Traction Another R1 v. R4 tires question

[jeff9366]

This 72" model from ETA is 635 pounds; priced commensurate with weight:

72" Category I&II XTreme Duty Box Blade by Everything Attachments

Here is a Woods weighing 680 pounds:

BSM72 Landscape Equipment

The Woods brand is highly regarded. Woods has numerous dealers because the demand is there.

Do not buy a box blade with the intention of adding weight after arrival. Buy your Box Blade with the weight devoted to strength.

Here are T-B-N threads devoted to Woods BSM72 box blade:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=BSM72+site:tractorbynet.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

[sdef]

Thanks again Jeff9366. I will upgrade my BB thoughts to the top end ETA or the Woods BSM72. I would FAR rather have the proper tool the first time around.

 

[jeff9366]

Now you need to determine if you want a box blade with a FIXED back, HINGED back, or HINGED AND LATCHING back.

Here is the universe of T-B-N posts with opinions on whether to buy HINGED or not to buy HINGED.......

Google

Still having fun?

 

[Morning Wood]

I've got r1's and they really beat up a finished lawn if you go over it. You might want to think about a backhoe for that tractor too if you have a lot of large rocks.

 

[jeff9366]

I will be purchasing my first CUT and using it to clear our new home site on 4.4 acres, that is densely wooded and rocky- similar to mountain type property, with some small boulders that will tax the FEL, along with the majority of rocks that are maybe 12" - 24" in diameter. The tractor work will be mostly FEL and box blade to clear and build the 475' drive and 2 acre home/garden site.

This is a substantial job. If you buy a light box blade the job will be hard and the box blade beat up after completion of the job, should you decide to sell it after a year or two. A heavy BB, as you are considering, will make the job easier and probably be easier to sell later. Light box blades turn up on Craigs List because people find they do not do the job and want to get rid of them.

(( After I complete a multi-day task with an implement I can never bear to sell it. ))

Just do not get frustrated in the beginning. Box blades take quite a while to master. The concept is so simple it seems you should be able to operate effectively immediately, but it takes time to learn BB technique, especially working rocky "soil".

You are on the right track.

 

[sdef]

Thanks again jeff9366. This is another point I have been pondering- the hinged rear blade. With having no experience with this type of device and just thinking about the basic operations of each blade, how they can interact/interfere with each other, along with the vertical angling (glad I will have a T-N-T), makes me think I would rather have a hinged back blade that could be secured in a static- locked down position for use in smoothing when moving forward or to help act as a type of stability gauge for the front blade. But I would find it hard to plunk my money down for a hinged rear blade that could not be locked down. I am all about options.

 

[the old grind]

IMO the hinged rear blade doesn't offer much, really. Controlling the depth of cut with 'fixed' is as easy as adjusting a top link, no? With t-n-t, the hinge option would be another 'sunroof' to me.

I've had only a dozen yrs with a BB & three tire types, R-4s only recently ('Rim Guard' fill). I'm very quickly adapting to them and appreciate the good traction on the local gamut of surfaces. Steering is sure & steady on the rocky & uneven, and the ride as smooth there as with turfs, ie: less tiring after a while somehow. Lawn damage is minimal and, with 4wd, stalling the motor is too easy on anything but lawn, sand, or mud, so o'all traction doesn't seem an issue yet. We'll have to see if R-4s push snow as well as the turfs did. (surprising, they were, with air fill ..) btw: I learned here that siping the lugs works wonders in the winter.

I do 'lower the hooks' on the BB when plumbing rocks from the depths of a new garden or food plot, .. multiple sub-soilers if you will. I must say that your 'six' may be tossed around if you hit the 'big one' with an outer tooth, even at a crawl, and your 3-pt gear might be seriously tested. (Ask me how I know .. :laughing I might use 1-3-5 and crossing passes vs the 1-pt SS and its drudgery. 2 & 4 have beat older my weaker (former) sway links the least and caused the least neck-snapping and cringing. A lot can depend on what you can get a 'feel' for in a particular area.

 

[coobie]

IMHO the R-4 tires suck.I had them on my 2008 kioti DK40se and hated them from day one.To fat and they would not just not dig in.I just bought a new 2012 Kioti DK40se cab model and ordered the R1 ag tires.I had a chance to do some loader work this weekend in some rough areas glad I got the ag tires.Both sets of tires were loaded with rimguard.coobie

 

[NHmitch]

The R1 vs R4 has been a widely debated topic. R4's have 70% of the tread depth of an R1 tire. R1's have the best traction and are the widest used tire in Agriculture in the US and Canada, however they are narrower, and do damage lawns. R4's are typically used in construction and light industrial applications. If you have to drive in snow, R1's would probably be better. I switched to R1's because I needed the extra traction, and New England is very rocky, and hilly, and muddy at times. I drive primarily in the woods, over rocky soil, and up a lot of hills. I found that I needed the extra traction when I was working on my trails and driving in the woods. I have not regretted the switch once, and when I buy a new tractor, I will make sure that it has R1's, however I am not allowed to drive on the lawn per my wife after I have left ruts. R4's will last longer on hard roads, and pavement, and both have their own advantages. Traction was my major issue, and we get a lot of snow here in the winter, so that played a big role as well and there was no question about making the switch to R1's.. Hope that you really enjoy your new tractor, and property!

This article has everything that you ever wanted to know about tires and you should really read this if you have the time..https://elibrary.asabe.org/data/pdf/6/crt2004/Lecture28.pdf

 

[sdef]

NHmitch- Thanks for the great tire/wheel article and I have saved this article as a reference piece. Almost all of the other posters have responded that in my circumstances, R4 would be the best. I also have rocky soil like you, but will have no snow to contend with (one reason I moved here from Iowa many years ago) and am expecting the mud situation to be shallow.

I recently had a geo-technical engineer provide a soil analysis that I could provide to my future home builder, primarily to ensure the house will have a proper, long-term foundation in this troubled soil, as DHEC had denied a septic tank permit (as expected) and I will have to build an engineered septic system- basically a mini waste treatment plant. When the geo-tech guy was out there using a hand auger for his tests, in most of the spots of the marked foundation area, he could only get 12" below the surface (I assume due to the rocky soil) and in one spot he was able to get 36" down. And this confirms I do not think mud should be a significant issue for me.

Is your noted experience using the Bolens G154 tractor? Or a larger, heavier unit? My tractor will weigh between 5500 - 6600 pounds.

And thanks for a great post!

Greg