AG Tires Versus Industrial

Timmmmah · Jan 15, 2006

I am taking delivery on a new GL 3130 FST next friday, but i spec'd it with AG tires... since lawn shredding isnt a consideration for me... I am wondering if IND are better or AG are better... I will be doing mostly FEL work and Box scraping.. maintaining horse areas that kind of thing... input MUCH appreciated... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

JerryG · Jan 15, 2006

If you don't have much to do in slick areas the R4s would be fine. If areas like where the horses are is slick and sloppy, then the R1s are what you need. R4s are a tough and solid carcass tire, but they don't self clean anywhere to the extent the R1s do. A balled up tire doesn’t have any traction.

Boondox · Jan 15, 2006

It's entirely dependent on your intended uses AND your terrain and climate type. I have aggies on my L4630HST, but my property (155 acres) is generally steep forested hillside with only 7 acres clear. I had R4s on my first tractor and found they turned into slicks in mud, and even spun going uphill in my meadow after a heavy rain. Just a bit of snow and traversing anything other than level ground was hopeless, and that included the tiny incline leading to the garage where the tractor was parked. R1 aggies offer superb traction, are self-cleaning, and have proven themselves robust enough for the seriously heavy FEL and logging work I demand of my tractor.

You'll get a ton of responses on this topic, sort of like the Ford vs Chevy debate. Remember that everyone is talking about their unique requirements. Yours may differ.

Ages ago there was a fantastic review of tire types called the Ag Tire Elimination Rule, I think. The conclusion was a buyer should always plan on getting aggies unless certain conditions were met...but I forgot the conditions. Anyway, it worked well for me.

Pete

Timmmmah · Jan 15, 2006

well thanks for the input, I believe i will stick with the Aggies even though I am not from texas... nevada is usually dry , but when it rains it gets MUDDY!!! and i dont have sod to worry about tearing up...

Sully2 · Jan 15, 2006

( It's entirely dependent on your intended uses AND your terrain and climate type.
Pete )

I'll vote for that for sure! I bought the industrials for my 3030 because of "lawn work" and didnt want to tear up as much as I had created. And also..wet soil is a NO NO for me..Id just stay out of the yard and do "that job" another time...because Im not pushed to any real schedule.

"Serious work" requires "serious tires".

frank_f15 · Jan 15, 2006

For your area i don't think it matters much, my son is in las vegas and from what i see i don't think mud is going to be much of a factor. i think for your terrain either one will work fine.

5030 · Jan 15, 2006

Lets see:

I have had turfs, R4's and R1's on my Kubbies. On my smaller tractors I always got turf tires, but as the tractors grew so did the tread. My 3710 and my 5030 had R4's and my M9 has R1 radials. R4's wear longer than R1's, much longer especially if you drive them on pavement. R4's ride nicer than R1's, but R1's clean out better and you can specify the tread angle on R1's too. The steeper the bar angle, the more agressive the bite is.

R1's don't cut it on the lawn, they actually "cut" the lawn with hash marks. R4's will mark wet soft grass too, especially with the FWA engaged. If I wanted a good all around tire, I'd get R4's and if it got really sloppy, chain them up.

Skid loaders have had R4's forever and they tear up grassy areas like nobody's business. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

simonmeridew · Jan 18, 2006

I think the amount of 'turf tearing' is related to the weight of the tractor as well as the type of tire.
I've mowed my lawn with my Ford 8N and loaded Ag tires and a rear mounted 5 foot mower, total probably 3000 lbs or so, for 25 years and almost never tear up any lawn; the only time would be when I steer tight using brakes--the skidding tire tears the sod up a little. You will find that really wet lawn will get marked with the chevron ribs but I shouldn't be on the lawn anyway with it so wet.
I drove out on my lawn this Fall with my Kubota L4400, with loaded tires, FEL and Farmi winch, probably weighs 5500 lbs and really layed some treads on the wet spots of the lawn--wet weather. Not a good idea.
My recommendation, Ag tires you want "Traction" for a "Tractor" and that's what Ag tires give you.

Big_Cajun · Jan 18, 2006

Can't go wrong with the Ag tires. Sounds like they would fit your situation well.

BC

Timmmmah · Jan 22, 2006

Ok i am officially a tractor owner! it is the SHIZZLE! I havent been on here since i have been riding around on the tractor! and showing all the neighbors and making them a dark shade of envious green! I stuck with the ag's and glad i did... its pretty mushy out there and i would have done a bunch of spinning! I will post pics when i get a chance... thanks for all the advice...

CT_Tree_Guy · Jan 23, 2006

Ok i am officially a tractor owner! it is the SHIZZLE! 

Wow, can we say "shizzle" in here? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

TimmmmahDogg - congrizzles on your trazizzle - Grand L's ARE the shizzle, and that's no buzizzle!

J-Dogg

5030 · Jan 23, 2006

John:

You are a poet and didn't know it......are your feet Longfellows?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

slowzuki · Jan 24, 2006

Why does snoop dogg need an umbrella?

wait for it

fo drizzle /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

( Ok i am officially a tractor owner! it is the SHIZZLE! 

Wow, can we say "shizzle" in here?

TimmmmahDogg - congrizzles on your trazizzle - Grand L's ARE the shizzle, and that's no buzizzle!

J-Dogg ) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bandit67 · Jan 24, 2006

( For your area i don't think it matters much, my son is in las vegas and from what i see i don't think mud is going to be much of a factor. i think for your terrain either one will work fine. )

They get just a tad more moisture in Reno than Vegas /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, right Timmmmah?
I'm sure he'll need those ag tires he got.

Timmmmah · Jan 24, 2006

yep we get a little drizzle on the hizzle fo shizzle /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif and they already came in handy i would have burried it over the weekend, but the aggies came thru

daTeacha · Jan 24, 2006

They came over from Texas to pull you out? That's pretty nice of them!

Don't forget to change your oil at "fitty" hours. Congrats on the new family member. Remember to be nice to your wife or she might get jealous of it. Let her drive it some so you can justify the next attachment. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Timmmmah · Jan 25, 2006

Lol I managed without the defensive line... I been tryin to get her on the thing but shes not to interested in driving it yet...

ReadingKubota · Jan 26, 2006

Terrain is important, but surface is also. If you are and paved or hard packed (stone drives, etc.) AG tires will have a very short life they are designed to dig for traction which won't happen on pavement the result will be fast tire wear. The R4's are made to little of everything and are 90% of what my customers choose

Boondox · Jan 26, 2006

( Terrain is important, but surface is also. If you are and paved or hard packed (stone drives, etc.) AG tires will have a very short life they are designed to dig for traction which won't happen on pavement the result will be fast tire wear. The R4's are made to little of everything and are 90% of what my customers choose )

Pavement, sure. But hard pack? With 1000 hours on my last tractor, probably 3/4 of it on granite ledge and stone covered logging roads, my aggies' lugs had minimal wear. And in mud, when I really needed traction, they were wonderful! So I went with them again.

Pete

5030 · Jan 26, 2006

( Terrain is important, but surface is also. If you are and paved or hard packed (stone drives, etc.) AG tires will have a very short life they are designed to dig for traction which won't happen on pavement the result will be fast tire wear. The R4's are made to little of everything and are 90% of what my customers choose )

I agree with Pete and respectfully disagree with you. I've had R4's and R1's as well as Galaxy tires on my tractors. Galaxy's are fine for mowing grass but have about as much traction on wet ground or mud as baldies.

R4's do wear longer on pavement than R1's but the difference would not be noticed by 90% of tractor owners, especially if one is careful about how they actually drive the tractor on hard surfaces. If one is cautious about the application of R1's on pavement or hard surfaces I don't believe there is much difference. I'm biased to radial R1's (play on words /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) in as much as the radial carcass has more sidewall flex and allows the bars to better contact the ground thus you have less slippage and longer tire wear.

Obviously "cautious" is no FWA on pavement, no brake steering no spinning the drive tires....just drive sensibly.

R4's give the illusion of more traction and a "beefier" tire because of the substaintially wider bars, but the shape of the bars as well as the height and the angle of the bar in relation to the plane of the tractor is what attributes to traction, not the apparent width of the bar. Besides, the R4 tire has little ability to "clean" itself of mud and debris because the bar can't flex.

While R4's are a good all around tire, when you need traction and a self cleaning tire, the R1 is the only way to fly.