Need help to deciding on tires

[RedNeckRacin]

I am talking mud much deeper than your axel. The difference is even greater with a load in the FEL. I have been stuck plenty of times mostly on the old L2550 with R1 tires. Depending where you draw the line for stuck I have never gotten a tractor with R4 tires stuck. Dragging the tractor out of mud deeper then the brush guard with the backhoe attachment doesn't count as stuck right? I have had to do this twice on the L3240 which has R4 tires. I know that the same tractor with R1 tires would have still gotten stuck. Once the mud was so deep that it was deeper than the dipper stick on the backhoe which is about 60 inches. Around here there is usually a thin crust on the mud. If you break the crust there is no hope of not getting stuck. The wider R4s have a better chance of floating across the crust. Some R4s are more aggressive than others. Here are the ones on a L3240 VS the ones on a L3800.

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If you are in over the hood, you have the wrong tool for the job. R4 or r1 is irrelevant at that point.

 

[4570Man]

If you are in over the hood, you have the wrong tool for the job. R4 or r1 is irrelevant at that point.

That was the point. It was only a couple inches over the bottom of the brush guard. I have never been stuck any less with either tire.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

That was the point. It was only a couple inches over the bottom of the brush guard. I have never been stuck any less with either tire.

Gotcha, well that's some thin mud, if we get anything up to the belly of a machine it's done if not before. I think the op has two very different needs and either tire will be a compromise. The tree clearing and woods work and loader work strongly suggest r4. The field work would get an r1 vote for me if it was tillage work. R4 would be fine for rototiller or something along those lines. For plowing, discing, field cultivator, or other high draft loads, I'm saying r1 is the tire of choice and preferably a radial for the better traction they provide.

 

[sea2summit]

Gotcha, well that's some thin mud, if we get anything up to the belly of a machine it's done if not before. I think the op has two very different needs and either tire will be a compromise. The tree clearing and woods work and loader work strongly suggest r4. The field work would get an r1 vote for me if it was tillage work. R4 would be fine for rototiller or something along those lines. For plowing, discing, field cultivator, or other high draft loads, I'm saying r1 is the tire of choice and preferably a radial for the better traction they provide.

Nailed my problem.

 

[motownbrowne]

Nailed my problem.

So what kind of field work are you talking about?

 

[RedNeckRacin]

To me it'd depend on the field work you mention. Around here, that means plowing, discing, planting etc. If that's the case you'd have to go with R1s. If you're talking about bush hogging or haying on the other hand, then I'm sure you could get away with R4s. Also, if you are talking about tillage when you say field work, but you'll be using a rototiller, then you'll be fine with R4s. Really, though for ground engaging work, R1s are the only tire designed for the job.

I just realized I think I restated your post almost verbatim!

 

[ovrszd]

I am on steep terrain and mud a LOT. Had R4s. Hated them. Now have R1 Radials. Much better.

For puncture resistance and weight carrying ability the R4 will probably excel.

For traction and ride the R1 radial will definitely excel.

 

[Ivan49]

In the 30 plus years my ag tires never loaded up in the mud here on my place. I have had my new tractor for 3 months and in the mud the r4 are worthless, yes they will get you thru but are spinning doing it. I like them in soft ground as the front tires make a rut the backs cover it up and in the woods they are great. Time will tell what they are like in the snow if we get any this year.

 

[motownbrowne]

I just realized I think I restated your post almost verbatim!

I saw that too. Funny. Great minds...

 

[chieff]

I thought the R4s were more expensive? How do you figure the R1s last longer? In my experience with both tires being filled with fluid there is very little difference in ride smoothness.

Radial tires on average last 50% longer and offer 25% more traction vs bias ply tires. Look at all of your county and state tractor highway mowing tires. Once our county mowers started going with radials they are replacing tires much less often. The R1w radials are as wide as r4 tires therefore you get the lower ground pressures. They ride significantly better than r4's. I'll mow hay at 12 mph with a disc mower on my radial tire tractor but my kidneys won't let me go more than 7-8 with the r4's. The main reason I went with r4 on my older tractor was the only wide tire option at the time was r4 and I didn't want to roll the front tires off the rim with a heavy front end bucket load. On my newer tractor with R1w radials they are just as wide. I promise once you go radial tires you will never look back.