I bought a tractor

[G-Man]

52 minutes ago, goosifer said:

 

@G-Man, would you have an opinion on my chains vs. ag tires question?

I have ag tires on all 3 of my tractors, I run my little kubota with additional chains on all 4 tires, this is done as I use it like an ATV on steroids.  It goes down logging roads in fall with snow or leaves on them.along with the chains I added 540lbs of weight to the front 150lbs that was factory as the hills are steep. Chains wear quickly and are not cheap. The hill is steep enough I have to go up backwards as not to flip because of torque on rear tires. I also use a pallet Jack/ lift with 4x4 sheet of plywood on the rear that serves as a deer and carryall  to remove wood or game from woods.. also puts weight on rear when climbing hills.

Imo ag tires belong on a tractor, industrial lugs or turf tires are for lawn mowers.. growing up on a farm I have a lot less fear or tractors than most, I also never re recommend hydrostatic drive tractors as gearing is what let's you crawl out of the difficult spot you got. Into very hard to do with hydrostatic controlling speed and movement. Great for lawn mowing but not plowing or field work... just my experiances and opinion.  

I friend recently traded in his hydrostatic kubota after seeing and using my geared tractor of similar size, he also went to a gear.. once you use to it gear do more with less..

Edited June 20, 2019 by G-Man

[G-Man]

A video on using log to drive out, keep in mind this is 2wd tractor and with 4 wheel it is easier as front tires assist..

 

[G-Man]

My tip is keep 25 ft chain behind the seat, a machete or hatchet and hammer, as well as prybar.. I also have a 4 ft piece of chain with hooks on both ends that comes in handy for skidding additional log out as well as attaching to a tree as chains have no stretch to them...lol

[TreeGuy]

Goose. Don't bother with chains. Get Ag tires or just keep it in the barn. Yes, you can bucket your way out of most ruts, but I'll assume you can't just go to the right or left 5' and try again. Chains do nothing for a tractor in the soup. Light mud, yes.

Save yourself a giant headache, buy AG's !!!!!!!!!

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[TreeGuy]

And fwiw, chains are for ice, not for mud.

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[goosifer]

5 hours ago, TreeGuy said:

Goose. Don't bother with chains. Get Ag tires or just keep it in the barn. Yes, you can bucket your way out of most ruts, but I'll assume you can't just go to the right or left 5' and try again. Chains do nothing for a tractor in the soup. Light mud, yes.

Save yourself a giant headache, buy AG's !!!!!!!!!

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Thanks, TG. I'm the process of getting ag tires. It's been a bit of a pita. There is only one current manufacturer (Goodyear,; currently made by Titan) and a few oddball closeouts for tires that fit (11.2-16 and 7-12) The rims have been even harder to find. All in all, I'm ordering from four different places. Should have all the pieces by the end of the week, to try again the following week.

[Lawdwaz]

On 6/19/2019 at 7:11 PM, goosifer said:

Well, you were right. My hunting land is the soggiest it's ever been. It's about 1/4 mile from Lake Ontario and it seems like the water table is higher than usual. The person I have cutting my trails got stuck within 50 yards of the road yesterday. I went out with the Kubota RTV 900 to pull it out and it got stuck, too. For both, the tires got filled up with wet mud and had zero traction. There was standing water in the ruts we made. We went back out today and with some pieces of wood, et al, and got both of them unstuck, fortunately.

So question: How effective would tires chains be (on all 4 tires) vs. getting ag tires? Chains would be cheaper and faster to get . . . .

I don't know your experience with trucks, tractors, 'wheelers etc but I'll say this:

At the very least you learned a valuable lesson early in the game.  Going forward, you have to really access the situation and decide if it's worth the risk of getting a rig stuck.  You'll be reading sign and thinking about it before you "send it". LOL

That said, I LOVE mud.  Zero work with tractors but trucks and 'wheelers I'm well versed in "Oh SH&T we are buried!" but the older I get the smarter I get.  Usually....

Good luck Goose and have FUN!!

[TreeGuy]

Thanks, TG. I'm the process of getting ag tires. It's been a bit of a pita. There is only one current manufacturer (Goodyear,; currently made by Titan) and a few oddball closeouts for tires that fit (11.2-16 and 7-12) The rims have been even harder to find. All in all, I'm ordering from four different places. Should have all the pieces by the end of the week, to try again the following week.

There's a few local places that would prob have been able to get you setup, I'd say for next time but if your not hitting hard pavement or stones all day those tires will prob out last you.

I also would recommend you get them filled with rim guard / beet juice. At least the rears. Do it now when they are fresh, and don't bother with calcium.

Once you bolt those suckers on, be sure to find the nastiest mud hole you can and put em to the test, as you will need to know what your machine can actually do. Please take pics and share, then hop back on and bog through the slime!

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[goosifer]

4 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

There's a few local places that would prob have been able to get you setup, I'd say for next time but if your not hitting hard pavement or stones all day those tires will prob out last you.

I also would recommend you get them filled with rim guard / beet juice. At least the rears. Do it now when they are fresh, and don't bother with calcium.

Once you bolt those suckers on, be sure to find the nastiest mud hole you can and put em to the test, as you will need to know what your machine can actually do. Please take pics and share, then hop back on and bog through the slime!

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I could use a source for the beet juice fillup. Does it work for both tubed and tubeless tires? (I have tubed in front, tubeless in back.)

[G-Man]

4 minutes ago, goosifer said:

I could use a source for the beet juice fillup. Does it work for both tubed and tubeless tires? (I have tubed in front, tubeless in back.)

Your dealer.or ant tractor dealer.should.be able.to fill for you.. as well as any tractor tire supply store near you should.at.least have a contact if they dont do it themselves

[The_Real_TCIII]

I’ve never been within 25’ of a tractor but feel compelled to request an explanation on the beet juice


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[goosifer]

14 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

I’ve never been within 25’ of a tractor but feel compelled to request an explanation on the beet juice


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Beet juice has a lot of fiber. When you're older, you'll understand.

[TreeGuy]

I’ve never been within 25’ of a tractor but feel compelled to request an explanation on the beet juice


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Any tractor with a loader, and even without, benefits from extra weight in the rear. So, there are some options other than wheel weights. Adding liquid to a tubed or tubeless ( to answer goose's question) is an easier option. So, the benefit of beet juice is it's weight per gallon. The other options are calcium ( can / will eat away at anything ), windshield washer fluid, coolant, etc. Obviously you also don't want it to freeze.

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[Otto]

Maybe I missed it being suggested before, but rear weight can also be added with rear weight blocks, concrete, ballast box filled with stone or sand, or even a heavy implement like a mower or disc.  Nice thing about that is it is easily removed when you want to drive your tractor on your lawn or don’t need that extra weight.   Once you fill your tires, they stay filled. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

11 hours ago, TreeGuy said:

Any tractor with a loader, and even without, benefits from extra weight in the rear. So, there are some options other than wheel weights. Adding liquid to a tubed or tubeless ( to answer goose's question) is an easier option. So, the benefit of beet juice is it's weight per gallon. The other options are calcium ( can / will eat away at anything ), windshield washer fluid, coolant, etc. Obviously you also don't want it to freeze.

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Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

[goosifer]

So, an update on Goose's tractor adventures.

Going back a few weeks, I got the new tires and rims installed, back tires filled with beet juice and front tires with an inner tube because they are not a perfect fit for the rims. My buddy who helps me with stuff went out to brushcut the trails. (Over a year ago, I bought a used 48" brushcutter off of Craigslist, as I knew I'd be getting a tractor.) On day 2, he gets a flat tire in a front tire. The valve stem cracked at the base. The inner tube is an odd size so I had to order another one online. Took four days to arrive. In the meantime, my buddy that helps me got, and still is, sick with pneumonia.

After leaving the tractor on a tire jack for a week, I decided to go out today to see what I could get done myself. I put the tire back on no problem. Figured out how to operate the tractor and implements no problem. (Today was the first day I actually drove my tractor.) The brushcutter gave me problems. The belt slipped off of the pulley. I didn't bring any tools so I had to run to the shop to get sockets and a wrench. I get the belt back on. Tightened the tension too tight. The belt was burnt black and smoking and still slipped off again. I put on a new belt no problem. (Had a spare with me!) Still, the brushcutter sucked, does more knocking stuff down than cutting. Also, the belt and pulleys get verrry hot, even with the new belt. I need to adjust the belt tension again as the new belt stretched out and wasn't grabbing the pulleys well. I will also try to sharpen the blades some more with a file. One friend I briefly spoke to today suggested there might be ball bearings in the pulley housings that need to be changed. I don't know.

At this point my plan is to do what I can with the brushcutter to at least knock down the foliage, then disc everything up, then spray Roundup to kill whatever foliage survived. Oh, and buy a new, bigger brushcutter for next year.

Anyone have any tips or ideas regarding the current brushcutter I'm using? (I should have taken a pic. I can tomorrow.)

[BizCT]

So, an update on Goose's tractor adventures.
Going back a few weeks, I got the new tires and rims installed, back tires filled with beet juice and front tires with an inner tube because they are not a perfect fit for the rims. My buddy who helps me with stuff went out to brushcut the trails. (Over a year ago, I bought a used 48" brushcutter off of Craigslist, as I knew I'd be getting a tractor.) On day 2, he gets a flat tire in a front tire. The valve stem cracked at the base. The inner tube is an odd size so I had to order another one online. Took four days to arrive. In the meantime, my buddy that helps me got, and still is, sick with pneumonia.
After leaving the tractor on a tire jack for a week, I decided to go out today to see what I could get done myself. I put the tire back on no problem. Figured out how to operate the tractor and implements no problem. (Today was the first day I actually drove my tractor.) The brushcutter gave me problems. The belt slipped off of the pulley. I didn't bring any tools so I had to run to the shop to get sockets and a wrench. I get the belt back on. Tightened the tension too tight. The belt was burnt black and smoking and still slipped off again. I put on a new belt no problem. (Had a spare with me!) Still, the brushcutter sucked, does more knocking stuff down than cutting. Also, the belt and pulleys get verrry hot, even with the new belt. I need to adjust the belt tension again as the new belt stretched out and wasn't grabbing the pulleys well. I will also try to sharpen the blades some more with a file. One friend I briefly spoke to today suggested there might be ball bearings in the pulley housings that need to be changed. I don't know.
At this point my plan is to do what I can with the brushcutter to at least knock down the foliage, then disc everything up, then spray Roundup to kill whatever foliage survived. Oh, and buy a new, bigger brushcutter for next year.
Anyone have any tips or ideas regarding the current brushcutter I'm using? (I should have taken a pic. I can tomorrow.)

At least it sounds like you are getting good experience


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[goosifer]

Just now, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

At least it sounds like you are getting good experience


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Yes, indeed. Live dirt time field experience.

[Jeremy K]

1 hour ago, goosifer said:

So, an update on Goose's tractor adventures.

Going back a few weeks, I got the new tires and rims installed, back tires filled with beet juice and front tires with an inner tube because they are not a perfect fit for the rims. My buddy who helps me with stuff went out to brushcut the trails. (Over a year ago, I bought a used 48" brushcutter off of Craigslist, as I knew I'd be getting a tractor.) On day 2, he gets a flat tire in a front tire. The valve stem cracked at the base. The inner tube is an odd size so I had to order another one online. Took four days to arrive. In the meantime, my buddy that helps me got, and still is, sick with pneumonia.

After leaving the tractor on a tire jack for a week, I decided to go out today to see what I could get done myself. I put the tire back on no problem. Figured out how to operate the tractor and implements no problem. (Today was the first day I actually drove my tractor.) The brushcutter gave me problems. The belt slipped off of the pulley. I didn't bring any tools so I had to run to the shop to get sockets and a wrench. I get the belt back on. Tightened the tension too tight. The belt was burnt black and smoking and still slipped off again. I put on a new belt no problem. (Had a spare with me!) Still, the brushcutter sucked, does more knocking stuff down than cutting. Also, the belt and pulleys get verrry hot, even with the new belt. I need to adjust the belt tension again as the new belt stretched out and wasn't grabbing the pulleys well. I will also try to sharpen the blades some more with a file. One friend I briefly spoke to today suggested there might be ball bearings in the pulley housings that need to be changed. I don't know.

At this point my plan is to do what I can with the brushcutter to at least knock down the foliage, then disc everything up, then spray Roundup to kill whatever foliage survived. Oh, and buy a new, bigger brushcutter for next year.

Anyone have any tips or ideas regarding the current brushcutter I'm using? (I should have taken a pic. I can tomorrow.)

I would say misaligned pulleys ,very possible from worn bearings . Slipping belt from this condition could very well lead to poor overall performance 

[Lawdwaz]

Sharpen those blades with a grinder.  

[Jeremy K]

53 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

Sharpen those blades with a grinder.  

I always use a angle grinder 

[TreeGuy]

So, an update on Goose's tractor adventures.
Going back a few weeks, I got the new tires and rims installed, back tires filled with beet juice and front tires with an inner tube because they are not a perfect fit for the rims. My buddy who helps me with stuff went out to brushcut the trails. (Over a year ago, I bought a used 48" brushcutter off of Craigslist, as I knew I'd be getting a tractor.) On day 2, he gets a flat tire in a front tire. The valve stem cracked at the base. The inner tube is an odd size so I had to order another one online. Took four days to arrive. In the meantime, my buddy that helps me got, and still is, sick with pneumonia.
After leaving the tractor on a tire jack for a week, I decided to go out today to see what I could get done myself. I put the tire back on no problem. Figured out how to operate the tractor and implements no problem. (Today was the first day I actually drove my tractor.) The brushcutter gave me problems. The belt slipped off of the pulley. I didn't bring any tools so I had to run to the shop to get sockets and a wrench. I get the belt back on. Tightened the tension too tight. The belt was burnt black and smoking and still slipped off again. I put on a new belt no problem. (Had a spare with me!) Still, the brushcutter sucked, does more knocking stuff down than cutting. Also, the belt and pulleys get verrry hot, even with the new belt. I need to adjust the belt tension again as the new belt stretched out and wasn't grabbing the pulleys well. I will also try to sharpen the blades some more with a file. One friend I briefly spoke to today suggested there might be ball bearings in the pulley housings that need to be changed. I don't know.
At this point my plan is to do what I can with the brushcutter to at least knock down the foliage, then disc everything up, then spray Roundup to kill whatever foliage survived. Oh, and buy a new, bigger brushcutter for next year.
Anyone have any tips or ideas regarding the current brushcutter I'm using? (I should have taken a pic. I can tomorrow.)

Prob not an issue with the brush cutter.... If they have belts, they are finish mowers which are designed to cut grass. Brush hogs have a gear box, with one or two swinging blades the size of the implement. They are the ones that will take down golden rod, brush, small trees etc.

Sell that thing and get a brush hog. You can mow grass with a brush hog and take down brush, def a better buy for what your gonna do with it.

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[goosifer]

2 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

Prob not an issue with the brush cutter.... If they have belts, they are finish mowers which are designed to cut grass. Brush hogs have a gear box, with one or two swinging blades the size of the implement. They are the ones that will take down golden rod, brush, small trees etc.

Sell that thing and get a brush hog. You can mow grass with a brush hog and take down brush, def a better buy for what your gonna do with it.

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Oh, the joy of learning experiences . . . .

[Lawdwaz]

13 minutes ago, goosifer said:

Oh, the joy of learning experiences . . . .

Remember the Wright Bros?

[goosifer]

Just now, Lawdwaz said:

Remember the Wright Bros?

Nah, I'm not as old as you!