split brakes will be a major problem for you. I am running a Medium Duty 5' Rotary Cutter on our CK35 on some pretty steep stuff here and I hardly ever use the brakes to steer.

*However* we did load the front tires and most time I am on open enough ground that I leave the loader & grapple attached so a little extra front weight might be good for you.

That sure is a pretty looking machine, should serve you very well.

 

[CADplans]

Good looking machine, what size mower are you gonna run on it? Also how fast can you run that mower?

Thanks for the complements, guys!! :thumbsup:

The tractor is 41HP. and according to tractordata,, it will max out at 5.7MPH in low range.
I plan on pulling a 6 foot RFM at 5.7MPH.

I ran it a quarter mile down the driveway to get the mail today,,
it felt REAL strong coming back up the pretty steep driveway, at 13MPH.
I do not think it will have any problem mowing at that speed (5.7),
If I never had to turn, it would mow 4 acres per hour,, I am hoping for 3 acres per hour.
From what our other machines do,, I believe this one machine will cover the same area that two were doing last summer.

It might use a tad more fuel than the two,, but, I will live with that.