Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Cutting / Groving / Siping R-4 for snow

[Glrret]

One of the critical things to keep in mind when grooving your R4 tires is to not compromise the integrity of the lug to the point where you introduce the possibility of chunking . Grooving to close to the edges of the lug or multiple groves to close together will increase the chances of a lug chunking when operating on rocky or rough terrain.

This is the pattern I used on my 2555, the primary purpose to grooving the front ties to to help in preventing lateral movement when pushing a load forward. This pattern has increased my forward traction by about 50%. I still experience some lateral movement (side slipping) on slanted surfaces when there is a hard pack snow or ice base and the new load of heavy wet snow.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Since very little of those grooves are in contact with the surface, I have my doubts. A turf tire by comparison has many grooves contacting the surface. I would need to see identical tractors and tires, one grooved, one not, in identical surface conditions using some method of measuring adhesion before I took some percentage figure as the truth.

 

[Doofy]

Anyhoo...very artsy.

 

[dnw64]

Since very little of those grooves are in contact with the surface, I have my doubts. A turf tire by comparison has many grooves contacting the surface. I would need to see identical tractors and tires, one grooved, one not, in identical surface conditions using some method of measuring adhesion before I took some percentage figure as the truth.

What is truth?

 

[Industrial Toys]

There is such a thing called "Universal Truth". I would have to check if grooving tires is covered.

 

[dnw64]

There is such a thing called "Universal Truth". I would have to check if grooving tires is covered.

Look at Section 238.B, subpart 3-F-13.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Reminds me of a guy my Stepdad worked with. He would repair watches on the side. If the watch ran at all, the first time he got it, he would just put in on a shelf and return it a few days later, presumably charging for his service. Only, if he got it back again, did he open it up.

Just another Reality/Perception matter.

 

[Oaktree]

Since very little of those grooves are in contact with the surface, I have my doubts. A turf tire by comparison has many grooves contacting the surface. I would need to see identical tractors and tires, one grooved, one not, in identical surface conditions using some method of measuring adhesion before I took some percentage figure as the truth.

I've wondered the same thing myself. Turf tires are bad enough on wet grass, can only imagine how bad they'd be in snow.

Look at Section 238.B, subpart 3-F-13.

Huh. That page seems to be missing in my copy.

 

[dnw64]

I've wondered the same thing myself. Turf tires are bad enough on wet grass, can only imagine how bad they'd be in snow.

I've never done a side-by-side, but I have found the turf tires on my GC2300 to be excellent in snow, and have heard from multiple sources that turfs (out of the 3-4 "typical" tractor tire types) are far superior to the others in snow. In fact, I believe that Industrial Toys was reinforcing that when he said that he was leery of the little bit of grooving added to R4s making much difference, because they would not be as groovy as the turf tires.

Huh. That page seems to be missing in my copy.

They did update it in the last 10 years or so (kind of ironic, since they claim it's "universal" truth).

 

[kennyd]

Turf tires are indeed great in the snow.