Turf and r4 tires

[shrekbelly]

guys,
am not interested in beating a dead horse . . . however, i was reading carverequipments "shopper tips," and they cited a (turf of 10%, ag 1% and r4
at 89%) choice of tire, on the small compacts they sell . . . . i was amazed it was that one sided to r4's. just goes to show you, you can learn something everyday. shrekbelly.

 

[pitt_md]

Those stats just show that most of the lemmings run off the cliff.

 

[amigauser]

guys,
am not interested in beating a dead horse . . . however, i was reading carverequipments "shopper tips," and they cited a (turf of 10%, ag 1% and r4
at 89%) choice of tire, on the small compacts they sell . . . . i was amazed it was that one sided to r4's. just goes to show you, you can learn something everyday. shrekbelly.

Most new Kubota's that I have seen at my local dealer came through with the R4's. I had R4 (industrial) tires on my B3030 that I just sold and I just switched to R3's (turf) tires on my new Grand L. If you are running the tractor on finished lawn area the R1 and R4 tires due a real number on it. That is why my new tractor has R3 tires. For tractors not run on finished lawn areas the R4 tires generally are more durable (less prone to puncture and usually more plies). They are also stiffer which helps with loader work. They are supposed to be a compromise between virtually no tread on turfs and very agressive treads on the R1 Ag tires.

 

[bandit67]

Those stats just show that most of the lemmings run off the cliff.

Or, you could say, that comment is probably a bit ignorant of many folks requirements.

Turf tires are ok on finished lawns, but do compact the grass a lot, and can cause a lot of it to get smashed down and not cut. 3 days later, the lawn looks like crap when the longer smashed down blades of grass are back up a few inches above the newly cut grass. I switched to 'bar' tires, which are like an ag tread on a wide flotation tire, on my subcompact, and I got a far better looking lawn with those than with the turfs. Some folks like turfs in snow, though I've never had good luck with turfs in the deeper snow, either in Connecticut, or in Colorado. R4s and R1s tend to tear up lawns too much for most folks, so standard turfs are usually the best option for mowing. The galaxy turfs seem to be a popular choice for larger groundskeeping crews mowing duties.

For my current machine, I chose R4's simply because of the durability and puncture resistance for my applications. The R1s would be too prone to punctures, and to tearing of the lugs in rocky conditions. My buddy has R1s and says they suck in the snow on his asphalt drive, and spin constantly. I have a half asphalt and half gravel drive, so I figure I too would have been griping about the R1s on the pavement portions. I don't have much mud work, so again, no need for the R1s. Another issue with the R1s for me was the significantly lower load capacity on the skinny little front tires - nearly half of what I have with the R4s, and I do a lot of heavy loader work.

There really doesn't seem to be 1 perfect tire type.

For me, the R4's are a far better option than R1s, and if I have traction issues, I can chain up 2 or 4 tires. R1s would need to be chained up on pavement in the snow, but would probably handle the gravel and dirt portions fine without chains. R3's would be completely worthless with the work I do on my machine.

But those are just my needs, which I realize are different from other tractor owners needs.

 

[LBrown59]

Those stats just show that most of the lemmings run off the cliff.

Just shows me many are making the wrong choice and few make the rite choice.

 

[DreaminGreen]

Or, you could say, that comment is probably a bit ignorant of many folks requirements.

Turf tires are ok on finished lawns, but do compact the grass a lot, and can cause a lot of it to get smashed down and not cut. 3 days later, the lawn looks like crap when the longer smashed down blades of grass are back up a few inches above the newly cut grass. I switched to 'bar' tires, which are like an ag tread on a wide flotation tire, on my subcompact, and I got a far better looking lawn with those than with the turfs. Some folks like turfs in snow, though I've never had good luck with turfs in the deeper snow, either in Connecticut, or in Colorado. R4s and R1s tend to tear up lawns too much for most folks, so standard turfs are usually the best option for mowing. The galaxy turfs seem to be a popular choice for larger groundskeeping crews mowing duties.

For my current machine, I chose R4's simply because of the durability and puncture resistance for my applications. The R1s would be too prone to punctures, and to tearing of the lugs in rocky conditions. My buddy has R1s and says they suck in the snow on his asphalt drive, and spin constantly. I have a half asphalt and half gravel drive, so I figure I too would have been griping about the R1s on the pavement portions. I don't have much mud work, so again, no need for the R1s. Another issue with the R1s for me was the significantly lower load capacity on the skinny little front tires - nearly half of what I have with the R4s, and I do a lot of heavy loader work.

There really doesn't seem to be 1 perfect tire type.

For me, the R4's are a far better option than R1s, and if I have traction issues, I can chain up 2 or 4 tires. R1s would need to be chained up on pavement in the snow, but would probably handle the gravel and dirt portions fine without chains. R3's would be completely worthless with the work I do on my machine.

But those are just my needs, which I realize are different from other tractor owners needs.

That is the best post I have read about tractor tires in a year.

 

[orangebluegreen]

I traded R4's for Turfs but not sure it was a good idea, probably a wash for my situation. If the ground were more clay like or slippery vs. my sand then my choice would definitely be R4. I don't have much in the way of traction issues so with 4wd Turfs get the job done. I had no problems with R4's hurting the lawn.

R4 Pros:
Much more stable on the front for loader work.

Will run with zero air pressure without breaking the bead if you're careful. When I first got mine (used) and drove it up a rutted road with a rear finish mower mounted I didn't even realize one rear tire had zero air pressure.

Dirt clears from them easier.

Turn easier at low speed, stiffer is the likely reason.
Cool looking.

R4 cons:
Stiff when you hit a bump.

You can feel the tread hitting the ground when on hard surface creating a mild rippling feel.


Turf Pros:
Smoother feel on hard ground, about the same on wet ground.

Softer over bumps IF under inflated but should be maxed PSI in the front for loader work.


Turf Cons:
The turfs can be downright scary if you have a load in the bucket and try to dismount. If dismounting the weight of your body causes them to flex making you feel like the tractor is about to flip. I once had the loader maxed in capacity lifting metal roofing and was going to dismount, it was so touchy as to feeling it might flip I decided not to get off, put the load down and moved the pile by hand. I doubt I would have noticed that with R4's.

Turf's bounce like a ball over bumps rather than one hard jolt like an R4 so you get multiple smaller jars which are probably equally obnoxious to one harder jolt.

Dog-do sticks in the tread!

The bead is very easy to release making me think if I were to get a flat any distance from home I couldn't drive it long without it coming off the wheel.

 

[Modn]

Just shows me many are making the wrong choice and few make the rite choice.

Then take the blinders off!!