Tires Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires

   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #1  

jaykubota

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
15
Location
Ca, Orangevale out side of Sacramento
Tractor
l2800 HST
I am buying a kubota l2800 hst and do not know which tires I should get. My dealer says the industrial tires are and extra $425. over the ag tires, Why the price difference? Do the industrial have better ply, have more steel belts, last longer or what?
I will be using a brush hog sq600 to mow my field and my lawn in front of my house. I will be removing blackbery bushes and regradeing my drive way. Which tire will hold up better to thorns ect? I will be digging out oleander bushes with the front loader, will I have a problem with traction with the industrials? Are the industrials more stable than the ag with a front loader?
Also do I need to have my dealer put water in the rear tires for me? Do I need water in the front tires? I do not think I need antifreeze in them for it does not freeze often in sacramento, ca. I spoke with a contractor and he runs a backhoe with industrial tires and he said something about putting calcium in the tires and never having any flats. Have you ever heard of anything like this?
My old tractor was a kubota l245dt with ag tires, but when my father baught it in 1977 there was only one tire avaible the ag. I am leaning towards the industrial tires but just don't know.
Help
thanks Jay /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #2  
I have had the R-4's (industrial) tires since 1999. Plenty of traction and less damage to the ground. Sorry, but I have never had the ag tires. I would imagine the ag tires would destroy a decent yard, especially when you turn the front wheels while moving. I have never had a need to fill my tires either.

BTW - A brush mower will not give you a manicured cut on your grass. If that is your desire, you will need a finishing mower as well.
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #3  
If your not going on your lawn I'll recommend R1's. Much better traction in my opinion, especially for ground engaging work.

Steve
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #4  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ag tires would destroy a decent yard, especially when you turn the front wheels while moving )</font>

If 4wd isn't engaged.. it shouldn't be a problem./ I ran my ex-NH1920 all over my yard for 3+ years with no problems. In fact only printed in areas of bare sand. That tractor weighed 3000+# Just don't run with 4wd engaged while mowing.

Soundguy
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #5  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I spoke with a contractor and he runs a backhoe with industrial tires and he said something about putting calcium in the tires and never having any flats. )</font>

The 'calcium' he is refering to is CACL.. and you mix it with the water that you put in your tires for ballast. It's cheap and adds quite a few pounds over regular water. The downside is it is very corosive. Any leaks you develop must be repaired immediatly and cleaned up very well.

A tube will protect the rim.. as long as it doesn't leak. CACL mix in the tires also prevent them from freezing.

If it were me.. I'd go water plus antifreeze.. or eco friendly rv tank antifreeze. Or even water plus windshield washer fluid. All will weigh more than straight water, protect from freezing. These last 3 options probably cost a few bucks more than the CACL. As a side benefit.. the a-freeze mixes are generally inhibit corrosion to some degree.

CACL doesn't protect against leaks by any means... just liquid ballast.. etc.

Personally I run Ag's.. tractors no good if the wheels spin...

Soundguy
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #6  
I hate to say it, but I think they are priced that way because 9 out of 10 buyers need R4's so they can do both yard work and box blading, bush hoggin ...
Ag's have better traction all around, but they do tear up the yard more. I had Ag's on my old 8N, a 2wd tractor. They still left marks on my yard.
R4's should be a little more stable, since they have a wider footprint. I'm happy with my R4's but for the model tractor I bought they cost me 600 dollars extra, and that was 3 years ago.

Moon of Ohio
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #7  
Jay,

I just traded my Kubota L-2900 AWD w/FEL, that I'd had for about 6 years. It had Industrials on it, and I never once had any problem. Those tires still looked very good after that time too.

I mowed about 77 acres of pasture once, and sometimes, twice a year, and I used it to move driveway rock and dirt around here too. Some of the pasture area I brush hogged was swampy when mowed too. Never had any traction problems, of any kind, anywhere.

Industrials wear much better if you're mowing on a hard type of ground in part or all, or if like me, you may also have to ride on a dirt/rock County road at all. 27 of those acres I mow are about 1/2 mile up the County Road from my home place.

When ordering my new tractor, an LC Montana 5740C, I ordered it with Industrial tires because of my previous excellent experience with them. I wouldn't have anything else. To me, Ag tires are great if all you're ever in is soft type soil, but they'll wear quicker if not.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #8  
R-4's USUALLY come mounted on wider rims than Ag tires sized for the same tractor. That's GENERALLY becouse those R-4's are wider tires than the AG tires. That wider rims, and the heavier (more plies, more rubber) tires would naturally cost more. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I have a garden tractor/lawn mower, so I don't need and/or worry about having my work tractors on the lawn. Hence... No tire mark problems. Therefore, I MUCH prefer AG tires and their extra traction, over the longevity of R-4's. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Keep 'em off the pavement, and they all last quite a while. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #9  
<font color="blue">I am leaning towards the industrial tires but just don't know.
Help </font>

Jay,

My experience with R4s is that they are a great all around tire, but they don't work well in mud, especially in the clay soil I have.

If using your tractor in mud is not an issue, R4s may work well for you.

In my case, if it is wet, R4s even with chains turn into brown colored slicks real quick.

I don't have a picture on this computer to post, but I have posted one here before. My R4s in mud fill up so bad that you can not tell what kind of tire is under the brown cover...

Aside from that I think the R4s are a great all around tire.
 
   / Industrial tires vs ag tires water in tires #10  
My experience is more like Henro's than UncleBuck's, but then I have a lot of mud certain times of the year just like Henro. For that reason I'll never again run R4s on my tractors, but it sounds like your conditions are more like Texas than the Northeast, so take that with a grain of salt.

R4s are beefier than aggies, so are better for heavy FEL use (I carry heavy loads in my bucket just fine, but have to be mindful of tire pressure). It's claimed R4s are gentler on the turf, but my aggies have never torn up my meadow when mowing unless I made very sharp turns. Never had a thorn issue when taking out blackberries, either. I personally think R4s look great, but given my conditions getting home is more important than looking cool.

I guess it all comes down to the old real estate adage: location, location, location. Pete
 
 
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