tractor tires

haley1 · #1 11/12/14, 04:13 PM

Hi
How do industrial style tractor tires (short lug) do for cutting lawn? Do they leave marks in lawns when he growing is soft?

On another note, how do turf tires do for plowing snow?

crazyfarm · #2 11/12/14, 04:27 PM

I'm not sure I completely understand but we do all of our mowing with our tractor and it has industrial (I guess, they're just standard to me) tires. Yes, it leaves marks in soft ground.

I think the snow plowing would depend. Sometimes we slip around in big snow piles

GunMonkeyIntl · #3 11/12/14, 04:58 PM

It all depends on how soft the ground is, and how heavy the tractor is, but the short answer is 'yes, it will mark your lawn some'. Consider that your tractor is probably somewhere in the weight range of your pickup truck, then imagine those industrial tires on it and driving around in circles on your lawn every week.

When I was tractor buying, I thought I would buy a tractor that would do it all, but decided to turn off the lawn mowing, and keep a lawn mower for that. Setting a tractor up ideally for lawn mowing requires compromises to weight and tread profile that make it so much less capable at so many of the other tasks that a tractor excels at.

For the money that a big belly lower would cost you, you can almost buy a zero-turn and have two seperate machines that are optimized for their respective tasks.

Sawmill Jim · #4 11/12/14, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GunMonkeyIntl

It all depends on how soft the ground is, and how heavy the tractor is, but the short answer is 'yes, it will mark your lawn some'. Consider that your tractor is probably somewhere in the weight range of your pickup truck, then imagine those industrial tires on it and driving around in circles on your lawn every week.

When I was tractor buying, I thought I would buy a tractor that would do it all, but decided to turn off the lawn mowing, and keep a lawn mower for that. Setting a tractor up ideally for lawn mowing requires compromises to weight and tread profile that make it so much less capable at so many of the other tasks that a tractor excels at.

For the money that a big belly lower would cost you, you can almost buy a zero-turn and have two seperate machines that are optimized for their respective tasks.

Three point hitch finish mower works really good and me I would want 4x4 for snow. We just don't let snow bother us here though .

moeh1 · #5 11/12/14, 05:39 PM

I have turfs, fine for mowing and they hold chains well which I need for plowing snow since I haven't got much flat driveway...

rambler · #6 11/12/14, 05:47 PM

Ag tires have a good tread for softer dirt and snow.

Turf tires don't leave much mark, and don't have much of any traction on anything.

R4 I think are the industrial tires, they look like an ag tire but the lug is very wide and shallow. They tend to be a harder rubber and are designed to offer some traction, but also wear better on concrete and tar. They have some traction on snow, but not at all like an ag tire. They are often the 'in between' used by folks that want something in between.

What size tractor is this going on?

Paul

haley1 · #7 11/12/14, 08:23 PM

Looking at getting a 32 HP compact and deciding which tires to put on

sammyd · #8 11/12/14, 09:39 PM

The organic farm had a smaller New Holland with the R4s. Chains went on as soon as the snow fell. Worked OK for snow removal with a bucket and back blade.
Ended up selling the mower for it and went with a big zero turn. Just more maneuverable.

rambler · #9 11/13/14, 12:40 PM

Just going to be compromises there.

A 32 hp tractor is big enough to leave tracks no matter what in soft wet conditions.

Turf tires on a machine that size means it won't be a good tractor at all, the hp will be lost on any sort of real tractor job. I would not want turf tires, but it envision a tractor that size with a loader and working in dirt and gravel and woods and plowing or disking a sizable garden. All of which would be horrible with turf tires.

The R4 are a compromise, you will want chains for winter, and it will not have great traction plowing but at least some. Better than turf.

The ag tires work best in dirt, like nothing else. They work well in snow, but ice needs chains no matter what.

Grooming a mansion lawn with a 32 hp tractor just isn't really my cup of tea, seems like too big a machine for that job, so you will get a bit of tracks no matter what I would think.

Paul

**highlands** · #10 11/14/14, 03:16 PM

We have ag tires on our tractor. Probably mung your lawn up something awful - but I don't have any lawn so it's a non-issue here.

We run logging style chains on them year round because in the winter we need them for the ice and in the summer they keep us up off the stone which save wear and tear on the tires. Tires are expensive. Chains are much less expensive but hardened steel so they last well. Here's a picture of the chains after ten years of wear:
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2011/02/27/t...re-chain-wear/

Now nearly four years later they're still running fine and I expect another decade out of them. They make the tires last a lot longer. I wouldn't want to try plowing snow, or moving big bales, in the winter without the chains.

If you want to mow lawn then get the turf tires and put chains on in the winter if you need to plow.

-Walter

Zimobog · #11 11/14/14, 03:23 PM

I run ag tires on my WD with X chains in the winter- without the X they just slip into the lugs and don't really work for anything. This old Allis-Chalmers WD is 2WD but I don't have any issues pushing or pulling on plowed surfaces. Only time I have ever had it stuck was in real loose mud and I was trying to turn in a hole at the edge of a field. Got out by dropping my bucket, straightening out the front tires, and just backing right out.

Ag tires, especially with chains, will compress and tear up lawn unless the soil is exceptionally rocky.

To handle the grass cutting, I just bought an old MTD riding lawn mower with turf tires and run that on the grass.

10quietacres · #12 11/14/14, 04:17 PM

My 40hp JD came with turf tires and I have to agree with all those who posted here. They're fine for cutting the lawn but nothing more. Even with 4 wheel drive the tractor gets stuck in the smallest bit of mud or snow. I've looked at swapping to industrial or AG tires and the expense is significant. In my case I would need to purchase new rims as well as tires.