R1 don’t work as well going in reverse?

Doc_Bob · Apr 30, 2006

R1 don’t work as well going in reverse?

I spoke to a Case/IH dealer this weekend. All he has on his lot are R4. When I asked about R1, he indicated they work well going forward, but not so well going in reverse. Angle of tread in reverse. Any truth to what he was saying? He even tells me that some ATVs have their tires reversed in order to allow backing up to have more traction than going forward. The truth is sometimes hard to find.
Bob

LRH · Apr 30, 2006

True... The R1 tread pattern is optimal in one direction only. Most manufacturers recomend turning front tires around, not only increasing traction when backing out of hole with a bucketfull of material, but also increasing tire tread life.

MikeD74T · Apr 30, 2006

Both R1 & R4 tires are directional tread meaning that they work better in one direction. R1 is more open to grab the soil & R4 is more closed for flat surface contact. Think of open-ness in relation to rain/snow tires or racing slicks on your car. Look at the titan tire website for examples & explainations. Open their home page for more info.

LRH · Apr 30, 2006

( . All he has on his lot are R4. Bob
)

-----------------------------------------------------

Al tire choices have drawbacks; if all he had were R1's, he could find something detrimental to say about them (R4's)also.

Doc_Bob · Apr 30, 2006

( Both R1 & R4 tires are directional tread meaning that they work better in one direction. R1 is more open to grab the soil & R4 is more closed for flat surface contact. Think of open-ness in relation to rain/snow tires or racing slicks on your car. Look at the titan tire website for examples & explainations. Open their home page for more info. )

Excellent reference on tires. Thanks!
Bob

jimmysisson · May 1, 2006

My old dairy farmer neighbor used to install the right drive tire on his Ford 600 loader tractor facing backwards. To drive into the manure pile he'd slightly brake the right, then slightly brake the left to reverse out. He did that over three tractors and 30+ years, so I guess it worked out for him. Looked odd, though.
I think the main thing is the tires load up with mud easier going backward, hence the idea of reversing the fronts. The newer tread designs clean a bit easier, where the tread bars are spaced so they don't come near meeting at their "points." R-4s seem to load up easier than R-1s, which I think is one reason they don't provide the same traction in mud.
Jim

PineRidge · May 1, 2006

Bob I can tell you that when I start over the top of the pond dam headed toward the bottom most of the time the R-4s will lose traction and it's a wild slide to the bottom with very little control. The tires don't have much bite or traction in reverse for stopping. Only when the 40D makes it to the bottom will control be regained and that happens pretty fast . /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

But once I turn around at the bottom of the dam and start back up the tires never spin and gravity has always lost.

Doc_Bob · May 1, 2006

( Bob I can tell you that when I start over the top of the pond dam headed toward the bottom most of the time the R-4s will lose traction and it's a wild slide to the bottom with very little control. The tires don't have much bite or traction in reverse for stopping. Only when the 40D makes it to the bottom will control be regained and that happens pretty fast . /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

But once I turn around at the bottom of the dam and start back up the tires never spin and gravity has always lost. )

I learn something everyday!
Bob

beenthere · May 1, 2006

PineRidge
That is not good. Better to either get weight on the rear, or possibly back down so the tires bite better.

Too many things can happen to cause a tractor to suddenly turn sideways and roll when they are sliding downhill. For one, if a brake on one wheel is applied,then the other wheel will roll twice as fast (due to the differential working) causing instability. If both brakes are applied evenly and perfectly, then the slide can be somewhat controlled, if one is lucky.

If me, I'd figure a better way to get down the pond dam. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

PineRidge · May 2, 2006

( PineRidge
That is not good. Better to either get weight on the rear, or possibly back down so the tires bite better.

Too many things can happen to cause a tractor to suddenly turn sideways and roll when they are sliding downhill. For one, if a brake on one wheel is applied,then the other wheel will roll twice as fast (due to the differential working) causing instability. If both brakes are applied evenly and perfectly, then the slide can be somewhat controlled, if one is lucky.

If me, I'd figure a better way to get down the pond dam. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

Don't think it's a matter of weight as theres an additional 950 pounds of cast iron on the back.

Please don't misunderstand as I don't take the slide intentionally or more than it took to initially learn that it was bound to happen. It seemed to me that the grass aided in the slide and was always stripped off in a straight line to the bottom of the dam. And yes backing down the dam was a solution that does work well, so is an alternative route that's not so steep. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks for the concern.