Finnster
Silver Member
I've been looking at swapping from R4 industrial tires to turf tires on my B2620 (TLB) this year when mowing season starts up. The R4s are loaded and have worked really well for all the projects I've done, and they have been great in the snow this winter plowing (no chains.) Only downside is they tend to beat up my grass more than I like. So I've been looking at getting a set of turfs. I have clay, and some parts are often soggy, and the R4s leave tread marks or even rip the mud up there.
Buying a full set of turfs (F&R) from the dealer is very expensive, ~$1100 for wheels/tires. I did manage to find a set of new Kenda F turf tires for a good price ($130/pair shipped.)
For now I plan on just removing the F industrial tires and mounting the turfs to the existing rim. The tire and wheel size is not changing as best as I can confirm. (23" diameter wheel)
However, the rears are tricker. The wheel looks different for the R4s than the R3s. 16.5" radius vs a 15" for the turfs. Plus I want to keep a set of the mounted/filled R4s to swap back to as needed (for now at least, and I do know they are v heavy.) So I was looking to get a set of wheels and tires. The dealer still wants $700-800 for the set.
So I was looking around and saw a number of people have used light duty truck tires on their tractors due to the insane cost of the tires. Pricing this out, I can get the Kubota rear wheels, 15x10", for approx $90 ea. I was looking on tire rack for the 33X12.5R15 that match the 23x8.50-12 tires in the front. Example, Grabber ATs that are going for $150 ea right now. In short I can get a full set of rears for less than $500, and they seem like good quality tires.
Some tire specs:
Kubota B2620 Tires:
Lawn/turf front: 23x8.50-12 (Diameter: 22.6, RC=71"?, Max Load pounds: 1124.4)
Lawn/turf rear: 33x12.50-15 (Rolling Circumference: 102", Max Load pounds: 2090)
Industrial front: 23x8.50-12 (6-ply IIRC, Rolling Circumference: 68", Max Load pounds: 1810)
Industrial rear: 12-16.5 (Rolling Circumference: 101", Max Load pounds: 4220)
So basically all the specs are fairly close. The only thing I don't have a direct compatible on is the RC for the F turfs, but that shouldn't matter too much as long as I get a R truck tire that is close to the OEM tires. For the truck AT linked above, it looks as if the RC is 99-100", and erring on the small side is better as its more lead. (Don't know the lead with the OEM turfs, but the change to truck ATs is only ~1% more lead.)
The load ratings are also comparable, 2205 lbs for the truck AT. Not anywhere near the R4s, but a bit more than oem turfs.
Anyone see any reason this is just a bad idea? In the end it *only* saves $200, but I'm not seeing what that buys me anyways. Maybe a little gentler on grass, but I would think the truck tires are better in snow/ice.
Buying a full set of turfs (F&R) from the dealer is very expensive, ~$1100 for wheels/tires. I did manage to find a set of new Kenda F turf tires for a good price ($130/pair shipped.)
For now I plan on just removing the F industrial tires and mounting the turfs to the existing rim. The tire and wheel size is not changing as best as I can confirm. (23" diameter wheel)
However, the rears are tricker. The wheel looks different for the R4s than the R3s. 16.5" radius vs a 15" for the turfs. Plus I want to keep a set of the mounted/filled R4s to swap back to as needed (for now at least, and I do know they are v heavy.) So I was looking to get a set of wheels and tires. The dealer still wants $700-800 for the set.
So I was looking around and saw a number of people have used light duty truck tires on their tractors due to the insane cost of the tires. Pricing this out, I can get the Kubota rear wheels, 15x10", for approx $90 ea. I was looking on tire rack for the 33X12.5R15 that match the 23x8.50-12 tires in the front. Example, Grabber ATs that are going for $150 ea right now. In short I can get a full set of rears for less than $500, and they seem like good quality tires.
Some tire specs:
Kubota B2620 Tires:
Lawn/turf front: 23x8.50-12 (Diameter: 22.6, RC=71"?, Max Load pounds: 1124.4)
Lawn/turf rear: 33x12.50-15 (Rolling Circumference: 102", Max Load pounds: 2090)
Industrial front: 23x8.50-12 (6-ply IIRC, Rolling Circumference: 68", Max Load pounds: 1810)
Industrial rear: 12-16.5 (Rolling Circumference: 101", Max Load pounds: 4220)
So basically all the specs are fairly close. The only thing I don't have a direct compatible on is the RC for the F turfs, but that shouldn't matter too much as long as I get a R truck tire that is close to the OEM tires. For the truck AT linked above, it looks as if the RC is 99-100", and erring on the small side is better as its more lead. (Don't know the lead with the OEM turfs, but the change to truck ATs is only ~1% more lead.)
The load ratings are also comparable, 2205 lbs for the truck AT. Not anywhere near the R4s, but a bit more than oem turfs.
Anyone see any reason this is just a bad idea? In the end it *only* saves $200, but I'm not seeing what that buys me anyways. Maybe a little gentler on grass, but I would think the truck tires are better in snow/ice.