Which Turf Tires for B2601? (LAST THING for NEW DELIVERY NOT ON HAND AT DEALER)

[davidmem]

Hello. I have 1.6 acres that is open and finished lawn. I will not have a mowing deck as I have a zero turn.

Tractor will be used for hauling firewood (carry-all), snowblowing, landscaping mulch and cleanup, leveling and improving quality of the lawn (landscaping rake) and possibly a tiller and or box blade for the work in the 3/4 acre of the 1.6 lawn that needs much improvement (old hay field).


I have a B2601 on order and the dealer can't locate the turfs I ordered:

23x8.50 - 12 R3 Super Turf K500
33x12.5-15 HF-1 Good Year Soft Trac

Dealer is having trouble locating the tires above and offered another Kubota factory option, a front tire that is 1" SHORTER in height but same width at 8.5, and rear tire that is 2" shorter but 3" wider.

Newbie assessment, if I go to the SHORTER WIDER tires:

1) B2601 tractor will sit about 1" lower.
2) Wider tires will offer more FLOAT at the expense of TRACTION.


Wondering if there are any opinions on this? I don't really need the clearance for the 99.9% of the time the tractor will be hauling firewood and snowblowing and landscaping as the yard is clear and flat. But I do wonder if the loss of traction will hurt when trying to pull the landscaping rake to work the back field into a better lawn, or pulling a box blade.

TOTAL NEWBIE with 0.0 hours on tractors.

Opinions?

David

 

[GSD-Keegan]

Total newbie here with about 30 hrs on my B2601 with FEL and BH. Liking my R14s so far. Minimal turf damage.

 

[JimmyJazz]

There is a good bit of talk on here about maintaining the proper tire diameter ratios when monkeying with tire sizes. I would see if the tires being recommended are an option on the Kubota build it site.The dealer of course should understand this but you never quite know how smart or honest a person is. I cant comment on the traction issue but my guess is it probably won't matter too much if used primarily on dry grass. I just bought a new B2601 myself and despite the tractor and loader being in stock I had to wait 2 weeks for the turf tires. I like the turf tires for suburban yard usage. I cut about 2 acres and have about 1/2 acre of woods. I have 10 hours on it and am still getting used to it. Take your time especially if you have hills like I do . Have fun and good luck.

 

[davidmem]

There is a good bit of talk on here about maintaining the proper tire diameter ratios when monkeying with tire sizes. I would see if the tires being recommended are an option on the Kubota build it site.The dealer of course should understand this but you never quite know how smart or honest a person is. I cant comment on the traction issue but my guess is it probably won't matter too much if used primarily on dry grass. I just bought a new B2601 myself and despite the tractor and loader being in stock I had to wait 2 weeks for the turf tires. I like the turf tires for suburban yard usage. I cut about 2 acres and have about 1/2 acre of woods. I have 10 hours on it and am still getting used to it. Take your time especially if you have hills like I do . Have fun and good luck.

Yes, what he offered is another factory option.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Yes, what he offered is another factory option.

I probably would have opted for the lower wider tires myself. Kinda like they use on golf courses around here. Again, I feel if you are operating on primarily level dry grass it won't make much difference. Hopefully others with more experience will lend their thoughts. The machines are well engineered and I would have confidence in the Kubota tire selections being offered.

 

[Jhilde]

Taller tires will ride the bumps better than shorter tires will. I would also assume the shorter tires will be more stable on slopes.

 

[davidmem]

Taller tires will ride the bumps better than shorter tires will. I would also assume the shorter tires will be more stable on slopes.

My property is very smooth, and there is one small bank to be careful on

I'm starting to think lower and wider might work best here. Hopefully good on snow with the snowblower.

 

[PaulR]

I opted for stock turfs on mine. I knew I was not doing any deep woods work. Sounds like your coming to the same conclusion. Being a Jeep 4x4 guy, I knew turf tires were fine with the addition of 4x4 and a diff-lock. I figure if I get it stuck with 4x4 and a rear locker I was doing something really stupid.

 

[michigander]

Here is how I set with turfs you have on order 100% happy with them.

I do go out in the woods cutting firewood. Clearance is great with this setup.