R4 to R1 swap - is this a fair deal?

[Deano]

Nice update!! Thank you!:thumbsup:

 

[number9L]

Thanks for the pics and quick review! I think my tractor would be more capable with R1's on it.

It's like I've got a completely different machine, it really is. I am very impressed and actually glad to have been through this (aside from being out the $$) because now I know (so far) which works for me, without a doubt. Now theremay be some negative aspect jump up and bite me in the butt, but as it is at this point I'm sold.

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[lilranch2001]

It's like I've got a completely different machine, it really is. I am very impressed and actually glad to have been through this (aside from being out the $$) because now I know (so far) which works for me, without a doubt. Now theremay be some negative aspect jump up and bite me in the butt, but as it is at this point I'm sold.

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Everyone has a different need.
I have had ag, and I have had industrial
I like the industrial for my little piece of the earth

 

[rScotty]

Looking back at the pictures in message #27 I was astonished at the amount of sticky-looking mud that you have to work in. What you have there is certainly R1 type mud. No wonder you want and need the more aggressive tread!

It just proves again that the ground dictates the tires. In the western US we tend to have rocky sloping ground, but not much mud. If I find a low muddy patch on my land I just leave it there and drive around it. The object being not to spread that nasty stuff around....

So the soil on our piece of ground isn't anything like what you picture. Here it's uneven ground, so a wide tire width is important. Traction-wise, any mud here is mostly what has been brought in by accident - usually on someone's tires. Mostly the ground is rock, crushed granite, and dry loam. R4s are the tire to chose in these mountains.

We rarely see R1 Ag tires unless someone moves here and brings their old favorite flatland farm tractor along with them. R4 industrals are considered to be the "good & tough looking" tire on a hard working mountain tractor. In rocky terrain it the R1 Ag tires that look out of place.
rScotty

 

[Bluegill2]

Great report and photos! R-1s' are by far the best tires for my area also! Don't think the larger L4600 tires are needed, or even wanted. Was just a thought.

Really wide track with the spacers! I might look into 1.5-2" spacers myself. And will be adding wheel weights to the rear also.

Thanks!

 

[wmonroe]

Looks like you have set up the way you need it now, thanks for the pictures and updates. I think it looks better with the R1's also, they are what work best for my use.

 

[xring100]

Looking at your pictures with the mud you definitely got the right tires for the application. I had to have R1s also as my property is mostly red clay. Not to mention they look cool

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

:laughing:Was expecting that question.
I didn't do mud so didn't need the extra traction in mud. Haven't had any traction issues because of tires using the I/R4s, just overpowered light weight Bs and BXs will spin tires. I kept my B2320 in a storage bldg. and getting to the garden across the pavement was a floppy ride since there isn't as much rubber on the ground, they just sort of loped. The I/R4s are, for me, the best all around tire made with being between the turf which has so much rubber meeting the road for great dry ground traction (also snow) and the R1 ags with not much rubber on the road but big tread openings to grab loose dirt to pull the machine. I have less need for big treads to pull me in loose dirt than any other need. The other B2320 owner that was interested in trading uses his tractor mostly for gardening and wanted the loose dirt pulling traction.
In my mind the more rubber on the road means more traction except for loose dry dirt or mud so in my mind I want more rubber on the ground for the jobs I have which is mostly home landscaping on hillside with some flat ground. Turfs are my preference but I don't think they are as puncture resistant as R/I4s nor are the side wall of the turf as strong as the R/I4 for heavy FEL/BH work. Just my opinion based on my experience with several Bs and BXs.
Sure Ag R1 owners will chip in and tell you they are the greatest tire made and why you should spend hundreds of dollars to get them.

Got the R1's today. They only had 1 L4600 and it had R4's on it. I could tell when I pulled out from the dealer with them in the bed of my truck that they are WAY lighter than the R4's. I'd guess a several hundred pounds lighter by the way my truck rode.

Anyway, got them mounted up with the 3" wheel spacers still on. They set out wide - or just look really wide because they aren't as wide as the R4's were. They are about 4" wider from the edges of the tread than the R4's, but mostly because the R4 tread rolls off a couple inches before the sidewall.

I didn't think I'd like the way it looks, but I DO. I took some pics before I took it in the woods and got it all muddy. I drove it around my yard to see if it'd do any damage and it didn't leave any that I seen. It seems pretty planted on the slopes even without the extra weight the R4's have over them. I'll see how it does a while and may think about wheel weights, I think it could use a couple more hundred pound on the ground.

I noticed right away that it rides a lot smoother. And....it chugs through places in 2wd (without Diff Lock) that I had to put the R4's in 4wd to get through. LOTs more traction. When I noticed this, I headed straight for the hill that I got stuck on with the R4's last week. I had the BH and FEL on just like that day and the ground conditions were pretty much the same as that day. Only exception was the hill wasn't covered in "woods covering" but now was just slick where the R4's polished the ground spinning like crazy that day. I tried in 2wd first and it got about 1/3 the way up, Diff Lock took me about 15' further then it started to spin. I put it in 4wd and it pulled right up the hill, did spin a few times, but never lost forward momentum.

After that I stopped to BH a near by field and I noticed that it turns tight to double back and BH the next strip a lot easier than the R4's too.

When the BH'ing was done I headed on back to work on a clogged stream that's been diverting TONS of water down my trail road. It stays muddy down there and the more I worked the tractor the worse it got, but it never showed signs of even thinking about getting stuck. It pulled thorugh this slop with no problems, over and over. The R4's could have NEVER even thought about working in this slop with any real control of where you were going - IF they wouldn't have just got stuck. You can see where the bottom of the tractor was planing the top of the mud off. And those R1's just kept right on working.

I am 1000% SOLD on R1's over R4's. It was an expensive lesson to learn, $600 option to get the R4's in the first place, then $500 more to trade them, but a lesson that won't be repeated for sure.

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Wow!!!! You have MUD with a capital M.
Yes, you need R1s.:thumbsup:
As I said in my reply that I don't have mud or really loose dirt and don't like the R1s after trying them for myself. I've also used R/I4s and Turfs on several other tractors and believe I have chosen the best tires for my use, you have done the same thing and have all confidence that you have the right tire.
I prefer hearing from actual hands on experience to readers and believers and I'm an avid reader/researcher. Just throw more point value to the actual used both products and actual results info provider.
Anyway, the tires look awesome and really good on your tractor. I liked the looks of the Ags on my B2320, made me smile when I'd look at it. Steve Barlow also commented how he liked the way they looked on the B2320 I bought from him.

 

[number9L]

Now I don't have mud like that everywhere. We've got 82ac and it's mostly hilly, rolling but hilly, and not pasture but woods. A lot of it has a fair amount of clay content, so when they get damp they don't dry out good because of the tree canopy blocking the sun from drying them out. There are only a few spots that are really bad and that was one of them. And it wasn't that bad until I started working in it and it just kept getting worse. As I said, the PO's never done anything at all towards water drainage so I've got a LOT of working the land to fix the run off issues.

So for those areas that get bad, the R1's are just what I needed and they do great everywhere else for me too.

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