What difference will Ag tires make?

[TigerfaninAR]

No, not another which is best thread so please read on. Couple weeks ago I asked a question about trading in my B2320 for either a 2920 or 3200. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/270074-b2320-b2920-3200-a.html

I got a quote for the trade in and cost of a B3200 and it was very fair from Brady. Have discussed this with the wife and while understanding it could make things easier she's not quite sold on the needing a new tractor for what really boils down to saving just a little time and being more convenient. I understand that so that brings me to my question of tires. For those that didn't read the above thread, in essence I do more garden and loader work than I thought I would but still main job is mowing. Since it looks like the new tractor will be put on hold what do you think about adding a set of ag tires and use these in the fall/winter/spring and then switch out to the bar/turfs for the mowing season? Haven't priced this but seems from looking at past posts about this it will run about a grand. Will the AG tires give a noticeable difference in the garden with the middle buster and disc? Or is it simply a problem of weight and the tires won't make that much of a difference.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Going to AG tires from turf tires in soft soil will make a dramatic improvement and even more so if you load them. They are absolutely horrible for mowing unless you and extra careful. If you can afford to swap tires, thats the idea way to have a dual purpose machine. only downside is actually taking the time to switch them. If thats a non issue and the money isn't stopping you I'd say go for it.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Tires will make a huge difference. Ags will give you the best traction for ground work, no question. Turf for mowing, that's obvious. The winter is where it gets interesting. I only have experience with ags on big tractors and R4s on my B3300 (and previous TC23). I don't like the R4s in the winter. The stiff compound that makes them much more durable also makes them harder in the winter. Apparently turfs are good in light to moderate snow as they works like a snow tire and pack up. Any tires with chains will be better than any tire without.

Not sure how much snow you get in Arkansas so some of this may not apply. What tires do you have now?

 

[TigerfaninAR]

Have the bar/turfs now. My previous tractor just had turfs. I can tell I have a little extra grip when going into a pile of topsoil but not much help in soft soil in the garden.

Usually get about one decent snow a year, not much and a non issue in regard to what tires for the tractor.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

So if you have the R4s on the front now and Turfs on the rear, If you can get matching size ags for the rear you should notice a big difference.

 

[SDT]

An extra set of easily changeable mounted tires/rims will add some versatility but is a very expensive alternative.

Ag tires will significantly improve traction on soil but not on snow.

The only way to significantly improve traction on snow/ice is tire chains, and the best combination is turf tires with chains designed for your purpose. Visit tirechains.com.

SDT

 

[TigerfaninAR]

Turfs on the front and the "bar" on the back.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=600&q=bar+turf+tires+kubota&oq=bar+turf+tires+kubota&gs_l=img.3...1308.4725.0.4867.21.8.0.13.13.0.72.498.8.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.2.img.5Tq1RUPWWxc#imgrc=btI470ve2xjH-M%3A%3BZWPjaPD3u9jMJM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tractorbynet.com%252Fforums%252Fattachments%252Fkubota-owning-operating%252F24023d1086369269-7610-bar-tires-versus-turf-438557-rear-bar-turf.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tractorbynet.com%252Fforums%252Fkubota-owning-operating%252F38813-7610-bar-tires-versus-turf.html%3B512%3B384

 

[kuboman]

I have to say that ags will give you better traction for any job. Snow and dirt especially. I have plenty of experience with ags and R4's in snow and there is no comparison. I hated my R4's so bad on my 5740 I traded them for ags. Love em.

 

[mikehaugen]

Turfs on the front and the "bar" on the back.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=600&q=bar+turf+tires+kubota&oq=bar+turf+tires+kubota&gs_l=img.3...1308.4725.0.4867.21.8.0.13.13.0.72.498.8.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.2.img.5Tq1RUPWWxc#imgrc=btI470ve2xjH-M%3A%3BZWPjaPD3u9jMJM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tractorbynet.com%252Fforums%252Fattachments%252Fkubota-owning-operating%252F24023d1086369269-7610-bar-tires-versus-turf-438557-rear-bar-turf.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tractorbynet.com%252Fforums%252Fkubota-owning-operating%252F38813-7610-bar-tires-versus-turf.html%3B512%3B384

those look like a pretty good all-around tire, but ags will still be better I would think. Weird, I have always heard people refer to ag tires(r1) as "bar" tires.

 

[DAD1220]

We used to call AG tires LUG tires, Lug with, or Lug without loading was the question.

I have had both turf and ag tires. The difference is dramatic! The ag tires give more traction and dramatically tear the crap out of a wet or soft yard.

 

[case245]

I AG S ARE GOOD ON THE ICE i was going down a hill in hi 4th hit the brakes a slid maybe a foot that 8300ib tractor

 

[Verticaltrx]

I assume you probably saw my thread about switching between R1's and R4's on my B3200 a while back, if not look it up for some good info. In soft dirt, mud, slick clay, and snow the Ag tires provide excellent traction. For loader work they are good if it is really slick, like in the barn lot or something, but aren't heavy duty enough for all day heavy loader work. If I have a big job moving lots of gravel, lots of heavy pallet fork work, etc I sometimes swap my R4 tires back on. In a situation like yours, I think you could go with any of the three tire choices and be happy, mud and snow are when things change. FWIW, with a good floor jack and air impact I can change between the two sets in about 10min.

 

[oldnslo]

In soft dirt, mud, slick clay, and snow the Ag tires provide excellent traction. They would be good for gardening. For loader work they are good if it is really slick, like in the barn lot or something, but aren't heavy duty enough for all heavy loader work.

Why aren't ag tires good or heavy enough for loader work? Had them on My BX1850 and now on Branson 2400H with the heavy duty loader with no problems. Side walls may not be as heavy as R4's but they don't bulge at all.

On a side my ag tires never bothered the lawn when it was fit to mow. I NEVER mow in 4WD and have noticed on occasion when turning real short at higher speeds the front tires will leave some small marks taht are gone by the next mowing. Yes wet conditions they may leave lug marks but then so would walking in these areas. I have hauled buckets full of dirt across my lawn with no visible tire tracks from the front tires.

Can you find a similar size tractor in your area with Ag tires and test drive it?

 

[xring100]

I AG S ARE GOOD ON THE ICE i was going down a hill in hi 4th hit the brakes a slid maybe a foot that 8300ib tractor

No offense but I would have to ask did you have chains on, or what did you hit to stop you after you slid only a foot unless you meant hundreds of feet.

Ag tires are terrible on Ice and hard pack snow in my personal experience and many others. I have trouble climbing a hill in front of my house on hard pack 4wd on and limited slip front axle not even plowing.
Data supports this as well
Friction Coefficients for Ag tires to various surfaces
Assuming your driveway is gravel the coefficient of friction is approximately 0.6
Asphalt and Dry earth are about .75
Hard pack snow = 0.25
Ice =0.1
Tire Friction coeffiecnts
Chains on ice have at least 0.4 based on my research
I have not found a source for Turf or R4's but i hear R4's are also miserable on ICE

Here is a prime example of how much ags suck on ice and this guy probably weights 1.5 - 2 times your rig yes he could have done other things to prevent the crash but i'm sure he panicked. Thus the reason for my question of chains or what did you hit. My R1's perform like this guys. for more proof search you tube some of the video's are pretty funny

 

[xring100]

Why aren't ag tires good or heavy enough for loader work? Had them on My BX1850 and now on Branson 2400H with the heavy duty loader with no problems. Side walls may not be as heavy as R4's but they don't bulge at all.

I would ask the same question my front tires are rated at 4000 lbs capacity each. Granted I would'nt want to run them on pavement all the time for heavy loader work due to wear but my tractor rarely sees pavement.

 

[xring100]

Will the AG tires give a noticeable difference in the garden with the middle buster and disc? Or is it simply a problem of weight and the tires won't make that much of a difference.

AG's will make a big difference in the garden or any type of soil. They are designed to ofter maximum traction in the dirt. They usually have good side slip traction on hills as well. As you know they tend to destroy Grass or leave tread imprints where ever they go if the ground is soft. Well mine do but then again each of the rear wheels/tires with Juice in them weighs about as much as your tractor itself so they might not be as hard on the turf on your tractor. 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.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Why aren't ag tires good or heavy enough for loader work? Had them on My BX1850 and now on Branson 2400H with the heavy duty loader with no problems. Side walls may not be as heavy as R4's but they don't bulge at all.

On a side my ag tires never bothered the lawn when it was fit to mow. I NEVER mow in 4WD and have noticed on occasion when turning real short at higher speeds the front tires will leave some small marks taht are gone by the next mowing. Yes wet conditions they may leave lug marks but then so would walking in these areas. I have hauled buckets full of dirt across my lawn with no visible tire tracks from the front tires.

Can you find a similar size tractor in your area with Ag tires and test drive it?

I would ask the same question my front tires are rated at 4000 lbs capacity each. Granted I would'nt want to run them on pavement all the time for heavy loader work due to wear but my tractor rarely sees pavement.

The B3200 uses a 7-12 front Ag tire. It is quite narrow and the sidewalls are not that sturdy, it's close to the load limit with just the tractor and loader weight on them. The 23x8.50-14 R4 front tires are much sturdier and don't bulge at all under load. The turf tires don't have much sidewall strength, but they are taller (24 or 25" IIRC) and wider so that helps make up for it. The ag tires on these tractors do work fine for most loader work, but the really heavy stuff is hard on them.

 

[xring100]

The B3200 uses a 7-12 front Ag tire. It is quite narrow and the sidewalls are not that sturdy, it's close to the load limit with just the tractor and loader weight on them. The 23x8.50-14 R4 front tires are much sturdier and don't bulge at all under load. The turf tires don't have much sidewall strength, but they are taller (24 or 25" IIRC) and wider so that helps make up for it. The ag tires on these tractors do work fine for most loader work, but the really heavy stuff is hard on them.

Gotcha makes sense now

Dave

 

[sandyc]

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!

 

[art]

A lot of good info here but the best traction on ice and snow is with turf tires! Industrial tires don't flex and the ag's give to little surface area. What we have found is we often will add studs to industrial and ag tires for winter cleanup. For the farmers we do add chains for traveling in deep snow areas but not on plowed areas as the traction is less!
You have to remember if your snow removal equipment is working then you are not in deep snow!