Now That R14 Tires Have Been Out For A While

[TractorTYMe]

If you have R4's and need more traction in snow, groove them. Worked so good, I couldn't believe it.

 

[ning]

Occasionally you're reading a thread and then you see responses that make you realize that someone really missed something and a video like this could be useful

 

[GeneV]

I'm curious about the ride comfort difference. I've got r4, and they were great with tearing out brush and some earth moving projects. But the ride really sux when mowing, compared to using my garden tractor with turfs.

 

[IndyJay]

I'm curious about the ride comfort difference. I've got r4, and they were great with tearing out brush and some earth moving projects. But the ride really sux when mowing, compared to using my garden tractor with turfs.

Maybe the perceived improvement in ride is more related to the new tractor having taller wheels, and also wider tires. On hard surfaces the ride is improved because you are riding on the center strips instead of the R1 cleats, some of which may also be noticeable while mowing. This picture shows what I mean about the center strip compared to R1. They obviously would not do as well as R1 for plowing or digging.

 

[GeneV]

Maybe the perceived improvement in ride is more related to the new tractor having taller wheels, and also wider tires.

Yes, possibly. I should make a separate thread about the subject.

 

[clarksvilleal]

I went from Turf tires on my old Kubota B2910 to R14s on my new LX3310. Someone above said tractors have no suspension. I knew that, but it became painfully obvious with the LX3310 and R14s. The big turf tires on the B2910 were about the same size (both diameter and width), but the rear tires had only 15 psi pressure, compare to 30 lbs in the R14s. With the lower pressure and the big round profile and no big lugs on the tread, I think the tires themselves basically acted like a suspension. There are areas of my property that I have to mow that are rather rough and uneven, including some spots with tree roots protruding above ground. It is clear to me that the B2910 with the turfs really provided substantial cushioning that the R14s on the LX3310 do not. Even driving on a smooth paved driveway the ride is rougher with the 3310/R14s, partly just due to the big lugs on the outer edges of the tread, I think.

To be perfectly honest, though, I don't know for sure whether the much rougher ride is due only or even primarily to the R14 tire itself. The B2910 had no ballast in the tires, and it was significantly lighter than the LX3310, which has almost 200 lbs of ballast in each rear tire plus the added weight of the loader frame, however much that is. So it could be a combination of tire design, tire pressure and extra weight that is making the ride feel rougher with the LX3310.

 

[KubotaToy]

After 6 months, I have landed on 12 psi for a good tire pressure on the R14s for all around use. I have a cab LX3310 with loader and filled tires, most of it life with be a pasture lawnmower, field brush cutter and occasional barn stall scooper...

 

[clarksvilleal]

After 6 months, I have landed on 12 psi for a good tire pressure on the R14s for all around use. I have a cab LX3310 with loader and filled tires, most of it life with be a pasture lawnmower, field brush cutter and occasional barn stall scooper...

Interesting. Does that affect the life of the tires at all, and by implication the tire warranty, whatever that is?

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

My Deere dealer didn't even know what R14 tires were

That figures. Most Deere dealers are staffed with people that have no clue about anything.

 

[workinonit]

Same goes for New Holland and Kubota. I find that my Deere dearler staff is knowledgable about most things they encounter periodically. What they lack on is being educated on the new things Deere offers. I suppose that happens at a primarily Ag location.

About the tires? Do those R14s mash the grass down in front of a finishing mower worse than R1s? R1s have minimal contact surface area to the ground and don't mash things down as bad as R4s did. I expect it's the same with R14s. I like running a mower with R1s, you can't tell where the tractor wheels even ran.