Now That R14 Tires Have Been Out For A While

[DerpDerp]

If you have them, how are the R14's are in the snow, and how are they holding up in general? Any complaints in general?
I was going to go R4 and groove them but seen R14 was a option and went with them instead, now Im wondering if that was a good call (and I could probably change back still)
I will be using the tractor mainly as a snow machine.
After watching all the youtube videos I could find and reading comments, it seems like people say there is a nice traction improvement over the R4's in the snow....which is my main concern.

 

[Texasmark]

Just got a new tractor for the wife and let the dealer talk me into R14s, must admit they looked good on the tractor. Always had R4s which works 99% of the time for the work that she does with the tractors. Only time R4s did not work was in snow and deep mud which I do not experience very often, only one snow over an inch in 12 years.

Back to the R14, after 15 hours of mowing and moving dirt, I wish I had the R4s mounted. The R14s may have marginally more traction on grass but tear it up more and can dirt a hole quicker in the dirt, but the one thing I cannot seem to fix is the bouncy feeling on sloped or rough ground. I had rears loaded and aired up to the OM pressures (around 30 psi) but wow, they look rounded and very little tread touches the ground. I lowered the pressure down to 25 psi for a week which really did not improve anything and finally down to 20 psi this week. At the lower pressure they feel even more bouncy but they do look better and have a better contact patch. I may try 15 psi just round out the experiment.

The R4s always felt rock solid, really did not tear up the grass, and worked well enough in the chert dirt I have around my property. I will give the R14s the summer but will likely look for a set of rims and get R4 mounted as even the wife says the tractor feels unstable mowing our sloped property and has stated flatly that she will not be doing much mowing if it does not get fixed .

To each his own. My aspirations are exactly opposite from yours and my back agrees with me! I've spend thousands of dollars and have piles of seats including air compressor operated, and long travel suspension types purchased, whereby I have tried to solve rough ride problems on my tractors and running soft sidewall tires at low pressures works for me. It blows my mind that a tractor weighing 1800# comes OEM standard with a set of 12x16.5 6 ply, stiff sidewall, R4 rears rated at 2500+# each......and they all are doing it.

 

[Creamer]

To each his own. My aspirations are exactly opposite from yours and my back agrees with me! I've spend thousands of dollars and have piles of seats including air compressor operated, and long travel suspension types purchased, whereby I have tried to solve rough ride problems on my tractors and running soft sidewall tires at low pressures works for me. It blows my mind that a tractor weighing 1800# comes OEM standard with a set of 12x16.5 6 ply, stiff sidewall, R4 rears rated at 2500+# each......and they all are doing it.

I have to agree. My Ford has 13.6 x 16.1 diamond tread flotation tires that i run at about 10 psi. Definitely a nice ride!

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

whereby I have tried to solve rough ride problems on my tractors and running soft sidewall tires at low pressures works for me. It blows my mind that a tractor weighing 1800# comes OEM standard with a set of 12x16.5 6 ply, stiff sidewall, R4 rears rated at 2500+# each......and they all are doing it.

So I take it your are running turfs?

I have to agree. My Ford has 13.6 x 16.1 diamond tread flotation tires that i run at about 10 psi. Definitely a nice ride!

Just to be clear, you are running turfs?

 

[Creamer]

Just to be clear, you are running turfs?

They are actually a high flotation implement tire with diamond tread that has limited traction but then I rarely pull anything heavy and when I need assistance I engage the front wheels and I have plenty. What i have found is that the high flotation tire ran soft has a lot of footprint which gives adequate traction for my 28 hp except when you get on something like ice or mud. the mud it will float over nicely but don't try to pull anything through. On ice I can spin cookies continuous if I want to so it is a lot of fun.

The tractor came with the house and was equipped this way and it has worked very well so I have not changed. I do a lot of work in the woods and the diamond tread has very little thin wall so i have never had a stick problem. But when i push snow I need to use momentum and finesse instead of just pushing.

 

[hornett22]

Just got a new tractor for the wife and let the dealer talk me into R14s, must admit they looked good on the tractor. Always had R4s which works 99% of the time for the work that she does with the tractors. Only time R4s did not work was in snow and deep mud which I do not experience very often, only one snow over an inch in 12 years.

Back to the R14, after 15 hours of mowing and moving dirt, I wish I had the R4s mounted. The R14s may have marginally more traction on grass but tear it up more and can dirt a hole quicker in the dirt, but the one thing I cannot seem to fix is the bouncy feeling on sloped or rough ground. I had rears loaded and aired up to the OM pressures (around 30 psi) but wow, they look rounded and very little tread touches the ground. I lowered the pressure down to 25 psi for a week which really did not improve anything and finally down to 20 psi this week. At the lower pressure they feel even more bouncy but they do look better and have a better contact patch. I may try 15 psi just round out the experiment.

The R4s always felt rock solid, really did not tear up the grass, and worked well enough in the chert dirt I have around my property. I will give the R14s the summer but will likely look for a set of rims and get R4 mounted as even the wife says the tractor feels unstable mowing our sloped property and has stated flatly that she will not be doing much mowing if it does not get fixed .

I run 10-11 psi in my rears (R4) filled with washer fluid. I have had no issues and I'm in East Tennessee and use the tractor commercially. I'm on rocks and hills constantly.

I'd lower your pressure more. I run 30psi in the front.

 

[warrendeere]

thats exactly why i want r14 tires, not as hard and brittle as the R4 Tires, and they also seems to float and ride much better. I cannot stand how Hard R4 Tires are, they offer zero cushion over bumps to the tractor or the operator, and it feels absolutely terrible.

 

[Texasmark]

If I were to need to replace my turfs, I would consider them.. If they were available in the correct size..

The biggest complaint I seem to find is the R 14 is not available in all sizes.. And the fact it is not available as a radial pattern tire in only a smaller number of sizes...

My question was ...what seems so special about the R 14 as a radial ??....
The overwhelming answer seems to be quality of ride of a radial is better....

This is on a tractor, over a yard, pasture, or wood land and a radial tire giving a better ride is a concern ?? ??
I don't get it.... But that seems important to some....

Ride is my main concern......to each his own!

 

[Texasmark]

thats exactly why i want r14 tires, not as hard and brittle as the R4 Tires, and they also seems to float and ride much better. I cannot stand how Hard R4 Tires are, they offer zero cushion over bumps to the tractor or the operator, and it feels absolutely terrible.

The other thing is the !@#$%^&*()_+ mfgrs put a pair of 12x16.5 R4s, rated 2750# each on new 25 hp tractors weighing 1800#. Up the HP and size goes up exponentially. So you figure you'll get a turf and get some smoothing out....wrong. Titan turfs come in with the same stiff sidewall. R1 is the only thing comfortable.

 

[Williy]

I don't go fast enough to bounce around on R4's
and am very comfy with them. I have no desire
to race someplace to bounce around and be
uncomfortable. I'm very happy with my setup.
But then again everybody is not happy with
just puttin along.

willy