R1's or R4"s???

[dennis5150]

I am considering a new Kubota 3901 and have a question. Which tires would be better the Ag R1's or the Industrial R4's. My primary use would be brush hogging (mowing) a pasture, and clearing a couple of wood lots that have about 20 years of overgrowth i.e., saplings, blackberry bushes (lots of those),blowdown, and general brush. For traction I would probably want the R1's but for driving over cut saplings and black berry vines I would think the R4's would be better against puncture. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Katahdin]

I have R1s and have only had punctured the fronts in similar situations, the rears seem pretty rugged. I use Amerseal from TSC in the front tires and haven't had any flats since. I use Amerseal because its not corrosive to the wheel rim.

 

[tcreeley]

I have R1s and no problem. Never used R4s so no help there. You can always add chains if you need more traction. I think they use different rims. May need to check that out.

 

[mddorange]

I have been doing enough brush hogging of 11.5 acres of small trees, blackberry bushes and other brush and have never had a problem with the tires, but the bush hog is fairly wore out.

 

[puckgrinder85]

I've had both on a similar sized tractor. The R1's will have more traction hands down, especially in soft ground like woods. If you're really not pulling anything I don't think you'll benefit from the added traction of the R1's so much. The R1's will give a bit more ground clearance however but also raise COG as well. Its all kind of a trade off on what you really need. I've never punctured an R1 tire and that was mainly in the woods driving over brush and broken sticks etc. I never really worried about it because a tire that size is pretty darn cheap to be honest. The R4's do give good traction and I like them on our newer tractor, they are beefy and hold a lot more liquid ballast in them which offsets the traction difference a bit between them and R1.

Keep in mind the R1 is a soft ground tire, its made to push the lugs into the ground to get the most bite, and it will on all but really hard surfaces. If it cant plunge the lugs into the soil the traction goes down with that.



R1's

Pros:
usually the cheapest
greatest traction in most cases
ground clearance

Cons:

Tear up the ground more
Thinner rubber on small tires
Less capacity
Wear out faster on hard surfaces
Rougher ride


R4

Pro:
Thick and heavy
Hold more ballast
Most desirable for resale
Pretty common sizing
Less ground destruction (If you don't spin)

Con:
Less traction than R1
less ground clearance
Not great in snow

 

[Thomas]

Any wet areas you be passing thru?

 

[pmsmechanic]

I've had both on a similar sized tractor. The R1's will have more traction hands down, especially in soft ground like woods. If you're really not pulling anything I don't think you'll benefit from the added traction of the R1's so much. The R1's will give a bit more ground clearance however but also raise COG as well. Its all kind of a trade off on what you really need. I've never punctured an R1 tire and that was mainly in the woods driving over brush and broken sticks etc. I never really worried about it because a tire that size is pretty darn cheap to be honest. The R4's do give good traction and I like them on our newer tractor, they are beefy and hold a lot more liquid ballast in them which offsets the traction difference a bit between them and R1.

Keep in mind the R1 is a soft ground tire, its made to push the lugs into the ground to get the most bite, and it will on all but really hard surfaces. If it cant plunge the lugs into the soil the traction goes down with that.



R1's

Pros:
usually the cheapest
greatest traction in most cases
ground clearance

Cons:

Tear up the ground more
Thinner rubber on small tires
Less capacity
Wear out faster on hard surfaces
Rougher ride


R4

Pro:
Thick and heavy
Hold more ballast
Most desirable for resale
Pretty common sizing
Less ground destruction (If you don't spin)

Con:
Less traction than R1
less ground clearance
Not great in snow

One more con on R-4's. They are rougher riding than any other tire out there.

 

[Yamaha2112]

I never fully understood R4's. Maybe they'd be nicer than R1's for just mowing and doing palette type work. But for me, traction is king. Tilling, rocky/rooty trails, and snow stuff my R1's, even worn, still grab fairly well. I couldn't imagine going with any less traction for my uses. The only thing that makes me consider R4's is that they seem like they might be more stable off-camber and (likely?) more puncture resistant.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I think it comes down to how much of the tractors life is spent on pavement or hard road surfaces. If your time is majority fields and woods then go R1s and certainly so if you plan to pull any tillage equipment in freshly turned up soil. If on the other hand your tractor spends most of it's time plowing a paved drive or moving pallets in a hard parking lot the R4s are a better option.

 

[nybirdman]

I have 800+hrs bush hogging
with R1's with no problems.For serious off road R1's will win every time.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Coincidentally, I just pulled the trigger this morning on a new L3901 (should take delivery in a couple weeks:cool2 and I am having R1's put on them. I have them on my current tractor, and would not consider anything else. Bonus is that they were a little cheaper. I prefer the ag tires mainly because of the type of work I use the tractor for: brushhogging a field, snowblowing, and moving manure. In all these applications, traction has and will continue to be my friend. I have never punctured a tire and I also go in the woods to pull out firewood.

Good luck, and if you end up getting the L3901 we can compare notes!:thumbsup:

Just saw this thread that you might find helpful: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/tires/332093-r4-r1s-l3901-new-only.html?highlight=3901

 

[oldpilgrim]

I had a tractor for 20 years with R1's. I never thought about the tires, they were tires and they worked.

I have had a new tractor for nearly a year now, with R4's. I've used it in dry conditions, in wet conditions, thru record breaking amounts of snow, in mud and on my lawn.

They are wide, giving the tractor a wider more stable stance. I think that the wider tire gives you more surface on the ground making up for the deeper cleats on the R1's.

They ride NICE (don't over inflate). They're tough. They handle the woods great. They work well in snow, mud. They don't tear up my lawn.

I'll never go back to R1's.

Others seem to disagree, but I can't understand why.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I'll never go back to R1's.

Others seem to disagree, but I can't understand why.

Perhaps they have more heavy wet clay soil to pull a plow or harrow through then you do.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Perhaps,... I'm just passing on my own experiences.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Perhaps,... I'm just passing on my own experiences.

Understood.:thumbsup:

 

[coobie]

I have had both R1, and R4,s.My choice is the R1,s better in snow and mud,hard on your lawn in early spring and fall.If you are doing a lot of front loader work the R4,s have heavier sidewalls verses the R1,s.I just add more air pressure on my front tires when doing front. loader work.

 

[pat32rf]

Around here once the snow gets packed you need chains, ditto for hard ground, but when it gets soft I like the floatation of the R4s, even though I originally wanted R1's like on my old Bota . Now I'll never switch back either....I can even drive over the lawn, once the chains come off..

 

[oldpilgrim]

We had record breaking snow and I never once felt the need for chains. The 4wd was more than adequate.

 

[powerscol]

I have the r4's too and love them. A lot better on the stability, I have them filled for more ballast. Work very well in snow etc. Only issue is they don't grab as well in very wet mud. Dealer indicated that if I go logging to put a set of HD logging chains on to get better traction. I could also use them for snow removal, but don't want to tear up the drive if I spin. Neighbor with r1" on his Kubota, keeps getting flats. Not sure why, but they are at least 20 years old. They are filled too, which is a big pain for him.

Just my 02

PS the r4's do ride smoother on our subdivision roads, as I have driven the neighbors and feel the lug chatter. Then again could be his hard seat. I have the Deluxe suspension seat on mine - something everyone should have in my opinion - saves you back.

 

[HEC]

They both have their pros and cons , I've had both and will stick with the R4 for my use ,woods , snow , working around the yard , and garden work . If I were a farmer working around manure , and muddy situations I would go the R1 route for sure .