Tractor tires

[Anonymous Poster]

I'll be buying a tractor this spring and already got alot of feedback from the forum on model, size etc., but I never thought about tires (I am really new at this). I'll be doing alot of landscaping initially, then mowing, snow plowing, yard maintence, etc. I was planning on turf tires but maybe R4's are better. I don't really kown what R4's are for. Any help out there?

 

[Bird]

Walt, R1 or ag tires for maximum traction, but may be hard on the turf, turf tires for going easy on the grass, but may lack traction at times, R4 or industrial tires are the compromise in between the other two./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif A few years ago, we hardly ever saw R4 tires on anything except commercial loader/backhoes and such, and now I don't actually have any statistics, but suspect there are more compact tractors sold with R4 tires than any other tire. The R4s are also more puncture resistant than the others.

 

[MossRoad]

I have turfs. I chose them because I thought 95% of my tractor usage would be mowing(turned out to be about 60% FEL time) They are very easy on the grass and do fine in snow on flat land. They also work well off road when its dry. I get enough traction that I can stall the tractor before the tires start spinning on hard dirt. I did have a few thorn punctures that I treated with slime. On side slopes in snow, the tractor wants to slide downhill. On very wet grass it will slide too. I've had them in light mud and they did OK, but my tractor is light weight and 4wd. In deep mud or wet clay I would be spinning. Most people that have the same tractor as me chose R4s and seem to be very happy. They report no problems on the lawn. After listening to them and experiencing turfs first hand, I don't know what I should do. If I need traction this winter or in mud, I'll probably get chains. Hope this helps, but it is pretty wishy washy /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have R4's. I really like mine, no ruts while finish mowing.
Lots of traction in the grass, dry and wet. If its soggy and pure mud, they'll clog quick, but thats like anything.
I just hit the 4wd, and avoid the area.

I do alot of FEL work also, I've never had an issue.
Never had a flat either, brushhogged over 50 hours this summer.... twice in a thorn infested minitree area ick!
I thought for sure I'd get a flat! nope

I just love my R4's for my small acreage... /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

ps. I have no idea what there like in snow, I've heard no problems, some mixed though, others can enlight

 

[frank_f15]

WALT: bird pretty much explains it. i choose R4'S they were best for me MOST of the time. there are times i wish i had ag's but then times i want turfs. nothing is going to be perfect all the time.pick the tire aggresiveness by wht u think u will need most of the time. best i can offer.

 

[Thomas]

As Bird said..couple years ago or so R4's were new to the market.

If your planing on fel work & mowing slopes etc R4's are the cats meow.

Removing heavy snowstorm w/icy base etc..a set of chains might come in hand.

Less ruts equal less work w/ turf tires,but the traction not as good mowing steep slopes or a wintery heavy storm.

My 2cent worth.

 

[s1120]

Now my tractor is smaller then what you are going to be shopping for [I got a big garden tractor,w/2wd] But I have the best luck with ag[r1] tires. I use my tractor hard, some woods work, hills, lots of mowing, draging stuff, etc, and I had a lot of problems spinning the turfs. When it was a little damp, the woods got muddy, and parts of the yard got slick, and the turfs would just pack up. Well, after a year of using chains, I broke down and got a set of ag tires. I love them./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif No problem digging up the lawn,[granted it does not waigh as much as a bigger tractor, but with my fat a@@ on it, it is about 1500lbs]I have actulaty found it does less damage to my yard then spinning the turfs.

 

[art]

Draw back to the industrial tires are, they ride rougher. they have load capacities well above what a compact tractor will ever weigh. Even with letting the air pressure down to the point that they loose bead contact the sidewalls are stiff. Get tubes put in them from the start to eliminate that problem.

 

[equipman]

walt53
I have to agree with Bird, the R4 or industrial tires are more of a "dual use" tire than either the Ag or the turfs. On some surfaces, the R4s may offer more traction than the Ags. We get more customers wanting R4s every year. By the way, I think the tractors look better with R4 tires.
Lewis

 

[Anonymous Poster]

R4 tires seem to be more puncture resistant than ag tires. Especially the "baloons" that come on the front of many tractors equipped with ag tires. I know they resist thorn punctures a lot better.

Ben in KY

 

[Soundguy]

With that much yard contact.. I guess you are gonna want turfs.. or maybee r4's. I love r-1 but then I don't have a yard.. I have a pasture, and need the agressive tread.

I feel either the r-1 or r-4 are more puncture resistant than the turfs.

Soundguy

 

[djradz]

For what you've indicated your uses are going to be, I'd go with R4's. I've used them for two years now on my lawn for mowing and multitudes of other uses from pushing snow to plowing a garden to pulling trees and a wagon. I used to have a tractor with R1's but was constantly putting dents in the lawn and sometimes tearing it up. Go with the R4's.

 

[hazmat]

walt,

the R4's are what you typically see on a bobcat. Depending on your soil conditions they may or may not mark up your turf. I've got sandy loam, when it is wet I mark up the lawn.

R4's are definitely a comprimise, not as much traction as AG's but not as nice to the lawn as turfs. Kind of like all season tires, vs mud & snows or racing slicks.

Some guys emjoy a "putting green" for a lawn, if that's the case, go with the turfs. You can always add chains. If you're less picky about the lawn, get the R4.

There is also a tire known as a "bar turf" tire. Do a search here. It is somewhere between a turf and the R4.

If budget allows, how about buying two sets of tires? Ags for the landscaping / winter work & turfs for the lawn. Something to consider. If it wasn't so darn expensive (~$1,000 extra) I would have done that.

 

[Rockdog]

My first tractor had Turfs - didn't care for them. Tore up grass on my slopes and got two flats doing FEL work. Current tractor has R4s, wouldn't have it any other way. No turf damage, as long as you are smart(don't turn real sharp and stay off when wet), better in snow and loose soil and no flats in 2 years. Also, they hold their tread longer when driving on hard roads better than a turf does. They cost a little more but are well worth it. Next tractor will be R4s also.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color=blue>Draw back to the industrial tires are, they ride rougher. they have load capacities well above what a compact tractor will ever weigh.</font color=blue>

Apparently there are different R4s. I was expecting the ones that came on my B2910 Kubota to be "industrial" and was /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif to find they are apparently a different breed of R4, with only a 4 ply rating and rather soft side walls.

Someone here posted their rear R4s as being...12 PLY.

I run mine loaded with ww fluid at 12 psi and I think I feel a bounce in them. I say "I think" because the suspension seat on the B2910 is pretty good and I am not sure if it is tires or seat I am feeling, but I think it is the tires...

When I stand becide the tractor on a hard surface and shake the roll bar, the rocks back and forth, not as much as the same tractor with turf tires on it, but probably 60~70% as much. Again, that is with 4-ply R4s...

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[frank_f15]

ART: U ARE CORRECT MY R'4 do seem to ride a little rough.

 

[Dieter]

Walt53,

I recently purchased a JD4110 and wrestled with the turf or R4 choice. I went with the R4. I figured they would be better for plowing snow in my 400' driften driveway.

I also had over an acre of newly seeded (and very tender) lawn that I mowed for the first time. The day I got my tractor in fact. We had also just got a bunch of rain just before and there were some very soggy spots, even some standing water. The R4s did fine. I just made sure that I didn't turn sharply in the real soggy areas.

I have another acre of well established grass. I could turn as sharp as I wanted in this area with out worry.

I hope this helps any concern you may have with the R4s in regards to mowing.

 

[kch]

When I purchased my tractor everyone told me to get R4's. The dealer told me to get R4's even though I was going to use the tractor for mostly gading and landscaping. Well when grading i almost aways had to drive over good turf to grade. Even in the most dry hard ground conditions the R4's ALWAYS tore up the grass everytime I made a turn. Even driving stright the R4's left a print in the turf. If you use 4 wheel drive with r4's your going to tear up the turf period! Well when it came time to add another tractor to the fleet we got turf and mainly use that tactor when we have to worry about turf damage when driving on peoples yards.

 

[RichZ]

Walt, if you do a search, you will find that we have had many discussions on tires.

For what it's worth, I have R-1's on both my tractors. I use my smaller (25 hp) tractor for mowing, and have never damaged the lawn. I often drive my larger (62 hp) tractor across the lawn, even with a loader full of heavy material, and that has never damaged the lawn either. I don't think R-1's do anywhere as much lawn damage as most people think, and they are by far the best for traction. Unless you have an incredibly fragile lawn, I think R-1's are always the way to go.

 

[MossRoad]

I think all of the factors have to be included; weight of tractor, soil type, moisture content, etc... when choosing tread type. My lawn is not fragile, but R4s leave depressions in it. R1s are even deeper.