# Ag tires vs. turf tires



## 2paranoid

Hey there --

Thought I'd pose the classic "what tractor should I buy" post as my first post to the forum, but with a slightly different spin.

I'm looking at buying a 1994 Ford/NH 1720, 4WD with a FEL to manage my 10 heavily wooded acres. I want to clear about 2 acres and put in an orchard and garden, and I need to bring in about 5-6 cords of firewood a year from my land and the adjacent 135+ acre state park (by permit, of course). I would like to use the tractor for general woodlot chores, along with all the usual things one can do with an FEL - I'll add a backhoe in a couple of years, of course.

This tractor is in really nice shape, only about 1200 hrs, and it appears to have been babied. The problem is, it has loaded turf tires rather than ag tires. My question is: will I be disappointed with the tires? I don't intend to go anywhere terribly muddy, so I think I should be fine, but I'd like to check with the experts first. Thanks.


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## SHARTEL

Hi Parnoid and welcome to the forum!

Well, I'm not an expert but you may be a little dissapointed with how fast turf tires may ware and tear up when you don't actually use them exclusively for landscaping and lawn care.

Woods and rougher terain are better suited using R1's or R4 bar lugs...and they'll last years longer. It'd be nice if you could save those turfs (and wheels) once you get your lawns and landscaping done and have the other wheel/tire combinations for all other tractor duties.

Good luck 

SHARTEL


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## Live Oak

Let me add my welcome as well Paranoid. To follow up, the R1's are MUCH better in mud and pulling power BUT are not nearly as puncture resistant. 

R4's are a good compromise between turf tires and R1 ag tires in that they do not tear up the sod as much but still officer better traction. 

You can put chains on the turf tires but the chains are VERY expensive. 

The R4's are more expensive than the R1's. If you are going to be skidding logs a lot, get the R1's

For overall general use, the R4's are a good tire but just remember that they are not real good in mud and once the tread is filled with mud, they suck. 

Will you be skidding logs?


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## Simpleprestige

The only downside to the R4 Industrial tires is they suck in snow. They are absolutely worthless... I don't know why it is but it just is.


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## MFreund

If you like the machine buy it, try it out and if the tires aren't up to the task there is a guy on ebay thet sells r-1 and r-4 tires out in CA. They are new takeoffs from the tractors that are sold to golf courses. I have a friend that bought a complete set (tires and rims) of r-1 for a 4600 deere for around $1100.00 shipped to Iowa. My .02 keep the turfs and buy r-1 for most of the rest of the use. It is easier to change tires than find a good used tractor locally.




I think r-4's are pooor snow tires because they are made with a very hard rubber compound. They are industrial tires.


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## 2paranoid

> _Originally posted by TF Admin _
> *
> Will you be skidding logs? *


Not at first anyway. Most of what I clear will go into the stove, so I'll fell it, cut it to 4' lengths, roll a few into the FEL bucket (5' 6" wide) and bring them over to my bucking station. Two cuts with the Farm Boss and then the 16" pieces go to the splitter, manned by my wife (or would that be womanned?)

Eventually, though, I want to harvest some of the pines and hemlocks for timbers and siding for a barn, and some of my prize black cherries for the cabinet shop. I have to build or buy the bandsaw mill first, though, but once that's all set up, I'll need to manuever 8' to 16' lengths around. For that, I was thinking of something like this rig. Hey, they even show it with turf tires - what could go wrong!

Any idea how much a set of ags might cost? I'd assume it would be best to get new rims - correct?


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## 2paranoid

MFreund -- Good tip, and good point about thinking about the iron before the rubber. This machine has been sitting on the Massey dealer's lot since before Christmas, and when Santa didn't put it under the tree, I figured I wait until the tax refund and my bonus came in. Should have the cash together by mid March. Hopefully the machine will still be there, and I'll be able to sweet talk my wife into it.

Any more info on that eBay seller would be handy. Thanks!


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## 2paranoid

Another general question - if I had a set up turfs and a set of ags, what's involved with swapping them? I assume I'd need a bottle jack and some cribbing to get the rears airborne. Can I safely use the FEL to jack up the front axle? And my guess is the wheels will be pretty darn heavy, especially loaded. Any gotchas to worry about?


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## MFreund

Turfs and Ag tires use different width rims. It will cause problems with the 4WD if you use AG tires on turf rims. You will need tires and rims to keep the MFWD happy. Changing them will not be more involved than changing a car tire. Loaded tires WILL be very heavy. Have help. At least then someone will call 911 when it falls on you!! I have used the FEL to change fronts but floor jack would be better.

Here is the guy my friend used


Bob Milversted
M & M Products
10376 Lilac Road
Oak Hills, CA 92344
Office 760-956-1159
Cell 760-219-6497
Email: [email protected]

Here is what one of his auctions looks like

http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Deere-Turf...yZ121876QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## chrpmaster

Do you know what size the rear wheels are that are on it now? I have seen a calculator on the web somewhere that will tell you the total weight added when you fill tires. Obviously it depends on the amount of fluid the tire will hold. It also depends what they are filled with. Calcium Chloride is popular since it is much heavier than the other options like windshield washer fluid. The down side is it is very caustic and will rust out the rims and any leak will be a dangerous mess. The dealer should be able to tell you. If not check around for a dealer that offers the service of filling tires and they will know. 

This information will give you an idea how easily you can change these tires on your own. Depending on the size of your tires they might weigh several hundred pounds each. Not something you will want to tackle without a hoist.


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## 2paranoid

Tractordata.com says the rears are 12.4-24. Not sure what the fill fluid is, but the story is that the guy who had it was a stickler for maintenance, so I'd hope it's antifreeze or something like that.


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## chrpmaster

Check with your local dealer to see if they install Rim guard. It is a much safer product than Calcium Chloride but weighs about the same. It can be pricey but it will do the job. I looked on their web site and it shows your size tire will hold 30 gals and add 321 pounds of weight per wheel. That would make it pretty tough job to remove and reinstall without help. Not something I would want to attempt by myself.

Here is the link. 

http://www.rimguard.biz/index.html

Andy


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## 2paranoid

Good info, thanks for that. I like the fact that RimGuard is non-toxic - I was worried about CaCl2 or antifreeze leaking and finding its way into my well. 

I'm surprised, though, that ballasting would only add 640-odd pounds to the tractor's weight. Sure, adding 320 pounds to a wheel makes it tough to handle, but it seems light for ballast. Then again, the tractor alone is 2900 lbs, so ballasting increases the weight by 22%. So I guess I see how that would help, especially when all the extra weight is in the back.


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## L S G

First I am new to tractors and this forum however I have the same dilemma. 

One thing I discovered after buying a new Kubota B7800 4wd with industrial tires. I wished for the moment I had bought Ag tires. Later my tractors use will turn more so to gravel or asphalt and yard maintenance. 

But the first 100 hrs have been mud clay and digging. The ag tires would have been much more helpfully especially in using the loader bucket. I have moved several mountains of dirt with the loader bucket and the wet piles require a lot of pushing when filling the bucket. I can only assume AG tires would have spun much less and required much less time filling the loader bucket. 

Next I have had to perform a number of side up hill work the industrial tires slip a lot. Keep in mind its rained or snowed or both since I bought it and the work must be done now. 

I almost bought a set of chains for it but will wait. I do think for the money I would just buy a second set of tires but I am not in a positing to do so right now. 

Also since buying this tractor originally I figured once this project was done it would be mainly used for lot maintenance. However I am training my kids to use the various implements I bought for is so they can use it to make money in the summers ( ore whenever) tilling up yards gardens. here in remotvile America I think this stands to be a very solid option for work that will teach them to work make them more money for their time spent and I am sure there lots of work to be had. I was running it in our front yard Friday night and had several people stop with the so you have time to do this or that for me. Most of which Ag tires will save time and do less damage. 

just 2 cents worth from a newbie

Good luck keep the rubber side down


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## 2paranoid

LSG - thanks for the insights. Good to hear from a fellow newbie on this with fresh experience. I talked to the dealer I'm working with about the advice I got from this forum. His response was that the R4 tires were a reasonable compromise between lawn-friendly turfs and aggressive ag tires. I explained that I'll never really be in a situation where I absolutely have to be out there working - I should always have the luxury of waiting for better weather. And I don't really see any need for getting into muddy situations, likely a freshly plowed field. Most of my machine time will either be on my driveway or on the woodlot, with the usually forest leaf litter layer. Later on, when the orchard is planted, there'll be turf between the trees. So I think the R4s will be OK for me.

Update on the purchase: that Ford 1720 went before I could make an offer. Too bad - now I have to buy a new one! Massey has 0% financing for 72 months, so I'm almost ready to close on a 1528 or 1531 compact with FEL. I'm torn between the 1528, which is on the dealer's lot and I can have this week, and the higher horsepower 1531, which the dealer has to trailer in from across the state. My guess is that I can work a better deal with the 1528 since he can clear stock from inventory. But will I regret the lower horsepower later? I think it's only 4-5 HP difference - is it anything to get worked up about?


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## rj'sbarn

*rice tires*

how do you guys rate rice paddy tires as far as usability and traction?


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## MFreund

You can never have enough power. But I don't think you will tell the difference in 4-5 hp.


Who makes rice tires for a compact utility??


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## Gopher Baroque

MFreund said:


> Who makes rice tires for a compact utility??


Look for "R-2", or possibly "R-1W", tires. R-2 has deep spade-type ribs for wet soil, like you are asking about.

The tread depth of an R-1W tire is at least 20 percent deeper than the same sized R-1 tire. In simple terms, R-1W tires have a taller bar height, but all the other dimensions, such as overall diameter and rated load capacity, are the same between the R-1 and R-1W tires.

Also note whether you want 23 degree ribs for best forward traction or 45 degree ribs for more lateral slip resistance.


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