R4s Wiff

   / R4s Wiff #1  

Mark Page

Platinum Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2009
Messages
559
Location
Maryland
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 2615 48hp, 4wd, loader
Had my first chance to try out the R4s on my new Massey. Had a weed get into my lawn and it was spreading like wildfire. Killed it off with a herbacide called Tenacity and then planned on exposing the soil with a 6ft disk harrow. The ground was damp but I am anxious to get seed down before the weather changes. After my second 200 foot pass the 14.9x24's were slipping and clogged with dirt. I was able to get turned around for the next pass. I engaged the 4wd and the 15.1x18s were slipping also, and clogged with dirt. I made it back to the barn with the tread packed with dirt/mud.
I hope this is not an indication of how they perform in snow, which is why I bought the machine in the first place. I have no doubt that old fashioned ags would have cleaned themselves.
Why is it that R4s are supposed to perform better?
The fronts are OK, but the rears need to have more lugs that are deeper, in other words ag tires.
 
   / R4s Wiff #2  
Better get some chains.. I run them year round on my r4's
 
   / R4s Wiff #4  
Well, I thought I was in the same boat as I got R4's on my JD 5065E. However after plowing with it, I'm not so sure that I went wrong. What kind of ballast to you have if any? I added 856 lbs of weights to the rear wheels on mine and was able to pull 3-14 plows easily (1st gear B range). If I had had more room, I would have added 5 weights per side. I'm still pondering adding some suitcase weights to the back somehow. The thread I started is below.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-owning-operating/253415-i-think-i-screwed-up.html
 
   / R4s Wiff #5  
I had industrials on my last tractor and they were bad on anything but pavement or dry ground. My current tractor has the turfs with lugs and they are much better than the industrials were. I had bad luck with industrials in snow (they would load up an spin) but the turfs seem to self clear. I second the better get chains post if you are running the industrials in the winter. They are good for loader work as they have more plys then turfs/ags but not much good for anything else.
 
   / R4s Wiff #7  
How well each tire does in low traction conditions depends on the soil type. Saying that, R1s will always have better traction than R4s. My experience is that if you have very wet muck/clay then the R4s cannot self clean and essentially turn into slicks. If the muck/clay is sticky enough then the same will happen w/ R1s, but R1s will take on much worse conditions than R4s before this happens. As someone said, chains will mitigate many of these effects. I do not have experience w/ chains and cannot tell you if R4 + chains equals the traction of an R1, but it seems like it would be worth a try (chains are much cheaper than a new set of rims & tires).

Heavy, wet snow can have similar tire packing issues on R4s as muck/clay. One downside of chains is that they will tear up asphalt & concrete and may not be a good option for clearing snow off a driveway. If this is your primary need consider sipping the R4s. Although not common, many have sipped R4s w/ good success (on snow not muck/clay). There have been threads on sipping - do a search.

Some advantages of R4s is load capacity. For a similar tire size, R4s have a MUCH higher load capability. Also, when loaded heavy, R4s do not flex nearly as much (matter of fact, at full pressure and load capacity it is hard to see any sidewall flex) as R1s. When R1s are loaded I'm afraid to turn hard for fear of unseating the bead because the sidewall flex looks so bad. Another advantage is tire life if you spend allot of time on paved or gravel roads.

Overall, it seems like the guys who say that the R4s have plenty of traction don't get into swamp or heavy muck. The guys who have not much need for R4s do not carry heavy loads on their FELs, forks, etc.

Ultimately, your tire selection will depends on what your needs are.
 
   / R4s Wiff #8  
i have R4s on my tractor an i have yet to see any problems in mudd.but of course we havent had a real wet muddy crappy winter since 2009/2010.in mudd the R4s dont track or rut up to bad.
 
   / R4s Wiff #9  
I use my R4 equipped tractor for everything from finish mowing to twitching logs. They don't shred the lawn if you are on top of wheelspin, yet they work relatively well in snow and mud compared to turfs. I think when talking getting the most bang for your buck out of a single tractor, they're hard to beat.

I did finally put chains (half worn, modified, 500lb pair of payloader chains) last winter and it was a marked improvement on the RimGuard loaded tires.
 
   / R4s Wiff #10  
keep in mind, distance from fenders can limit road speed with chains on.

I have R-1's, when i bought the tractor it had ice chains mounted on it. very little clearance to fenders. Had to be careful, and they were tight. The tractor was unstoppable with them on. But a little overkill. If you got steep side hills, you might want them, but I would try a winter without chains. They will cause damage to pavement, no matter how careful.
 
 
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