Traction Heavy Tractor vs Light in Soft Sand

[eldumpogrande]

I'm farily new to tractors and own 30 acres, much of which is rather soft sand, especially when plowed up. I'm interested in a Mahindra 4530, 4WD with R4 tires, and it weighs nearly 7400 lbs. with the FEL. I know weight is generally considered a good thing for traction, but I'm wondering if heavy weight tractors will bog down in this type of soil more than a lighter weight tractor, such as a Kubota L44, which weighs considerably less. I'm also wondering if the heavy weight tractor will rut the soil badly once coastal bermuda is growing (assuming we ever get any rain to grow it). Would greatly appreciate input from anyone experienced in such, especially if they farm near Seguin/Stocdale, TX area. -Thanks in advance.

 

[KU Gator]

Growing up in central Florida, a lot of the tractors, especially those used in groves, used a grove tire like turf tires. The intent was to get more flotation and have the tire up on top of the sand. I didn't really operate any much. I think the tractor we had in Ag class was a 2wd Case which seemed to do ok. When I was in that area about a year ago, I visited a nephew's property which he shares with his in-laws. His Father-in-law was a retired grove manager. They had bought a basic L series Kubota and had turf or grove tires on it. They were using it for truck crop planting in very sandy soil and seemed happy with its performance.

 

[eldumpogrande]

Thanks Gator. That's the kind of input I was hoping for.

 

[oldnslo]

Not sure how well this applys but my uncle dairy farms sand hills in central Minnesota with traditional ag tractors. I have never noticed ruts etc. in his hay fields. I think his main tractors are around 100 HP JD's. He has never used duals either.

 

[eldumpogrande]

Thanks Oldnslo. The JD 100 HP tractor obviously weighs more than what I'm looking at, so it sounds like I probably don't have to worry about sinking into the sand with a tractor in the range of 7400 lbs.

 

[JoeL4330]

some might argue that it is not the weight of the machine, but the bearing weight on the ground. For a pneumatic tire, that is, in fact, the psi in the tire (as long as the rim is not on the ground ...not loaded, obviously).

so, you "air down", making sure that your tire size can support the weight of the machine at low psi ...that is, wide-wide-wide ...sometimes referred to as "high-flotation" tires ... you might be interested in this site: Tractor Tire & Implement Tire Application Guide

see also: Titan International | America's Best Since 1898
which states: "Terra-Tire is a specifically designed high flotation tire. The large ground contact area of Terra-Tire flotation tires effectively distributes load over a relatively broad area, providing a reduction in unit ground pressure in comparison to conventional tires. This reduction in ground pressure means less soil compaction and less ground disturbance熔n the farm or on the golf course. It also means improved mobility, permitting the Terra-Tire to traverse mud or snow or soft sand that would often bog down a conventional tire."

The other alternative, of course, is a tracked vehicle which, because of the large contact area of the tracks, puts very little bearing pressure (psi) on the ground.

Of course, lighter is better in the sense that you don't need such humongous tires (or tracks) but you need to have enough HP to do the job at hand and enough traction, as well.

Maybe this helps

 

[eldumpogrande]

Joel4330, I checked out the links. You get a 100 on the scorecard for answering my question. I had no idea there were so many different types of tires. All I've come across at the dealers were R-1, R-4, or turf (or golf) choices. The Titan site really gives an excellent explanation. I see that weight is only part of the formula, and as you pointed out, inflation level and width are additional factors. Of course going to higher flotation tires means losing traction because of reduced tread. So now I have to decide which is more important for my use - floation vs traction. Thanks very much for your info. Really helps.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

My l2800 spends half of its working life on the beach.(small shale chips and sand) I went with duals front and rear with ag tires and am real happy with it. I can't load it on the skiff with the duals on and it will barely bring itself up the beach without them much less anything else. I was limited in size by what I could fit on the boat but I don't think for sand size matters, just need enuff floatation and traction.

A neighbor got a bx with turf tires and it floats on the sand well until he is working it then it just spins in the loose sand.
Rick

 

[Mace Canute]

Here's a site that shows many of the different tread designs available.

Firestone Agricultural Tire Division

 

[eldumpogrande]

Thanks tungularfishcamp. Your friend using high flotation tires and not getting traction when working them is telling me I probably should go with the R-4 tires as a compromise between turf and regular Ag (R-1) tires. At least l they'll be wider than the R-1 and still have tread for pulling ground-engaging attachments.

Mace, saw the firestone pics. Thanks.