Do you like your R4 tires?

[SCDolphin]

I think R1 with a 2 wheel drive ag only tractor but c 4wd R4. I plow, disc, fel c my R4's. I would buy chains if I used mine in a lot of snow and in slick slimy mud. Fortunately I have mostly loam type soil, so I would pick R4's again.
Good Luck

 

[showcattle]

I hate the R-4's.

 

[Perplexed]

I hate the R-4's.

Care to share why you don't like them?

 

[catfishsteved]

I dislike the R-4 tires. These wide tires flatten down the grasses while mowing with a 6 ft rotary cutter and then after a day or two you have a line of grass that has popped back up. My former tractor had ag tires and I had no grass pop-up problem. I have had the r-4's for about five years now and every mowing reminds me of how much I wish I had the ag-tires.

 

[bill333]

I have the R4's on a Kubota 3540 with weights (no Rimguard dealer around! but that's another story).
I have to agree with the other posters that the decision on what tire to get is very dependent on where you live and what you are doing with it. If you look at some of the posts of people who do/don't like their particular tires, it is often due to a mismatch in needs/tire design.

I use my tractor 1/3 bushhogging fields, 1/3 snow plowing, and 1/3 FEL and other work. The R4's are fine for the field work and the FEL and grapple work, even in the woods. The big issue is snow: if you have relatively light/dry snow, on flat ground, they are just fine. However, if the snow is frozen at all, especially near the base, and you have any hills at all -- even very small ones -- the R4's tend to spin and slide. I've been stuck many times on the smallest hill because of this.
If you have a lot of plowing to do in these kind of conditions, I would recommend chains. I don't have them yet but swear each year I'm going to get them, they just seem to be such a hassle to put on.
Lawns: we have a 'yard' not a manicured lawn, and the soil is very thin. You have to be very careful with the R4's, especially in 4WD. I wait until the ground is very dry before running the R4's over it, and turn very carefully. At least with our lawn conditions, there is no way that I could mow with them. However, it the horse pasture it is not a problem since a few ruts there are not an issue.

My neighbor has turf tires on the same tractor. He uses it mostly to mow and likes them. For snow, he can basically just plow light snow and not on hills.

 

[rScotty]

..... I would recommend chains. I don't have them yet but swear each year I'm going to get them, they just seem to be such a hassle to put on.

I have light weight chains for the front tires that I use on the R4s in icy snow. They are modified automobile chains. Easy to put on if your FEL will lift the front end. Of course the front axle drive system is not as rugged as the rear, so I am judicious about applying too much power when the fronts have the chains on...particualrly with a load. But for snow it's fine.
rScotty

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Did a bit of checking. R4s are generally going to cost you $100 to $200 more than R1 AGs on a CUT. And a set of new chains for R4s are going to run about $300 to $350 a pair for 43x16-20 rear tires.

While plain R4s don't get the traction AGs do, the R4s are much stronger, durable tires. So you're much less likely to have a bottle, branch or rock punch through and wreck your tire; although a piece of rebar make kill any kind of tire you have.

So if you occasionally want or need AG-type traction while having the strength and somewhat lower turf-tearability (is that even a word?) of R4s; a set of R4s and chains are going to be about $500 more than a single pair of R1 AGs.

 

[jmatarese]

love my r4 tires but i believe if they were loaded they would do less spining and move driving (i've never had ag or terf tires so i have nothing to compare them to )

 

[DNC]

I had same issue with dealer. I wanted R-1 but dealer couldn't locate any locally. I went ahead and bought with R-4. Now I'm glad because they perform great and will dig up soil if not careful.

 

[jeffva]

I've got a ford 45hp and a kioti55hp... The dk55 has r4s and is okay 90% of the time, then with 4wd... I can manage in the VA clay. BUT last winters snow about killed me! I was plowing some neighbors roads and let me tell you ... it was a chore... normally I can push snow uphill in 4wd with my loader, but there was just too much wet snow!

R1s are in my future... and maybe chains!