General opinions on R1 vs. R14 tires?

[Yander]

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

I don't have any issues with R4s moving snow, but I have learned that they do require a lot of weight to be most effective in snow.

So a ballast box or a heavy tractor is kind of a must with R4s

 

[Sid Post]

First, most people are not considering soil types. Second is the main use of the tractor.

My Kubota B2601 has R4 tires on it and they are working fine for me. They have lower ground pressure so, in wet stuff, they can stay on top while using the 4' brush hog in tall weeds because it doesn't fall through the "mat" and sink in the mud. Up around the house, they don't tear up the turf and leave 'trenches'. Today I would be all over R14's on this tractor because even though the R4's have plenty of traction, there are a few times I could have used some additional grip. The R14's also won't wear out like R1's on hard gravel driveways and asphalt. They also won't be too hard on the turf around the house.

On my Kubtota L4600, I'm all over the R1's because that tractor needs all the traction it can get! If I was doing exclusively loader work, I would be all over the R4's for better support on the front end.

On my Massey 5711D, I would have gotten R14's because of how I will use this tractor most of the time which is not pulling a disc or field cultivator. That being said, the R1's yesterday did well in some wet conditions without engaging 4x4 capability!

In firm ground without needing heavy ground engagement work, the R14's have a lot of merit in them IMHO. In big 100+ HP tractors, most users will be poorly served with R14 or R4 tires. In small compact tractors like my Kubota B2601 compact/sub-compact is where I think R14's really have the most value unless it is purely a "lawn mower". If you are using the front loader really hard on your sub-compact, R4's are probably best and won't give up much traction in my experience.

 

[kjack1960]

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!

I had Ag tires on my last tractor and now have the R4 or 14s and I can say without a doubt for most tasks the Ag tires are way better , I will need chains now if I even need to move snow and I never did with the old tractor with the ags . Just my opinion

 

[cbern12359]

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!

Next set of tires on my Kubota MX5100 will be R14's. I have a farm and use the tractor for moving round bales, feeding cows and handling manure. My present R4 tires are great for moving bales, okay for feeding cows but have a lot of problems in the winter with mud and manure around the feeders.

They are terrible for handling manure. Whether out in the field or mucking out a concrete floored barn R4 tires are like driving with ice skates on when dealing with areas with manure . Don't want the issues of tearing up my hay fields when moving bales with R1 tires.

I think R14's would provide a good compromise for my three situations.

 

[jdmeth]

I got my small tractor (JD 1023E) to work my garden. The R4's are so wide my rows have be too narrow. Also the tractor is too low, I can not cultivate the rows after the plants grow a bit. I wonder if anyone makes narrow rims for this tractor ( it is the same frame as the much more popular 1025R). There is room under the back fender for an 8 inch larger tire.

 

[mo1]

I have an L4600 with R1s. I have been wondering for a while if I could put different, wider or less aggressive, tires on the front than in the back. The issue is the front wheels ripping up the ground on turns and slicing into softer soils. Also, I'm not happy with the compression on the sidewalls when doing loader work.

You may or may not be able to change the size of your tires. A Kubota L4600 was apparently available in both 2WD and MFWD versions.

A 2WD tractor is pretty straightforward to swap in different tires, all you need to do is make sure the tire has at least as much load capacity as what you are replacing, the rim fits on the hub, and that the mounted tires don't contact any part of the tractor. Rutting in turns also is due to the sidewall profile, the squarer the profile, the more it will rip up the ground in turns, and the rounder the profile, the less it will do so. So, if you put some implement/flotation or even used auto tires on the front axle, it will be a lot easier on the ground than rib implement tires. But, you will understeer (skid forward instead of turning) in sloppy/slick conditions as the lateral traction that causes rutting also lets you steer in those conditions.

MFWD tractors are much trickier, you will need to also maintain the ratio of rolling circumferences of the front and rear tires. You will need to either find a different front tire with about exactly the same rolling circumference as the ones you originally had, or you have to replace the rear tires with ones of a different size in order to keep that ratio the same. Otherwise, you will be pushing against the front axle with the rear axle (front tires are too small) or dragging the rear axle along with the front axle (front tires are too large.) That will either make one of the sets of tires slip and wear them out prematurely, or if they don't slip, your MFWD breaks.

You would want tires with a greater load capacity in order to have less sidewall squat. However, if the tires are rated appropriately for the front axle design load and you are making them squat a lot, you may be overloading the axle. If you have radials, they "cheek" a lot and will look like a bias ply tire that's almost flat even when properly inflated and not overloaded- that's just due to how they are constructed.

I got my small tractor (JD 1023E) to work my garden. The R4's are so wide my rows have be too narrow. Also the tractor is too low, I can not cultivate the rows after the plants grow a bit. I wonder if anyone makes narrow rims for this tractor ( it is the same frame as the much more popular 1025R). There is room under the back fender for an 8 inch larger tire.

You would be better off in a subcompact with spacing your rows so that you straddle one row at a time rather than two as you would with a full-sized tractor. Thus, your row spacing would be equal to your tread centerline spacing, which appears to be about 35" according to Deere's published specifications. That would also give you plenty of space to fit your tires between the adjacent rows. Generally row spacings for tractor cultivation range between about 28" and 42" so 35" is right in the middle of that. The 17 1/2" spacing you would need to straddle two rows is very tight and you would indeed have trouble putting a 12" wide rear tire between those tightly-spaced rows.

Like I mentioned above, it would be difficult to change tire sizes on an MFWD tractor like the 1023E as you need to change the front tire size as well. No clue if proportionally larger tires on the front would even clear the tractor. If they did, you would also end up with the rear of the tractor sticking up in the air as you would be increasing the rear tire height by 4" for an 8" larger rear tire but only about half that much in the front. The front axle is usually the lowest part of the tractor and adding a couple inches of front axle clearance wouldn't really do very much for you. I do cultivate my garden with my tractor, and based on my experience you will want a foot and a half of clearance under the tractor. You would need to get either a smaller older ag tractor made in the days when cultivating was frequently done (such as a Farmall A) as they had high clearance for their size, or if you want a newer machine, you would be looking at a minimum at a full-sized utility tractor- but even then the MFWD front axles can sit lower than that until you get to even larger machines.

 

[LouNY]

My other tractors have R1's (Branson 8050 and NH 8160) on the farm out of over a dozen tractors only one has R4's. That tractor is a hazard on wet pastures or hay fields and not that good in mud or snow.
I am looking at getting a compact tractor for the places I can't get with the larger tractors and I will go with either the R14's, next would be R3's (turf) then R1's, you will notice that R4's are not even mentioned in my order of preference.

 

[paulsharvey]

Well, look at the R4s are designed for. Hard surface, construction and industrial equipment. They aren't a bad option for other stuff, but they are a compromise between turf and ag. R14s are a compromise too. Heck, you could say R1s are a compromise between R2 (rice and canes) and R4s... So far, I like the R14s, but they Do have less traction in sand then R1s, but are also pretty mild on grass turf.

 

[jdmeth]

You may or may not be able to change the size of your tires. A Kubota L4600 was apparently available in both 2WD and MFWD versions.

A 2WD tractor is pretty straightforward to swap in different tires, all you need to do is make sure the tire has at least as much load capacity as what you are replacing, the rim fits on the hub, and that the mounted tires don't contact any part of the tractor. Rutting in turns also is due to the sidewall profile, the squarer the profile, the more it will rip up the ground in turns, and the rounder the profile, the less it will do so. So, if you put some implement/flotation or even used auto tires on the front axle, it will be a lot easier on the ground than rib implement tires. But, you will understeer (skid forward instead of turning) in sloppy/slick conditions as the lateral traction that causes rutting also lets you steer in those conditions.

MFWD tractors are much trickier, you will need to also maintain the ratio of rolling circumferences of the front and rear tires. You will need to either find a different front tire with about exactly the same rolling circumference as the ones you originally had, or you have to replace the rear tires with ones of a different size in order to keep that ratio the same. Otherwise, you will be pushing against the front axle with the rear axle (front tires are too small) or dragging the rear axle along with the front axle (front tires are too large.) That will either make one of the sets of tires slip and wear them out prematurely, or if they don't slip, your MFWD breaks.

You would want tires with a greater load capacity in order to have less sidewall squat. However, if the tires are rated appropriately for the front axle design load and you are making them squat a lot, you may be overloading the axle. If you have radials, they "cheek" a lot and will look like a bias ply tire that's almost flat even when properly inflated and not overloaded- that's just due to how they are constructed.



You would be better off in a subcompact with spacing your rows so that you straddle one row at a time rather than two as you would with a full-sized tractor. Thus, your row spacing would be equal to your tread centerline spacing, which appears to be about 35" according to Deere's published specifications. That would also give you plenty of space to fit your tires between the adjacent rows. Generally row spacings for tractor cultivation range between about 28" and 42" so 35" is right in the middle of that. The 17 1/2" spacing you would need to straddle two rows is very tight and you would indeed have trouble putting a 12" wide rear tire between those tightly-spaced rows.

Like I mentioned above, it would be difficult to change tire sizes on an MFWD tractor like the 1023E as you need to change the front tire size as well. No clue if proportionally larger tires on the front would even clear the tractor. If they did, you would also end up with the rear of the tractor sticking up in the air as you would be increasing the rear tire height by 4" for an 8" larger rear tire but only about half that much in the front. The front axle is usually the lowest part of the tractor and adding a couple inches of front axle clearance wouldn't really do very much for you. I do cultivate my garden with my tractor, and based on my experience you will want a foot and a half of clearance under the tractor. You would need to get either a smaller older ag tractor made in the days when cultivating was frequently done (such as a Farmall A) as they had high clearance for their size, or if you want a newer machine, you would be looking at a minimum at a full-sized utility tractor- but even then the MFWD front axles can sit lower than that until you get to even larger machines.

I owned a farm for 25 years but no longer have access to any of the equipment. On most tractors the drawbar is the lowest part. With big tractors you straddle two rows so that doesn't matter. As long as the circumfrance ratio remained the same changing tires would work. I do straddle the row but have decided to not make rows but instead use sweeps and keep the land flat. Or I could plant alternate rows and put my discs on the outside of my tool bar.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

After pushing loads and sub grading in lifts with the R14’s I’m sold.
The tight tread pattern helps compact the soil yet retains pretty good pushing power.
Totally pleased.

 

[PhysAssist]

I don't have any issues with R4s moving snow, but I have learned that they do require a lot of weight to be most effective in snow.

So a ballast box or a heavy tractor is kind of a must with R4s

Also using a tool to add grooves in the lugs can help. I keep meaning to add some to my fronts to help with side slip in the snow, because the ones on the rears improved the snow traction so well, but I keep getting side-tracked.

 

[PhysAssist]

I had Ag tires on my last tractor and now have the R4 or 14s and I can say without a doubt for most tasks the Ag tires are way better , I will need chains now if I even need to move snow and I never did with the old tractor with the ags . Just my opinion

IMHO, Your post was missing a few words: "most -of the- tasks -I perform on my terrain- the Ag tires are way better".

Just saying

 

[steve tym]

I grooved my R4's and never put on the $700 worth of chains I bought.

 

[screamin400]

Not exactly true. I replaced the factory R1’s on my JD 4720 with R14 Nokia TRI 2’s on the same rim. Tire shop didn’t have a single issue.

R1’s sucked for my lite use and were horrible on ice and snow plus the ride was very rough. I had run nothing but turf tires on an old JD750 and then on a much larger NH 4835. They were abused on the NH year round but if it saw mud out in the fields it just stopped.

I love these R14 but they were rather pricey.

I have never heard of a Nokian R14. I run Nokian Tri 2 on my tractor. They are a direct swap but not R14's. Do you have a link to them?

 

[ruffdog]

I have never heard of a Nokian R14. I run Nokian Tri 2 on my tractor. They are a direct swap but not R14's. Do you have a link to them?

I'm wondering if the R14 type is just used in the US and Nokian has its own classes/types. ??

Agricultural and contracting / Nokian Tyres

 

[LouNY]

I'm wondering if the R14 type is just used in the US and Nokian has its own classes/types. ??

Agricultural and contracting / Nokian Tyres

The ground king comes the closest to the R14 design, The TRI 2 is a more highway oriented tractor tire, and the Hakkapeliitta is the snow tire version.
Goodyear / Titan have the R14 some of the other manufactures have there own tread patterns available.

 

[arrow]

Well, since the op posted his inquiry back in April, he probably has the tractor by now with whatever tire he chose. (r1's)
In general for anyone else reading this thread with the same puzzlement...IT'S NOT JUST THE TIRE nor the general usage of the tractor to be considered. What ppl must also consider is the SIZE of the machine. I have seen 4 and 5 series tractors do just fine with R4's skidding in a foot of snow. I have seen R4's be an utter failure in 2 and 3 series tractors in the same situation.
If indeed the selected tractor is say a smaller Kubota and it would be used in wooded terrain, I would have gone with the R1's. If weight of tractor is such a predominant aspect of work prowess (and it is) then I would select a tire with as much traction as possible as the smaller Kubota is not that weighty such as the 4000 series they make and needs as much traction advantage as possible. Hybrid anything is for compromise and thus for any given situation, it will never be an optimum choice if traction is the prominent desire.

 

[arrow]

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.

As an aside to this thread, during an agricultural show here in New England, I saw a larger size utility tractor shod with R1 radials make hard left and right turns on the grass. Hardly a mark on the surface of the grass that would have been completely torn up with traditional R1's.

 

[screamin400]

I am looking at a Kubota M6-131. These come with 38" R1 tires. The R14's are a 4500 dollar addition and go to a 42" rim. I only snow blow with the tractor and think the R14 would road better and longer due to more tread on the road. I think if I got hired to do some field work they would be fine. The 42" rim must mean it is an lsw tire which to me is a plus. The harder the sidewall the better the tractor will track on the road. My Nokians on my current tractor can take a huge load. I have a little over 1k pounds in each rear. Put that in with the 2k pound blower and sometimes I get some sway. I am still playing with tire pressures. I have only ever used the loader for this tractor once so thinking getting the next tractor without a loader and do not load the tires. Why carry an extra ton? I am thinking no fluid may make them track better. $4500 diff is a pretty good chunk just for tires with the only real advantage being a lower sideway and possibly a little longer life. Good chance it will have R1's on it.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

I have never heard of a Nokian R14. I run Nokian Tri 2 on my tractor. They are a direct swap but not R14's. Do you have a link to them?

The tread pattern clearly says they ain’t R-1 or 4. They are not turfs so what’s left?
Fact is I like them for what surfaces I want to use the machine on.