Ag or Industrial Tires

[wolc123]

Ags are definitely the way to go if you need traction, but the problem most folks on this forum have is that they use thier tractors on lawns and do not have enough cash or room for the ultimate solution: One tractor with R1's for off-lawn work, and one with turfs for on the lawn. 90% of CUT's are delivered with R4's which salesman easily talk unsuspecting customers into by telling them the that "they are just as good as R1's in the dirt and just as good as turfs on the lawn". R4's are really only the best tire for industrial applications of which a tractor/loader/backhoe is the best example. For other applications they simply indicate that you lack the cash, the space, or both and are thus forced into a compromise. Comprimise will always result in dissapointment so save up your money, build a bigger garage, and do it right with turfs and/or R1's. Leave the R4's to the industrial applications for which they were designed. Im sorry if I have offended anyone but these are the facts as I see it.

 

[bobmisi]

This year I sold my Allis D12 two wheel drive and got a new Branson 3820i 4 wheel drive. The Allis had R1 tires and the Branson has R4 tires. In slippery snow conditions they both spin, but 4 wheel drive will always win,conditions being the same. This debate will go on forever and I honestly can say you always have to compromise, based on your needs. For me I chose the R4 tires because I do go on my lawned areas a lot, and they are more stable when doing loader work, and yes, they are better looking. My driveway is kinda the driveway to ****, 500 feet long climbing up steeply, with a real hairpin turn halfway up. Try that with any tractor going down on ice. Talk about white knuckles. For me I'll keep the R4 tires ,but I'm definately investing in the best chains I can find, probably Duo combos with V bars. Cheaper and easier than two sets of tires. But I certainly miss the old D12 with the R1's for some things. That was one nice tractor to have around.

 

[VT365]

Ags are definitely the way to go if you need traction, but the problem most folks on this forum have is that they use thier tractors on lawns and do not have enough cash or room for the ultimate solution: One tractor with R1's for off-lawn work, and one with turfs for on the lawn. 90% of CUT's are delivered with R4's which salesman easily talk unsuspecting customers into by telling them the that "they are just as good as R1's in the dirt and just as good as turfs on the lawn". R4's are really only the best tire for industrial applications of which a tractor/loader/backhoe is the best example. For other applications they simply indicate that you lack the cash, the space, or both and are thus forced into a compromise. Comprimise will always result in dissapointment so save up your money, build a bigger garage, and do it right with turfs and/or R1's. Leave the R4's to the industrial applications for which they were designed. Im sorry if I have offended anyone but these are the facts as I see it.

When spending 15-20k for a new tractor I really don't see "cash" being the limiting factor if choosing tire types. Would I require a larger storage area if I needed R1's? I don't think so.

 

[canoetrpr]

My land is not hilly but we have gotten a large pile of snow recently.

I have R4s, loaded.

The only time I have ever had any issue with traction was this past weekend when I was moving round bales on the 3 PT into an area in the pasture. The snow was about a foot to a foot and a half in the pasture. Steering was light as a result of the weight at the back but definately managable.

I've had zero issues with traction on my (flat) driveway, blowing snow.

If I was doing this on a regular basis, or if my land was hilly, I would be getting chains - regardless of whether I had R1s or R4s. I think that if R4s suit you for your summer purposes, R4s with chains will provide more than adequate winter traction. For the most part I have found that R4s without chains have worked just fine for my snow removal needs.

 

[Builder]

My neighbor across the street has a John Deere that is 4x4 and about 35-40 hp and when the snow is over 5" deep he calls me to do the snow removal. His R4's load up and he cant steer even with a scoop of snow in the FEL for weight. Chris

Then how the heck did I plow a 31" snowstorm in 1997 for 4 consecutive days with a Ford backhoe with R-4's?

How do all the other guys I plowed with for years manage to get by on those "compromise" R-4's through all those snowstorms?

Almost no one in commercial plowing uses anything but R-4's on tractors for plowing.
How do they manage to make a profit if all they do is "load up with snow"?

 

[SPYDERLK]

When spending 15-20k for a new tractor I really don't see "cash" being the limiting factor if choosing tire types. Would I require a larger storage area if I needed R1's? I don't think so.

I think most dealers will give either tire for the same $ on a new purchase. Tractor sits higher with R1s, so you need more head room.
larry

 

[JSharp]

Then how the heck did I plow a 31" snowstorm in 1997 for 4 consecutive days with a Ford backhoe with R-4's?

How do all the other guys I plowed with for years manage to get by on those "compromise" R-4's through all those snowstorms?

Almost no one in commercial plowing uses anything but R-4's on tractors for plowing.
How do they manage to make a profit if all they do is "load up with snow"?

My guess is they use R4's on their tractors because that's what they have and they're adequate. Contractors and commercial landscapers trying to make some $ with their tractors in the winter when work is slow.

It's different depending on where you live of course, but around here most commercial plowing is done with trucks. They're far superior in light and moderate snow and the transit times are so much shorter than a tractor. Once the snow gets to a level that trucks won't handle it, a small tractor mostly won't either no matter what kind if tire it's on...

 

[Builder]

My guess is they use R4's on their tractors because that's what they have and they're adequate. Contractors and commercial landscapers trying to make some $ with their tractors in the winter when work is slow.

It's different depending on where you live of course, but around here most commercial plowing is done with trucks. They're far superior in light and moderate snow and the transit times are so much shorter than a tractor. Once the snow gets to a level that trucks won't handle it, a small tractor mostly won't either no matter what kind if tire it's on...

That's right, they are adequate. That's my point. They don't "load up with snow" like some idiot tractor salesman said and they can plow more than 5" of snow without getting stuck.

Check out the big corporate centers, mall parking lots, airports, hotels, etc. during a storm. The real big boys run backhoes & articulated loaders with 10'-16' pusher boxes. Open roads are usually plowed with big 4x2 dumps or tandem dumps.

Pickups are great, but their niche is smaller stuff, like smaller parking lots & driveways.

 

[JSharp]

That's right, they are adequate. That's my point. They don't "load up with snow" like some idiot tractor salesman said and they can plow more than 5" of snow without getting stuck.

Check out the big corporate centers, mall parking lots, airports, hotels, etc. during a storm. The real big boys run backhoes & articulated loaders with 10'-16' pusher boxes. Open roads are usually plowed with big 4x2 dumps or tandem dumps.

Pickups are great, but their niche is smaller stuff, like smaller parking lots & driveways.

It's the same here. What jobs pickups can't do efficiently are done by larger much heavier machines. Real construction equipment or 100+ HP tractors. We don't have many people using CUTs or other small tractors for much of anything...

 

[Farmwithjunk]

You'll find that OEM tire choices are somewhat limited. But when looking at replacement tires, there are a number of options for R-1's with heavier ply ratings. There are a number of R-1's that are as heavily constructed as most R-4's. The bulk of the R-1's available as OEM options are primarily for general "AG type" applications. I'm having a couple of my mowing tractors equipped with 10 ply rated Titan R-1's for a combination of "R-4 toughness" and "R-1 traction". You can have your cake and eat it too.

The 10 ply rated R-1's don't have the sidewall flexability of a 4 or 6 ply tire, and therefore won't completely match the traction capabilities of the lighter constructed tires in all conditions. They do offer much better shock and puncture resistance than 4 or 6 ply R-1's though. They are a bit of a compromise.