Tire Choices

[mangus580]

I am asking this here in the LS forum, because I am looking for the opinion from LS owners only (as thats what I am looking to buy, and want a good comparison on the specific tractor).

Basically - Ag vs Industrial tires, and why?

Do the industrial tires do as good traction wise? I know they are better at not tearing up the ground when turning and such.... Its my assumption, that unless I am going to be doing Ag stuff all the time (constant field work) that I will probably be happier with the Industrial...

[vwnotrunning]

No documentation or actual facts, but the industrial tires on my LS seem to hold up to the changing loads of FEL work. The ags on the john deere definately have greater traction in the dirt. Really depends on use.

[mangus580]

I should mention - in a 4x4 tractor, my only major experience has been on turf tires... and I have to say, I was quite impressed with them on the borrowed Kubota today in the snow... with UNLOADED tires at that!

[Bob77064]

My tractor has the industrial tires. They are great when using the FEL with heavy loads and the traction in the mud is pretty good.

[DavidBR]

What size LS tractor are you looking to purchase? Industrial tires are a good choice if you run on pavement a good bit of the time. They are without a doubt more turf friendly, and do not tear the ground up nearly as bad as Ags. Industrial Tires are also slightly more puncture resistant than Ags, from what I understand. All that being said, Ags simply provide better traction than industrials and I believe that is simply a fact. For any kind of tractor work in soft or wet conditions Ags will really outshine the industrials. In my opinion Ags are hard to beat.

[oldtoyboyd]

I can give you a comparison that I have experienced. I took my R4047 to deer camp to do some bush hogging before season. With industrial tires and 4wd I could easily get stuck in wet stuck and have to push myself out backwards with the FEL. Another camp member was running my Mahindra 3505DI 2wd with rice and cain tires. It would walk right through the same stuff I was getting stuck in with no problem. My LS tires would fill up and spin on top. Same thing with pulling a disc at the house when it was a little wet, my LS would spin on top and stop. My Mahindra 2wd would pull right on through it. They both have there place.

[whistlepig]

My experience:
AG's have the best traction.
R4's are easier on lawns but have less traction than AG's. R4's wear like iron and ride like iron. AG's ride better.

[Gary Fowler]

I have Ags on my P7010 and that is the only choice for that tractor that they come with. I have R4 tires on my Kubota and they pull ok in dry dirt but do spin and slick over in the least bit of mud. I dont run my LS a lot on the lawn but use it in the pasture with a bushhog and I dont find that it tears the grass up at all unless you are on wet ground and really one should not be running a tractor when the ground is wet with any type of tire while expecting to not leave ruts. The AGs will haul as much a load as I can put on my LS and not squat at all but it does feel like you have caterpillar tracks on it when on hard ground as you can count each lug as it hits the ground. Carrying capacity has much to do with the PSI air pressure althought R4 tires usually have more ply rating than AG but you can get the Rice and Cane tires that have 8-12 ply rating which equals or exceeds the R4 tires. Just depends on what you want to do with the tractor.
If you will be using the tractor mostly for mowing and traversing on the grass, get the R4 as they dont leave as deep a tire lug print in the soft ground and they are usually wider than the comparable R1 so they do float a bit better. Stay out of the mud with them and they perform pretty well.

[Kenn1320]

Not to hi jack your thread, but Im looking at getting a new LS and wondering the same thing. If were talking dry conditions, does the R4 have anything over the turf tires? For plowing snow wouldnt turf and chains be better then anything else? Ill be doing mostly mowing with some disc or tiller work and with 4x4 I cant see needing anything more then turf tires, but no experience to say for sure. Short of running a plow, I cant see any need for ag tires.

[mangus580]

No worries on the hijack, since its the same discussion!

I think I am going to settle for the industrial. I am sure there will be times I wish I had Ag, but I doubt it will be 'that' often....