What difference will Ag tires make?

[CDN Farm Boy]

I hear R4's are also miserable on ICE

Very miserable. My experience with Ags on ice is the same as yours and the video. It doesn't matter how big or small the tractor is Ags & R4s SUCK on Ice

 

[Ken45101]

Make sure that if you use different style tires (front to back) that you don't upset the gearing when you go into 4 wheel drive. Make sure that the circumference on each axle match that of the tires you take off otherwise you could see some very costly repairs!

^^^ Absolutely what he said! Mix and match may not work on a 4wd unit.

As for front tire rating, maybe ag tires are rated enough on the smaller loaders, but I know on my M5040 the stock front tires look very overloaded with a bucketful of mud.

Perhaps the cheapest and easiest solution is to leave the turf tires on and put chains on when you need more traction.

 

[TigerfaninAR]

Perhaps the cheapest and easiest solution is to leave the turf tires on and put chains on when you need more traction.

This is why I love this place. Little research since I read this earlier and seems that there are quite a few happy people who use chains when plowing/discing/using the tractor in soft soil. Seems a little issue with the compacts putting them on the fronts and potential to damage the front axle. Now off to research what type I need (that's probably another can of worms).

 

[case245]

xring i didnt have chains on when on the icy hill

 

[Notforhire]

I know guys that put Ag's on zero turns and claim they don't tear up the grass as much as the Turf tires but i can't confirm or deny that rumor.

I put Ag's on my Ferris zero turn. I have a couple of slopes to climb, and a wet area near a pond. They cause less damage only because they don't spin as much in these areas. Do a sharp turn, and yeah you can chew the ground up much better than with the turfs.

On ice, I have had better traction with turf tires on tractors than R4 or AG's. Better not great. The turfs I had were rather wide and had lots of contact area, but there is nothing like chains on ice.

 

[MHarryE]

What does everybody with chains do about concrete floors? I know from the past the only way we ran our Farmalls in the winter was with chains. My garage is a concrete floor with hot water tubes running through it and I don't want to risk damage. Needless concern? I've been doing okay because after a snow we usually get a below zero day where the ice isn't vey slippery but when I try to move a lot of snow in bear freezing temps I am nearly screwed. A few weeks ago I was pushing downhill into a bank. When I couldn't move back I figured no problem, I'll just curl the bucket pushing me back. Problem was that every time I raised the bucket to get a new bite I slid right back into the bank. I spared myself the humility of having my wife pull me out with our pickup by working myself sideways, then scooting along the bank with bucket propel but I spent 15 minutes. Chains would have solved the problem but... The next day it was -33F and I cleaned up the mess no problem.

 

[oldnslo]

Just driving on concrete should do very little damage to concrete. Spinning and sliding is what causes the damage.

 

[oldnslo]

On ice, I have had better traction with turf tires on tractors than R4 or AG's. Better not great. The turfs I had were rather wide and had lots of contact area, but there is nothing like chains on ice.

How is a wider tire better on ice? Typically on ice you want a narrower tire so you more weight per square inch of contact surface. How well to wide tires on cars or pick-ups do Vs narrower tires?

 

[Notforhire]

How is a wider tire better on ice? Typically on ice you want a narrower tire so you more weight per square inch of contact surface. How well to wide tires on cars or pick-ups do Vs narrower tires?

I am basing this all on my experence with the tractors I have owned that had R1, R4, and turf tread tires. I have found that narrow tires work better in snow because they do cut through and have more weight per sq in on solid ground. Ice is different IMHO.
Ag tires on hard ground or ice would have the most lbs per sq in contact, because of the lug design but they still sit on top of the ice. Unless you cut into the ice with chains, I would think that a larger contact area would give you better traction. Maybe it has more to do with the rubber compounds. The turf rubber was softer I think than the R1, and R4.
I do agree with you, as far as using narrow tires in snow. I have noticed that the Bobcat skidsteer I was using for snow removal worked much better than the rubber tracked loader that was working along side of me. He had lots of contact, but it wasn't with the ground.

Best, Bill

 

[oldnslo]

Bill,
You may be onto something about the different rubber combound in turf tires Vs R1 and R4 making them grip a little better on ice. I know from my experience the R1's in snow, or snow pack, dirt & mud where hands down the best.

regards Roy