R-1 vs R-4Tire sizes on the B7500, B2410 and B2710

Gro_Kiwi · Nov 21, 2003

Just when you think it is done, it starts up again.
I go Kiwis (the fruit). My vineyard is planted and trellised with a pergola system that has wires running horizontally through the field at about 6 feet off the ground. These wires are very, very strong and have very little give.

In chosing a tractor, it is important both the tractor and the driver, me, fit under these wires. The tractors I have tried all had foldable ROPS.

I had the Kubota dealer deliver a B7500 with R-4 industrial tires for demonstration and both it and I fit under the wires just fine, but it turned out the B7500 did not have the features I need, so I moved up to a B2410. Since the dealer did not have any instock, I roughly calculated the clearance of the ROPS and me and think we both will fit under the wires.

So, I decided to order the B2410. Now I am wondering since it's industrial tire size appears to be the same tire as the B2710 (per my dealer's spec book), if the B2410 and I will fit under the wires. And these tires are a lot taller than the B7500's tires.

Now for the twist, Well, the dealer has a B2710 that comes off flooring and is willing to sell it to me for the same price as the B2410. It appears to be just an inch or two too tall for me to fit under the wires and it appears from measurements that the tractor will clear the wires by a few inches. This unit has R-4 industrial tires also. I am having it delivered next week for testing.

I can also use R-1 Agricultural tires as my application is purely agricultural. I almost never will be off dirt.

My question is to you guys or gals who own a B2410 or a B2710, could you measure from the ground to the top of the cleat and tell me how tall your rear R-1 Agricultural tires are? Then I can compare to the R-4 tires and determine if a switch in tires will give me the clearance I need. The dealer said the R-1 Agricultural tire is an inch or two shorter than the R-4 Industrial tires, but we did not have any to measure

Thanks for the help
Paul Merrill

F350Lawman · Nov 21, 2003

R-1s are usually taller than R-4s aren't t hey? The R-4's are wider.

I ordered my JD with R-4s partialy because the listed R-1's would have made it too tall for my barn.

MadReferee · Nov 22, 2003

Well for a comparison, my B2710's R4's are 36 1/4 inches tall.
They are relatively new.

8561 · Nov 22, 2003

I have a new B2410 with R4's. I just ran out to the shed with a flashlight and they measure between 31.5 and 32 inches tall. If my memory serves, the tires are the same as the B7500, but I left my brochure that tells at the office. I could be mistaken about that. I am sure they are smaller than the B2710. I think you'll be fine. Good luck, you'll love the B2410. What implements did you buy?

Gro_Kiwi · Nov 24, 2003

Hello Tim........Kubota B2410 HSDB

Thanks for the information. To answer your question,
I ordered a B2410 4x4 HSD with a box scraper and a tandem disc. I ordered R-4 tires.

I keep getting conflicting information from my salesman.

Thanks to tractor owners like you, I now know the B7500 and the B2410 use the same R-4 tires (12x16.5 rear and 23x8x12 front).

I also know the B7500's R-1 tires are 9.5x16 rear and 6x12 front while the B2410 uses 11.2x16 rear and 7x12 front., but I do not know the height of the rear R-1 tires.

I have also found out that the B2710 uses a different R-4 tire size (12.4x16 rear and 23x8.5x14 front) and that this rear tire is 37 inches tall. It uses 12.4x16 rear and 7x12 front R-1 tires. Again, I do not know the height of this rear tire yet either

I also now, know that the R-4 tire tends to cake up a bit more in gooey mud than the R-1 tire and that the R-1 tire may be a better match for my purely AG related use. Some people think the R-4 tire offers more floatation than the R-1 because the front R-1 tire is a bit narrower than the R-4, thus they get better mud traction.

I won't know if the B2710 will work for me until I find out the actual size of the rear 12.4x16 R-1 tire and compare it to the 37 inch rear R-4 12.4x16 tire.

My salesman claims that since the R-1 and R-4 rear tires on the B2710 are both the same size in the spec book (12.4x16), they will actually be the same height.

It is my hope one of the tractor owners has R-1's on a B2710 and can verify this for me.

Again, Tim, thanks for measureing the tires. So, how do your R-4 tires work in mud?
Paul

8561 · Nov 24, 2003

I think the R4's do OK in the mud. I've been in it a fair amount lately. They seem to self-clean pretty quickly. However, most will tell you that the Ag tires are better in a muddy situation, and they're probably right. I went with the R4's as a compromise tire between the landscaping work I needed to do and the eventual lawn mowing I will do. I think either will work for you, but I think you'll find the general concensus is that the Ags will tend to mark up softer ground more than R4s. There are numerous threads if you do a search for the different types of tires. They are usually long threads with many people expressing different opinions on what they think is best and why.

By the way - you are fortunate to get the chance for more tractor than you bargained for. The only other thing you might consider is the manuverabiulity of your tractor. If your vineyard is tight, you might be better off with the B2410 and its smaller size. You might also consider the bi-speed turn feature if things are really tight. Otherwise the 2710 is more tractor for the same money, given your dealer's offer. Good luck and let us know what you decide.