Tires Advice Mahindra Tire Choice (R4 or R1)

[KENB]

I am about to buy a new Mahindra 4110 with a loader. Does anyone have a recommendation for the tires I should choose?
It makes no difference to the price of the Mahindra if you go with R4 or R1 tires. I live in Texas. No snow here. Tractor would be used for around the farm use only. No lawn work needed. We would use the tractor w/ loader for dirt/rock hauling, bush hogging, digging with a backhoe possibily, digging a "ford" type creek crossing. Some dealers tell me get an AG(R1) tire, some say with a loader you should get Industrial(R4) tires. Some say with a loader get the AG tires. Who knows??? We have some sand, some black mud, some rocks around here. The R4 tires are wider and look better to me, but the R1 is all that I have ever had. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jwcinpk]

You'll get better traction with the R1. I have the 6000 with ags and they are plenty tough and stable. It's basically just your preference. The R4s wont tear up as much ground and are wider in most cases, but don't get as good traction.

 

[lamarbur]

well, I would question ag's are better with better traction. I have a 4110 w R4's and wouldn't go back to Ag's on a bet. Deep snow, hog mowing, backhoe use, soft grassyt areas, rocky, very wet and about anything you caopuld think of as far as ground predicament where I live. I had a Ford 5000 with AG's for many years. the R4's (as far as I'm concerned) run circles around the ag's

 

[Steve02370]

I have sold A LOT of 4110s in the last few years and I can only remember selling 2 or 3 with R1. The tractor is heavy and will get good traction with the R4 tires.

Steve

 

[JerryG]

For the uses that you have stated, the R-1's no question. Look at the face of both treads. If the corner of the tread can't get to something to get a grip, it can't pull. If you were mowing your yard or working on concrete a lot, the R-4 would be best. More flat surface to hold it up. But that is the reason that you need R-1, they don't hold you up, so they get a grip on the soil and rocks.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

You can't beat the R1's for slinging mud if there is no concern for terrain damage.

 

[RanchMan]

If you look through the archives, the general concensus is that R1's = more traction while R4's = less damage to terrain.

Personally, I agree with this sentiment and it makes sense to me. Think about it - R1's were designed for work on the farm, R4's were designed for work on construction sites. What are your uses more similar to - farm or construction? I specifically choose the R1's when I bought my 4110 and I'm glad I made that choice.

 

[RanchMan]

Here is an example of what the traction on R1 Ags can do if you do something dumb like try to use your subsoiler to remove a stump.... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Notice that it bent the subsoiler BACKWARDS. That steel is about 1.5" thick and 4-5" across! (I'd have to measure it to be exact, but you can see my boot in the bottom of the pic.) These are air filled tires, not water. Anyone say traction??? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[RanchMan]

Another view...

 

[Slippy]

I have also had both, and hands down for farm type work, the Ags (R-1) are best in my opinion. I also agree with these folks about the general thoughts on these tires. The R-4s I had on my Deer always seemed to pack to easy and then you basically have a bald tire spinning. They also don't clean out as fast.

 

[Rollin_M]

I too own a 4110 with R4's. I do not know if all 4110's come with Titan brand tires and the non-accessory wheels, but that is what came on mine. I operate in Central Texas and use the 4110 for many purposes in all terrains. From trial and error, I operate the 4110 with the front "Trac Loader" tires at 30 psi (10 less psi than max) and the rear tires at 15 psi (20 less psi than max). Because my rear wheels are not setup for accessory wheel weights and wheel weights for such wheels are virtually non-existent, I opted for loading the rear tires with one gallon of Super Seal tire sealant, two gallons of Prestone low tox antifreeze and (with valve stem at top-center of tire) filled tire with water to "valve level" full (approx. 75%). According to charts, the 17.5L-24 rear tires filled as I did added approx. 465 pounds per rear tire. I cannot operate the rear tires at any higher psi or the tread wear is centralized. I cannot operate the front tires at a different psi because it squats during FEL work at a lower psi and does not get near the traction at a higher psi.

Due to our Central Texas climates and various terrains and the use of the 4110, I will not use a R1 tire. With the adequate weight and pressure, I believe you will find that the R4's are more than sufficient. I can operate in a lawn or a hay pasture with no sign that a tractor was even there. I can turn around operate the FEL under heavy conditions and plow/disk without any problems (whether the soil be black gumbo, sandy loam or rock). Again, I had to locate that optimal weight and pressure as discussed above, but aside from that, I am extremely pleased with these R4's (my first set). There will be times that you might get stuck as I have twice in the two years that I have owned the 4110. Both times were on the edge of a pond/tank that had recently dried up. Unfortunately, it was not that dry and the tractor sunk and slid to where the rear differential was hairs away from being bogged in the mud. R1 tires would not have made a difference. However, the R4 tires do require that the 4WD be engaged virtually 100% of the time during any operations. I thought that disengaging the 4WD would be better for fuel efficiency and wear and tear on the front axle. To the contrary, I read that utilizing 4WD is MORE fuel efficient. The 4WD allows for less wear and pull on the rear axles which counters the wear on the front axles when in 4WD. Thus, I operate the 4110 entirely in 4WD.

Hope this helps...from one Texan to another.

Albeit not entirely true, my grandfather used to joke and say that all a 4WD does is get you stuck deeper in the woods.