Ag Tires vs. Turf Tires

[platinumaa]

Ray.. u seem irritated and disturbed and i apologize.. that wasnt my intention.. i was just making a point that there will be very few questions in any forum on any subject that hasnt been answered in some way.. so big deal, it was talked about already.. but i learned something that i didnt previously know from his question - so the question, and this forum served its purpose.. to help others.

I'm new, so most of my questions are going to be elementary and basic, and most likely have been discussed a dozen or so times before.. but people will respond cause thats what this (and all) forum is for.. talk about what we enjoy doing.. not "See previous thread in 20xx"

U have 2400+ posts and i have like 5.. i'm the new guy here.. i meant no disrespect.. and i apologize if i offended u

 

[Marveltone]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are plenty of us who are chatterboxes and will gladly answer the same questions many times. Besides, new people can always bring new perspectives, or at least new stories to the mix.

Keep posting!

Joe

 

[Short Game]

I think he's right. Though I'm new too, it would be less added weight on the zeros and ones storage to go back and see what's in the mines. And so, I will begin now to read all of the 2,473,578 Posts. Oops, that is now 2,473,579 Posts. (How I wish I weren't lysdexic.)

 

[irvingj]

I don't mind adding my 2 cents....

I have turfs, and for what I do, they're a good all-around tire. BUT, I use the tractor most of the time for lawn mowing, pulling a trailer around, snow blowing, and occasional backhoe/FEL use.

If I get into soft ground or wet snow, however, the turfs will load up and slide sideways just about as well as they'll roll forward or backward. I just avoid those situations as much as I can.

If you're planning to do a lot of ground-engaging work, ags would be best, I suspect, but again, for my use, turfs have worked well.

 

[jonyyuma]

Platnuma, don't worry a lot about your question...I read over 550 pages of postings when i came and was refered. Now if i could have retained it all? You might not get the perfect tractor, but it will be yours.......Tires? Mines Turf, and i never could make the decision, so I let the tractor price decide..I almost bought a Hydro, Now I do wish I had, but ,I have had Gears before and they work for me...

 

[BrianR]

When I bought my 2003 BX2200, it came with turfs, but I special ordered an extra set of rims with the R1's on it. For the first 4 years, I would put the R1 ag wheels on in the fall to prepare the gardens for winter and then remove snow til spring gardening was done. Then once the gardens were planted, I would put the turf wheels on.

Since 2007, I've just been running the Ag wheels all year round. They don't tear up my yard (unless the yard is soupy muddy) and since I frequently mow wet ditches, I like the extra traction to prevent from sliding down sideways.

I may tell my turf rims and tires just to get the extra space in the barn.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I will not debate the pros and cons of tires, but will only relate a recent experience with the R4 tires on my brother in laws tractor. I recently ran my LS P7010 out of fuel (long story on fuel gauge not working and leaking fuel tank) and my B-I-L hooked his New Holland 2030 up to pull me back home. My tractor was in a slight depression and the 50 HP NH with R4 even in 4 wd would just spin rather than move my 6500 + pound tractor. He had to snatch it a couple of times with the chain to get it to start moving. I dont believe ag tires would have had a bit of problem with traction. I also noticed that when he tried to climb an embankment that I routinely climb with my riding lawn mower, all he did was spin the tires in 2 wd. We have a small JD 750 with turf tires and it is almost useless in the traction department on anything other than dry soil. Both my tractors have ag tires and of course I get to do all the muddy work where the other tractors would possible get stuck.

 

[Gopher Baroque]

Without confusing the issue with all the variations, here are the three basic tire types most compact tractor owners deal with. First, the technical term, then the common name.

R1 = ag
R3 = turf
R4 = industrial

Joe

Don't forget:
R2 = wet soil (think rice/cane like retired Asian grey-market tractors)
R1W = R1 with 20%+ deeper ribs

 

[Texasmark]

Hey all....man, its been a while since I've been on here..looks like a lot of folks have joined since I was on last....hope everyone is enjoying their blue machines..I still haven't ordered mine...but have given up the research in that I'm gonna order the 4047 before the year's out as I need the tax deduction..ha! Question, my buddy just bought a 30 hp LS yesterday, and I was drooling over his, he was telling me that he believes those turf tires are actually better traction than Ag tires. (he had actually tried two friends Kubota's one with Ag and one with turf and he thought the turf was better) My dealer seems to order all his LS's with turf tires (except for the large cabs that have Ag tires)...anyone got any thoughts on whether the turfs are actually better than Ag, I know they are wider, but it seems the traction would still be better with Ag...give me your thoughts/experience. My buddy said the turf's run about $600 more?

Hey I just realized I said turf, but I actually think they are industrial....they have tread between Ag and the car tire tread?? I also just see that someone else was asking a similar question...I'll check that out..

Glad you clarified that to which you were referring. The tractor runs 16.5 diameter wheels which are industrial, heavy duty rated and don't have the additional lip that auto tires have.....that keeps a flat tire on the rim. That lip seemingly doubles the sealing surface and with a 16" ag tire having soft sidewalls, vs industrial or turfs in the 16.5 dimension you can drop the air pressure for a smoother ride.

On Ag (R1) or Indust. (R4) having the best traction, the tires are designed for different contact materials. The R1 is designed to dig into soft soil and hold on. The industrial is designed for industrial/construction type applications with all the hazards associated with the job and heavy tractor weights, working in mostly shuttle environments. Besides it seems every small tractor is "tired" for the Back Hoe installation, adding to the very rough ride you get from these things. Imagine a 6 ply, stiff sidewall tire, rated for 2400+# at 30+ psi (that's EACH rear), on a tractor whose TOTAL weight is 1800#....with the front tires carrying an equal share give or take of that 1800 load. Everybody does it but it doesn't make it right!

 

[Texasmark]

Don't forget:
R2 = wet soil (think rice/cane like retired Asian grey-market tractors)
R1W = R1 with 20%+ deeper ribs

R2 is front wheel, smooth ribbed tire, ribs made for holding onto dirt when plowing, when making turns. Ford 8 series tractors had a single rib, 100 and 1000 series had 3 rib. JD I had in a 9" width had 4 and so on.