General opinions on R1 vs. R14 tires?

[FormulaXFD]

Hi folks,

Doing a search didn't produce anything, which surprises me. I'm awaiting delivery on my new tractor, and have the options for tire still. My old Mahindra 4540 ran Ag tires and it always had great traction. My land is woodland that I've been cleaning and converting into more functional use, eventually serving a small farming homestead setup (but right now I'm still cutting roads and putting in culverts). If you normally ran R1 tires and went to R14, what is the good vs bad? Do you regret going to R14s?

Cheers!

 

[Rdrcr]

I’ve had R14’s on both my tractors. I like them, no issues, no complaints. Great traction in virtually all conditions. However, I haven’t owned a tractor with R1’s so I can’t make a fair comparison between the two.

Mike

 

[jyoutz]

I don’t have R14s, always had R4s, but it might be useful to review the differences.
R1s (as outfitted by tractor manufacturers) are narrow with deep bar lugs. They are superior for over all traction, especially ground engagement, but they can cut trenches and rough up the ground. They also have less sidewall strength than R4s, so they are not as good for construction or heavy loader work. R4s are wider, have stiff sidewalls, and are better for construction and loader work. They also tear up the ground less, but do have less traction for ground engagement. R14s are a compromise between R1 and R4 tire designs that are designed to incorporate some of the best of each design, and may be the best multiple use style. But for dedicated uses, the R1 and R4 styles excel at the uses they are designed for.

 

[sea2summit]

I have a tractor with R1s and R4s, the R1s are better at ground engagement while the R4’s are better for nearly everything else. If I ever replace the R1s it’s probably gonna be with R14s.

 

[Jrasband]

If you are a farmer you need R1's if not than R14's will do.

 

[jeff9366]

 

[jyoutz]

Those wide radial R1s are a great option. But those are not the R1 choice that manufacturers offer on tractors in the compact/utility categories.

 

[jeff9366]

Those wide radial R1s are a great option. But those are not the R1 choice that manufacturers offer on tractors in the compact/utility categories.

I surmise you did not take time to view Messick's video.

 

[Smokeydog]

DIY grooved R4 tires for this hillybilly. Another option. Need the sidewall strength for loader and backhoe.

 

[jyoutz]

I surmise you did not take time to view Messick's video.

No, I have recently bought a tractor and just now looked at the machine builder site online. Those wide R1 radials aren’t offered as an option.

 

[tacticalturnip]

No, I have recently bought a tractor and just now looked at the machine builder site online. Those wide R1 radials aren’t offered as an option.

He doesn't at any point discuss the tires he is leaning against; it just happens that he is leaning against them for the still shot. He's discussing tires for compact tractors, the larger tires are just in the background.

 

[FormulaXFD]

My issue with videos like the Messicks one is that they parrot the same vague information without putting any meat to it. Why would I go R14 over R1? If I did R14s, is there a limit on attachments that I can pull before losing traction and spin the wheels, but not have that problem with R1s? Lots of people talk about mud and snow. If Im pushing a 96" plow, am I going to do better with one tire over another?

Someone else said, "R1s if all you do is Ag," what happens when you run R14s for Ag? What happens when you do R4s for Ag? Maybe its simply that the difference is so expensive its hard to do an A to B comparison on the same tractor...

 

[tacticalturnip]

R4's are absolute horse **** in mud and snow, so I would avoid them for field work.

 

[5030]

Depends entirely on the end use. For my end use (farming), has to be R1's

 

[FormulaXFD]

Depends entirely on the end use. For my end use (farming), has to be R1's

Suppose you were stuck with R14s. What would happen?

 

[5030]

Never happen here.

 

[Torvy]

Never happen here.

Yes, because you don't use them.

People get stuck with any type of tire. R1 gives more traction at the expense of durability and sideways stability (unless you buy aftermarket ones that are wider and have more 'ply'). 5030 is right, in general, that R1 is best for traditional AG uses like plowing and planting.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Suppose you were stuck with R14s. What would happen?

You'll encounter potential traction issues with R14's before you would with R1's, but that's relative to what you're doing. Knock on wood, but I've yet to get stuck when working in the garden or clearing snow. That said, I've only had the tractor about a year. On my last machine I went from R4's to Carlisle Versa Turfs, which are quite similar to the R14 with regards to performance. I buried my Deere 1025 a few times before I got sick of the R4's it came with; I purchased the Versa Turfs from Miller Tire, had a local shop install them, and only once after that did I get stuck- and that was all my doing. So these hybrid tires, cross' between R1 and R4, have been the best choice for my thus far.

 

[FormulaXFD]

You'll encounter potential traction issues with R14's before you would with R1's, but that's relative to what you're doing. Knock on wood, but I've yet to get stuck when working in the garden or clearing snow. That said, I've only had the tractor about a year. On my last machine I went from R4's to Carlisle Versa Turfs, which are quite similar to the R14 with regards to performance. I buried my Deere 1025 a few times before I got sick of the R4's it came with; I purchased the Versa Turfs from Miller Tire, had a local shop install them, and only once after that did I get stuck- and that was all my doing. So these hybrid tires, cross' between R1 and R4, have been the best choice for my thus far.

What would be the limit where the R14s fail?

 

[tacticalturnip]

What would be the limit where the R14s fail?

Around the point they run out of traction.

I don't know how to give you the specific answer you're looking for.