I love my good-running, maneuverable little tractor with its 6’ belly mower, except it’s like riding a wild bull unless I travel at a snail’s-pace. I’ve tried various pressures with the R-4 industrial tires, but the only relief I’ve found is by hanging a 2,000 lb. concrete ballast off the 3-point arms. Short of this drastic "solution", I’m looking for ideas. Would turf tires be a significant improvement? How about an air-ride seat? I see Northern Tool offers Grammer seats for arounds $1,200, but there are no reviews or any indication they even sell any. I would appreciate hear what you have done to make riding on one of these little tractors more comfortable.
Rough Riding 3130
- Thread starter happypappy
- Start date
North Idaho Wolfman
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Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Like Potreeboy said remove the loader if equipped.
Turf tires will help.
An air ride seat will help tremendously.
Turf tires will help.
An air ride seat will help tremendously.
Renoving the loader might help with bouncing somewhat but it wont make it ‘softer’.
If rutting or turf damage isnt occurring with it then the 3pt counterweight is probably the most pragmatic solution.
Other than that i would just lower rear tire pressure a bunch. Like, 10psi. If you had tubes id say go below 5 psi!
If rutting or turf damage isnt occurring with it then the 3pt counterweight is probably the most pragmatic solution.
Other than that i would just lower rear tire pressure a bunch. Like, 10psi. If you had tubes id say go below 5 psi!
Could you be a little more specific about the term "snail's pace"? And what sort of ground are you mowing? Smooth lawn, pasture, former corn field, or ?? My place had been a corn field and it was rough at first but gradually got better. Even so, walking speed or a bit faster was all that was reasonable for any of my tractors. You "could" go faster but not safely or comfortably. Tires @ 20 psi or less and loader off for best results.
Snail's pace is a slight exaggeration. I'm in high range (HST) probably walking speed and usually pushing to go faster. Much of ground cover is KY31 with good dose of weeds in orchard and there's plenty of mole activity as well as dog activity in pursuit of said moles. Often remove mower to use other attachments. Recently had to drag away a bunch of willow trees being dug out of our pond. That's when I tried the 2,000 lb. ballast. Definitely improved ride, but was a lot of weight for the little tractor to hoist and move around. I would never use this when mowing. Without ballast, run about 5 psi rear and 15 front. I was hoping to hear from people who had first hand knowledge about air ride seats. I have a couple other utility tractors, but without belly mower or HST. None ride as harsh as the Kubota - not even close.
If you’re mowing in high with an HST L3130, you’re probably going better than 5 mph, maybe 7+. When my field is short and dry, I can mow it in medium (L or B, both HST) almost wide open. High is just too fast for mowing. The dashboard on the L3130 reports the speed to the nearest 1/10 of a mph (for speeds under 10 mph) in the correct mode.
Let's see, first you rev it up to 540 rpm (PTO speed), then put it into high range road gear and wonder why it's a wild bull ride when you hit a bump while mowing. Yep, it's definitely the tractor's fault.
Friendly ribbing aside, mow in mid range and slow down a little. I'm an older guy and mowed that way for more than 15 years with my Kubbies without a sore backside.
Air ride would be very cool but a little patience goes a long way too.
Friendly ribbing aside, mow in mid range and slow down a little. I'm an older guy and mowed that way for more than 15 years with my Kubbies without a sore backside.
Air ride would be very cool but a little patience goes a long way too.
ve9aa
Well-known member
Equipment
TG1860, BX2380 -backblade, bx2830 snowblower, fel, weight box,pallet forks,etc
I have a similar but not exactly the same issue. The BX rides rough for mowing....
I partially solved it by sitting on what basically amounts to an air cushion that I made myself.
I take a regular cushion you'd buy for your daily driver car from any big box store ($15+) then unzip it and slide in the air bladder from a very large (thigh sized) blood pressure cuff. (probably close to one square foot big) .
I got mine used from work, but I am sure they're out there on the interwebs somewhere. The bladder, tube, valve and (pump up) hand bulb are all you need.(the bladder is inside the cushion; the rest hangs out--sorry, no pix)
You'd be surprised just little air pressure in the bladder it takes to make a difference to your spine. More and then it just feels like you're sitting on a beach ball, which is not comfortable.
This was my $0.00 solution. I do something similar on my motorcycle seat, but I have it INSIDE the seat in that case.
HTH
I partially solved it by sitting on what basically amounts to an air cushion that I made myself.
I take a regular cushion you'd buy for your daily driver car from any big box store ($15+) then unzip it and slide in the air bladder from a very large (thigh sized) blood pressure cuff. (probably close to one square foot big) .
I got mine used from work, but I am sure they're out there on the interwebs somewhere. The bladder, tube, valve and (pump up) hand bulb are all you need.(the bladder is inside the cushion; the rest hangs out--sorry, no pix)
You'd be surprised just little air pressure in the bladder it takes to make a difference to your spine. More and then it just feels like you're sitting on a beach ball, which is not comfortable.
This was my $0.00 solution. I do something similar on my motorcycle seat, but I have it INSIDE the seat in that case.
HTH