Tire Selection Wanted R4 tires to replace Ag tires.

[rpmanship]

I have a kubota L3800 that I bought 2 years ago. I only have 50 hours on the tires and they look like new. I'm interested in finding someone who might want to trade R4 tires for the Ag tires. I wanted to just get R4 tires and put them on my rims but I was told by a tire dealer that they don't make an R4 for my Ag rims.

I mow 13+ acres of low wet grass land when it is dry enough to get the tractor on it. I also maintain a 1200 ft. gravel drive and move snow in the winter. My only real issue with the Ag tires is the way it ruts the wet areas of the property. Is this an advisable desire or would I be dissapointed in the R4 tires?

Any comment/suggestions would be appreciated?

Central Indiana

 

[bulldog69]

While both types have there place if you are in mud on a regular basis you'll be stuck all the time with R4's. They do not like mud at all. I had a friend up helping me clear some ground. I was digging brush out of my branch, my buddy had his L3410 and my son was on my L3000. His had R4's and mine have R1's, both on the same dirt doing loader work and smoothing with box scrapes. My buddy was spinning on top of the ground most of the day and my tractor was going without any problems.

My advise is if you use it like a tractor keep the ag tires.

 

[tman1020]

I prefer r4 over ags for everything except sloppy mud and even then it's questionable with the ags as they to have there limit. One thing to keep in mind is the wider r4 do push down tall grass a bit when mowing.

 

[nybirdman]

Stick with R1's would be my advise also;just stay out of the low areas when wet.

 

[k0ua]

You ask 10 different tractor guys about tires and you will get 10 different answers... but think of it this way, R4's are somewhere between turfs and ag's in the way they tear up wet ground. The do not rut up the ground like ags, but they are not as easy on the ground as turfs. They are tougher than either one as for puncture resistance and have stiffer sidewalls than either one for carrying heavier loads. All tires are a compromise one way or the other. I like R4's because I do mostly loader work. They do not have maximum traction in wet soils. But they will be somewhat easier on your ground in wet conditions. But they will still tear up some.

It is all just a matter of degree.

 

[Oaktree]

While both types have there place if you are in mud on a regular basis you'll be stuck all the time with R4's. They do not like mud at all.

I dunno about that...I got stuck a lot more with my previous tractor that had ags than I do with my present one with R4s. The R4s will often ride on top of soft soil or sod as opposed to the ags that just dig in.

If you're gonna plow snow and have R4s you'd better make sure you chain up first though. R4s have very little traction on snow/ice.

As others have noted, experiences & opinions vary.

 

[devildog1]

I have R4's on my L3540 with the 724 loader which I use to plow lots of snow, never had issue with R4's doing that task. I do mow about 3 acres of grass with 7' Woods finish mower and sometimes if it's really wet I don't use the Grand L just because of the weight. I have had 3 other tractors and all had Ag's on them but I do not nor would I for my tasks go back to Ag's.Dealer is correct for you to change tires you also need to change rims, it won't be cheap, good luck.
DevilDog

 

[drizler]

I used a Fergy TO 20 for a couple decades do all my lawn mowing. Those worn out Ag tires were just great. Since I got my Massey 1736 I do notice it digs in pretty good sometimes when I go tooling across the yard. One thing I notice is that it only really makes a mess when I take a sharp turn. Gotta especially watch trying to turn the wheel before you are moving. If you try to make your turns as gentle as possible and especially not cut the wheel before you take off the tires do little damage at least in my clay soil. They aren't ideal in the soft grass areas especially when wet but sure are nice when the driveway needs plowing and I don't need chains which is nice.

 

[Sysop]

Another thing that causes extra soil damage from AGs is over pressure. Inspect damaged ground. Look at how the tread bars sink into the soil. They should sink flat and even, the center ends of the tread bars shouldn't be any deeper than the outer edges. You can also park on some concrete and look directly at where the tread bars contact the ground. The tread bars on the ground should be making full, flat contact from edge to edge. Achieving this could end up with pressures being anywhere from 6 to 15 PSI depending on the build structure of your tires and the weight of your machine.

Many tractors are shipped with added tire pressures so they don't bounce as much during shipping. Tire pressures also need changed depending on the work being done. If doing loader work, you'll need extra pressure up front. If hanging a backhoe or other heavy item on the back, you'll need to increase the pressure in the rear. Just add enough pressure to keep the sidewalls up enough to keep the tread bars still stay flat under load. Keeping the pressures set right for the task is important to keeping the tire wear even, ground damage minimal, and traction at maximum. It isn't like a car, it isn't a "set it and forget it" thing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Out JD 6200 never does field work. Just landscaping and material moving. I got fed up with the Ag tires. In anything other then dry conditions it would just DESTROY the turf whereever it went. I investigated getting R4s and that quickly hit a road block. The rims were the wrong size for one and the drive ratio between front and back could not be properly established. It was a lost cause! Unfortunately.