Tires Which tires for my B2400?

[JeffRoy]

Hello all,
I'm new to compact tractors as I just took delivery of my (new to me) B2400 w/FEL and R1 tires. I've discovered in the first hour of driving it around the yard that the R1s are prone to damaging my yard ( as I suspected they might ). I'm wondering which tires are the best overall for this tractor. I will be adding a mmm for mowing soon, but also want something that will give good traction for snow removal. I live in Northern Virginia where snows are sporadic. ...except for last year of course!! 2' in one dumping. The loader will come in handy for sure for that. A friend of mine did just fine during that storm with turf tires /fluid and 4wd. Will turfs all the way around work for me ( 150' paved driveway) w/fluid? I like the R4s alot but I'm nervous about their treatment of the lawn during mowing/ FEL operations. My dealer is suggesting a rear tire with "V Bar"s on them coupled with turfs in the front. Sounds like a nice compromise. Fluid would be added. Anybody have turf/lawn experience with R4s as to harshness on the grass? Or anybody have experience with all turfs/fluid during winter ops? This tractor has 4wd also. Thanks in advance.
Jeff

 

[ronjhall]

Jeff
I have Turf tires on my 2910. In 250 hours, the front tires wore out. I have done a lot of FEL work on blacktop to cause the wear. Cost was less than $100 to replace the tires.

I have used my 2910 and previous tractor a 7100 HST with turf tires in the snow. They worked very well. If you have steep hills, you may have to add chains in icy conditions.

When you change over to another type of tires, you may need to replace both rims and tires to match tire size with FWD gearing. Here is a link on gear ratio’s from a TBN thread.. Click Here

I do not have filled tires. I use a Curtis 6 ½’ snow blade on the front and a 72” (500 lbs) Land Pride blade on the rear. This gives all the weight I need for plowing snow. When using my MMM I do not have to carry the extra weight on the lawn.

Be sure to be sitting down when you get the price for the change to Turf or R-4’s. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[JeffRoy]

Thanks for the info on the turfs. I was aware of the sticker for changing over...OUCH! But then, that was figured into my decision before buying this tractor.
Jeff

 

[Kelvin]

I'm assuming that you will have to purchase tires and rims. If this is the case, then I'd consider purchasing turf tires and rims and keeping your R-1 (Ag) tires & rims to put on for winter use or other heavy duty FEL usage.

EBAY? Note that there is a set of 4 turf tires and rims on EBAY that supposedly came off of a Kubota B1750 (which is similar to the B2100; possibly slightly smaller than your B2400). The last bid I saw was around $230. You should have the required turf tire sizes in your B2400 owner's manual; if they match up then you might can find a good deal there.

Kelvin

 

[JeffRoy]

Thanks for the heads up on Ebay. I'll go check it out. Yeah, actually I'm leaning towards turfs and keeping the R1s for winter. Anybody out there have any experience with fluid filled R4s on lawns?
Jeff

 

[JeffRoy]

Just went to the general forum and found the thread "Turfs vs. R1s vs. R4s". Holy smokes!! my head is spinnin'!!! ...sorry I asked. This appears to be truly The Great Debate. Doesn't make the decision any easier either. My conditions: new lawn close to the house with soft ground, a former pasture in back ( 3 acres ) that has a slight grade to it. That part is pretty solid..no mud/muck. My biggest concern would be damaging the newer lawn areas close to the house.
Jeff

 

[chim]

Jeff, as far as "Turfs vs. R1s vs. R4s", I have R1's and R4's now (4WD tractors) and had Turfs on a 2WD back when our lawn was new. The smoother doughnut-shaped turfs were easiest on the lawn, but offered the least traction. With R1 and R4 tires on soft ground, keep it out of 4WD and make wide turns........................CHIM

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Jeff, as far as "Turfs vs. R1s vs. R4s", I have R1's and R4's now (4WD tractors) and had Turfs on a 2WD back when our lawn was new. The smoother doughnut-shaped turfs were easiest on the lawn, but offered the least traction. With R1 and R4 tires on soft ground, keep it out of 4WD and make wide turns........................CHIM )</font>

That's really good advice. I have loaded R1s on my L3010 and manage to finish mow without tearing up the lawn by using 2WD and broad, sweeping turns. R4s were not an option for me because of the clingy mud we have here -- they just pack up and spin. And I was really disappointed on a previous tractor by turfs -- going uphill on wet grass they slipped and spun all over the place. Did more damage than the ags. And as luck would have it I live on a hill. YMMV

Pete

 

[cmhyland]

Guys,
I have loaded turfs on a B2910 and almost never spin them.

I clear a lot of driveways in the neighborhood and live in an area of New England that get a good amount of snow, about 140 to 180 inches a year.

I never have problems with the Turfs. In fact they will, when loaded out perform R1's and R4's by a lot! The are far better on the lawn as well.

The downside of turfs is loader work... Kind of mushy on the frontend and prone to punctures in the woods....

I watch my neighbor out there clearing snow with R1's and no chains and it's a joke.... 2wd and R1's with no chains is no way to clear snow.... I can do better in 2wd with a smaller tractor with turfs.

Regards,
Chris

 

[JeffRoy]

All,
The dealer here is recommending " bar turfs ". The rear tire is a 31 x 15.5 high flotation tire with zig-zag and "v" shaped shallow lugs on it. The fronts are turfs. Supposedly, they are quite popular around here. The big footprint in the back is easy on the lawn while still providing more traction than pure turfs. Anyone have experience with these?
Jeff