Tire Input?

[JDCAN]

Now that I am moving forward on a 2520, I really need some help to better understand the tire options. I will be getting the FEL and Backhoe and mower. My big confusion lies on tire selection R3 or R4.

I will be doing a bunch of cutting and I have clay soil, so when it's dry it's really hard, but when it gets wet it becomes very soft and spongy.

I am worried about track marks, but I am also worried about picking the wrong tires. Would putting R3 tires on, ruin it? Would it take away value if I sell it down the road? I also have to do snow removing in the winter but the driveway it pretty level.

If anyone has any input, please feel free to share.

Thanks.

 

[Chris2520]

I have R4's on my 2520. and i am very happy with them. but i dont mow grass with mine. i Dig in the dirt. here is what you need to consider. My 2520 has a backhoe and a loader 18 inch bucket on the hoe and 61 inch bucket on the loader with a JD toothbar. and from what i read from all the specs at JD. my machine with R4's weighs about 4100 pounds. now if you drive across the yard and turn sharp with eather tire at this weight you are going to print the yard. worse with R4's been there and done that. if you turn sharp in 4WD you are going to reseed the yard. did that too...
if mowing is your biggest thing get R3's as with a mower deck alone machine will weigh about 23 or 2400 pounds. if you want to do more real tractor work i would get R4's better traction. i think resale would be better with R4's as a 2520 is getting up to the size most people want to use it as a tractor.
it all depends what you plan to do most of. mowing or loader and dirt and snow work.. some people here do mow with a 2520 with R4's with out to much trouble. thay also dont have a loader and backhoe on it while doing it. and most of all about turning sharp and wet grass. mainly common since. and you will be fine with R4's . when i first got my tractor , I was acting like a dummy.... i have learned from my mistakes. and i think i could mow with R4's now...

Chris

 

[Zinno87]

Wouldn't you want R3's on a "real" tractor and R4 on a mowing machine?

 

[JDCAN]

I think you have it mixed up, the R3 are for the grass and the R4 are the bigger more aggressive tire.

I am pretty confused on which tires to get, once again I have clay, so when it's dry it's hard but when it rain's it gets really mushy, sometimes footprints leave marks.

I am worried the weight of this machine either way is going to make tracks.

Does anyone else have an information/feedback to offer?

Hey Chris2520 do you have a 16" bucket or 18"?

 

[ducati996]

You only have 2 choices so flip a coin - LOL ! I always liked the R4's and I have my rears filled with Fluid (approx 400 lbs each). I run all over lawns all the time with the 46BH attached, and as long as Im carefull (not in 4x4 doing sharp turns) then its fine. real wet lawns will always be an issue and care should be used.

Maybe i will get the MMM and do finish cutting with it - but I will let you update me on the setup needed for that option

 

[JDCAN]

I also think R4, but once again I got full on clay soil. I have walked across the yard when wet and it left foot prints all the way. I am now worried

2200 lbs seems like it's going to wreak havoc on the yard. I will be doing serious mowing with the machine, with that said I will not be doing it when the grass/ground is wet. Either way I could find out the first trip on the yard it leaves tracks. Anytime someone has cross some of the yard with a car it clearly leaves tracks.

After all the reading research I am pretty bumbed I always have to take off the backhoe. It sounds like alot of work and even more work with independant lift kit.

Are the R3's really that bad for traction compared to R4?

 

[gunmaker]

I have R-4's on mine and am happy with the choice. While I do not mow with the 2520, I am all over the yard with it completing various projects. I try to avoid using 4wd unless needed on the lawn, and use common sense as far as wet ground is concerned. I've no ruts or places that've needed reseeding yet. The R-4's do not have the clearance issues with the bh or 3pt arms that the R-3's do.
Taking off the backhoe is not that bad, it usually takes me 15-20 min to go back and forth from backhoe set-uo to 3pt set-up. It is helpful to have a hard surface such as a concrete pad or hard pack stone to use for bh removal/replacement.

 

[B8FISH]

I would suggest the R4's also. Couple of reasons--traction and durability coming first. The R3's would work OK for snow removal--some even suggest they could be better than R4's, but you can add chains either way and never get stuck. If you plan to do much loader work--wouldn't the R4's hold up better to the weight of a bucket full of stuff? As an FYI--when I went from a 2210 to a 2520, I was worried about the weight and what the R4 would do to my lawn, but the R4's on the 2520 were pretty wide, and it seemed to float over areas that the 2210 would sink into, and leave less noticeable tracks.

 

[Deadman]

The R4's will work great for your needs. They're really not evry aggressive, they won't even dig a hole unless you're in muck.

 

[Chris2520]

I think you have it mixed up, the R3 are for the grass and the R4 are the bigger more aggressive tire.

I am pretty confused on which tires to get, once again I have clay, so when it's dry it's hard but when it rain's it gets really mushy, sometimes footprints leave marks.

I am worried the weight of this machine either way is going to make tracks.

Does anyone else have an information/feedback to offer?

Hey Chris2520 do you have a 16" bucket or 18"?

mine is a 16 inch. sorry my mistake....

 

[NoMo]

The soil on my place sounds like yours. When wet, footprints WILL be left and it takes a long time to dry. When the ground finally dries, it takes a jackhammer to dig a hole!

Since you plan on this being primarily a mowing machine, I'd go with the R3s. The floatation and less aggressive tread will be much better for those times when the ground is still moist and you have to mow.

Traction in the clay muck with R4s is non-existant (just like it'd be with the R3s) so I don't really see an advantage other than resale value- just look at how many people here want R4s. But are you really looking to sell the little tractor already?

 

[ORCM]

JDCAN,

My tractor is on order, and I haven't gotten it yet so I dont have personal experiance with it. I had the same delima that you are having, I'm probably going to be mowing 60% of the time with the tractor. I asked my Dad, because he had a 4300 with a FEL on it with R4's. He said he ran all over his yard and didn't have a problem. I really wanted the R4s because I know that the R3s are worthless when it comes to loader work, at least around where I live. I'm sure if its as soft as you say it is, it may indead leave imprints.

I have seen used sets of R3s forsale online, and you might try your local tire/tractor shops. You could try the R4s, and if they don't work well find a use set of R3s.

 

[Chris2520]

You will like the R4's best i think...
Also it looks really mean if you put the wheels wide side out....

 

[Nuru]

I have two sets of R3's, one Super Turf Galaxy's and the other set is standard R3s. I am thinking of gettng a set of R4s but I gotta get rid of the other R3s first. Good rubber and wheels, but have not tried to sell them yet or trade them in.

 

[JDCAN]

I just went ahead with the R4's. If I need to I will try to find some r3's online or something. Wiould those super turf tires fit on a 2520 without issues on the backhoe? If so do they really provide much advantage over the R3's?

Either way I can't wait to get the unit, sounds like it could be 10 days for the backhoe to show up.

 

[Nuru]

JDCAN, dunno if they would fit, but a backhoe might be too heavy for them?

 

[RalphVa]

I've turf (R3) tires on my 4010. My driveway is fairly level, and I've had NO problems with traction using the FEL and BB in the snow. Even the turf tires will tear up the grass if you turn sharply.

I had a Gravely with dual tires (e.g. 2 on each side) and tried both turf and Ag (R1) tires on it. I mainly tried the Ags because it would sometimes have traction troubles in the snow and ice. I put steel screws into the Ag lugs to assist on ice but never had ice after that to try it out, as I got the JD about that time and quickly found out it has FAR better traction. The Gravely needed chains on the turfs when running the snow blower. Otherwise, it wouldn't move that heavy square shoot blower.

My experience with both chains on turfs and Ags is that they are mainly better in snow/ice and in mud. Turfs (and I've heard it said of R4s) instantly become little balls of mud in wet clay. However, in ALL other conditions, turfs will actually have more traction because they simply have more rubber in contact with the surface and will put less pressure on that surface to mark it up, because the pressure is spread out over more tire area. Chains and Ags start to dig if they lose traction and will quickly dig you into a hole. I think more people probably stick tractors using chains and Ags or R4s where they might be able to sorta "plane" their way through (slipping and sliding) with turfs, or at least stop and hit the diff lock and get out.

So far, the turfs are pretty tough on the JD. No flats, going on 3 1/2 years. Had several flats on the Gravely turfs. They were really soft. Got slime in the fronts. One of them pushed off the rim (think due to low pressure) before I slimed them.

Ralph

 

[wolc123]

I think the turfs are your best choice. R4's have little traction advantage in mud or snow over turfs, and adding chains to the turfs would be an easy way to get better traction in these conditions than you could get with R4's.

 

[LBrown59]

Sometimes I wonder if tread design makes as much difference in lawn marking as people imagine.
For example I have a BX23 with AGs on all 4 corners.
I also have a CC GT2554 with AGs on the rear and turfs on the front.
I've noticed very little difference if any in tire marks in the yard mowing with either tractor.

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