R4 Industrial Tires-Plowing / Disking / Ploughing / Ground Engaging Tasks

[mwb]

Can you add chains to R4 tires to help them getting better traction in wet / muddy conditions? Will is tear up the tires? Anything else that you could put on R4s to improve traction?

Yes you can add chains, they will not hurt the tires. If you are on pavement then that will be hard on everything.

tractor tire chains for farm tractors has lots of info and choices.

 

[JDeerekid]

Can you add chains to R4 tires to help them getting better traction in wet / muddy conditions? Will is tear up the tires? Anything else that you could put on R4s to improve traction?

Yes you can add chains to the tires and it will not tear up the tire. Just make sure you get chains that stay on the outside out the tire and not down in between the tire lugs or it will not make any difference.
Like MWB said chains will tear up the road and ride rough on paved surfaces.

 

[wolc123]

Charles brought up a good point. With R4's you can use different tools to compensate for the lack of traction. A rototiller requires far less traction than a plow or disk, and a snowblower requires a lot less than a snowplow. The only drawback I see here is that cost and maintenence is higher on these tools.

 

[Rara Avis]

Then we should take out our slide rules and using sequential binary math equations all done in scientific double blind sampling (of course), come to a final answer on which tire is better

Boy are you showing your age...They don't even make sliderules anymore...

International Slide Rule Museum

 

[SPYDERLK]

Can you add chains to R4 tires to help them getting better traction in wet / muddy conditions? Will is tear up the tires? Anything else that you could put on R4s to improve traction?

Well, when you have a broken leg you can use crutches, and when you have no lower leg you can get a prosthesis that can allow you to be competitive in the olympics.

horses for courses. I don't think either is "better" but one may be better for what you do.

I have r4s. happy with them, got them again. I'll pretty much never pull a plow - that sort of thing is a rototiller for me, which is not nearly so tractor dependent.

THere's a reason you see r1s on most to all ag tractors. and a reason you see r4s on most to all TLBs. And turfs on golf courses....

Now what I'm really wondering is how turfs + chains compare to R4s...

A large part of the reason is construction site usage. Tufness is the main issue there. The terrain is being controlled by multiple machines which can gang up if one gets stuck. You very seldom see chains because of this, combined with the site becoming hardpack, and vacations when it rains. Chains are an answer intertwined in an expensive hassle. Keeping a tire in chains will wear out many chains over the shortened life of the tire. Taking them on and off and lugging them around is a joy.

Much of the rest of the reason you see so many industrials is the way they look. People inexperienced with traction basics can easily be sold on them. The dealers push them in ways ranging from subtle to overt. The tractor is on the lot with R4s. You have to wait for the R1s. Theyre tuf. Most people are choosing these. Wont tear up your lawn.... Etc. Well...Might as well get em cuz they look good and I can have the tractor now. I can always get other tires, etc. --Then many wont even attribute their lack of multipurpose traction to the tire but to the conditions. If they do become adventurous and dissatisfied with traction and width options, they find that you cant just change the tires. They become acclimated to the limits. A proportion of users just get stuck with them after not making a fully informed choice.
larry

 

[Builder]

Boy are you showing your age...They don't even make sliderules anymore...

International Slide Rule Museum

You're right! I am a relic, but I still prefer gettin er done instead of paralysis from over analysis on the internet.

 

[Rara Avis]

You're right! I am a relic, but I still prefer gettin er done instead of paralysis from over analysis on the internet.

You've just described about 90% of the threads here...

 

[schmism]

id say 10-15% of my tractor tasks are serious ground engaging tasks. I come up short on traction every time. My little TC33 has enough HP in low gear (even with the hydro) to usually spin tires before bypass kicks in on ground engaging tasks.

SO based on that, the R4's i currently have are a no go.

but 30-40% of the seat time occurs when its wet out. and R4's tear enough up as it is, turfs would be best then, but R1's would be a disaster for my lawn. based on that R1's are a no-go

the rest of the time (the other 50%) the R4's give me the traction i need with minimal foot print impression.

you can see how i arive at what tire i want to run.....

So in short, R4's are likely to come up short for ground engaging tasks, but if its a relatively little amount of the seat time you expect, and are the R1's drawbacks (turf imprint, ride quality) for the rest of the seat time, enough for you to go R4's

 

[Lunk]

My main concern with tires was in respect to a combination of flotation and traction. R-4's, while a compromise, seemed to fit my needs. So far, so good.

I bush-hog about 15 acres of shooting lanes for deer (not Deere) season, and much of it is what could be considered "intermittent wetlands" (DNR's term for it, not mine).

I would call it spring / summer swamp.

It's been dry lately, so I was able to get out and mow for 5 hrs on Saturday, and I ran into a few spots that were still wet enough to bury everything if not careful....The R-4's did fine, and I feel the extra width contributed to my not needing to get out the truck and the "snappy-strap." My lowly 35hp tractor wieghs in at about 3800# without the loader and kutter on it. It doesn't tear up my 3.5 ac of lawn when I'm working around the house (as long as tight turns in 4wd are avoided), and appear to give me the traction I need. That being said - I'm sure the weight will come in handy when I'm pushing snow this winter...

Aside from that - They looked cool on the lot, and I didn't have to wait for one with Ag's on it to be shipped!

 

[Lasgambler]

I think we should get out the protractors, calipers and lasers to check all the tires out. Then we should take out our slide rules and using sequential binary math equations all done in scientific double blind sampling (of course), come to a final answer on which tire is better

I Like that answer.

I still use a sliderule for concrete calculation.

I had R-1's and found for my work here in the Desert Southwest, they were to rough in tearing up the "Desert Pavement". It rains so little and gets so hot, the sun bakes the ground and turns it into a crust called "Desert Pavement" Once you break the crust your tracks are there for ever. The R-4s are more forgiving.

I put new wheels and new R-4's. (Loaded) now at about 7000 lbs. I can fill and pull my Gearmore 80 inch. 800 lb. gannon with no problem.

As for as Plows and disc, can't say. Don't own any, Nothing will grow here anyway.