Hmm, I must be doing something wrong, the R1's I have almost always leave a mark on my lawn when I go up or down hills. In the pasture areas, I don't care, but the lawn, no way, R1's are similar to an excavator for me, especially when I encounter the slopes at my place. Give me 4WD and R4's or turfs for mowing anyday. For moving dirt, the R1's are superior but lack one very important feature, load carrying ability. The front tires are not rated for nearly the load of R4's. With their smaller profile, smaller foot print and smaller load rating, they take a beating with heaped buckets. My L4850 has R1's, best traction around but they wear faster and can't take nearly the load. The R1's for the L4850 are the heaviest ply rating available for that rim size, 6 ply and 32 psi My L48 R4 fronts never even know a load is there. They are considerably wider, have 10 ply ratings and take 65 PSI max. The loader capacity for both is similar, about 22 cu ft. heaped. Check the tire specs when you purchase your tractor. With the R1's you typically get smaller tires on smaller rims then with R4's. Thats the way it is with Kubota and JD and I belive NH as well.
Michelin sells what they call R4's but really are R1's as far as tread goes. The sizes are more in line with that of R4's. The heavy ply rating gives them characteristics of R4's. Their tread design is similar to R1's and their radial design places a better footprint on the ground then either. Rat...