# Tires



## Metalbender36 (12 mo ago)

Looking at 2 different used tractors. the first is a 2017 L4400 with less than 300 hours, R4 tires FEL 4wheel drive HST. 22700.00
The 2nd is a 2019 L3901 with less than 300 hours AG tires FEL 4 wheel drive gear trans. 21700.00

My only big question is most if not all compact tractors have the R 4 tires and then the 3901 pop's up with AG tires 
what would be the advantage of the AG over the R 4s???


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Ag tires are just that, for Ag use. Better gription when bottom plowing a field or pulling a disc harrow with added weight. Additionally, the Ag tires work well with 2WD compacts doing Ag work.

For snow removal, I find Ag tires grab better in the rear. No chains to add. 

Now, R4's are attractive as it has a blend of both Ag and turf. One can use a finish mower to cut the lawn in the morning and then swap over to a 3PT PTO driven tiller for large garden plots for work in the afternoon.

With a loader, the R4's will keep things steady. Ag tires give a bit more bounce.

It all comes down to application, soil and how level your land is.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Ag tires R1's will grip better then R4's in most every situation,
the only exceptions I can think of would be pavement or hard packed gravel roads.
If you sidehill on damp grass the R4s will have no side bite and you will have no directional control.
The R4s were touted as a compromise between turf and ag tires so not really good for anything,
but supposedly not bad either. I have no use for them either Ag or turf for me.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

LouNY said:


> Ag tires R1's will grip better then R4's in most every situation,
> the only exceptions I can think of would be pavement or hard packed gravel roads.
> If you sidehill on damp grass the R4s will have no side bite and you will have no directional control.
> The R4s were touted as a compromise between turf and ag tires so not really good for anything,
> but supposedly not bad either. I have no use for them either Ag or turf for me.



Hmmmmmm.............I have ran R4 tires on my smaller tractors for about 5 years now and have had no major problem with grip in the hills and hollars of Southern Indiana..........I run R1 ag tires on the bigger tractors but for all around work on the farm with a smaller, 50 hp or less, with a FEL I will choose R4 tires everytime.....


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

I have AG on mine which I like when it’s wet/muddy as I don’t have 4wd. To don’t think the tire type would be my number 1 decision basis for those two tractors though. It would be my use….one is gear drive shuttle and other is HST. The gear drive is best for ground engaging and shredding work, which would match up with the AG tires on it….the HST would be preferred for back and forth FEL work and is good match with the R4s. Depends on your most frequent use.

It’s a preference…I use my FEL for a lot of things, but I prefer the gear drive as I don’t mind the manual shifting. Also, if shredding I don’t want to have to keep pedal pressed all the time.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

TX MX5200 said:


> It’s a preference…I use my FEL for a lot of things, but I prefer the gear drive as I don’t mind the manual shifting. Also, if shredding I don’t want to have to keep pedal pressed all the time.



My newest one, the Kioti, has cruse control so makes it nice for bush hogging a large field.......No holding the pedal down....Also, I use this small tractor to drag up the horse arena, the R4 tires work much better then the R1 ag tires for this I have found.......

I will agree that ag tires do a little better in the mud then R4 tires do and if you are crop farming, plowing, discing and that type of thing, then ag tires would work better overall then R4 tires......I have two other larger tractors that have ag tires and they take care of this type of work......

Overall, I would agree with you that it depends on what work you are doing as to which tire will work better for a person.....


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

unsquidly said:


> Hmmmmmm.............I have ran R4 tires on my smaller tractors for about 5 years now and have had no major problem with grip in the hills and hollars of Southern Indiana..........I run R1 ag tires on the bigger tractors but for all around work on the farm with a smaller, 50 hp or less, with a FEL I will choose R4 tires everytime.....


We have R4 tires on only one tractor on the farm, thats a 50 hp Kubota utility (no idea which model) it's main uses are for fencing, both new and repairs the post driver mounts on the FEL and cleaning in the barns and running the bale wrapper. That thing can be hazardous on many of our pastures and fields if the grass is wet early morning or from a shower that thing will take off sideways or down hill with no notice. Places I'd have no qualms about going with my Branson on R1's or even a 2wd rowcrop such as the 656's that Kubota isn't trustworthy on. It also does most of the bale wrapping of course that's on flat dry ground. 
So I have nothing good to say about R4's, but many people like them.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

LouNY said:


> So I have nothing good to say about R4's, but many people like them.


M y contention is people like them because they don't know any better. Industrial forklift tread tires have no place in a farm or dirt related operation.

Sadly, new tires are getting insanely expensive as well. Just re shoe'd on of my M9's to the the tune of 5500 bucks.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Thats why I spent $200 on some well used 18.4-30's last summer to have a spare set for my very well worn ones on my 574.
In the winter the tread makes almost no difference to me as I have to run chains and with the Euro style chains I run the rubber doesn't hardly do anything,
on hard pack or ice all you see is the chain pattern, no thread pattern.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I chain the front's not the rears. Tires on the cab tractor are 75%. The open station was getting down to the nubs. I put Trelleborg radials on it. Should be the last set I buy anyway. Got 6000 hours out of the OEM Titans. My tire guy told me the new Titans aren't worth beans and he don't lie so I went with the Trelleborg's. 5500 installed at the farm, 4 new tubes and took the old ones away I suspect they are recappable but I don't know. Never ran recapped R1's.. I don't do tillage so not a heck of a lot of tire wear anyway. I don't till anything. Both have cast centers on them. Plenty of tractive weight for me. I don't even need 'ballast' on the back with the loader snatching round bales.

I've had the industrial tread tires on previous Kubota's. Nice for putzing around but basically useless on soft ground or any sort of incline sidehilling. You are correct, they slide sideways very easy, especially on wet grass.


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## TX MX5200 (May 12, 2020)

As I said….I have AG on my 2wd…but I’m a weekend user and not running it for money. Main reason I have AG is cuz they were on it and like new. It all stays inside unless in use but they haven’t seen sun enough to get a tan.

My brothers JD is 4wd and he goes with AG also as it’s in hill country of TX. I will say there’s no way I would attempt the steep hills with a round bail with R4s….it’s puckering enough with AGs and AWD in low gear and bail lowered inches off ground. Tires are tortured on rocks and inclines so the AGs get worn and replaced as it’s a safety issue for sure. They do bite and hold…again, it’s all about the application. At time mine auger when box blading the drive and will dig a hole in a hurry but I’ve learned to not get so aggressive with the dig.

For my overall use….I prefer AG cuz here the soil is gumbo and it’s slippery when wet. That along with having 2wd when locked means I would be stuck with R4 tires. Even with the AG tires I’ve had to back it out of bogs with the bucket several times.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I look at R4 tires like 'all season' car tires and R1's like mud and snow tires. All season tires are not good in anything, just average. Around here, snow and mud tires are needed. Same with the tractors. Turf tires to me are like racing slicks. Not good for anything but driving on a lawn. In fact, all my buggies have mud and snow tires year around,


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

LouNY said:


> Ag tires R1's will grip better then R4's in most every situation,
> the only exceptions I can think of would be pavement or hard packed gravel roads.
> If you sidehill on damp grass the R4s will have no side bite and you will have no directional control.
> The R4s were touted as a compromise between turf and ag tires so not really good for anything,
> but supposedly not bad either. I have no use for them either Ag or turf for me.


The only gain I see with them is structural strength. I think they are more puncture resistant and stronger sidewalls so less "creel". I prefer R1.


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## ovrszd (12 mo ago)

unsquidly said:


> Hmmmmmm.............I have ran R4 tires on my smaller tractors for about 5 years now and have had no major problem with grip in the hills and hollars of Southern Indiana..........I run R1 ag tires on the bigger tractors but for all around work on the farm with a smaller, 50 hp or less, with a FEL I will choose R4 tires everytime.....


I had R4s on a 45hp tractor with FEL. I ran chains on the rears if I went into the timber when muddy or frozen. My current 45hp tractor has R1s. No chains.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

unsquidly said:


> My newest one, the Kioti, has cruse control so makes it nice for bush hogging a large field.......No holding the pedal down....Also, I use this small tractor to drag up the horse arena, the R4 tires work much better then the R1 ag tires for this I have found.......
> 
> I will agree that ag tires do a little better in the mud then R4 tires do and if you are crop farming, plowing, discing and that type of thing, then ag tires would work better overall then R4 tires......I have two other larger tractors that have ag tires and they take care of this type of work......
> 
> Overall, I would agree with you that it depends on what work you are doing as to which tire will work better for a person.....


My 1981 Yanmar has cruise control too. I just move the throttle stick and it's set.  And to take it off, I use the pedal. It's all mechanical with springs and pivot levers too. Very low tech, thus very easy to repair.

I would agree with most folks here tires are not cheap at all anymore. I read where one person on TBN bought the rims that came with the tires off of a similar model because it was cheaper than getting new tires.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Far as I can tell, nothing is cheap today, including tires. Cheap is a relative term. More like what you can afford and if you can finance them.


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