Go Bottom Go Bottom

870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-25          84307

I have had my JD870 since 1997 and it has operated flawlessly and is in mint condition. But I cant use it on my pastures in the late fall to late spring in most years as the Ag tires compact the ground. I had a brush hog, but it just wacked the grass, didn't really cut it. Rather than buy a smaller tractor, could I benefit from turf tires?

Problem is you have to buy new wheels too, about $1000 for a set when I checked last year (unless I can find used). I check with tire manufacturers too, same story. I would want to put a MMM on if I did this, but apparently need the conversion kit as well as the deck.

So would it be worthwhile to change over to turf tires?


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-26          84321

I'm not sure how much turfs would buy in terms of compaction. They would have larger tire prints than ags but whether that would reduce psi on the ground enough to solve your problem is a tough call. Turfs will do less damage to lawns though--especially in 4wd and tight maneuvering. If you do have high traction work you may not be happy going to turfs. I get by myself for my traction work with unloaded turfs with a similar weight tractor and they don't keep me off the lawn too often but the soli is sandy here and it's also frozen a lot.

I wonder if lightening up the tractor by removing ballast (if that's consistent with the work done) and maybe reducing air pressures on the ag tires might get you by for compaction? Turfs would have a greater advantage if the problem were tearing the turf. A set of blades for the hog that are sharpened like finish mower blades might give the pasture a better cut. I think some style blades create more 'lift' to the grass than others and that also might help. I guess you have to mow when it's a bit wet. If realistic, improving drainage might also help. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-26          84338

I am not very familiar with this model. Are the rear tires 35" tall or smaller? Is the bolt pattern 6 holes on 6 inches?

If so there are some far less expensive alternatives. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-26          84343

If your 870 has the standard Ag.'s on it they are likely small 24" tires, 11.2's or maybe even 9.5's, if this is the case you can just go to a wider 24" Ag. tire. They make 24" tires up to 16.9 in width.

Likewise, your unit probably has little 5.00 - 15's on the front, they too can be widened out to as much as a 27-8.50-15 if your steering geometry and gear ratio allows it.

Best of luck. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-26          84406

Thanks for commments! The 870 has standard R1 Ag tires

The rears are 12.4-24" the front are 7-14. The manual calls the optional turf tires "355/80D", not sure what that means. I am having second thoughts about turf tires, maybe get R4 barred industrial tires instead? Or maybe forget the whole thing and buy 20 loads of sand to top dress the soil like is done at golf courses. If you got clay, make it loam!

Last year I was quoted a total of $960 for new wheels and turf (R3) tires, but that was purchased as "whole goods" not as parts. This year as "parts" the ticket is up to $1,600. I will try Millertire and the other sources quoted on this board as an alternative. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-26          84408

If you have clay soil I'd advise against R4 tires. In my experience on clay they give very poor traction wet OR dry. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-26          84411

Right, I have been told the clay will just pack in the R4s if you spin 'em. But I have so-so soil that varies, some sandy, some with higher clay content all with good turf coverage (lots of drainage too, I consulted for golf courses for a while on water quality, my pasture looks like a green and stays that way all summer by only cutting right before a rain.).

DRankin, the rears are 8 lug on 8 inches the fronts are 6 lug on 6 inches (easy to remember). Suggestion gladly accepted! ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-26          84424

These guys might be able to help you out with some suggestions and guidance as to what might work best for you in your situation. Plus they look really cool! LOL! ;o) ....


Link:   McCord Tire

 
Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-27          84464

The 355/80D is a metric tire code, it is in fact described as 355/80D20 which in english means the tire has a section width of 355 millimeters, it is 80 in aspect ratio, and it goes on a 20" diameter rim.

It is a big flat turf tire with many little chevron shaped lugs and will give outstanding traction on almost any surface so long as the tread does not fill with soil. On grass, hard surfces, ice or hard-packed snow it will probably give you the best traction available with that level of floatation.

If your happy with the R-1's I would suggest you just go to the widest R-1 you can put on your existing rims.

Best of luck. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-27          84474

Gemplers has 8x8 replacement rims to fit the rear of your tractor for $78.00

I think they have 15, 16 and 16.5 rim sizes, maybe bigger.

You and I have a resource most folks on this board don't have..... Les Schwab Tire Stores. You can walk in there with your tape measure and find the front/rear tire circumferences you need.

There is some excellent info on the Firestone web site that will show you how to calculate your gear ratios and the necessary lead/lag between the axles.

I am guessing that something like a 35/12.50x16.5 mud and snow radial coupled with a 195 or 205/75x14(on your stock front rims) would be about right.

Using the Firestone tests I was able to calculate my front axle turns 14.5 times for every 10 turns on the rear axle.

My 4115 has the 35/12.50x16.5 radials on the rear and a 24 inch Firestone turf (stock 12 inch rim)on the front. This combo gives me a +5 percent lead on the front axle, but those rear radials give me such incredible traction that I rarely use 4wd anymore, even on my steep hillside lot.

....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-27          84504

Ahh! Great advice on all accounts. I am reading up on Firestone and other web sites and will probably work with my friendly local Les Schwab guys and will report back later.

My buddy just bought a Kubota B7400 last night, nice little tractor, but I just cant see downsizing that much. All the JD dealers around here tell me that the JD870 (and other 70 series) was and is a most desirable model and even offered to buy it at a decent should I want to trade in.

Many thanks,

Jack ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-28          84559

Might be worth thinking about overall traction needs. Some fairly radical flotation tires probably are available that put so much rubber on the ground that one could run over your foot without much effect. They wouldn't compact the soil much but they also have very little traction. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-04-28          84580

TomG,

Yes, I suppose it's a balancing act, and probably the larger the turf tire the more the expense. As it is, I prefer to shift to 4WD and low gear when loading on gravel surface to avoid having the wheels dig in. I have lots of barn space, so I just may have two sets of tires, one for winter, the other for summer. With air tools its quick to change over.

Jack ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
lockwoodfe
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 11 Cincinnati, OH
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-01          87466

Interesting about the R4 tires being poor in clay. I have often considered trying to get something different for my 4200. I have turf tires and my property is mostly clay and very hilly. Actually, the turf tires serve me well if the ground is dry or soft. But when it is muddy, they quickly become packed and nearly useless on hills! However I suppose if I switched to a more aggressive tread I would just be unhappy about how rough they were on my turf. If only they made a tire that was good at everything :-) ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
bbear82
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 7 Western Washington
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-01          87470

Well I solved the problem. Hated to do it, but I sold my JD 870 (for exactly what I paid for it 8 years ago) and bought a Kubota 2610 24hp HST with 60"MMM and R4 tires. Now I can cruise around just about anywhere on my property (no mud) and not make a mess out of things.

I tried to buy John Deere, but the value for the buck just wasnt there. For example, a JD 4115 was nearly 20K set up the same but the Kubota 2610 (a newer model) with loader & MMM was only 15K. Yes it is lighter, but thats what I wanted. It was just about impossible to get R4 tires for the 870 without all kinds of gyrations and in the end I am better off for my wife and kids being able to operate the Kubota with HST.

Thanks for all your comments, most helpful. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



870 too heavy for soft ground change to turf tires

View my Photos
DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-06-01          87472

Good choice. I am sure it will serve you well.

If you find you need a bit more downward pressure, I can recommend E-Z weights without reservation. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo


  Go Top Go Top

Share This
Share This







Member Login