Buying Advice Need help on Final decision

[TJP89]

"I would say no...These are not race cars, My DK45 cab with loaded rears, loader and hoe on is 8000lbs,add a heaping scoop of wet earth....10k, its got plenty of poop to do tractor work, but its not going to pull your cheeks back with that load going down the road...at all, 5HP not going to make a much of a difference with that kind of weight imo."

LOL! yeah, wasn't thinking race car so much as would I see a perceptible or important difference in work ability. Sounds like no?

"I may have missed it, but are the prices in the first post for open station, or cab models?"
Both open station. Pretty temperate climate here so I didn't even consider a cab, plus I figured maybe not so much bulk in the woods. All in all I just didn't think the weather here would justify. I have a job outside of all this fun stuff so not likely to be days on end plowing etc.

"For your uses, it sounds like HST might be a good choice, but if you do stick with a gear model, I'd definitely consider going up one size as TSO suggested. If you do that, you will definitely find that the Utility machines offer quite a bit more capability, and if you get one with a power shuttle you won't lose much ease of use compared to an HST setup."

I'm hearing ya. Trying to consider all this, cost, and the NON tier 4 available. Could have worse problems than making this decision though right?

You won't notice the HP difference, but you will notice the loader. I don't know the specs, but the DK loader has great lift capacity, don't know what the NX is, but that would be more of a factor than the HP. After plowing through heavy snow today for the first time with the CK. I've concluded that loaded tires are probably a good idea for heavy traction needs.

 

[TJP89]

That would be your typical sales yapper....ridiculous:confused2:

Maybe not as much as you think. I've heard the same from several people here, and he was pushing me toward the cheaper options. I don't think chains will ever improve the traction on Ag tires, but they're very common on R4s.

 

[TSO]

The DK45 is very capable, and a great work companion, lifts more and higher than other tractors in its class, 2765lbs to full height properly ballasted....

Higher than some... Not all however. And more than most, but not all.

 

[grm61]

I don't think chains will ever improve the traction on Ag tires, but they're very common on R4s.

My dad runs chains on his loaded R1s on his JD in the winter, he has hills and ice to deal with, yes they do make a big difference.
I stand by my comment on the sales yapper.

A turf tire would give a slight edge in sand, and some types of snow, but for general dirt work in all types of weather no way.

 

[GManBart]

Maybe not as much as you think. I've heard the same from several people here, and he was pushing me toward the cheaper options. I don't think chains will ever improve the traction on Ag tires, but they're very common on R4s.

A turf tire will have more traction than an R1 or R4 in pretty much only one situation....flat, hard ground/pavement. People like to use chains with turf tires for ice/snow because the chains lay out better on them, and allow for a somewhat better engagement between chain and ground, but it's the chain doing the work, not really the tire type.

Chains on R1s will make a huge difference....why wouldn't they? It's still the chain biting into the snow/ice.

In fact, many machines with R4s can't fit chains in them...lots of comments about that here....they take up more of the fender space, and there's no room for chains.

 

[TJP89]

My dad runs chains on his loaded R1s on his JD in the winter, he has hills and ice to deal with, yes they do make a big difference.
I stand by my comment on the sales yapper.

A turf tire would give a slight edge in sand, and some types of snow, but for general dirt work in all types of weather no way.

I don't agree with him on that statement, I just think he was trying to illustrate his dislike, for whatever reason, of R4s. I can't think why the R4s would have less tractions that the R3s.

 

[TJP89]

A turf tire will have more traction than an R1 or R4 in pretty much only one situation....flat, hard ground/pavement. People like to use chains with turf tires for ice/snow because the chains lay out better on them, and allow for a somewhat better engagement between chain and ground, but it's the chain doing the work, not really the tire type.

Chains on R1s will make a huge difference....why wouldn't they? It's still the chain biting into the snow/ice.

In fact, many machines with R4s can't fit chains in them...lots of comments about that here....they take up more of the fender space, and there's no room for chains.

The R1s are so aggressive already that the chains wouldn't help to much, if you could even get them to sit right, at least that's the way I look at it. If I had traction problems with my unloaded R1s, I would load them long before thinking of chains. If I lost traction then, it would be time for a new tractor.

 

[paulfun9]

The R1s are so aggressive already that the chains wouldn't help to much, if you could even get them to sit right, at least that's the way I look at it. If I had traction problems with my unloaded R1s, I would load them long before thinking of chains. If I lost traction then, it would be time for a new tractor.

Chains are for ICE and packed wet snow that is just as bad as ice. In my experience no tire is good on these surfaces even the fancy special made ICE tires they design for running on ice. They work well when the Ice is completely frozen but add the wet and they lose traction just like everything else.
A chain however will chip into the Ice and make traction no mater if the Ice is wet or dry. A stud may work just as well in many cases but they are much harder to install and take out just for winter use.

They make chains that are designed to work with AG tires and if installed properly they are very effective. They will also work better on Ice than loading the tires which really wont help at all.

 

[GManBart]

The R1s are so aggressive already that the chains wouldn't help to much, if you could even get them to sit right, at least that's the way I look at it. If I had traction problems with my unloaded R1s, I would load them long before thinking of chains. If I lost traction then, it would be time for a new tractor.

If you read tire/chain discussions on forestry forums, pretty much everybody suggests R1 tires and add chains for when it's really muddy, or for snow/ice. I found the picture below in one of those discussions....the chains are on R1s, sit perfectly, and will clearly be better in virtually any situation where traction is limited....mud, snow or ice.

My Massey has R1s (unloaded) and they'll spin like crazy on very hard snow or ice. I've gone so far as to put my 1,400lb counterweight on the 3pt, and it barely helped (was pulling a truck out of a snowbank). To fix that I bought some chains, but haven't had to use them yet.

 

[varmint]

Now those are chains! Ice will not be an issue. I doubt if you will ever get stuck, if you stay out of mud pits or quicksand.