Tire question w/ a new "slant"

[hayden]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Unfortunately the 2910 does not have adjustable wheel width.

I agree with the suggestions to fill the tires, but will also add that different tires will likely help too.

I had a B2400 with turf/bar tires (loaded) and it was pretty tippy on rough, slopped mowing with a 3PH mower. I had the rear wheels set to max width (they're adjustable on that machine). The rear tires are also very rounded, I'd say even more so than the turf tires, and it definitely seemed to be a factor.

I now have a B2910 with R4 tires, also filled, and the difference in stability is quite remarkable. The heavier weight is clearly a big part of it, judging from improved traction, but I think the squared off profile of the R4s helps a lot too.

You might consult your dealer on this. I think mine would be willing to trade wheels and tires at 50hrs if I concluded that I had picked the wrong ones. Maybe your's will consider this, or at least consider a very reasonable trade $ value. Unfortunately you will need to change wheels and tires. You are also correct that the B2910 stands higher with turf tires than R4s, and that means a higher center of gravity, which is working against your goals

Good luck

 

[Leef]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Von, and everyone else:

Thanks. Everyone's advice is pretty clear. I do have a quick attach to remove the bucket, but you're saying the whole FEL should come off ( the arms are quick attach also ). So, I'll get the tires loaded and remove the FEL and let everyone know. I also plan to rent that 2910 with the lower profile tires and give it a try too.

Von, thanks for the picture. Do you cut that mound on the left by driving straight up over or parallel to the length of the mound? I've been told that driving straight up and down will create ruts. That mound looks too steep to cut parallel.

Thanks again,

Leef

 

[Von]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Leef,
I go straight up and down. Its alot steeper than it looks in the photo. About 35-40 degrees! near the left end I drive down it and then take the road and drive around to come back down. Its alot more stable with the loader off when doing all the hills. I'll get some better photos next time I cut the back lot.

 

[glennmac]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

I find this thread interesting because of its circular reasoning that admixes physics and psychics.

I agree that the things mentioned, such as filling tires, will increase the physical phenomenon of actual stability, but I don't see why, physically, they should affect the the psychic "feeling" of stability. If you don't tip over on an X degree slope without filled tires, there should be no physical stimulus that would make you "feel" any difference on the slope just because you fill the tires. Its just that you will now actually tip over at, say, X+10 degrees instead of X+8 degrees.

Now the circularity. Since the fear or "feeling" of tipping is indeed a psychic one, it is possible that simply knowing that you have increased actual stability will lessen your psychic fear, even though there is no physical stimulus that changes. Thus, there must be a stability placebo effect among us.

Just the other day, with my FEL and brush cutter on my 2910 with filled tires, I turned sideways up a little hill and had my tiltmeter exceed 20 degrees for the first time. I didnt tip. I did feel very fearful, but then I told myself that brush cutters increase stabiltiy and felt much better. According to this thread, that may even have been doubly circular: a psychic stability placebo based on a lie.

Whatever. The Zen aspects of mowing.

 

[jdkid]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Hi ya
yes mind over matter i had one tractor that had tyres spaced out to 12 foot wide ,now of it to tip i would hate to think of how steep ya would have to go but ya did not feel safe but in saying that driveing it a night it was another story becouse you could not see a level or trees to realy know how steep .same with filled tryes unless ya putting 100's of Lbs low down it will not change things that much but in your mind 100Lb's is all that is needed to make the diffrentce ,bit like the guys who stop ya smoking just by puting ya to sleep ..
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[ddl]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

I agree with whqat you have said. The feeling of safety can lead to problems. You keep pushing the limit, it worked last time. You mentioned Physics and if you think about it, when you feel a tire with fluid, you add more mass to the tractor, thus more weight, thus more normal force which holds the tractor to the slanted surface, thus more stable feeling. You also mentioned the tiltmeter, now you know that at 20 degrees you will not fall off, this is good and bad. The bad bad is that the slant will increase because now you know at 20 you didn't fall off so 21 or 22 will not matter. That false sense of safety. The good part is that it proves my point that the tiltmeter is useless.

Dan L

 

[Hawgee]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

To add to the pucker factor. You then think of boat or deck shoes as turf tires and when you are comfortable with your tilt meter and procede, swoosh. Now that you've slid to the bottom of what ever you were on at some high rate of speed and taken a break to change your pants. Then and only then have you dicscovered the shear factor. Were're not talking shear fun! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 

[Leef]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Thank you everyone for the good advice. I thought I'd follow up with my experience this weekend on an identical b2910 with R-4 tires. I rented it this w/e b/c my tractor was busy building a driveway at my father in laws and I really wanted to know if different tires would make a difference. It really, really did. The rental had the same rear mower, a FEL, but no mid mount mower and no overhead canopy (which mine did). It had 12.4 - 16 Goodyear R-4's on the rear and 23 x 8.50 "Titan trac-loader" 's on the front.

Because of the MMM and canopy this wasn't exactly apples to apples, but I think it was pretty darn close (and w/o the MMM I would expect less stability in the rental). That being said, the rental and R-4's were much more stable physically and psychically. I was able to mow much faster, easier, and confidantly. I even went down to cut some trails in the woods which I couldn't even try on my own b2910 w/turfs. I'm sorry, I don't know the exact size of my own turf tires, but I can check and post if anyone wants to know. Aren't all turf tires for this tractor going to be the same size?

Anyway, it cost me 150$ to rent the other tractor to find out. But it gives me a long term plan to get the most stability for the future. Right now I will have the turf tires filled with beet juice and give that a try. I'll also pursue the value of selling or trading my turfs away. I don't live on this property yet, and only cut to keep the weeds down so there's no hurry.

BTW I also have a much better insight into the traction debate of Turf vs R-4's after going down into my river bottom to cut trails. (Hint: I got badly stuck with the R-4's in muddy places I've never been close to stuck in w/ the turf's; but traction is secondary to stability for me).

So anybody near Iowa want to trade?

Leef

 

[hayden]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Have you tried to talk your dealer into trading wheels/tires with you? I'm quite certain that mine would do it on a realtively new machine if I could convince him I picked the wrong tires when I purchased. If nothing else you should be able to get a good trade in price.

I looked into switching my turf/bar tires for R4s (after 3 years) and the outright cost was going to be around $1600 if I recall correctly. I found one dealer willing to take the old tires/wheels and the swap was going to cost me $1000. Still lots of $$ and I ended up getting a comparable deal just trading the whole machine in for a new one.

 

[Leef]

Re: Tire question w/ a new \"slant\"

Von and others,

Thank you for the good advice. I already described the improvement in stability with the R-4 tires, but I wanted to tell the "rest of the story". I had my turf tires filled with calcium chloride and learned how to remove the entire FEL. I found a big difference in stability this way as many of you predicted. I think my filled turf tires are now equal in stability as the unfilled (lower profile) (square profile) R-4's. This is satisfactory for me but it cost me $150 to rent the other b2910 and $125 to have the tires filled. Oh well, who ever said knowledge would be cheap.

Thanks again,

Leef