What tires to get on my first tractor?

wolc123 · May 20, 2008

Wow, 9:0 in favor of R1's and no one has even mentioned the tired old argument that R4's have greater puncture resistance for woods work. See if you can talk those confused salesman into letting you try out some R4's and R1's in the mud. I will be #10 for the R1's. R4's are best only for the industrial uses for which they were designed. If you can afford seperate machines with R1's for off the lawn and turfs for on the lawn, you are far ahead of the poor folks who are stuck with the R4's and must suffer some lawn damage and a near complete traction loss in mud or snow.

EastTexFrank · May 20, 2008

OK, let's make it 11-0. We have 2 tractors at the farm and I have 2 at the house. The farm tractors have Ag tires and the house tractors have R4's. There is absolutely no doubt that if you are worried about grip, get the R1's. I have never stuck the house tractors but I've been close a couple of times and mud will clog up those treads. Never had a problem with the ag's on the farm tractors except for the time my S-I-L ran the M5700 into the lake. That was less of a traction problem than it was a flotation problem.

DmansPadge · May 20, 2008

Ags (R1) no doubt. I've had both on the the same frame tractor and the R1s are definitely better for traction... which is sounds like you'll need.

johnk · May 20, 2008

Just to change the thought process,,,,, Get turfs and add chains.... Probably would give more traction than the ags... Just a thought of what you need and want.Just a little expansion to your thoughts. If it were me I would get AGs. That's what I have on my tractor and glad i do....

groundcover · May 20, 2008

Get the ags and don't look back !

IslandTractor · May 20, 2008

For the OP's stated purpose (no lawn and wet spots to deal with), I would agree R1s would be best. However, I do think that the tone of this thread is a bit too tough on the R4s, especially if mounted on a 4wd tractor. I have R4s and while admittedly I work in rather dry sandy rocky soil, my work is largely clearing land and it is nice to not worry about punctures. R4s also give you a bit more stability on slopes as they are both wider and lower than R1s. I do sometimes wish for extra traction as I can spin all four wheels in dry conditions but I think extra ballast will be a reasonable solution for that issue. Again, R1s seem best for the OP but R4s have benefits over R1s in some situations too.

machmeter62 · May 20, 2008

R-4's will give you a better ride on a hard surface, longer life there too; less footprint on soft surfaces. The rears aren't adjustable for stability on hillsides like R-1's, and cost more money also. I vote for the R-1's for your environment.

AKfish · May 21, 2008

I've had R3's, R4's (currently) and R1's. If it's gonna be wet and muddy --- put on your R1's. Get 8-ply's if you can.

AKfish

AndyMA · May 21, 2008

Definately Ags. Don't worry about life. I've run Ags for 1200-1500 hours and had to change them. Plenty of tread left, the tires just dry rotted due to age.

Andy

dknarnd · May 21, 2008

Another vote for R1's... when I purchased I went with the upgrade to wide R1's with wheel weights then I also loaded them up. Wouldn't have it any other way.

As was mentioned earlier when you load your tires you will loose significant flex in your sidewalls making for a stiff ride, but I felt the tractor was useless with the additional weight of the loaded tires.