R4's are USELESS!

[Bob_Young]

I'm amazed at how well the turfs on the B7610 work in the snow. I think the combination of large tire contact area plus the relatively light weight of the tractor give it flotation. It'll be spinning away but still walking through snow at and above the front axle. When the snow gets deeper it seems to pack it down and run on it. I don't have chains, but do have fluid in the rears.

Last year I used the L4300 with R1s for snow clearing. It's a much larger tractor, but when it started spinning, it dug down through the snow and tended to bury itself. There was very little flotation.

Came very close to having R4s put on the 7610 when I bought it. Glad I didn't
Bob

 

[Timber]

I have been digging a pond with my Loader in wet clay with R4s with no problem. Have pictures to prove it. It is a 4 foot deep pit.

 

[Hard]

I have been digging a pond with my Loader in wet clay with R4s with no problem. Have pictures to prove it. It is a 4 foot deep pit.

Show us the pictures Timber. Not that I don't believe you I just love tractor pictures.

 

[nosliw]

i have R4s and the rears are filled with beetjuice and they do SURPRISINGLY well in mud. even scraping up sod, i just put it in 4wd, loaded up the ballast box and pushed. no excess slipping.

 

[Timber]

You can see the wet clay very clearly. You can see there was no problem with the bars loading up
If I started digging in I would drop the load to the ground and float the bucket out. The way you
work your tractor has a lot to do with how well your equipment will perform. My tractor is a 4 wheel drive
so I try to keep my ballast balanced between the loader and the drum. It is all about technique and finesse
Blame what ever you want for your failure, for me failure is no option. I have never had my tires load up
with material. I would have to guess your RPMs are to high for the work you are doing. My ballast drum is all I use
and it is about 800 pounds. The tires are not loaded. If your rears are loaded try dropping your 3 point wt so you
can keep the same wt over your front wheels so you have equal 4 wheel traction

 

[Hard]

Thanks for the pics Timber. Looks like you had a lot of fun.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have been digging a pond with my Loader in wet clay with R4s with no problem. Have pictures to prove it. It is a 4 foot deep pit.

Id say its an exaggeration to call R-4s useless. From your pictures and description it seems you have been careful to not exceed limitations characteristic of the tire. That clay looks sandy so you did not face formidable difficulty with tire loading. All in all, a good balancing act!
larry

 

[Matt_W]

You can see the wet clay very clearly. You can see there was no problem with the bars loading up
If I started digging in I would drop the load to the ground and float the bucket out. The way you
work your tractor has a lot to do with how well your equipment will perform. My tractor is a 4 wheel drive
so I try to keep my ballast balanced between the loader and the drum. It is all about technique and finesse
Blame what ever you want for your failure, for me failure is no option. I have never had my tires load up
with material. I would have to guess your RPMs are to high for the work you are doing. My ballast drum is all I use
and it is about 800 pounds. The tires are not loaded. If your rears are loaded try dropping your 3 point wt so you
can keep the same wt over your front wheels so you have equal 4 wheel traction

There are times with a load of log rounds piled on a pallet slightly downhill my r4s would spin. I look forward to trying the technique of dropping the fel and floating out backwards.
Thanks for the tip

 

[Timber]

I find it frustrating when anyone lays down a blanket statement like this item is completely useless. We have a lot of people in hear look for the 1st tractors. Setting up a tractor is not like going down to a car dealer and questioning if you want Grey or Red interior. You put a tractor together based on your general use. It is fine to say this item doesn't work for me for this reason or that, but to say it is useless is not fair to someone looking for the application it was designed for. The R4 is the most indestructible tire of the 3 most people set there equipment up for. It does have its limitations as do the other 2 styles. My other tractor has turf tires on it because it does all my lawn maintenance. I am sure that in this pond project Ag's would have been a better fit, however I do a lot of things with that tractor such as trail clearing and maintenance. I need a tire of great durability. The R4 is a perfect fit for me most of the time. Look I'm not interested in trashing anyones opinion, I'm just saying before we make blanket comments on opinions take into consideration how and why people find this group. Most are looking to purchase a tractor and many for the 1st time. When they do a tire search and this thread comes up and it will. The information in this thread is miss leading and not fair to a person looking for this application in there tractor. The R4 is a perfect all around tire for many people. Ag's are a much better fit for Gardening and general farming. I think most people hear are using Turf tires do to Landscaping. I think in the group were great information is shared with all kinds of people for many reasons the we need to be objective in are opinions and take into consideration why we all came hear in the 1st place

 

[Timber]

There are times with a load of log rounds piled on a pallet slightly downhill my r4s would spin. I look forward to trying the technique of dropping the fel and floating out backwards.
Thanks for the tip

When your backing out of a hole or up hill the center of gravity shifts forward with wt in the loader. You kind of think of your front axle like a fulcrum. As the center of gravity shifts forward you lose traction in your rear wheels. Dropping the loader to the ground into the float position put your rears back to the ground. That said it takes the wt off the front wheels and they can loose traction. This is where the finesse comes into play. The idea is to try to keep the ground pressure equal on all 4 wheels. If your front wheels start to lose traction pick the load up a little to balance your center out. When you crest the grade your center changes again. Use the force Luke LOL. If you pay attention you can feel the tractor balance itself. You kind of get use to using the joy stick, cutter brakes & the differential lock all together. The tractor has a lot of features that many people have no idea how to use.