Ag Tires versus Industrial tires

[pmsmechanic]

I think how well turf tires work in slick conditions really depends on the type of soil you have. Here we have a very sandy soil and I can get traction pretty well any where I go. And yet I can see turfs being totally useless in really greasy stuff.

Just as a reference for some people I'll give a few examples of what I can get away with.

I clean manure out of corrals for farmers. They like the fact that I'm small enough to get into tight places and that the tractor size keeps me from wrecking their corrals if I run into them. I can get enough traction to fill a manure bucket to over flowing. My manure bucket is basically a bar with a back on it and 24" long tines sticking out the front. Sometimes if it's real soupy I have to take a run at the manure to fill the bucket but most of the time I can do it on grunt alone. If it starts to rain while I'm cleaning corrals I'm done. I just can't get enough traction to do the job.

I live in irrigation country. Some farmers still just run grassed in ditches and let the water flow out over the fields. Sometimes these ditches leak a lot of water from grass roots growing through the banks or cattle or moles can cause issues too. I rototill grass beside the ditch and scoop it up with the loader and build up the ditch so that the water won't leak out. Our soil is sandy enough that I can do this with water running all over the place as long as there is some sod for traction. If I try this in a tilled field I haven't got a hope of moving around.

 

[brown40]

Glad you made your mind up--I have R-4's and I only regret it in mud and snow. i never saw a link pop up for the "rice paddie" and some of the other specialty tires that have been discussed, but I remember they looked like a hybrid between R-1's and R-4's, with surface area similar to the turf tires. I have yet to see them in person, but they sure looked interesting.

 

[Threepoint]

This site is wonderful. Thanks for all the input. It was valuable in helping me make up my mind. All the side discussions are interesting too. I ended up changing my mind again and again over this long weekend. I just can't develop the confidence in my mind that Turf tires would work as well in slick conditions, despite claims to the contrary. I could be wrong, but I am not willing to experiment with such a big cost to change once you choose. If I were a hard core farmer I would probably go with AG tires, but I am not, so I went with the r-4's.
Next year I will be giving my own subjective opinion on this topic. Don't know what it is yet

As between R1s and R4s, I too think you made the right choice for your planned uses. I favor R3s for traction on rough ice and snow-pack, but you can always add chains if that ever becomes an issue for you. :thumbsup:

 

[drizler]

My ags don't rut the lawn though we have hard packed clay here. The real damage comes from turning the steering while not moving. I leave the back hoe on mine most of the time for weight and utility as well so it's pretty heavy back there. Otherwise I like the ags fine as we have a lot of mud around here when it's wet.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

The only time I ever regret having my ag tires on my L3901 is in the spring or after a lot of heavy rain I have to stay off my lawn. Any other time of the year they really don't mess up the yard at all as long as I'm not making tight turns. That said I seriously debated going between R4 industrials and R1 ags and for 90% of the tasks I do with my tractor like logging and pulling a box blade or rake, maximum traction is what I need. My tractor also sees a lot of mud as well and getting stuck isn't something I was interested In doing.

 

[Mike9]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

 

[motownbrowne]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

View attachment 481029 View attachment 481030

Out of curiosity, did you calculate the circumference of the new tires and try to keep the front to rear ratio the save as the OEM configuration? Also, what type of tires did you have originally, and did you have to buy new rims?

I'd love to have r1s on the rear and r4s on the front of my Kubota. I don't have room for r4s in the back, because of my vegetable row spacing. Also, I like the traction. I'd like r4s on the front though for durability and flotation. With the loader on, even without the bucket, the front tires put a lot of pressure on the ground.

 

[Mike9]

The rears are Carlisle Tru-Powers and the fronts are Titan R4s. They replaced turfs that had some dry rot. The rears are 29x12.5x15 - standard circumference the fronts are 20x8x10 vs the stock 20.5x8x10 - well within the .02% RC difference allowed and no binding whatsoever. The rears are 6 ply the fronts 4 and are way heavier duty than the turfs that came off so yes same wheels as turfs. I'm going to fill the rears with Citrastar 50 for an increase of 150lbs per side. Hope this helps.

 

[bindian]

I just put new tires on my B6200. I'm in the woods a lot and back field so I went with bar lugs on the rear and R4s on the front. I grooved them for extra traction.

With that combination, in 4WD, your gonna bind up and eat up gears. Slippage and gear ratios are mismatched with two different tread patterns. Why do you think manufacturers never do it?
Good luck in the long run. Your will need it. Also, you might wanna search mismatched tread patterns on 4WD. Your will not like what you find out. Doesn't matter if it is a tractor or 4WD truck. They all will bind up.
hugs, Brandi

 

[IndyIan]

With that combination, in 4WD, your gonna bind up and eat up gears. Slippage and gear ratios are mismatched with two different tread patterns. Why do you think manufacturers never do it?
Good luck in the long run. Your will need it. Also, you might wanna search mismatched tread patterns on 4WD. Your will not like what you find out. Doesn't matter if it is a tractor or 4WD truck. They all will bind up.
hugs, Brandi

Tractor 4wd is set up with binding by design, with 2 to 7 % over speed on the front axle. Seems crazy but check your service manual, its in mine with a procedure to calculate how much over speed you would get with different tire sizes.
Tractor 4wd is set up that way so the tractor will turn when the front has to travel farther than the back, if the tires have the same ground speed the fronts will just get skidded sideways as they would be under speed in a corner and get pushed along.
I notice it now more with my tractor as the fronts have worn down a bit, that they do spin a little when in 4wd going straight.

 

[Mike9]

Actually the tires sizes are the same. They are listed as 20x8-10, but specs say diameter is 20.5" and they measure the same as the turfs that came off. I found a bar lug that is a better match for the TruPowers by Kenda. If I experience anything out of the ordinary I'll buy those and sell these. The grooving helps with traction - so far so good.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Gary,
Which tractor and loader do you have that carries 5000 pounds?:confused3: What are you carrying when you say a full rounded bucket of material? What material?

My loader is spec. at 3900 pounds. My tractor came with a wider than normal bucket. Not sure what ply tires came on the tractor. They are stock. I guess I stated my sentence wrong. When I put a full, over the top, all I can scoop up, bucket of clay in my bucket.........my sidewall flexes so much the tires look low, not flat. I run over normal inflation and inflate to never exceed psi, stated on the tire...........36 psi. The flex is always more noticeable on the left side than the right side. Anyway, I got a dumptruck now, so I don't have to carry a full load far, anymore.
hugs, Brandi

Brandi, I misread my spec. sheet on my LS P7010. It is breakout at 5300 and lift 3500. It will carry a rounded bucket of wet clay or rock/sand etc without much flex in the tires at all. I do like to keep my bush hog on the back for counterweight but it will work just a well with my 6 foot tiller as far as the tire flex goes.

 

[bindian]

Brandi, I misread my spec. sheet on my LS P7010. It is breakout at 5300 and lift 3500. It will carry a rounded bucket of wet clay or rock/sand etc without much flex in the tires at all. I do like to keep my bush hog on the back for counterweight but it will work just a well with my 6 foot tiller as far as the tire flex goes.

Gary,
That sounds more better! Can't be lifting more than my Big RED Beast!
hugs, Brandi

 

[motownbrowne]

Gary,
That sounds more better! Can't be lifting more than my Big RED Beast!
hugs, Brandi

Way to go Brandi, someone's gotta keep us guys on line around here.

 

[bindian]

Way to go Brandi, someone's gotta keep us guys on line around here.

Well, I can't let folks with more horses under the hood think they can lift more than my Mahindra.
hugs, Brandi

 

[elisagrace]

r4 tyre for the side are well to use.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I ran deep lug rice tires on my 2WD Yanmar 1700 and Ag tires on my 4WD New Holland 1720. The Yanmar was around 2400# and the New Holland was around 3300# with loaded rears. Those tires worked great and offered better traction than R4's. The lighter weight of those two units allowed me to run a rear finish mower without tearing up the yard. The Yanmar was no issue at all since it was 2WD and had ribbed tires on the front. The 1720 could tear up the grass if you cut short and had 4WD engaged. I typically did not run with the front wheel drive engaged.

My new Workmaster is much heavier and fitted with R'4s. As long as I don't turn sharp the grass is OK when mowing. Ag tires on that heavy of a unit would not be good for finish mowing. The R4's are great brush hogging. They are heavier piled than typical Ag's and offer better flotation. In mud they are useless. And they will spin in wet grass. A decent compromise. If you are only in dirt applications Ag is the way to go. If you have a lighter unit Ag's worked fine for me. Once you get over 4K in weight then R4's are a better option if you finish mow. If mowing exclusively go with turfs.

 

[Texasmark]

A Disc Harrow is supposed to 'throw dirt'.

A Moldboard Plow is supposed to invert soil, laying it over, roots up, next to the furrow. In my experience, this happens only in a narrow, moderate, speed range.

You may move dirt moving fast but you will not be plowing.



Post a picture of your results fast plowing, please.

I learn new things on this site, regularly.

Sir I couldn't help but LMAO at your "Politically Correct" answer. I wouldn't have been so considerate. Grin

 

[Cougsfan]

As a follow-up 3 months and 70 tractor hours later: The windshield wiper fluid filled R4's were probably a good choice for my Branson 4720CH. They don't tear up surfaces as much and work fine in all but the high traction conditions. I don't plow dirt much, but I would like to move snow with it occasionally. I have to admit that in the snow the R4's are absolutely terrible in comparison to Ag tires. Particularly if the snow is wet. My little 2wd Ferguson TO35 with calcium chloride filled AG tires runs circles around the new tractor in the snow, just because of the tires. If I had to pull someone's car out a snow filled ditch I would start up the Fergy over the Branson. But I have a 4wd 1 ton truck with chains and a snow plow mounted, so I don't really need either tractor for the dealing with the snow. If I were to get chains for the Branson, I would probably have to get both front and rear, because if you are doing any work, the front sort of goes where it wants in the snow. In the end, I am happy with my R4 choice, but would be different if my needs changed.

 

[Looking4new]

I have Beet juice loaded R4's on mine and I don't have any complaints about them at all. I push snow, drag snow with the rear blade and load gravel. Narry a complaint out of me.
I had R1's on my Farmall C and it was stuck more than it worked.