R1 vs R4 Tire Selection

[canoetrpr]

Not to hijack your thread but I have a L3400 now with R4s. I thought if I ever upgraded to another tractor I'd get R1s.

My property gets pretty wet in the spring and when it rains hard. I've been stuck in a ditch in the snow once. Of course I could get chains that that would deal with the snow problem but just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle given all my land is flat (minus the ditch I got stuck in!).

Just a little extra traction from time to time might make the difference. Plus the R4s cost more.

 

[LD1]

My L4740 HST 4wd owners manual calls for standard:
front tires 8.3-16 (circumference 94")
rear tires 14.9-24 (circumference 149").

There has to be a gear reduction somewhere to account for the difference in circumference. As I see it, as long as I maintain a rear to front circumference ratio of 149:94 I would be adhereing to the
owners manual specification.

I currently have:
front tires 10-16.5 (circumference 91")
rear tires are 17.5-24 (circumference 145")
So my ratio is 145:91. Very close to the owners manual specification.

Is this correct or am I missing something?

Yes there is gear reduction in the 4wd setup. And I would assume that the 8.3-16 F / 14.9-24R combination was the optional R1 tires that your tractor could have been origionally equipped with.

The numbers are right there, in black and white. You currently have a 145" rear R4 tire, so if you want an R1, it HAS to be a 145" as well. NOT a 155" like the 16.9 tire. I wouldnt even put them 149" 14.9's on there without going with the taller R1 front as well.

If you do the numbers, 145/91 or 149/94, it sats you need a pair of tires with a ratio of ~ 1.58-1.59. Just throwing them 16.9 AG's on the back would put you in at 1.70:confused2: NOT going to work unless you came up with a front tire in the 97-98" range, and them you may run into clearence issues.

It really is pretty simple though. Just play with the numbers and find tires that puts you at that magic 1.58-1.59 ratio and you will be fine.

 

[sweep]

I have R1's and my uncle has R4's and he has 7 more HP. I can flat out work him any day of the week in the woods, snow, or fields. As for loader work we both have them and I can not tell any difference in 8 years for me and 7 years for him. We both mow our yards and I can honestly say my R1's do no more damage than his R4's and the few times he has gotten stuck in the woods or trails he has done lots of damage. I have yet to be stuck.

I would go for R1's unless cost of rims becomes a factor. Yes, R4's look cool but that is where it ends for me. Just look at what real farmers use, that tells the story for me.....

Chris

I have R1's and they do not do any damage to the ground. Been brushogging that field for 6 years now.

The first pic is my dad brush hogging wet ground. They are great for blading snow also. They really dig in.

 

[Rockin' G Ranch]

It really is pretty simple though. Just play with the numbers and find tires that puts you at that magic 1.58-1.59 ratio and you will be fine.

EXACTLY what I thought. Now I need to decide on R1 or R4.

Thanks for the help, guys.

 

[Clarke Wellborn]

I hope it is not criminal to join a thread that is 7 years old. I'm a newbie at both tractor matters and forums. The posts in this thread have in them almost everything I need to point to the solution to my problem. My son's Case DX45 has the same R-4's front and back as Rockin' G Ranch has in this post. My son really needs new R-1's. What I didn't get from the thread was whether the proposed 8.3-16 and 14.9-24 R-1 tires would
a) fit on the R-4 rims (or need new, less wide rims) and b) be available (I'm not sure my local tire store could find these.)

The R-1's recommended at some official site were either
13.6-24 and 7.00-16 (clearly needing new rims) or
14.9-24 and 8.00-16 (not sure if assuming new rims).

Thanks for any help.

Clarke

 

[arrow]

You need 13" rims for traditional r'1's for your rears. Now what may be an alternative but rather expensive is what they call (Northern Products anyway) "hybrid R4's" They look like radials to me and seem to be wider than regular r1's. These can go on 13"-16"x24 rims..

 

[oosik]

Unless you need added traction that the R-1's could provide - stick with new R-4's and be happy. Changing over from R-4 to R-1 will include the cost of new rims. Need more traction - put on new R-4's all the way around, so you won't have 4WD problems and have the dealer put Rim Guard, RV antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, etc in the rears.

I have 6 ply Firestone all the way around. Titan, Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone - good brands. If you are going to radials - there are several good European brands.

 

[rScotty]

Unless you need added traction that the R-1's could provide - stick with new R-4's and be happy. Changing over from R-4 to R-1 will include the cost of new rims. Need more traction - put on new R-4's all the way around, so you won't have 4WD problems and have the dealer put Rim Guard, RV antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, etc in the rears.

I have 6 ply Firestone all the way around. Titan, Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone - good brands. If you are going to radials - there are several good European brands.

Just like oosik says, you should probably stick with new R4s. A new sharp R4 tread will give you a lot more traction for years - not as much as R1, but I'd bet it's more than you're thinking. And by staying with R4s you get noticibly more stability on slopes. Plus you avoid all the problems with different rims. Radials and special tires come with the need for some research to avoid a possibility of upsetting the internal Front to Rear transmission ratio... - which blows drives shafts and trannys.
rScotty