ovrszd
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- May 27, 2006
- Messages
- 32,246
- Location
- Missouri
- Tractor
- Kubota M9540, Ford 3910FWD, Ford 555A, JD2210
So those of you who have operated both a backhoe and a similar sized tractor in comparable conditions of snow and mud, which one has better traction? There's often discussion on here about tire choice and R1s being SOOOO much better in both than R4s which are typically on backhoes. I know the R4s on my 3300 suck in both. Are there R1s with similar load capacity to R4s that could be put on instead? Say for example I found a backhoe that needed tires...could I put something better on without sacrificing load? Most backhoes spend a great deal of time on the road which would be better with R4s but not a concern to me.
Now we are comparing apples/oranges. A backhoe is so much heavier on the rear than any tractor. So if sitting on solid/level ground the backhoe will win the traction match every time. Put the hoe in soft ground or steep slope and you'll immediately become proficient at running the hoe to get yourself out. Very hard to get a backhoe completely stuck. Most times it can dig itself out or assist with the hoe. But you do serious damage to the terrain in the process. I would always stick with R4s on a backhoe for their weight carrying ability. Most operators don't worry much about a hoe's individual tire traction abilities because they know they can get themselves out of most anything.