Industrial or Ag tyres

[Catch95]

Still looking at tractor options. Mahindra have just released the 1538 in Australia. Maybe more the size I'm after rather than the 4025 I'd been looking at. The finish looks great. More like a Kioti or similar. The 1538 comes with industrial tyres as standard with the ag tyres an extra $700.... The dealer was telling me he thinks the industrial tyres give better traction as they are wider and the tractor is more balanced. Can see how they are better for loader work but I still think on the hills on wet pasture the extra tread of the ag tyres would be better. Appreciate anyone's thoughts or experiences on the subject or their experiences with the 1538 (hydrostatic).

Thanks

Mark

 

[davesl708]

Ag tires are more aggressive on your grass. Industrial are better for FEL work on hard surfaces. Which will you be doing more of?

 

[Oldpath05]

I have AG on my L3400, good traction for wood work, but don't care for them on loader work, when I have a bucket full of dirt the front tire squat to much. When I first got my tractor, there was no tubes in the front and a couple times the tire would come off the rim, now with inner tubes the tire's stay up and on the rim. I know what the ballast police are going to say, but as long as my rear tire's stay on the ground, that's good enough ballast for me.

So if your main function for your tractor is loader work, go with the industrial tire's. I do mostly firewood work so AG is good for me.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have industrial tires, and I like them for what I do
I do get stuck once in a while, in mud, but few and far between.
Mine have Rimguard in them for weight, and I am sure it helps a LOT

Like the others have mentioned, its how you will work them is what is important in choosing

 

[Oldpath05]

Using AG tire's on my L3400 is worse for loader work because for some strange reason the front wheels tip inward. I would rather have wheels vertical, that make's more since to me. I remember 50 year's ago when I made my first little red wagon, I made it with the front wheels vertical, not tipped inward.

 

[4570Man]

I have r4s on the L3240. My grandpa had r1 tires until he traded tractors about a year ago. The r1s were better when we plowed the garden, but r4s are better at pretty much everything else. The L3240 weighs a good bit more than his L2550, but I can drive on the yard with less damage. I have had both tractors stuck, and I don't think having r1s would have ever prevented me from getting stuck. In fact I think the wider r4s work better in mud. They don't have very good traction, but they don't sink as bad. R4s are much better in the woods because they are far more puncture resistant.

 

[Wagtail]

I don't know where in Aus you live (or I can't remember), but I can pass on the knowledge of a mate of mine over in Pyengana. It's a wet part of Tassie and he hays a lot of his paddocks on fairly steep terrain. He runs loaded R4s on his rigs and has the front tyres 'reversed' for use on the steep inclines. He's also extended the widths.

My rig has unloaded R4s and I'm contending with a whopping 2 degree slope on my property. But when I help him and his family bring in the hay, his tractors are whipping all over the place whereas my rig... well, I take my time on the slopes fetching the rounds.

 

[motownbrowne]

The dealer is full of $π|t if he says the industrials have more traction. On concrete or pavement, yes. On wet pasture, no contest, ag tires will have better traction.

Now is it worth $700 to swap, or should you choose them over industrials? I can't tell you that, but it sounds like it.

 

[Mad Mac]

We have the ag tires on our 5555. I would have paid the $700 if I had to
but it came with them already and I'm glad.
The way I look at it, ag tires will work well anywhere.
Industrial, not so much, really better for a hard packed lot.
Industrial tires are not the same as turf tires (R3) like they use on golf courses.

Here are four short videos of my cousin building a crossing for me.
He's a Deere man, but now swears by the Mahindra calling it a "Dirt Beast".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFsktFiZqg&list=PLIaHh1nU6mljqTMQ6AotaiFh2ekiJ2nTe

 

[dickfoster]

Odd, I just ordered my 1538 day before yesterday and you have your choice of tyres at no cost (tires we call them) on this side of the pond.
I went with R4s because I have a lot of sloping terrain and I'll be doing quite a bit of work with the BH. I don't have much in the way of mud either. Unless you're plowing fields and/or spending a lot of time in the mud or loose soil, you're likely better of with industrials. The R1s stand a little taller and narrower too. I have sloping terrain so the industrials were better for me. Also the R4s typically out last Ags. If you spend much time on pavement I think the Ags are said to wear like erasers. I was surprised to see the sidewall plys were so few on the Ags too, I think it was only three or four ply. The R4's are stiffer for more stability with loaders or back hoes.