Prestige 4X4 pushing the envelope

[locknut]

As Art Bell would say "Wanna go for a ride?"

[locknut]

Been using a Kubota GR for the past seven seasons to mow this hill.With bar tires on it it sticks like glue going down hill,but the hydro lacks the grunt for the climb.So,I picked up a Prestige 4X4 to compare and possibly make this the primary hill mower.

Overall results are mixed.The Prestige climbs like a billy goat even without a rear locker and turfs.Going downhill proved to be very exciting though, as the turf tires lost traction and I slid the last ten feet or so and ended up in the rough.Will definitely have to have better gripping tires and add a little weight up front as the front end gets very light towards the top of the long uphill runs.

The downside is the time it took to mow the whole yard.With the 4" smaller deck(robbed from the 16/44 Broadmoor) and larger turning radius,it took 3hrs to mow instead of the normal 2 hrs with the GR.

Of course,the quality of the cut looked great,less scalping and the stripes always look good.

If anyone here has one of these,please chime in on the owning experience.The owners manual is very lacking in the maintenance department.

[Ronald Hribar]

I can go up that hill blowing snow. No chains or weights or loaded tires

I do have lug tires on the front wheels

[locknut]

quote:Originally posted by Ronald Hribar

I can go up that hill blowing snow. No chains or weights or loaded tiresI do have lug tires on the front wheels

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id="quote">

id="quote">Now that I'd love to see sm01How's the powerplant issue coming along?

[Ronald Hribar]

Looks like I will be getting 23 hp

Unless my source comes up with 35 hp

Motor and muffler and wiring harness at dealer

But was asked to hold off until they caught up with service work

[BLT]

What is the percent of grade? From the pictue it looks steep and could be beyond safe operating angles for engine.

[locknut]

quote:Originally posted by BLT

What is the percent of grade? From the pictue it looks steep and could be beyond safe operating angles for engine.

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id="quote">I'm well aware of this issue.In most places it pushes 30 deg/58% slope,which is 5 deg over spec on the CH20 on the Kubota and the CV740 in this tractor.I asked the dealer about this when I bought the Kubota and he didn't think it would kill it,and so far no problem and doesn't use any oil.

[Ronald Hribar]

The oil safety system should kick in if oil problem is encountered

[locknut]

Well,I put some aggressive ATV tires on it and filled the back tires and mowed again Sunday.The ground was softer as it rained about 2in on Friday.Still slides downhill.The way they designed this tractor,going downhill is no different than a two wheel tractor without traction control or locking rear end.The hydraulic front axle has no holding power and the rear loses traction and tries to turn one wheel backwards.I don't think there is anything I can do to remedy this short of adding brakes.

So,I don't know if I'll keep it or move it on.The 44 deck does a really nice job on the cut and doesn't scalp like the suspended deck on the GR.I have to raise and lower the deck on the GR 15-20 times to keep it out of the dirt.

[Kent]

Do you use diff-lock going downhill, to make both rear wheels engine brake through the hydro?

Good luck with finding an affordable solution for mowing something that steep. Most of my hillsides are in the 25-30 degree range, and I've had to work through all those options - most of which get real expensive, real quick.

[locknut]

quote:Originally posted by Kent

Do you use diff-lock going downhill, to make both rear wheels engine brake through the hydro?Good luck with finding an affordable solution for mowing something that steep. Most of my hillsides are in the 25-30 degree range, and I've had to work through all those options - most of which get real expensive, real quick.

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id="quote">Like I mentioned above,there is no locking rear end.It comes down to one rear tire trying to hold the machine back.The only way to stop the skidding or minimize it,is to give it more and more forward hydro which means you're flying by the time you get to the bottom.It's a shame,because Tuff Torq appears to make the K664 with a locking rear feature but Simplicity does not use it.http://www.secogroup.cz/en/mowing-machines/panther-4wd/Yes,anything that would work better would be huge money.The GR I've been using for 7 seasons now works OK,just won't climb the long,steep parts so I have to make several dry runs around the ends then go downhill.It uses a shaft driven front axle so a little backpeddling on the hydro is like having brakes on at least 3 wheels.Plus,it has a seperate parking brake that brakes the whole drivetrain in an emergency,such as an engine stall.

[Kent]

My bad. I thought both the Conquest and Prestige came standard with diff-lock.

[locknut]

quote:Originally posted by Kent

My bad. I thought both the Conquest and Prestige came standard with diff-lock.

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id="quote">You're half right-the 4X2 models do have it.Took the Prestige to a dealer to have some things checked out.They're putting the revised Carb on it that eliminates the hiccups and stalling in high ambient temperature conditions.Also checking the choo-choo sound on shutdown.Said it didn't sound right to them,head gasket,valves or something.Checking the slop in the steering too.Looks to me like the Axle pivot is causing that as it moves fore and aft before the cylinder moves the steering spindle.Haven't used the big 54 deck yet so I slid it under the old Broadmoor and juiced the cutting height motor with a battery,up to full mow height and spun it up and mowed a little grass.Seems to work ok.Broadmoor 16/54

[plastikosmd]

Well that stinks. I can't think of a workaround that doesn't involve a different machine. (not always a bad thing!)

[rokon2813]

quote:Originally posted by plastikosmd

Well that stinks. I can't think of a workaround that doesn't involve a different machine. (not always a bad thing!)

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id="quote">

id="quote">A B series with loaded ag tires will mow that sideways :D:D

[locknut]

Originally posted by rokon2813

quote:

id="quote">Just happen to have one of those.I'll take the blower off and put the deck on and take it up there.One condition though; you're driving it,after you sign a liability waiver sm03sm03sm03

[stevenb210]

i mow steep hills with my b110 diesel conversion i have 6-12 carlisle tru polwer on the back with no weight

[locknut]

quote:Originally posted by plastikosmd

Well that stinks. I can't think of a workaround that doesn't involve a different machine. (not always a bad thing!)

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id="quote">There's always workarounds.I don't give up easily.It's now fixed and works great.Now I have a 4WD machine that goes downhill and uphill with confidence and control.Also fixed the inherent front end death wobble while waiting for brake components.In the video,the last pass is 35 deg with nary a sliding tire.Smooth.http://s498.photobucket.com/user/locknut-1/media/Misc/001_zpsd025cc49.mp4.html

[RickS]

Greg,

You can't leave us in the dark. How about a write-up (with pictures) on how you added front brakes. As well as solved the death wobble.

Rick.......

[locknut]

These are all the pics I have but I'll give you a rundown.When I first thought about adding brakes I was somewhat overwhelmed,but like other projects I've done,you just keep looking at it till an idea comes to mind,solving each individual obstacle and on to the next one.

I knew the wheels would have to be moved outward to make room for the caliper and disc.And finding a caliper with minimal overhang to clear the tire sidewall.Also,the disc would need to be close to the steering bracket.The calipers I ended up with are Wilwood PS-1's with 1.09" overhang.No room for a conventional rotor disc hub setup and nothing compatible with the 3/4" keyed axle,so I came up with the world's first "wheelrotor" idea.Tried to buy an extra set of OEM wheels and found they're not available,so I got an 8" 4-hole trailer wheel and found 4-bolt hubs with 3/4" center and the 3/16" keyway.

Spacer rings were made using 1-1/2" long cuts of 8" sch40 steel pipe w/.322 wall.They fit perfect inside the wheel and were welded in.Then the discs were fastened to these rings by drilling/tapping the edges for eight 10-24 screws.The discs are 7.25" ID to clear the planetary and the outside is 11.5".The wheel track widened by 2.5",1.25 on each side.The guy I talked to at Tuff Torq said it shouldn't be a problem.Drives fine.

The caliper mounts were made using 4" by 1/4" thick angle iron.Puchased an additional steering bracket for the left side as the mounting holes are already in the front axle housing.

The master cylinder is a single 7/8" bore MCP brand with two common outputs.Fit nicely in the unused hole at the bottom of the dash tower and the dash tower steel is right behind the plastic for thru bolting it down.

On the wobble,neither me nor the local dealer could pin down a single thing that causes this.Drives ok,just annoyed me to no end,so I made some simple brackets and added a steering stabilizer.I know it's a bandaid but it sure works good.

[perry]

looks similar to ATV brake setup .

[locknut]

Decided to drag the Kubota snow blade out of the mothballs and fit it up to the Prestige.

Made a bracket to fit on the rockshaft lift arms.

Then,used a 5/8" bar from the lift bracket to the front to lift the blade.Hydraulic lift is quick.

For the pushing forces I run two 1X2" tubes from the lower plow hitch frame all the way to the back of the tractor frame.

Here's a short action video.I utilized the wiring for the deck height adjustment to run the power angle actuator.

http://s498.photobucket.com/user/locknut-1/media/Misc/007_zps9d5c3036.mp4.html

Now I have to pull it all apart and paint.The blade is a lighter shade of orange so I'll paint it and slap some Simplicity decals on it.