Tires Ag or industrial tires...

[RMAL]

Buying a Kioti CK30.I want to clear about 2 acres and leave the other 12 for dirt bike trails.I dont care about ruts,just want max traction for tractor.On paper ag,s rule but my heavy power wagon covers tough terain better with gentle tread,but wider tire(get stuck less). Do tractors react like this??
AL

 

[Henro]

I just put my chains back on my R4 tires, so I could get enough traction on the hillside I am trying to clear of small trees (so I can brush hog between the larger ones easier)...

The soil there is pretty good top soil, and not the clay I usually have problems with on the R4s. By problems, I mean clay and mud really turns my R4s into slicks in no time.

But even in the moist top soil (only moist, not wet) the R4s still packed up enough to lose traction sometimes. And sometimes was enough times to make me go to the trouble of putting the chains back on...which I would normally do in late fall when things start to get wet and slippery.

So I say go for the R1 ag tires...there are times when I really wish I had them...I love the industrials for work where traction is not the main issue though. It just doesn't take much to fill between the lugs on the R4 tire. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't designed to hold the dirt in there... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[OkieG]

This topic is an interesting one for me, and it's received a lot of attention in previous threads.

My take, in a nutshell, is that R4s are a stiffer tire with good traction. R1s have more flexible sidewalls (which can cause trouble in certain situations), but have the most aggressive traction tread. I use R1s...and they can load with muck too, but I think they are the superior traction tire.

OkieG

 

[Youare]

I have run R1's on both my tractors, most of my work is in the woods not in feilds. The R4 tire is a little wider but that does not translate to more traction only more floation.

One issue with compact tractors is the HP to weight ratio, they are a little light for the HP they have. Put a wider, smoother tire on and you make this even worse.

If you are going to be doing lawn work, or even driving over a lawn the R4's will be kinder to the grass. Get a set of good chains for those times you need extra traction if you get R4's.

R1's will give you the most traction all round.

Randy

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> One issue with compact tractors is the HP to weight ratio, they are a little light for the HP they have. </font>
This is also why CUTs are 4wd.

 

[RichNJKubota]

I use R1 ag tires. Best traction. Even use them on the lawn and the marks are very small.

 

[NIXON]

Al .
If you're looking for max traction ,and don't care about ruts , Go with ag tires (R!'s ) . JMHO , John

 

[1savoy]

Al,

I would have to agree with everyone that the R1's are going to give you max traction. The only thing that throws a monkey wrench in the works for me is the conditions I have been using my tractors in. I have some areas that have a lot of clay and are quite wet, especially near the pond. I had been using a 1962 Ford 4000 with 13.6-28 R1's loaded to mow with a 6 ft rotary cutter and as soon as the tires would spin, they would dig themselves some good size holes. Many times hard to get out of. I bought a John Deere 301-A this year which has pretty well worn 16.9-24 R4's loaded and when the tires spin they seem to keep forward motion without digging themselves holes. I am mowing with the same rotary cutter and the tractors are almost identical in horsepower, weight, and wheelbase. It has also been a very wet year here in Western, NY. Both sets of tires would hold the clay, but the R1's were probably a little better at cleaning out. I used to play in the mud quite a bit with trucks and you typically needed to use some RPM's to get, even good mud tires, to clean out. I am so far sold on the R4's for the reasons of not tearing up my lawn at home, the better puncture resitance at my property, and the above reason of not digging themselves holes. I am currently selling the brand new 14.9-24's, on www.tractorshed.com, that came with, not on my John Deere, and I am going to buy new Firestone 16.9-24's R4's. I hope this post does not confuse the issue. The R1's I definately think would give you maximum traction, but in my case would dig too deep. I think the wider footprint of my R4's help, with flotation. There is also probably somewhere a good balance of too little or too much weight. I think you would want your rear tires loaded. Many people do not like the idea of loading tires, and I am not thrilled with it, but I think it has been done for so long for a reason. It works well. I think you would have a tractor for many, many years before you have too worry about the tubes leaking and rusting your rims. Good luck with whatever you decide. I also really like the look of the R4's better, which may also sway my judgement.

Russ

 

[johnk]

I have the R1's on mine and they work well in all conditions for me. If I was only going to mow the lawn I'd get turfs, if I was going to mow the lawn and do some bucket work on modestly graded surfaces I'd use R 4's. If you don't care about hurting the lawn slightly when wet and doing all the above go with the R 1's..........Most of my tractoring is on nasty terrain and grades. My tires don't spin often but when they do you know you are in some gushy do do and the tractor starts sinking fast. I have a lot of tractor pics on my website. Check em out.....
http://users.adelphia.net/~gizmo/

 

[chim]

I have 2 CUT's, one with R1's and another with R4's. I like them both. The R4's are beefier and ride stiffer, but the tractor they are on has a FEL. The R4's don't mark up the lawn as badly. Recently the creek came up high enough to flood part of the lawn. The R4's marks in the soft lawn were very minor. Previously, the R1's left deep marks in similar conditions. The traction seems pretty similar between the two types in the wet grass and snow. Haven't really been in the mud enough to say much about that.....................chim