Snow Equipment Owning/Operating R4's and snow don't mix

[DK35vince]

I chuckle when I read all these "traction" problems. I barely needed 4 wheel drive last night while plowing with R-4's.

You plowed 4" of snow for the first time this year. The dirt and gravel was barely covered.
Many members here that are having traction problems are pushing many more inches or even several feet of snow that has been pounded down for weeks now with layers of ice under the snow.

 

[ChuckinNH]

"The Force" is a powerful thing, not dependent on tire style, or even tread at all. Coeificient of friction is meaningless, ballast merely a word. It is a state not often achieved by mortals, but there are those rare few that have it. Be one with the journey, and feel only the destination. It is only then that one can truly say "I have plowed".
May the Force be with you.

 

[slowzuki]

I've used wide R-1's and narrow R-1's in the snow as well. In deep snow the R-1's are great for getting around. On light snow such as driveway plowing they seem almost as bad as R-4. The wide R-1's on driveways act just like R-4's. Guys that use them in the woods don't seem to mind them.

With my R-4's in deep snow I have to plow my paths to do logging except in the spring once the snow gets a pack to it.

 

[gerard]

I just plowed some driveways last night with R-4's. One was hilly. I started at the bottom and dropped the plow. I plowed uphill to the top of the driveway and felt a slight wheel slippage on the way up, but easily continued.

I looked at the 4x4 lever and noticed I was in 4x2.

I was happy to see that my "pathetic" R-4 tires had just plowed snow uphill in 4x2.

I think what's lost in a lot of these hotly contested R-1 vs R-4 threads is the skill of the operator, the ballast, the use of the locking rear, etc. I'm experienced in off-roading, tractoring and snowplowing. I can plow snow on bald tires better than most people can with studded snow tires, so the whole R-1 v R-4 urinating match is more entertainment to me than fact.

I think the main theme is chains will improve ALL tires over no chains and I'm not sure how much skill is involved with a slow moving tractor. All else being equal I doubt you can do better with bald tires than someone on the same tractor with studs but if you have some way to defeat the laws of physics my hats off to you

 

[skidoo]

You may be surprised to see a significant improvement by just adding sipes to the tires...

 

[slowzuki]

The problem with sipes on R-4's is deep sipes can cause chunking of the tread.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Skidoo, I do think that siping is why some brands of turf tires work better than expected under some conditions.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Snow is not snow. I have moved 3" that felt and pushed like 15". This last 8" layer we got was by far the easiest to move, no moister what so ever.

Where I live we get very little snow 30 miles south but will get 8" or more here, lake effect stuff. Because of the temp diff and moisture diff we usually get ice before the snow. Makes a real mess. I have lived in my current home for 5 years and can think of 9 times I have lost power due to ice, once for 8 days and many times for 2-3 days. I have a gen and 100 gallon fuel tank

I do know that with our snow R4's or turfs are not as good as the R1's. Now put chains on any tire and it will beat a non chained tire. I watch the plow drivers and the one with dually's take the outer's off all to get less footprint, just like a narrow R1 versus a wide R4. I guess it just all depends where you are. I know from my travels as a pilot the East Coast usually gets a very wet snow and I would expect the R4's to do ok and even turfs. In the Rockies and northern states its a very dry snow by comparison and you need to sink and crack through the ice pack underneath to get traction.

Chris

 

[Builder]

Well, that feeling is not 100% correct. I have R4's and they suck for traction. No plow, loaded tires and a 1000# box blade on the 3pt. I'm not talking about pushing on fresh plowed driveway, I'm talking about going thru 20" or more of accumulated snow across fields and thru the woods. They stink. Going across side hills and the tractor will go downhill for every foot forward - if you are lucky. The deep lugs on R1's limit that from happinging as easily as the R4's.

There is more to traction than what pushes snow when the tractor is on the fresh plowed part. Go cross country without the plow and let us know how you like going up, down and across hills. Some of us used to do it frequently and have formed opinions from that experience.

I feel ya my friend. I plowed snow on a commercial basis for 15 years. I'm talking corporate centers, parking garages, big time commercial stuff. I ran as many as 5 pieces of snow removal equipment on one 10-12 acre parking lot. Snowplowing is like second nature to me. I guess I get a little chuckle out of some of the stories I read. It's probably not fair on my part.

I'm sure some things that seem difficult to me seem easy almost laughable to others

 

[skidoo]

The problem with sipes on R-4's is deep sipes can cause chunking of the tread.

That is why I do my own sipes by hand and don't cut all the way across. That way, I can also control the length and angle of the sipes. Mine hasn't chunked yet.