R1, R3, R4, R14 - Tires - If you had to pick 1? 2?

[FlyFishn]

So, my R14s are more "rounded" than R4s, so even filled, they are better on turf than R4s. I dont know that All R4s are squared off, or that All R14s are rounded, so your milage may vary

Very interesting information.

I went looking trying to see what you're talking about with the squared vs rounded tires.

Are you talking about how the centerline of the tires balloon out, or not, compared to the sides? Or how sharp the transition from the side of the tread to the side wall is?

The R14's I see (Goodyears according to the Kubota options) are a bit ballooned out on the centerline, but not very much. The sides of the tread, however, cut off very sharp at the edges by the side walls.

Also of interest - the R3 turf tires I see "balloon" out more, however they still have the sharp edges by the side walls. That puzzles me a bit.

 

[RayIN]

When/if I need to buy new rear tires I will buy R14 tread. I've used tractors for many years with R1 tread, so know what they will/will not do satisfactorily. I used a tractor at work with R4 tread, even in a gravel truck lot, they don't grip well IMO.

 

[sd455dan]

One thing left off the list, R2s Rice and Canes; those saying R1 ags have the best traction haven't seen just how big of paddles some of the R2s really have. Not something widely used in the US, except on mud trucks; but they are Aggresive.

I think they look good, but R1's for me given a choice- always.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

R4's when it gets "soupy"!

I tried to pull myself out with the BH, it only got worse!

Larger diameter tires might have helped ... ?

R4's chained in wet clay ... Kept me going!

For your situation I'd pick the R14's ... And get chains if you get stuck in mud after the first time!

 

[steve tym]

R4's are 50% slicks. Mine did much better pushing snow after I grooved them. My new tractor does much better than I expected in the snow with R1's, but they don't like doing "industrial" work. They squat and twist and squirm doing loader work. I'm dying to try R14's. Don't drive your R1's on the grass unless you have very compacted soil.

 

[chim]

I started with a 2WD Cub LoBoy that had old diamond pattern turfs. It had traction trouble on wet grass. However, with chains it went as well as the 4WD tractors I've had since.

The little Ford has R1's that were replaced with another set of R1's a few years ago. The light weight of the tractor and very deep lugs make it go extremely well in everything but ice.

The next three tractors were 4WD with R4's. These have been easier on our yard than the R1's. Part of our yard gets flooded occasionally and can be mowed a couple days later without leaving ruts.

I grooved the R4's on the last two tractors and they do fine on snow and surprisingly well on ice.

The R14's look like something good but I never tried them.

 

[LouNY]

I have had thousands of hours on tractors with R1's and they are a good tire with excellent dirt traction, the R1W's suck except for extreme mud, they actually have less traction in normal field use and the road behavior is atrocious.

With limited R4 experience what I do have they suck in any kind of situation needing traction, wet grass mud they are almost useless. Hard packed gravel or pavement they are good.

I have R14's on my little Kioti and have been very pleased with their performance, ride and traction.

And then a tire that has surprised me;
My Branson 8050 was equipped with R1 tires originally, they did a good job. In the winter they wore the Euro Studded tire chains.
Shod with her R1's

Then this past summer the fronts were getting worn and weather checking bad so I decided to change them out.
I went with a "hybrid" tire they are BKT ridemax IT 696, they have been much better then anticipated.
The load capacity is in line with a similar sizer R4 tire (much higher then an R1) but with the radial construction they flex as well as the R1's did

 

[CH4Ohio]

I have had thousands of hours on tractors with R1's and they are a good tire with excellent dirt traction, the R1W's suck except for extreme mud, they actually have less traction in normal field use and the road behavior is atrocious.

With limited R4 experience what I do have they suck in any kind of situation needing traction, wet grass mud they are almost useless. Hard packed gravel or pavement they are good.

I have R14's on my little Kioti and have been very pleased with their performance, ride and traction.

And then a tire that has surprised me;
My Branson 8050 was equipped with R1 tires originally, they did a good job. In the winter they wore the Euro Studded tire chains.
Shod with her R1's


Then this past summer the fronts were getting worn and weather checking bad so I decided to change them out.
I went with a "hybrid" tire they are BKT ridemax IT 696, they have been much better then anticipated.
The load capacity is in line with a similar sizer R4 tire (much higher then an R1) but with the radial construction they flex as well as the R1's did

Lou, Don't those look a lot like the R14 tires?

I thought all of the tractor tires had a "R" designation. These don't have any kind of "R" code on the sidewall?

 

[CH4Ohio]

Lou, Don't those look a lot like the R14 tires?

I thought all of the tractor tires had a "R" designation. These don't have any kind of "R" code on the sidewall?

PS -- Looks like a really good alternative to the R4 tires that ride so damn rough!

 

[LouNY]

Lou, Don't those look a lot like the R14 tires?

I thought all of the tractor tires had a "R" designation. These don't have any kind of "R" code on the sidewall?

Not that I have noticed; I think the carcass is from their Industrial line
RIDEMAX IT 696 Tires | Tractor, Tractor Tires BKT

from their spec sheet,
Description
RIDEMAX IT 696 has a unique tread design and a wide
footprint that provides excellent grip for road applications, even
in winter conditions. The tire is best suitable for transport and
municipality/maintenance applications thanks to its high-speed
feature and strong casing. The tread design has been
specifically developed for heavy-duty services and ensures a
low rolling resistance that provides fuel economy plus great
stability.

They do look similar to the R14's but the R14's are from the R1 lineup of tire caresses 4-6 or 8 ply.
These are a heavier duty carcass,
the front 11.2-24's have a weight rating as high as 3970 pounds each at as high as 46 psi.
The rears at only 17 psi are over 5100 pounds each, at 46 psi they are rated for over 11,000 pounds each.

Edited to add;
When I got the front ones to replace the old R1's I had no intention of replacing the rears, I went with the fronts as using the front end loader I was often overloading the front tires as most people do. The only saving grace is that usually the speed is very low when the tires are overloaded.
After using the fronts for a week I ordered the rears.
However I also had an ulterior motive, my IH 574 was very much in need of new rear tires and the rears off the Branson were the same size so the Branson rears went on the 574.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Not that I have noticed; I think the carcass is from their Industrial line
RIDEMAX IT 696 Tires | Tractor, Tractor Tires BKT

from their spec sheet,
Description
RIDEMAX IT 696 has a unique tread design and a wide
footprint that provides excellent grip for road applications, even
in winter conditions. The tire is best suitable for transport and
municipality/maintenance applications thanks to its high-speed
feature and strong casing. The tread design has been
specifically developed for heavy-duty services and ensures a
low rolling resistance that provides fuel economy plus great
stability.

They do look similar to the R14's but the R14's are from the R1 lineup of tire caresses 4-6 or 8 ply.
These are a heavier duty carcass,
the front 11.2-24's have a weight rating as high as 3970 pounds each at as high as 46 psi.
The rears at only 17 psi are over 5100 pounds each, at 46 psi they are rated for over 11,000 pounds each.

Edited to add;
When I got the front ones to replace the old R1's I had no intention of replacing the rears, I went with the fronts as using the front end loader I was often overloading the front tires as most people do. The only saving grace is that usually the speed is very low when the tires are overloaded.
After using the fronts for a week I ordered the rears.
However I also had an ulterior motive, my IH 574 was very much in need of new rear tires and the rears off the Branson were the same size so the Branson rears went on the 574.

Nice upgrade! And thanks for the info. I was looking at their website and it seems like they have quite a lineup of specialized tires.

Do you have the rears loaded? Or are the wheel weights adequate?

Thanks!

 

[LouNY]

There is 600 pounds of weights on each rear. At times I'll have to add a rear implement to counter balance every thing. But just a full bucket of sand or gravel the iron is good. I was moving and setting some "mafia" (bin) blocks this summer they are 3600 pounds each. While moving very slow and keeping them just barely of the ground it was doable but sketchy, when I added my back blade it was fine.
I do not like filled tires, I prefer bolt on iron. I have seriously contemplated another weight on each side.

 

[RayIN]

Not that I have noticed; I think the carcass is from their Industrial line
RIDEMAX IT 696 Tires | Tractor, Tractor Tires BKT

At $790 ea. + mounting and balancing, + taxes, they should be better than any other tractor tire.

 

[WM75Guy]

I run R4s on all 3 of my NH tractors, 25 hp, 40 hp, and 75 hp. The majority of my work is moving dirt, lifting loads with the pallet forks, and mowing. I have not had to do much plow work until recently due to hog damage. The R4s do well in my sandy soil. Only have been stuck once in 16 years that I had to call a wrecker to get me out. That was when I hit a wet spot with an underground spring and only had 1 tractor, the TC40DA tractor.

 

[LouNY]

At $790 ea. + mounting and balancing, + taxes, they should be better than any other tractor tire.

They were expensive but not much more then other premium radials, and less then some.

 

[JWR]

This discussion has dragged on for more than 50 posts? Here comes the 56th. Nothing the OP has said or described about his intended work for this machine suggests anything other than R1 Ag tires. I have no experience with R14 and I suggest you test run a tractor like what you plan to buy with R1s and then with R14s if you can find them which will be difficult. If tires are a major factor to you do the test run comparison. Otherwise just get R1 Ag tires and get on with it. I doubt you will ever regret that.

 

[FlyFishn]

This discussion has dragged on for more than 50 posts? Here comes the 56th. Nothing the OP has said or described about his intended work for this machine suggests anything other than R1 Ag tires. I have no experience with R14 and I suggest you test run a tractor like what you plan to buy with R1s and then with R14s if you can find them which will be difficult. If tires are a major factor to you do the test run comparison. Otherwise just get R1 Ag tires and get on with it. I doubt you will ever regret that.

For the sake of wrapping up the discussion - and in no disrespect for what you say - we've already made the call to go with the R14's from the start. The reason for this is to try to get decent turf performance without loosing too much bite in the dirt. We don't expect them to be best at everything, but the hard pill to swallow is the turf damage running R1's. It does get wet around here (our area is known locally as "swamp ground"). There is a period after winter in the spring where the ground is very swampy. That makes it difficult for the growers in this area to get in the field - they can't wait forever for it to be "ideal" so as they get the closest breaks in the swap they can, even wetter than it should be, they still get in when they can.

We've had to winch out 4wd vehicles in our back acreage, as careful as we have been, in that time well in to the spring thaw because the surface of the ground is just too loose. Even R14's, even R3/turfs at that, will rut. R1's are just going to be too hard on the turf especially during those wet times. Yea, we're going to loose bite doing tillage but I think we can start on the R14's and see what we can do as opposed to the other way around.

 

[FullMetalBucket]

When I bought my tractor, I did a bunch of research on everything except tires. Knowing what I’ve learned since I would have opted for R14s instead of R4s. I assumed the deeper lugs on the R4s would give more traction in mud and dirt. Dealer didn’t charge more for R14s and they had the same model with them equipped. Oh well.

 

[KenBike]

Go with the R14's but get a bigger tractor and a separate 60" zero turn mower. Belly mounted mowers on small tractors are slow and ok only for mowing flat fields. With the tractor you are dealing with a heavy machine and when you mow along buildings, fences or driveways with the tires running in the same track each time over a few years you end up with two tire grooves. I found even a heavy zero turn will have the same effect. It is such a pain to remove and install a belly mower it gets old real fast if you want to remove it for a day. Having a mower on a tractor when doing dirt work or in the woods will get you stuck or banging into objects.

If you end up with BX tractor at least get the rear wheel spacer kit, these tractors are narrow and almost rolled the 2018 open station I owned a few times on slopes. Traded it in on a L6060 with R-4's that I grooved and a 60" Walker zero turn. Great looking grass and have a tractor that can really do some work, not a super sized garden tractor.