Turf tires vs r4’s

[RickSr]

Or a bigger tractor. "Honey, it's my back, I gotta get a bigger one!"

Lol

 

[RickSr]

This is not true. The tractors ship with options for turf and are classed to support the FEL. Be sure to purchase appropriate size and class per manufacturer spec and you will be fine.

As was said earlier, you could try the VersaTurf from Carlisle. I have them on my tractor and they provide good traction in snow as well as not tearing up the turf. I also have a set of turf with a few hours on them but don’t think I will be going back.

Thanks buddy.

 

[ruffdog]

I had a TC33D and a horse farm had a DX33....same tractor but different color and they both had FEL on them. My tractor had turfs and the other had R4 tires. Yes, I drove them both and the one with turfs noticeably rode smoother. I was happy with turfs for what I needed. But, if you are doing lots of loader work on edges of concrete or stones, get R4. If you are in soft soil that you don't care if you tear up, get R1.

 

[rScotty]

I have a Mahindra emax 20 hst. I have r4’s tires on it currently, I find them very hard riding. Does anyone know if regular turf tires would make for a softer more comfortable ride ? Thanks in advance for your response.

THere are so many types of tires now that you can probably get whatever you want.
I had a small Yanmar with FEL about the same size as your tractor. It had turfs that looked a lot automotive street tread - but wider. We ran them for 30 years. Nice tires - noticibly soft rubber and very comfortable over rocks & broken ground. We ran less than rated pressure without problems.
Most of the year they were all we needed. Comfortable ride, lots of sidehill stabilty, and decent dry weather traction.
For wintertime snow and ice we resized a light set of car chains on it both front & rear. Two different size chain links of course. Rougher riding, but lots of traction. I used the chains one summer on one muddy hillside too.

It all comes down to preference. Turfs gave a nice ride and easy on the land. But chains were necessary to do slippery stuff. Right now everything has has R4s which I also run at lowered pressure to make them softer.

 

[RickSr]

THere are so many types of tires now that you can probably get whatever you want.
I had a small Yanmar with FEL about the same size as your tractor. It had turfs that looked a lot automotive street tread - but wider. We ran them for 30 years. Nice tires - noticibly soft rubber and very comfortable over rocks & broken ground. We ran less than rated pressure without problems.
Most of the year they were all we needed. Comfortable ride, lots of sidehill stabilty, and decent dry weather traction.
For wintertime snow and ice we resized a light set of car chains on it both front & rear. Two different size chain links of course. Rougher riding, but lots of traction. I used the chains one summer on one muddy hillside too.

It all comes down to preference. Turfs gave a nice ride and easy on the land. But chains were necessary to do slippery stuff. Right now everything has has R4s which I also run at lowered pressure to make them softer.

Thanks for your input.

 

[RickSr]

I had a TC33D and a horse farm had a DX33....same tractor but different color and they both had FEL on them. My tractor had turfs and the other had R4 tires. Yes, I drove them both and the one with turfs noticeably rode smoother. I was happy with turfs for what I needed. But, if you are doing lots of loader work on edges of concrete or stones, get R4. If you are in soft soil that you don't care if you tear up, get R1.

Thanks, I don’t do a whole lot of loader work. I did use the loader in the winter for moving my snow, but I have a snowplow for it now. I would like to have two sets, my R4’s and a set of turfs. I think that’s what I’m going to do.

 

[npalen]

i have turfs on the Kubota B9200 with FEL and it rides like a 1960's Cadillac and have had no problems with heavy loads on the FEL. The turfs are great in snow also.
I have industrials on the Mahindra 3015 (30 HP) and it rides like a lumber wagon even with practically no pressure in the rears and as little as possible in the fronts. I can let all the air out of the rears and they won't go flat----they're just that stiff.
Don't dare drive the Mahindra on town streets without the bucket on the FEL for front weight or it will rattle your teeth.
Yes, some of it may be the difference in tractors but the Mahindra does weigh about 1000 lbs more than the Kubota.

 

[ruffdog]

When I did loader work with turfs, I would increase front tire pressure from 18psi and put it at 22-24psi.

 

[RickSr]

i have turfs on the Kubota B9200 with FEL and it rides like a 1960's Cadillac and have had no problems with heavy loads on the FEL. The turfs are great in snow also.
I have industrials on the Mahindra 3015 (30 HP) and it rides like a lumber wagon even with practically no pressure in the rears and as little as possible in the fronts. I can let all the air out of the rears and they won't go flat----they're just that stiff.
Don't dare drive the Mahindra on town streets without the bucket on the FEL for front weight or it will rattle your teeth.
Yes, some of it may be the difference in tractors but the Mahindra does weigh about 1000 lbs more than the Kubota.

Thanks, you know someone told me they had r4’s and changed them to turf tires and he said the difference was tremendous, he said it felt like he had suspension.

 

[RickSr]

When I did loader work with turfs, I would increase front tire pressure from 18psi and put it at 22-24psi.

Thanks

 

[mikester]

If you want more comfort buy an air suspension seat.

 

[rScotty]

When I did loader work with turfs, I would increase front tire pressure from 18psi and put it at 22-24psi.

I did the same, increased the fronts to max recommended sidewall pressure for FEL work. But I kept the rear turfs low. They would often be 12 to 15 psi. The turfs were soft rubber with flexible sidewalls.

Reducing the pressures on our R4s doesn't soften the ride much. But it does cause the sidewalls to crack.

It would be nice to have different tires on a complete separate set of wheels. I was lucky enough to have that on one of our old tractors and it worked well. I bought the complete set of "take offs" from my dealer when someone wanted to go to R1s.

Yes, an air ride seat will more than double the comfort.

 

[oldballs]

My Kubota B2650 with R1 tires rides (mowing) noticeably rougher than the Kubota B2620 with R1 while mowing..

Well, I ain't going to spend a lot of money to change tires/wheels/seat. So I just put a cushion on the B2650 seat and use the seat belt to lessen the "bounce' over my rough property. I feel better now.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[RickSr]

If you want more comfort buy an air suspension seat.

I’m not looking for comfort, it’s the bouncing and handling in general that I don’t like.

 

[RickSr]

My Kubota B2650 with R1 tires rides (mowing) noticeably rougher than the Kubota B2620 with R1 while mowing..

Well, I ain't going to spend a lot of money to change tires/wheels/seat. So I just put a cushion on the B2650 seat and use the seat belt to lessen the "bounce' over my rough property. I feel better now.

Cheers,
Mike

Got it.

 

[RickSr]

I did the same, increased the fronts to max recommended sidewall pressure for FEL work. But I kept the rear turfs low. They would often be 12 to 15 psi. The turfs were soft rubber with flexible sidewalls.

Reducing the pressures on our R4s doesn't soften the ride much. But it does cause the sidewalls to crack.

It would be nice to have different tires on a complete separate set of wheels. I was lucky enough to have that on one of our old tractors and it worked well. I bought the complete set of "take offs" from my dealer when someone wanted to go to R1s.

Yes, an air ride seat will more than double the comfort.

Thanks

 

[Cougsfan]

Tire choice is going to be different for everyone, based on what they do, where they use their tractor, and what is important to them. The advantage of turf tires is they don't damage the ground as much and ride smoother. The disadvantage is that they provide less traction under many condition (not all) and are less able to handle abusive situations.
Running low tire pressure to gain a smoother ride is risky because it is quite possible to unseat the bead, particularly on the front tires (I know from experience).

I was having a conversation with my dealer a while back. He told me it is almost ludicrous the number of times people have complained of a rough ride and never once touched the adjustment of their air seat. In fact he had one owner who traded his tractor in after 5 years and wanted a tractor that provided a softer ride. The air seat on his old tractor was set to be locked solid and the guy never even knew it had an adjustment.

 

[RickSr]

Tire choice is going to be different for everyone, based on what they do, where they use their tractor, and what is important to them. The advantage of turf tires is they don't damage the ground as much and ride smoother. The disadvantage is that they provide less traction under many condition (not all) and are less able to handle abusive situations.
Running low tire pressure to gain a smoother ride is risky because it is quite possible to unseat the bead, particularly on the front tires (I know from experience).

I was having a conversation with my dealer a while back. He told me it is almost ludicrous the number of times people have complained of a rough ride and never once touched the adjustment of their air seat. In fact he had one owner who traded his tractor in after 5 years and wanted a tractor that provided a softer ride. The air seat on his old tractor was set to be locked solid and the guy never even knew it had an adjustment.

Thanks for your response, but I don’t have an air ride seat. Mahindra emax 20 hst.

 

[mikester]

I’m not looking for comfort, it’s the bouncing and handling in general that I don’t like.

Tractors have no suspension and are meant to go slow. If you are bouncing around enough to lose traction and handling you are going way to fast for the terrain.

If you need to go faster on rough terrain then get a tractor with large wheels front and back.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks for your response, but I don’t have an air ride seat. Mahindra emax 20 hst.

You could have one if you wanted.

Few if any compact tractors come with an air ride seat. But every single commercial or Ag tractor has that option because it's important to them.

For compacts and utility tractors it's a "find it yourself" aftermarket item. Grammer is the best known supplier of aftermarket air ride seats and can usually come up with a bolt-on kit for any tractor. They are the best, but don't advertise much.

An air ride seat will have a tiny 12 volt compressor and air shocks under the seat. Not too expensive or too cheap - about the same as a set of turf tires - and worth every penny of the cost if you have a bad back or just want to preserve a good one.

It's worth a phone call to Grammer. You won't believe how nice they are until you try one.
rScotty