LX3310 vs BX2380 MMM side slope

[BlueMule65]

Wondering if anyone has experience with the LX2610/3310 ROPS, with a MMM mowing side slope. There is one spot in my lawn that I have to mow side slope because of what’s above and below it. I have a BX2380 with 2 inch spacers that feels pretty solid mowing it but I was considering upgrading and wanted to see if anyone had experience with an LX on a side slope.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Wondering if anyone has experience with the LX2610/3310 ROPS, with a MMM mowing side slope. There is one spot in my lawn that I have to mow side slope because of what’s above and below it. I have a BX2380 with 2 inch spacers that feels pretty solid mowing it but I was considering upgrading and wanted to see if anyone had experience with an LX on a side slope.

Good day. I don’t have an LX, but I do have a B and previously had a BX. I also have a very hilly property. IMO, For just mowing, the BX has a slightly lower center of gravity (sits a little lower for that matter). On both the B and the previous BX are filled tires. I think one could argue that the B would hold more fluid in the tires, however I think the BX sits lower and felt a little more stable. If I were to do over I would have either bought a B originally instead of the BX. Or if I bought the BX first I would not have bought the B. I don’t think it was much of an upgrade for my uses….by the specs and percentage difference, yes the B is more capable….however when comes to actual work it’s not much…look at the loader…how many concrete blocks on a pallet is the lift difference? IMO you can buy a lot more machine for similar price in an L…might be worth to look up a class. IMO it Sort of depends on your expectations and tasks and how much more capability you are considering. Both machines are great for their designed capabilities. Good luck.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

hmm... you've already modified one tractor due to the hazard, now thinking of changing tractors

eliminate that danger zone ! replace 'side slope' grass with a perennial flower garden or some pretty bushes.

we've lost too many farmers and friends in this part of the World due to side slope accidents.

 

[chim]

Never had a BX, but the steepest sidehill I do is as best I can tell 16° / 28% slope. Pic below is a torpedo level on the L4240's grille guard. I've used a B7500, L3200 and now the L4240 there. I don't run sidehill there if there's a heavy dew or rain and don't have the loader & frame on. All have had filled tires and none have had spacers. I have steeper places, but travel up and down on them.

I've always liked filled tires, and on the l4240 it adds almost 400# that would need to be picked up on the uphill side to get the tractor to roll. I've also been a skeptic on how effective spacers can be, except for something like getting clearance for tire chains.

People will tell you that the spacers "make the tractor feel much more stable". IMHO, that's a measurement of false security rather than how much more force might be required to roll the tractor. My l4240 FEELS more roll resistant than my L3200 did. Maybe it is, maybe not.

 

[BlueMule65]

Never had a BX, but the steepest sidehill I do is as best I can tell 16° / 28% slope. Pic below is a torpedo level on the L4240's grille guard. I've used a B7500, L3200 and now the L4240 there. I don't run sidehill there if there's a heavy dew or rain and don't have the loader & frame on. All have had filled tires and none have had spacers. I have steeper places, but travel up and down on them.

I've always liked filled tires, and on the l4240 it adds almost 400# that would need to be picked up on the uphill side to get the tractor to roll. I've also been a skeptic on how effective spacers can be, except for something like getting clearance for tire chains.

People will tell you that the spacers "make the tractor feel much more stable". IMHO, that's a measurement of false security rather than how much more force might be required to roll the tractor. My l4240 FEELS more roll resistant than my L3200 did. Maybe it is, maybe not.

This one spot in the front is the rough one. I don't know the actual slope, but the pucker factor tells me it's pretty steep. My dad has CubCadet's largest lawn tractor and it started to roll when we tried it. My neighbor has a Zero Turn but it slides all over the place so I didn't like that. The BX (2" spacers and filled tires) does great. I parked it in the steepest spot and gave it a progressively harder rock by pushing on the ROPS. It got to where I was giving it all I had and couldn't make it unstable.

I just put a pole barn up in the back which made the back a little steeper but I can mow that spot up and down with no problem. the back is my neighbor's and brush hogged with a different tractor.

I like my BX but it doesn't have the power that I need to pull my boat or trailer and I would like a front-end loader as well.

 

[ve9aa]

This one spot in the front is the rough one. I don't know the actual slope, but the pucker factor tells me it's pretty steep. My dad has CubCadet's largest lawn tractor and it started to roll when we tried it. My neighbor has a Zero Turn but it slides all over the place so I didn't like that. The BX (2" spacers and filled tires) does great. I parked it in the steepest spot and gave it a progressively harder rock by pushing on the ROPS. It got to where I was giving it all I had and couldn't make it unstable.
View attachment 94130

I just put a pole barn up in the back which made the back a little steeper but I can mow that spot up and down with no problem. the back is my neighbor's and brush hogged with a different tractor.


I like my BX but it doesn't have the power that I need to pull my boat or trailer and I would like a front-end loader as well.

You could always do an experiment.
Park your tractor on the steepest part (side sloped), of that lawn there - shut it off.
Park a truck or something very heavy up on the driveway, adjacent to it.
Attach one end of a tow strap, big recovery rope, chain, HD ratchet strap (you get the idea) to the top/side of the rops
and
the other end to the trailer hitch, bumper, frame (you get the idea) of your
truck.

Leave a little bit, I don't know....2' or something, of slack in the rope.
(You need to leave a little slack, but this is your safety net so you don't flip your tractor right over on its side)

Now, you and/or you and your buddy go and push on the top of the ROPS and try to upset your tractor.

Is it easy?

Impossible?

If it's relatively easy with 1 or 2 of you pushing, you'll know it's not safe.

This will not guarantee your safety one way or another, but it will at least be an indicator of some
kind and you can validate it against your own built-in pucker factor.

All it will take is one gopher hole or tire blowout to ruin your day.

I make no guarantees of this method of validating your own built-in pucker factor.

I can tell you my TG is much more stable on the hills than my BX.

I assume your BX is more stable than an LX.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

You could always do an experiment.
Park your tractor on the steepest part (side sloped), shut it off.
Park a truck or something equally as heavy up on the driveway, adjacent to it.
Attach one end of a tow strap, big recovery rope, chain, HD ratchet strap (you get the idea) to the top/side of the rops and the other end to the trailer hitch, bumper, frame (you get the idea) of your
truck.
Leave, I don't know....2' or something, of slack on the rope.
Now, go over and push on the top of the ROPS and try to upset your tractor.

If it's relatively easy with 1 or 2 of you pushing, you'll know it's not safe.

This will not guarantee your safety one way or another, but it will at least be an indicator of some
kind and you can validate it against your own built-in pucker factor.

All it will take is one gopher hole to ruin your day.

I make no guarantees of this method of validating your pucker factor.
and

Just remember if a hole should ever mysteriously appear (animals, kids playing, decay/rotten roots, drainage,etc)…machine with a center pivot front axle and side hilling are not complimentary to one another.

 

[BlueMule65]

Just remember if a hole should ever mysteriously appear (animals, kids playing, decay/rotten roots, drainage,etc)…machine with a center pivot front axle and side hilling are not complimentary to one another.

Yeah, I think I'm going to experiment with ways to not mow it side slope this year regardless of if I upgrade or not. Maybe plant some bushes as GreensvilleJay suggested.

eliminate that danger zone ! replace 'side slope' grass with a perennial flower garden or some pretty bushes.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Yeah, I think I'm going to experiment with ways to not mow it side slope this year regardless of if I upgrade or not. Maybe plant some bushes as GreensvilleJay suggested.

Some sort of rear mower/cutter might be helpful…looks like a nice property and lawn…Rear finish mower would allow to you back up or down right up to wherever you draw the line/edge of mowed area.

 

[Henro]

I regularly cut my pond bank with my BX 2200 at the slope shown in the picture below. One time I got off the high side and tried pushing the tractor to see if I could lift the wheels on the high side by pushing on the ROPS, but it was rocksolid.

One thing we need to keep in mind is that the mower deck adds a lot of weight down real low so that drops the center of gravity and stability improves, versus not having the mower deck on.

In my case I also have four foam filled tires . Foam filled tires are probably the heaviest of all because the tires filled 100%. I also have 1.25 inch spacers but the stability was good before I added the spacers. 1.25 inches was the max I could go, so I’m surprised that the OP is able to use 2 inch spacers.

At this angle I’m not comfortable and I drive the tractor very slowly with my seatbelt on. But I’m pretty sure it would be stable moving faster if I wanted to. But I don’t want to since I one time time tipped my B 2910 on its side in a place where I didn’t think that could ever happen.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

In the 1st picture, you could bring in 4-6(?) truckloads of fill and reduce that 'wallow' between small tree and the 'bullrushes'. Same with the 2nd, regrade to make the land 'gentle', then you can easily mow all day long and not fear your wife becoming a widow.