Buying Advice R-4 Tires or Ag Tires on Kubota L-3800HST

[dontn]

I am getting ready to purchase an L-3800HST. Should I get the R-4 Industrial Tires or the Ag Tires. I will be using a box blade alot for maintaining the driveway. I will also be moving manure from my horses. I will also be bushogging my 15 acres. My property is very hilly and I want to get the proper tires. I am going to fill the rear tires with liquid to help with weight.

Which do you recommend R4 or Ag Tires for my situation?

 

[devildog1]

If all or most of your tasks are field related then yes I would go with Ag tires. But remember if your using the loader lots and you have bush hogging around thistles or thorns then the R-4's are the tire for you.On my Grand L3540 I have R-4's and they are best for me, as snow plowing and the use of the loader is my tasks for the winter months.In summer loader comes off and I use the rear finishing mower on about 3 acres, with the R-4's it does not impact the lawn, but the Ag's would, hope this helps.
DevilDog

 

[dontn]

Thanks for the information. I will mainly be using the loader and box blade. I will be doing some bush hogging on very hilly ground. There are alot of trees and woods in the areas that I will be bush hogging. Want the most stability in the tractor on the hills and when using the loader.

 

[LD1]

Ags are for the field. They offer the MOST traction. That may be of benefit so you dont slip and slide on them hills. And also for pulling the boxblade full of gravel/dirt.

R4's are a good compromise for someone who will be driving over soft lawn but still want more than turfs can offer.

 

[KYDan]

If you are not using the tractor on lawn or turf that can be damaged, the R1's will give you better traction. They don't have the durability of the R4's which are wider and thicker (more rubber). For general farm type use the R1's are a better choice where turf damage is not an issue.

 

[tractorshopper]

I have this tractor with R-4's. Went with R4's on recommendation from the dealer because I too have hilly terrain. They are wider and more stable. Have rear wheels filled with liquid as well. I bush hog about 4.5-5 of my acres, half of which could be considered in the woods some is trail cutting. When working on the driveway and neighborhood lane with loader and box blade, I've had zero problems with traction. I also recently redug my ditch out front with the bucket (with toothbar) by putting the teeth straight down until I feel the front end raise and pushing while lifting slowly, then reverse but pulling while lifting to both widen and deepen it at the same time. That's the only time I have had any traction problem at all, and only in low spots, and mainly because it has rained a lot here lately (at least twice a week for over a month now) and the ground was soft and because I was pushing and pulling earth and rip-rap about 3' deep straight back. If I raised or curled slightly while moving I had no issues, I literally was moving earth with this thing and still rarely lost any traction. If I did a ton of gardening and was in the muck or low spots a lot, I would definitely have R1's, but for me and the tasks I do, R4's have been great so far. I don't have a ton of hours on it yet, but I've used another tractor from a friend to do the same bush-hogging before with R1's on his tractor and didn't notice a difference between the two at all other than mine went a lot faster because it's hydrostat and his was gear drive. Please note that I don't do any horse work at all in a pasture, so I don't have any experience with working in the same areas all the time.

 

[tractorshopper]

Should have also mentioned that my friend's tractor was an older L2500 and was much more tippy feeling, but don't know if the frame was more narrow on that one than mine or not and I don't think his R1's were filled, but it was much more tippy feeling.

 

[Grandad4]

I am getting ready to purchase an L-3800HST. Should I get the R-4 Industrial Tires or the Ag Tires. I will be using a box blade alot for maintaining the driveway. I will also be moving manure from my horses. I will also be bushogging my 15 acres. My property is very hilly and I want to get the proper tires. I am going to fill the rear tires with liquid to help with weight.

Which do you recommend R4 or Ag Tires for my situation?

A never ending topic of debate. Based on what you've described, either should work fine for you. R1's have more "bite" but are narrower and have thinner sidewalls. R4's are more rugged, hold more liquid ballast, have better flotation, but lack the traction of R1's. So each has it's compromises.

If you will dig and carry really heavy material (gravel, for instance) frequently, the R4's on the front will be better. If you're often in a lot of muck or snow, the R1's have an advantage.

We've had R4's for more than 10 years now, done many projects, and the only time I recall traction being an issue was when I had to move some round bales across a sloping cow lot through at least a foot of mud.

 

[Bluegill2]

I got Ag tires on my L3800 and they work great. Was in some mud the other day that had no bottom, our larger L3750 would have likely buried itself. R4's are great for harder surfaces and FEL work and sometimes I wish I had them, but the Ag's have been working fine for me.

 

[Chilly807]

Like folks have said, AGs are hard on lawns, I can only get on the lawn with mine without destroying it when it's frozen hard in winter or dry as a bone in the summer.

They give the best traction, no question. For use in sloppy conditions they're hard to beat.

If you do go with AGs, be sure to run max pressure in the fronts while using the loader, I think it's 36 psi for the L3800, the same as my L3400.

They will wear quicker too, less rubber in contact with the ground carrying the same weight and traction load.

Sean