Help me decide on R1 vs R4 tires for my first tractor

[friendlywithbears]

Hi there folks,

I'm in the process of purchasing my very first tractor and the only decision left to make is which tires will best fit my needs. I've read about a million threads on R1 vs R4 and it's obviously very situation-dependent, so I'm hoping you can help give me some insight for mine.

I'm on about 150 acres of adolescent forest land (cleared about 10 years ago, young trees, lots of old stumps, berms, and brush to cut trails in), and my location is the east side of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It's mostly level land with some gentle hilling throughout and some rough terrain from the previous logging.

My expectation is that work with the tractor will be a lot of general utility support for land clearing (moving me from A to B with saws/equipment), brush hogging, grapple work for moving slash and debris, gravel road maintenance, and FEL work like leveling areas of ground, moving/spreading/leveling gravel, and the odd stump or small boulder. Probably also some light digging and roughing in trails until I can purchase a mini-excavator as well.

The tires will be filled whichever I go with.

Please fill me with your infinite wisdom!

Thanks,
B.

 

[oosik]

My Kubota M6040 has R-1 tires. The rears are filled with 1550# of RimGuard. I need the added traction of R-1. I don't need the added strength of the R-4. My first tractor lasted 27 years with R-1's and they still had over 50% of the tread when I traded it in.

I do maintenance & plow snow on my mile long driveway. Use the grapple to move large rocks and chunks of pine logs - etc, etc.

My OEM R-1's are six ply. The only concern - my basaltic lava rocks DO take small chunks out of the chevrons on the tires. This would be no different or, perhaps, even worse if I had R-4's. This "chunking action" happens when I let the tires spin.

I'm 25 miles due SW of Spokane. Very near the old town of Amber.

By the way - welcome to TBN and the forum.

 

[k0ua]

It is an age old question, and you are not the first to ask it. Like every thing else it life it is a trade off. There is no question that R1 tires give more traction in almost all situations with the possible exception of operation on concrete or asphalt. R4's offer a bit more puncture resistance and overall ply strength and tear up ground a bit less than R1's.

I have run R4's on all of my tractors except the first one. HOWEVER there is now a new kid in town, that attempts to capitalize on the strengths of both types of tires. This is the R14 tire. You should check them out, perhaps they would be a good fit for you.

Titan International - R14T™ Crossover Tire for Compact Tractors

www.titan-intl.com

 

[jeff9366]

Here is the case for R1/ag tires:

1) Bar tires are designed for grip in mud. Grip well on wet flatland. Grip marginally better than R4s on side slopes. Standard R1 ag tires are 4-ply. R1/ag tires on a Grand L may be 6-ply ~~ I do not know, but Kubota does not skimp on Grand L components.

Here is the case for R4/industrial tires:

R4s are at least 6-ply. The front R4s on my L3560 came standard with 10-ply tires.

Six-ply tires are 50% stronger than 4-ply tires. R4s squat very little under heavy Loader loads, a time when R1/ag tire bulging sidewalls are vulnerable.

Tougher construction is good working around burn piles.

Both R1 and R4 rear wheels provided on Grand Ls have two part rimes, so both R1 and R4 rear wheels can be adjusted for rear wheel spread.

R4s are much smoother cruising at 12 - 18 mph on hard surface roads, relative to ag tires, which vibrate. R4s are much more wear resistant on hard surface roads, relative to ag tires. ( I wore out my original R4 front tires at 1,800 engine hours. Fronts, of course, revolve much faster than larger rear tires. At 1,800 engine hours R4 rear tires were 70%.)

 

[oosik]

The R-14's are so new - I didn't even think of them. If you are the "normal" homeowner you will, most likely, average around 100 hours of tractor use per year. I seriously doubt that in this use - you will ever wear out a set of tires - no matter which type you choose.

I seldom run my tractor on my lawns. It WILL leave chevron marks. So would R-4's. The way my tractor is set up in the picture above is it's normal operating configuration. It weighs - 10,100#.

 

[friendlywithbears]

My Kubota M6040 has R-1 tires. The rears are filled with 1550# of RimGuard. I need the added traction of R-1. I don't need the added strength of the R-4. My first tractor lasted 27 years with R-1's and they still had over 50% of the tread when I traded it in.

I do maintenance & plow snow on my mile long driveway. Use the grapple to move large rocks and chunks of pine logs - etc, etc.

My OEM R-1's are six ply. The only concern - my basaltic lava rocks DO take small chunks out of the chevrons on the tires. This would be no different or, perhaps, even worse if I had R-4's. This "chunking action" happens when I let the tires spin.

I'm 25 miles due SW of Spokane. Very near the old town of Amber.

By the way - welcome to TBN and the forum.

View attachment 702793

Thanks so much for the info. Beautiful set you have there, that looks like about exactly what I am planning to run on my tractor majority of the time. I like the looks of your grill guard especially.

My original thoughts were to lean toward the R1 like you, but of course the dealer questioned my decision very hard so I'm forced to dig into it more. They sell pretty much all their tractors with R4.

 

[jeff9366]

Messick's tractor, a firm with five stores in Pennsylvania, sells 90% of new tractors with R4/industrial tires. The remaining 10% is split between R1 and turf tires.

Where I live in north Florida the soil is sandy loam. We never have mud. Two hours after heavy rain there is no standing water. My local Kubota dealer sells at least 90% of new tractors with R4/industrial tires.

 

[friendlywithbears]

Here is the case for R1/ag tires:

1) Bar tires are designed for grip in mud. Grip well on wet flatland. Grip marginally better than R4s on side slopes. Standard R1 ag tires are 4-ply. R1/ag tires on a Grand L may be 6-ply ~~ I do not know, but Kubota does not skimp on Grand L components.

Here is the case for R4/industrial tires:

R4s are at least 6-ply. The front R4s on my L3560 came standard with 10-ply tires.

Six-ply tires are 50% stronger than 4-ply tires. R4s squat very little under heavy Loader loads, a time when R1/ag tire bulging sidewalls are vulnerable.

Tougher construction is good working around burn piles.

Both R1 and R4 rear wheels provided on Grand Ls have two part rimes, so both R1 and R4 rear wheels can be adjusted for rear wheel spread.

R4s are much smoother cruising at 12 - 18 mph on hard surface roads, relative to ag tires, which vibrate. R4s are much more wear resistant on hard surface roads, relative to ag tires. ( I wore out my original R4 front tires at 1,800 engine hours. Fronts, of course, revolve much faster than larger rear tires. At 1,800 engine hours R4 rear tires were 70%.)

Very good info, thanks so much. It looks like both R1 and R4 for the Grand L are 6 ply. I did have concerns that an R1 would limit FEL capacity but it sounds like with the higher ply this may not be the case?

I am expecting that I'll be splitting time pretty evenly between forest trail and gravel pack roads. Unfortunately I haven't spent time on the land during our rainy winters yet so it's hard to say how it drains and whether there's a lot of mud to deal with.

If I went by a lot of what I've read regarding R4 traction, it sounds like it's the end of the world as soon as you're in wet terrain of any kind.

 

[jeff9366]

If I went by a lot of what I've read regarding R4 traction, it sounds like it's the end of the world as soon as you're in wet terrain of any kind.

The tread on R4/industrial tires is about as aggressive as tread on heavy pickup truck road tires. Pretty grippy but not the paddle-wheel steamer penetration of R1/ag tires.

In my Florida conditions, different from your Olympic Penninsula conditions, I have never lacked tire traction due to moisture. We receive 45" of rain per year, mostly in concentrated periods.


It looks like both R1 and R4 for the Grand L are 6 ply. I did have concerns that an R1 would limit FEL capacity but it sounds like with the higher ply this may not be the case?

With supply chains as messed up as they are I expect you will not know for sure what is supplied with your tractor until the tractor arrives. Six ply fronts should be approximately the same in Loader support.

 

[friendlywithbears]

With supply chains as messed up as they are I expect you will not know for sure what is supplied with your tractor until the tractor arrives. Six ply fronts should be approximately the same in Loader support.

Don't I know it. I have about half a dozen pieces of equipment or tools on order, nobody is quite sure when if ever anything will become available. I'm just going ahead with a custom order for the tractor since they don't have anything coming in that's not already sold, so I can choose which tires it'll come with.

I do have a decent bit of marshland on the property with patches of standing water, at least this time of year.

 

[oosik]

Yes - I had the grill guard modified BEFORE I purchased the grapple. Took the OEM grill guard to a local welding shop and this is how it looks now.

The young fellow wanted to paint the upper two quadrants white with big blue eyes. He suggested the "tongue" be bright red.

I guess I'm just an old stick-in-the-mud. All black is just fine with me.

 

[friendlywithbears]

Yes - I had the grill guard modified BEFORE I purchased the grapple. Took the OEM grill guard to a local welding shop and this is how it looks now.

The young fellow wanted to paint the upper two quadrants white with big blue eyes. He suggested the "tongue" be bright red.

I guess I'm just an old stick-in-the-mud. All black is just fine with me. View attachment 702806

Black definitely makes it look cool and aggressive but I could see it looking great with the WWII fighter plane face too

 

[CH4Ohio]

Hi there folks,

I'm in the process of purchasing my very first tractor and the only decision left to make is which tires will best fit my needs. I've read about a million threads on R1 vs R4 and it's obviously very situation-dependent, so I'm hoping you can help give me some insight for mine.

I'm on about 150 acres of adolescent forest land (cleared about 10 years ago, young trees, lots of old stumps, berms, and brush to cut trails in), and my location is the east side of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It's mostly level land with some gentle hilling throughout and some rough terrain from the previous logging.

My expectation is that work with the tractor will be a lot of general utility support for land clearing (moving me from A to B with saws/equipment), brush hogging, grapple work for moving slash and debris, gravel road maintenance, and FEL work like leveling areas of ground, moving/spreading/leveling gravel, and the odd stump or small boulder. Probably also some light digging and roughing in trails until I can purchase a mini-excavator as well.

The tires will be filled whichever I go with.

Please fill me with your infinite wisdom!

Thanks,
B.

As previously mentioned, check out the R14 tires.

If R14 tires are available, that would definitely be my choice. For loader work, you definitely want R4 or R14 and don't want Ag tires. Ag tires also tear up grass in areas like lawns much more than R4.

As I understand it, the new R14 tires offer the benefits of R4 but ride much better -- more like an Ag tire. R4's are notorious for riding hard.

You don't need to worry about traction as long as you have 4WD. A 2WD tractor with R1 Ag tires is EASY to get stuck in mud, loose gravel, etc. They'll dig a nice tire size hole as soon as you start slipping. 4WD is the key. Anything will get stuck in quicksand, but R4 or R14 tires with 4WD will do as well as anything in snow, and tear up MUCH less ground. The R14s are, based on everything I've read, superior to both for traction in mud and snow.

I keep looking at the RK tractors because I really like the size of their 37HP model. I noticed they offer R14 tires as an option. It would be an easy decision for me to opt for R14. (If that tractor had a mid-mount mower option, I would have already bought one.) Guess I'll stick with my Kubotas for now.

Good luck with it.

 

[jeff9366]

My expectation is that work with the tractor will be a lot of general utility support for land clearing brush hogging, grapple work for moving slash and debris, gravel road maintenance, and FEL work like leveling areas of ground, moving/spreading/leveling gravel, some light digging and the odd stump or small boulder.

Consider the optional Kubota L2296 heavy-duty bucket and an aftermarket Bucket Spade.

Front-End Loader - BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade. It is

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[sd455dan]

Have to agree with Oosik

Northwest gets some rain and working in the woods can mean mud. I will disagree with the R4 or R14 crowd and say get the 6 ply R1s

Disagree on the traction of R4s vs. R1s especially in deep snow...

give me the R1s every time.

Also think the taller R1s ride better on rough ground. Never had a problem with R1s not handling a full FEL load either.

If most all of your work will be on smooth ground finish mowing then the others make sense. jmo mileage will vary

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Hard to do when you are not new to tractors, just about impossible when you are new to them.

Have you given thought to what all you want-need to do as well as how long it will take with the size tractor you are considering?

I personally would be looking at an M7060 or equivalent. This size tractor can run circles around an L series for amount of work that can be accomplished.

If you will be working on this project when ever you want, maybe not so critical. But if you are only a weekender and want to get more work done, you may want to consider going up in frame size and horse power.

Just a thought, time may not be relevant for your situation-circumstances.

Last thing, I personally would go with 8 ply R4s filled with Rimgard-beet juice.

Just because I have had excellent luck & performance from mine.. Zero issues in 16 years.

Good luck with all of your decisions.

 

[msmith]

R1/ag hands down for your application. I have a Powerstar 75 with the ag tires. It goes from hayfield to the woods to pasture. I just roaded, it on pavement, with my Tajfun logging winch to winch trees for a friend 40 miles round trip.

 

[friendlywithbears]

My expectation is that work with the tractor will be a lot of general utility support for land clearing brush hogging, grapple work for moving slash and debris, gravel road maintenance, and FEL work like leveling areas of ground, moving/spreading/leveling gravel, some light digging and the odd stump or small boulder.

Consider the optional Kubota L2296 heavy-duty bucket and an aftermarket Bucket Spade.

Front-End Loader - BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade. It is

www.tractorbynet.com

I am definitely getting the HD bucket, but that thing looks insanely cool.

 

[friendlywithbears]

Hard to do when you are not new to tractors, just about impossible when you are new to them.

Have you given thought to what all you want-need to do as well as how long it will take with the size tractor you are considering?

I personally would be looking at an M7060 or equivalent. This size tractor can run circles around an L series for amount of work that can be accomplished.

If you will be working on this project when ever you want, maybe not so critical. But if you are only a weekender and want to get more work done, you may want to consider going up in frame size and horse power.

Just a thought, time may not be relevant for your situation-circumstances.

Last thing, I personally would go with 8 ply R4s filled with Rimgard-beet juice.

Just because I have had excellent luck & performance from mine.. Zero issues in 16 years.

Good luck with all of your decisions.

Tell me about it! I feel like you have to have 20+ years experience before making the decision on your first tractor!

I was looking at the bigger sized machines but I am hesitant to go that big with how tight things can be on the property. I am moving in and will be building there and managing full time so I am happy to balance efficiency and speed with enjoying the ride. The M7000s are definitely a bit daunting for a newbie too.

Thanks so much for your input I really appreciate it.

To summarize the feedback so far from folks, I should get R1s and also R4s?

 

[friendlywithbears]

Have to agree with Oosik

Northwest gets some rain and working in the woods can mean mud. I will disagree with the R4 or R14 crowd and say get the 6 ply R1s

Disagree on the traction of R4s vs. R1s especially in deep snow...

give me the R1s every time.

Also think the taller R1s ride better on rough ground. Never had a problem with R1s not handling a full FEL load either.

If most all of your work will be on smooth ground finish mowing then the others make sense. jmo mileage will vary

Thanks I'm definitely interested in feedback from other PNW folks. I'm just below the snow line and with things warming it snows less and less at lower elevations here so worst case in winter there would be a few days a year with some on the ground.

It seems like people are definitely back and forth on R4 effectiveness in the wet. "Some rain" is really wet winters, is it going to be a slip in slide for 9 months in R4s?

I definitely have some road work and travel on gravel roadways to move around the property, but also a lot of rough terrain in the woods.