Beet juice and chains...

[Mustard Tiger]

This is basically two questions in one...

1. Taking delivery next week of a BX23S. I live on uneven ground with a loose topsoil and clay underneath. Some arts of the property I haven't go to yet as far as maintenance goes have a loose layer of soil and quite a bit of duff from decaying pine needles that haven't been maintained probably ever. Some areas are smoother, while other areas are a bit rocky (plans to get rid of as many of the small rocks as possible and smooth things out over time). Would it be worth it to have the dealership fill the tires with beet juice to help with traction and weighing down the rear end? Most of the time I'll have either a box blade or backhoe on the tractor (box blade more than backhoe).

2. Would it be worth investing in tire chains? I'll be using the tractor in the winter for snow removal on a gravel driveway using the box blade and FEL. Lower part of the driveway is on a slight slope. Chains made a big difference on my MTD snowblower last year, so I'm guessing I may already know the answer to my own question. Tires on the tractor are R4's.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: 1 I say NO to beet juice. If you have BH on, NO beet juice ,according to Kubota. Doubt you'd need juice with BB. Stick in 4WD, low range you should be fine..

re:2 probably not. BX23s has more weight than the MTD SB AND you have 4WD. I'm on my 3rd set of E4s, no real issues with pushing snow with bucket

This is based on using my BX23S for the past 7 years, +-1500 hrs

 

[Blue2Orange]

Did not have chains or studs on NH compact used for 24 seasons of dealing with Lake Effect snowfall. Using a rear mounted 60" snowblower that added almost 500# and heavy duty bucket on the FEL. Did have days which I could only remove the snow heading downhill using the snowblower. Driveway averages ~6% pitch. Needed running start over the path just cleared to get up the steeper section at the top of the driveway. Hardpack slippery base conditions. Sometimes push snow with the bucket even with decent traction ends up going a bit sideways.

Plan is to stud all four the BX2380 R4s. The clearance between the tire and the shield plate along the front inside fender on the users right is minimal. Chains would fit, but feel uncomfortable with the minimum clearance. Looked at some iGrip brand studs. The series with a shoulder that should to reduce pushing the studs in beyond insertion depth.

 

[jimh406]

The loading of the tires will make the ride slightly worse, but also not that heavy on the small tires you have.

If you found chains helped before, they will probably help on the tractor. R4s aren’t the best tires in snow.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

The loading of the tires will make the ride slightly worse, but also not that heavy on the small tires you have.

If you found chains helped before, they will probably help on the tractor. R4s aren’t the best tires in snow.

Interesting. I told the dealer I wanted R14’s because everything I’ve read has said they are better in the snow than the R4’s and he insisted the R4’s were superior in snow, hands down. I still think R14’s would be a better. Voice and haven’t taken delivery of the tractor.

a friend got their F150 stuck at the one end of my driveway last winter. I ended up throwing sand from the sandbags under all 4 tires and was able to get it out on 4WD. And you can definitely feel the grade change down on that part of the driveway when walking behind the snowblower.

 

[Sod Farmer]

R4's are probably the worst choice for snow.

 

[Spam Bot]

I have beet juice (Rim Guard) filled turf tires on my BX22/BX23S, and over the last 20+ years, I have had a weight box on the rear with 600 pounds of lead in it. The only time that I have a problem with snow is when there is ice underneath it. If I were to use studs, I would want the R4 tires, with additional siping and studs. The R14s, in my opinion, are good tires for turf and snow, but I don't believe that I would want to add studs to them. It sure would be nice if one of the tire manufacturers would add the stud holes to the tires so they could be studded with a stud gun. Inquire about a second set of tires and wheels for summer use when you buy the tractor. The "whole goods" price is the best you will find. A set of R4s & a set of R14s, and you have all your bases covered.

 

[old and tired]

....he insisted the R4’s were superior in snow, hands down....

I would seriously consider looking for another dealer... one that tells the truth! R4's are THE worst tires for snow...

 

[Mustard Tiger]

I would seriously consider looking for another dealer... one that tells the truth! R4's are THE worst tires for snow...

i live in a rural area and there’s the Libota dealer here, New Holland and a Mahindra dealer.

to be honest, I’m most likely going to get chains no matter what tire I get. I also have very rocky terrain in some places and the R4’s are 6-ply tires and probably a bit more durable. So I’ll probably stick with those and throw on chains for the winter. Was night and day difference with chains on my snow blower.

 

[old and tired]

So, give you a little reading to do... look up tire grooving. It helps with R4 tires to get traction.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

R14's are also 6 ply, so R4's being tougher is simply not true.
The traction difference all around R14 hands down beats R4's.

The reason the dealer is Balking and giving you R14's is probably they can't get a tractor with them equipped, it's a build option on these little tractors, not a add on option.

Buy a snow blade for it as a box blade sucks at moving snow effectively.