Tractor tires

[I_am_the_Walrus]

No question about it R-1 tires are far superior in traction....especially mud and snow..I had a set of R-4 tires and they were virtually useless for my farm,I had to switch over to the R-1 tires and my tractor profile was raised somewhat and the traction increase was outstanding,it was like day and night.

 

[TresCrows]

The R4 tires will probably be your best bet. Their intended use is Industrial applications. They are very STIFF, have the most puncture resistant construction and provide a very poor ride. They were probably never intended for the purpose most of us use them for. It seems to me there is room for another type of tire with the more aggressive tread similar to an R4 but with softer side walls like a turf type. Punture resistance?--well--in the 21st century we live in there are materials other than nylon that are flexible and can provide puncture resistance without a harsh ride, of course the stiff side walls also help with holding up weight such as loader work so every thing is a compromise.
Byrd, I notice you are regular here again. I guess it is getting cold down in Texas so you are forced to stay in side and play on the computer OR are you considereing returning to the ownership clan and getting another tractor unit? Hope you are well and happy for this Christmas season. J

 

[OkieG]

Lots of good advice here. Some of it is conflicting, which indicates to me that different tractors and ground conditions can yield different results, or at least different impressions of the results.

I am one who uses R-1s (just happened to come with the tractor). No tread is perfect for all conditions, but my advice is don't sell R-1s short. I use them for everything including mowing. They do imprint the grass at times, but the grass springs back in a short time. The extra traction, when needed, more than makes up for any drawbacks, in my opinion.

I agree with Walrus' post above. He and Rat are the only two I know of that have used both R-1s and R-4s and have felt inclined to post a strong opinion. In the Re: 4210 or 4310? thread in JD buying/pricing, Rat expresses his preference for R-1s over R-4s. I was hoping he would expound a bit more, as I too am trying to learn..., but, in any case, I have not been disappointed in my R-1s.

OkieG

 

[Soundguy]

I love my ag tires... for what it's worth.. I'll take the traction any day of the week.... besides.. my pasture doesn't care about imprints... the livestock does more damage to the ground than my tractor tires ever could.

Soundguy

 

[I_am_the_Walrus]

I had the R-4 tires my 1st winter with the tractor...talk about frustration.......Don't think I mad my mind up I was not going to live with that aggrivation again!!!My JD 4400 looked like a size larger tractor after installing the R-1 tires,no to mention the go anywhere....capabilities.

 

[djradz]

Depends! On my sloped blacktop drive, when I had my 1720 with R1's and if it got at all slippery, the R1's couldn't have been any worse. The limited amount of contact made pushing snow extremely difficult to control. Anything short off constantly operating in 4wd and pushing completely downhill was impossible. At least with my R4's I have more traction when it gets slick. I agree otherwise, in deep snow and loose earth, R1's can't be beat. But, beware, if the ground isn't froze, or when mowing in the summer, the ribs will do damage. I see none of this with the R4's. I think the only reason some folks say they're a harsher ride is because many inflate them higher to take advantage of their additional capacity. If I was using a FEL, I wouldn't consider anything else. Many R1's are not rated to handle the load of a full bucket, even at maximum pressure. If in doubt, just search for all the references to R1's breaking the bead or leaking due to deflection with a full FEL bucket.

 

[OkieG]

Most of the guys who have turf tires love 'em. Likewise, most guys with R-4s love their R-4s.

I hate to "push" R-1s on poor ol' Walt, just because that's what I have. Even though that may be the way my post comes across. However, I will say this, traction means a lot in a tractor. I've never had a chance to try R-4s, but I'll take Rat and Walrus' word on them. I have had Turf tires on my old (now defunct) lawn tractor, and nothing was more frustrating than to get stuck on wet, soft, FLAT yard and have to drive my truck over to pull the tractor off the slick stuff.

R-1s are no gaurantee that you won't get stuck or spin your tires. And don't get me wrong, I want my yard to look nice. But for me, tire impressions in the yard mean nothing when the adreniline of a "real" tractor project is flowing and you use all the traction you have to get it done.

OkieG

 

[SethO]

OkieG

<font color=orange>I will say this, traction means a lot in a tractor</font color=orange>

I agree with you as it seems as if the word tractor came from traction.

Seth

 

[OkieG]

The front R-1s on my tractor came with inner tubes. There hasn't been a problem with losing air or breaking the bead so far, even with a maxed out loader bucket. Does an inner tube decrease the liklihood of breaking the bead?

My backhoe attachment is pretty heavy for my tractor. Once, traveling across a mild side slope with backhoe installed, my downhill rear tire dropped into a soft spot and broke the bead. It reinflated easily, and I was on my way. I never thought about it being related to the type of tire I was using. Do turf tires and R-4s not break the bead as easily? I really don't consider the one episode I had to be a problem, but I wonder if a tube for the rear tires would help?

OkieG

 

[I_am_the_Walrus]

I am talking about mud and dirt...I do not have a lawn to worry about...I have a JD 4 in 1 loader on my JD 4400 and I have hauled rocks and stuff out of these West Virginia hollows that would pucker your rear end if you seen what I have hauled and where I hauled it from on my R-1 tires and no breaking of the bead on the rims....believe me I use a tractor and abuse it. I did not by my tractor to mow grass,I never was one to nit pick and prune a yard. I have definately overloaded my 4 in 1 loader and NEVER have broken a bead.The main thing is to make sure you plenty of air in the tires before you tackle the task. I have pushed mud with the front axles.If I was only going to shove a little snow on the asphalt and play around in the yard,R-4 tires would be fine..But since I put my tractor in the roughest of places...The R-1 tires have taken me there and back where the R-4 tires have failed me miserably(for my general farming application).If R-1 tires are a problem with a loader,how come my dealer was not concerned about my R-1 tires when they installed the loader?If I was going to operate on a hard surface and use the loader a lot IE: landscape supply or business,The R-4 tires would be the tire, no question about it.

 

[MikePA]

Walt, as you can see from all the responses which tire is better is exclusively a function of how you will use the tractor. Based upon what you said you were going to use the tractor for, <font color=blue>...doing alot of landscaping initially, then mowing, snow plowing, yard maintence, etc.</font color=blue>, I recommend R4s, primarily because of the need to do landscaping, mowing and yard maintenance duties. I have R4s and there have been times when I wish they were R1s (when working in the pasture or around the barn). There have also been times when I wish they were turfs (when mowing the yard when the ground is soft). This is probably why R4s are viewed as a good tire for all around use.

 

[I_am_the_Walrus]

Well said Mike.....

 

[chim]

This evening was my first chance to try out the R4's in snow. I had been a bit concerned that they would provide enough traction. My main driveway is blacktop and is about 300' long with a pretty good slope towards one end, and a parking area near the house. Another gravel drive about 200' long connects about halfway in to provide access to the LPG tank and a shed.

I have a Ford 1210 (16HP, HST,4WD,R1's) that I've been using for years. Being familiar with the performance of this tractor using a 60" rear blade gave me something to compare the new tractor with.

Last Spring I got a B7500HST with a FEL and R4's. Until today's 6-8" of snow, I had only been able to compare the two on grass, dirt and mud. The R4's worked just fine. After work today I was able to do a side-by-side comparison of the two tractors. My son and I went out to play in the snow on both tractors.

The Kubota was dragging a heavier 72" rear blade, and moved more snow than the Ford with less slipping around. The Ford seemed like a lightweight compared with the Kubota. My fears about the R4's in snow were totally unfounded.

We did driveways for a few neighbors when we were done at our place, and finished much too quickly. Nearly all the snow was cleared by driving through it with the blade on an angle. The FEL did come in handy for cleaning up where the driveways met the road, and for scraping up packed-down spots. Sure hope we get more snow soon..................chim

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

I put chains on my R4s and they worked real well everywhere I wanted to go today in our first snow worth mentioning, about 5 inches. I have a pretty good grassy slope to get up, from down back where the tractor sleeps up to my driveway/parking area.

I had no problelm at all backing up that slope [after dragging some snow down it], or going up and down my short driveway...a driveway that always gets comments from friends...who keep begging me to do something to make it smoother and less steep at the top.

Now I wonder how those R4s would have performed without the chains! Maybe just fine.../w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

Bill

 

[chim]

Bill, I didn't go on a grassy slope, but when fooling around I went through the lower lawn dragging a pile of snow just to see how it would go. It drove through without much effort. You could give the bare R4's a try and see how it goes. My first tractor was a Cub Lowboy (2WD) with a front blade. That thing needed chains if we got a heavy frost. One reason I bought the Ford was to avoid having to use chains. The Cub was known to dig holes in the driveway before it was blacktopped. I did that a number of times. After we went with the blacktop, I was concerned that chains could make some nasty-looking scrapes

Neither tractor would drag snow up the hill on our driveway tonight. For that stretch we plowed downhill. This snow, for whatever reason, had the first 1/2" or so "welded" to the driveway. The FEL was able to peel most of that layer up, but I had to use some down pressure on the bucket.

While clearing my Brother-in-law's parking area, I discovered a trick to save the sod at the edges of the blacktop. For most of the scraping, I kept the bucket tilted a couple degrees forward. When I got just about to the edge of the blacktop, I curled the bucket slightly and kept moving onto the grass. This allowed the bottom of the bucket to float up a bit onto the snow but still push the pile onto the lawn...............chim

 

[BigDave]

Bill,

I ran my rear chains with my R4's, and left the front chains off today...the rears were solid. The fronts didn't perform as well, with a couple of incidents where the wheels were turned, but the tractor wanted to keep going straight. I'll try chains front & rear next time to see if there is an improvement. I don't think I am brave enough to go without the chains; I don't have anything that will pull the tractor out of a ditch.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

BigDave,

Be interested in hearing how the chains on the front perform. I don't have any chains for the front, and guess with the little bit of snow removal that I have to do, I probably can get away without them...

Let us know how they work out!

Bill

 

[hazmat]

Dave,

we got 4" of white stuff last night. I don't have any chains & noticed the same problem (front wheels turned, tractor going straight).

This occored on the steep section of my driveway when I was driving forward to reposition. I was plowing backwards with the rear blade. I had the FEL off (already hit the fence twice while watching the blade behind me).

 

[BigDave]

Hazmat,

The FEL can be a dangerous thing...I hit the garage door guide rail the other night and bent it up pretty good. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif I was EXTREMELY careful when I was clearing snow near my car. It paid off, no dents. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[John_Mc]

Bill -

What kind of chains are you using on your R4's?

John Mc