dlearyfun said:
I am close to deciding to buy the Mahindra 5530 that I checked out recently but am not sure about which tires to get. A friend who works on a farm suggested ag tires for better traction in snow moving which is one of main things I plan on using the beast for. I have seen pictures on this site however of a number of tractors fitted with industrial tires and they seemed to have a pretty aggressive tread pattern which you would think would work well in snow. Another reason I am leaning to R4 is the footprint seems to be much larger than R1 and given the very heavy weight of the 5530 would distribute the weight of the tractor over a larger area. This is an issue with me as I am concerned about the weight of the tractor in my barn. The floor of my barn seems to have pretty strong and large wood planks, however four tons plus is quite a load. Another reason for a bigger footprint would be working on wet ground. Here in Maine, mud season can last awhile especially after a big snow season which this year certainly is. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Ideas would be very much appreciated.
Footprint area is directly related to the pressure in the tires, so will be almost exactly the same when running the same tire pressures. Actually, pressure for pressure the industrial footprint will be smaller because of the stiffer carcass. The AG however, is much more likely to disturb the ground due to the more widely spaced intense pressure points caused by the aggressive cleating. This provides great traction on moderately unified soils like turf or tilled ground - also in deep snow. When they spin they self clean, maintaining traction as they dig to where they can get a better hold. The AGs have a longer footprint and are intended to be run softer. Their larger diameter and more gradual curvature adds to traction, and also gives the advantage of being able to roll up and over obstacles more easily and with less of a bump.
The Industrials are somewhat superior on highly unified and very poorly unified bases such as hardpack and sand. At equal pressure there is more area of rubber actually touching the ground on hardpack and the stiff carcass stabilizes the tread resisting it folding over under high push load. On sand the relatively smooth thread pattern holds the sand down more uniformely than the AG, consolidating it as it pushes ahead. The Industrial traction advantage in these cases is small however. The real advantages are that its
smoothness causes less marking on turf and, combined with the tuffer carcass, allows it to resist damage from sharp debris. These are also capable of, and intended to be run at higher pressure, giving greater load carry ability. If you are carrying heavy loads very far very much this leans you toward the industrials. If not, max pressure in the AGs will handle it while enabling you to apply significantly more force with your tractor. The AG setup gives more and wider tracking width adjustment to aid stability as well.
You will surely not be mowing your lawn with a 5530. The AGs will probably offer too many advantages elsewhere.
Whichever you get, it will probably be very new rubber - not really fully cured. The rubber will harden some and become tuffer over the 1st year or so. All of the cuts in my AGs on the 7520 occurred in the 1st summer season.
larry