Are R4's Really Bad In The Snow?

[castiman]

I just bought the same set up as you minus the backhoe, had a 2305 before with the r4's and I never had any problems snowblowing, and I have a couple of hilly areas to go up to get around back.

 

[RoyJackson]

When I had R-4's (on a previous tractor) I had occasional trouble. However, I'm also suggesting chains for the rear tires.
I have R-3's now, and the chains go on around mid-November (south central PA here...Coollx, in upstate NY, might want them on earlier).

This is a good time to buy them, BTW. If you wait until winter, your size may not be available.
Try www.tirechains.com. They have a good selection and can recommend which would best suit your needs.
You'll need about 2"-2.5" clearance between the tire and fender, so you may have to swap those R-4's side to side.

 

[coollx]

coollx I wondered the same thing R3 or R4.
The R3 tires I have seen on the new 2520 are a Carlile brand.
They sure did seem to have an agressive tread on them. I wanted to find a picture of them on the web, but didn't find any.
I also will use them in the snow, but primarily mowing in the summer.

Do you kow what model Carlile tire you have?

PS It seems to me the tread on these R3 turfs aren't like previous treads I have seen on turf tires.

smalltown, the R3's currently on my 2520 are Carlisle 36X14.00-15 MULTI TRAC C/S. Actually, the tread is fairly open and looks pretty aggressive.

 

[smalltown]

coollx I think that's the tire I saw at my local JD dealer. I will be driving by his lot later and try to take a photo to compare.

My point is as yours that this is a turf tire but seems to have a agressive tread pattern.

 

[Chuck on lake]

I have the large R4 tires on my 3720. By the time it arrived this past winter our road had really packed down and had some ice on it due to a little rain that froze. I am not using chains.........yet! The biggest problem I noticed was lateral control especially with the snowblower on. I found myself frequently using the individual brakes to correct the direction the tractor was going. I didn't think forward or reverse traction was that much of a problem. I am considering putting chains on only the front tires next winter to get better direction control. I would appreciate any comments on that idea from anyone. I live in northern Minnesota and we had a pretty tough winter this year. Much more snow than normal.

 

[coollx]

As I mentioned in my original post, I normally always clear snow (both with the loader or front mount snowblower) with the tractor in 4WD which might explain why I didn't have a problem getting around with my turfs. I also use the ballast box filled with gravel on the back.

Do the rest of you also clear snow in 4WD?

 

[RoyJackson]

Do the rest of you also clear snow in 4WD?

For the most part, yes...

I have cleared snow using 2WD (chains on the rear R-3 tires) and the steering brakes. That worked OK, but it's not as convenient as using the 4WD.

 

[North585]

I always plow/snowblow in 4WD on my X585 (turfs). The odd time when it's icy, I need to use the diff lock to keep moving forward. I find that the front tires will slide a bit laterally when I'm ramming into a hard pack of heavy snow, but nothing too crazy.

On the 2720 with R4s, 4WD all the time in snow....2WD does nothing but spin, even when not pushing snow in the bucket.

I've thought about chains for the 2720 (not needed for the X585) but don't want to tear up the concrete and I don't use it too much for snow removal.

 

[scesnick]

I live up over a mountain on a 2.5 mile dirt/gravel road that I have to plow.
I bought a Kubota MX5100 last winter because of the severe snow. My old Yanmar just wasn't cutting it. The Kubota had R-4's when It was delivered. it would not make it up over the mountain in the deep stuff. There was actually two steep places I particular trouble with.

Then, I traded the R-4's for the R-1's that I wanted in the first place and this winter I zipped right up over the trouble spots no problem at all.

 

[Don87]

I have a fairly steep paved driveway. Last year my neighbor slid dowm my driveway, almost into the road with R4's.

When I purchased the Massey, I got it with R3's, and ordered chains. No worries about sliding into the highway:thumbsup: