R4s with newly seeded lawn

texblonigan · Dec 16, 2001

I've seen all the feedback on R4s-- they seem to be preferred over the turf tires. Does anybody have any input on R4's versus turf tires for a newly seeded lawn? We plan on building in the spring and after construction, the yard will be nothing but black dirt and new grass seed. Should I go with the turf tires instead? The yard will have some hills and some flat areas.

frank_f15 · Dec 16, 2001

TEX: u don't give any idea of your needs AFTER the new lawn is in, what will be your main use for tractor? what kind of ground? what climate? is snow removal an isue? don't put tires on that will be good for the new lawn if they won't serve your purpose after that. any new dirt, and new grass will not take kindly to ANY tractor, turfs or r4"s, best done with a small mower till the ground has a chance to settle and the grass gets some decent roots.

Jeff396 · Dec 16, 2001

I have a B7500 with R4's and a new lawn. It hasn't been a problem yet. I did let the lawn go for quite a while before I mowed it for the first time though. I'm sure my neighbors were beginning to wonder about it. We don't have much black dirt here...(mostly red dirt) and I don't have any wet areas either and I think that makes a big difference. I also opted for the grass catcher. It's nice because I don't feel compelled to try and mow if the yard is too wet after a rainy period. It just gets a bit longer and I bag it. I decided on the R4's because I was getting the loader and had heard that they give better support for that type of work. If I was not planning on the loader I'm sure I would have gotten the turfs. Oh, and thankfully no snow issues here!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

texblonigan · Dec 16, 2001

All good points. I plan on using a rear snow blower, and light loader work. I will be bringing in black dirt, but the predominant soil type is sand-- very sandy. I think the R4's would be a better way to go. If the grass is new enough or wet enough that R4's can't be used on it, turfs might tear it up too. A side note--did you opt for the Kubota deck-driven grass catcher?

Jeff396 · Dec 16, 2001

Yes, and it's a really nice piece of equipment. The only problem is the bag capacity is too small. When I finally mowed the lawn the first time, I was spending a lot of time going to and from where I was dumping the clippings. Since then it has been better but I would still like to expand the size of the bags somehow. It also works great for vacuuming all of leaves that have fallen. However, if my yard had been flatter with less obsticles I think I would have seriously looked into the Trak Vac tow behind trailer with the blower that works off the PTO.

Jeff

Wheeldog · Dec 16, 2001

Tex,

I'll put forth a contrary comment on tires. I have turf tires on my B2410 (w/ FEL) . The turf tires haven't let me down yet, and I've pushed the limits of the loader a few times. I forgot to check your profile, but with the handle 'Tex' you're probably not going to be moving much snow . . . but if you do, I think the turfs can actually be better than the R-4's.

There are lots of discussions in the Attachments forum about tires, and you can do some searches there too.

Rob

texblonigan · Dec 16, 2001

Actually, I live in Minnesota-- no kidding. Interesting that you said that turfs might be better in snow-- you are the first person that has said that. What is your thinking-- I want as much input before purchasing.

Wheeldog · Dec 16, 2001

Tex,

There are a lot of tire discussions in the archives, but it will take awhile to search them all. Here's one that might help:

Ag elimination rule

Depending on the conditions (wet snow v. ice, etc.), I believe the turfs may perform better or at least as well. This is based on the discussions I've read here and on jplan.com. I'm no expert, since all I've ever had is turfs, but I've heard in a number of discussions that the R4 tread design isn't any better in snow. I'm on my second season clearing snow with my tractor (FEL / back blade), and I haven't come close to being stuck with the turfs. Knowing what I know now, I think I would stay with the turfs for my own tractor and my use (mowing about 60% of the time, or so). If I wasn't doing finish mowing, I'd get ags.

Just my two-cent's worth, as they say. . .

Rob

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Wheeldog on 12/16/01 08:47 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

Jeff396 · Dec 16, 2001

R4's have sidewalls that are twice as thick as turfs allowing less flexing and are better suited for loader work. That is not to say that turfs would fail but are simply not ideal. Tires seem to pretty much be a compromise unless you are willing to keep multiple types of tires around for each task you have. In my case, I chose the R4's as a compromise between turfs and Ags. I get added traction over turfs in the dirt while still having a large surface tread area to be easier on the lawn than Ags. I also was swayed toward the R4's for the bonus of added tread life over the turfs. Fortunately I didn't have to also weigh the + and - of which tire will work best in the snow./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

HR_Mutt · Dec 17, 2001

texblonigan
I got the over-sized turf tires for the new "lawnmower". Very happy w/ their minimal damage to grass, especially when I have to mow it wet. I avoid turns in the newly seeded areas anyway/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.
As far as traction?? I've had the fel FULL of everything!!From digging a hole that I could hide a small 2 story house underground to rocks that had to be chained in to carry and place. I will add, don't drive them up onto deep snow/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif, just plow right on thru it. Very happy w/ their performance.
regards
Mutt