glennmac
Veteran Member
We never tire of wondering which is the right tire--R1 ags, R3 turfs, R4 industrials or bar turfs. We wonder about this before we buy the tractor, and also long after. The problem with asking for advice on this subject is that no one on these forums is likely to have tried all three or four tire types on the same tractor in various conditions on their own property. Therefore, no one has really conducted an actual comparison test.
As a next best approach, I have developed a "rule" to decide which tire to buy, which I think makes sense--the ag elimination rule.
As background, I had bar turfs on my BX2200 and now have industrials on my B2910. Neither scuffed my lawn except on the tightest circle in soft soil (which I think should be expected). Both tires are completely useless in mud. The industrials fill up with mud immediately, just like a turf would. And the industrials don't shed the mud as well as the bar turfs. An ag presumably would shed mud the fastest. The industrials must be better in the snow than turfs, but they do slip, even in 4wd, on a 14 degree slope in snow.
I now think turfs should be considered the most "special use" of all the choices. They should only be considered if finish lawn mowing is what you do 90% or more of your time with your compact tractor. Many people, including me, buy industrials or bar turfs because we are not sure what to buy, and these in-betweers seem a reasonable compromise, psychically if not empirically.
My current view is that, for those of us who are not in the exclusively-lawn-mowing category, ags always should be considered as the tire of choice. Buy something else only if an actual trial on your lawn "eliminates" the ags. What do I mean? For most of us, the ONLY reason we are afraid to buy ags is that they may scuff our lawns. But we don't really know if they will or won't.
So, my rule is: try out ags on your own lawn to see if they eliminate themselves due to excess scuffing. Once you decide on the tractor you want to buy, make a deal with your dealer to try the tractor with ags on your own lawn. He could either give you the trial before you buy, or agree to swap tires after you buy. Ask him; it's reasonable. You probably spent innumerable hours torturing yourself over which tractor to buy, so why not spend a few more hours negotiating and conducting an actual trial of ags in their only potential adverse application. You will thereby save yourself the further torture of post-purchase second guessing that so many of us endure.
Get the ag equipped tractor to your lawn and then run your complete mowing pattern, even if you don't turn the mower on. Pick a day that is of average soil moisture for your climate--i.e., not after a drought or a rain storm. Don't mow in 4wd, unless you need to for traction on a hill, because that will increase scuffing in the turns. Leave your FEL on or off, as you would when actually mowing. (Leaving it off will reduce scuffing at the cost of attachment/detachment effort.)
If the ags are eliminated by intolerable scuffing, then choose industrials. If the scuffing is tolerable, keep the ags and know that you will have the superior tire for mud, snow and other traction situations.
The ag elimination rule. I wish I had thought of it before I bought my 2910.
Glenn
As a next best approach, I have developed a "rule" to decide which tire to buy, which I think makes sense--the ag elimination rule.
As background, I had bar turfs on my BX2200 and now have industrials on my B2910. Neither scuffed my lawn except on the tightest circle in soft soil (which I think should be expected). Both tires are completely useless in mud. The industrials fill up with mud immediately, just like a turf would. And the industrials don't shed the mud as well as the bar turfs. An ag presumably would shed mud the fastest. The industrials must be better in the snow than turfs, but they do slip, even in 4wd, on a 14 degree slope in snow.
I now think turfs should be considered the most "special use" of all the choices. They should only be considered if finish lawn mowing is what you do 90% or more of your time with your compact tractor. Many people, including me, buy industrials or bar turfs because we are not sure what to buy, and these in-betweers seem a reasonable compromise, psychically if not empirically.
My current view is that, for those of us who are not in the exclusively-lawn-mowing category, ags always should be considered as the tire of choice. Buy something else only if an actual trial on your lawn "eliminates" the ags. What do I mean? For most of us, the ONLY reason we are afraid to buy ags is that they may scuff our lawns. But we don't really know if they will or won't.
So, my rule is: try out ags on your own lawn to see if they eliminate themselves due to excess scuffing. Once you decide on the tractor you want to buy, make a deal with your dealer to try the tractor with ags on your own lawn. He could either give you the trial before you buy, or agree to swap tires after you buy. Ask him; it's reasonable. You probably spent innumerable hours torturing yourself over which tractor to buy, so why not spend a few more hours negotiating and conducting an actual trial of ags in their only potential adverse application. You will thereby save yourself the further torture of post-purchase second guessing that so many of us endure.
Get the ag equipped tractor to your lawn and then run your complete mowing pattern, even if you don't turn the mower on. Pick a day that is of average soil moisture for your climate--i.e., not after a drought or a rain storm. Don't mow in 4wd, unless you need to for traction on a hill, because that will increase scuffing in the turns. Leave your FEL on or off, as you would when actually mowing. (Leaving it off will reduce scuffing at the cost of attachment/detachment effort.)
If the ags are eliminated by intolerable scuffing, then choose industrials. If the scuffing is tolerable, keep the ags and know that you will have the superior tire for mud, snow and other traction situations.
The ag elimination rule. I wish I had thought of it before I bought my 2910.
Glenn
