RF14's: Let's find out.

[Smokeydog]

Electric tire groover eBay $60-80.
Chainsaw disk for carving wood on grinder works too. $20-45.

Tire groover allows you to sipe the tread also. Suppose to help snow and ice. Any extra edges help. Have not tired this yet.

R4 rubber is harder and longer lasting than R1.

Had well worn R4 front tires (1000hrs) on the front of the M59. Grooved them (chainsaw disk) for some muddy loader work and bush hogging. Helped.

Sold them and bought extra deep R4 tread tires for the front that worked better.

Hard to beat tread depth for soft ground or mud. Farmer who bought the used grooved tires liked them for his skidsteer.

 

[ovrszd]

I've never saw anything that indicated the rubber is a different compound between R4 and R1. But I might have missed it.

 

[Smokeydog]

R4 - Tire Wiki

 

[SDT]

I have not found that to be the case,
mine and the ones on the farm see quite a bit of road use and we see none to very minimal damage,
the barn feeding tractor (Farmall 656) runs them all winter and goes thru the barn on concrete daily with no discernable damage.
They don't need to be spun if not spun they don't do damage.
The traction and ride behavior is so far past any 2 or 4 link cross chain type it is amazing,
the traction and ride over the dou pattern chains is 10 fold.

Yes, tire chains of just about any type will only mar a good concrete surface so long as the wheels do not slip.

Asphalt is a much different story. Studded or v-bar chains can damage asphalt even if the wheels do not slip.

SDT

 

[ovrszd]

R4 - Tire Wiki

Good stuff!!!! Thanks for posting that Smokey!!!!

 

[k0ua]

How do you groove R4’s?

Glad you asked.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...ng-siping-r-4-a.html?highlight=siping+groving

 

[Smokeydog]

I see some new county mowing tractors sporting the R14 tires on front of 4wd tractors. That will be a test.

On the little B26 the R4 are ok. The grooves help with traction with lawn and the little snow we get.

The M59 with the R4 tires has less traction than a similar tractor with R1 ag tires. Been trying to figure out ways to improve traction but not compromise the durability of R4. The extra deep lug, 12ply fronts have helped with loader operations. Everything is on a slope so mowing or bush hogging are in 4wd.

Are the R14 available in high ply and tuff sidewall configuration?

 

[jonsstihl]

that hot knife must smell wonderful when grooving tires.

 

[k0ua]

that hot knife must smell wonderful when grooving tires.

Its not bad at all. Of course work outside. And when you get done, you have a bunch of "gummy worms".

 

[ovrszd]

A bucket full if you groove enough.