Turfs in the woods?

[ChuckinNH]

I'm looking at a small tractor, and am considering turf tires for all around use. I'm working on my trails in the woods, and though there aren't the obstacles there that there might be if I were just going through the woods, there still is some stubble from weedwhacking 1/2"-2" saplings, etc. I'm worried that the turfs won't be tough enough......... does everyone agree? Should I follow my gut, and have them order the r-4's though it means waiting?
Thanks for your help!

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm looking at a small tractor, and am considering turf tires for all around use. I'm working on my trails in the woods, and though there aren't the obstacles there that there might be if I were just going through the woods, there still is some stubble from weedwhacking 1/2"-2" saplings, etc. I'm worried that the turfs won't be tough enough......... does everyone agree? Should I follow my gut, and have them order the r-4's though it means waiting?
Thanks for your help!

R-4's work good for all round use...I mow with mine.
But if you're a perfect "Lawn and Garden" type lawn...well, I do get slippage some times.
Just don't use FWD and mow when the grass is wet...shouldn't have any problems

 

[DmansPadge]

Just from what you posted..... I would get the R-4s.

 

[johnk]

R-4's should serve you well. I think they will be worth the wait. Better than being unhappy with the turfs when you get the tractor. Tires are quite expensive.

 

[jbrumberg]

ChuckinNH:

If you are working on trails in your woods you may ultimately need a landscape rake and/or a boxblade for trail enhancement and maintenance which would require traction and create mud. R-3's would load up and become useless in that scenerio. I also agree as to questionning how robust R-3's would be going over stubble. I would recommend R-4's. Jay

 

[john_bud]

You can also order a la cart and get tires from some other place. There are higher ply turf tires available. Cost is similar to R-4's. That may be your best bet.

Check out the TITAN site and that french tire company.

jb

 

[VABlue]

My $0.02 has to ask whether you'll be on those trails more than on a fresh lawn? I bought because I want to clear out some woods and create trails. But while that long term stuff is in process I'll be maintaining a brand new lawn far more often than traipsing through woods, which is why I went with turfs. If your lawn is mature, or you won't be driving over it so much, get the R4s. But if it was newly installed and that is your primary purpose, well then, sir, you have a tuogh choice to make! My thoughts were to run with turfs for a few years, then swicth to R4s when the lawn is better able to handle a rougher tread.

 

[RalphVa]

I've turfs on my 4010 and use it to go down through trails through the woods and to brush hog along trails across neighbors' properties. The only flat so far was on the front. Immediately aired it up and slimed it and the other one. Never even checked for a nail or thorn. Could have just been pushed off the rim by the loader. No flat since, front or back; make sure they're fully inflated since. These are Titan turfs. JD dealer said they'd be tough. No noticeable wear on the rears, maybe a little on the fronts. Three years and 255 hours.

Both R4s (industrial) and R3s (turfs) load up in mud. If you want to run in the mud, you'll need R1s (ags). I had both ags and turfs for my Gravely when I had it. The turfs would give more grip in any dry or slightly damp conditions just because they put more rubber onto the surface wanting to be gripped. The ags were better in snow. Chains on turfs were even better in really slick conditions in snow/ice.

Bad thing about chains and ags is once they lose traction, they'll dig holes, or, in between, bounce the crap out of the tractor. This is how a lot of the old tractors likely got stuck: combo of non-driven front wheels creating resistance and the ag tires just digging into the mud.

 

[hazmat]

Having run both turfs and R4s on the same tractor I give this advice.

If you are considering turfs, go with turfs. - feel free to quote me

A couple of caveats:

If you plan a lot of loader work, check how strong (# ply's, weight rating) the front turfs are. On my TC18, they squish real bad, on the B3030 they are as tuff as R4s.

R4s tore up my lawn. I've never gotten stuck with turfs, I have gotten stuck with the R4s (though I wouldn't have attempted the operation with turfs). I've gotten flats in both, tire slime solved that problem.

Some turfs are more aggressive than others - for example the ones on my B3030 have larger lugs


big pic of B3030

more here R4 - turf

 

[MossRoad]

Sure, turfs will plug up with mud... if you have mud. For instance, most of our property is sandy. There is no mud, no matter how wet it gets. R4s got me stuck in sand many times. Turfs did fine.

Do you get snow? Do you have a paved driveway? Turfs will give better traction than R4s in snow on pavement.

Do you have a nice lawn that you want to mow? Turfs will do a better job in that situation. When I drove across my lawn with R4s in all but the driest of situations, they left cleat marks. Turfs do not.

The trail work you mention is the only stickler. I run turfs in my woods and I have popped them on large thorns and tree stumps. But my turfs are only two ply. Higher ply turf tires loaded with slime sealant would be fine for most stuff. If you have mud, you could get some chains for traction in the woods, and remove them for your lawn work. R4s are a good choice for construction sites, but I wouldn't recommend them for most home owner situations.

This is, of course, just my opinion. Find out what other people in your area are using and ask them how they like them and what they would or would not do differently. The main thing is... you're gettinga tractor! Wooo hooo!!!!