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Turf or R4 tires for snow

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1timefarmer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 12 Kingston area Ontario, Canada
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2004-09-16          96585

I am considering buying a JD2210 with FEL and 3PH snowblower

Which type of tire would be best for snow removal? Would prefer no chains, as I expect 95% of underlying surfaces will be asphalt pavement or cement sidewalks.

My original thought was the R4s would be best, but a couple of people I have talked to said the turfs were better, providing more rubber contact with bare/hardpacked surfaces.

Would appreciate input from others.


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ScooterMagee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 201 Nebraska
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2004-09-16          96589

Last winter I used turf's with chains on the rear. Worked very well. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-09-16          96596

I plowed through everything last winter with R4's, without using 4wd most of the time. We live in Michigan and get some serious wet snow at times. The last tractor I owned had turfs, and absolutely needed chains to plow.

I'm sure they will both perform, but the R4s have done better for me. The drive and road I maintain are both gravel. ....

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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2004-09-16          96599

I plow and use Turf tires without chains in 4WD. The size and weight of a tractor along with blade size makes a difference. My tires do spin at times. I'm clearing several gravel drives. If you use a blower you don't require that much traction and anything should work. With an FEL 4WD is essential. ....

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kubotaguy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 360 Shepherdstown, WV
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2004-09-16          96606

On my old tractor I had turfs and chains were definitely required especially on wet compacted snow and ice. On my new machine I have R-4's and bought chains for it but was too lazy to put them on last year. It went through just about everything without the chains. I agree with pete though, it depends on the size of the machine. The smaller the machine, the more need for chains. ....

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Turf or R4 tires for snow

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-09-16          96648

Last time I checked the 2210 came with either turfs or bar tires, has something changed?

I think the turfs with the extra nooks, crannies and siping would be better on snow and ice. R-4's don't have much in the way of gripping surfaces. ....

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44trxfun
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 110 western NY
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2004-09-16          96649

I only have one year of experience to draw from, but last winter in western NY, I used unloaded turfs on my MF GC2300. I used both rear blade and front blower and the turfs did fine. One ice storm, I chained up the rears, but that was all the use they got for the winter. ....

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Archdean
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 279 Oklahoma
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2004-09-16          96650

I lived in Alaska for 14 years and it was not uncommon to pile up 9 feet of snow with my Bobcat which had R4's , but in reality temperature affects how snow reacts to tread types, ie. the colder the better bite is with R4's and if it is wet and slushy the turf's will give more traction!!
Dean ....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-09-16          96651

And..... I bet that Bobcat weighed about 8000 pounds! ....

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Archdean
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 279 Oklahoma
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2004-09-16          96652

I Guess I miss your point! Explain when you have time!
Dean ....

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2004-09-16          96653

Based upon my experience with turfs on a YM240 (2wd), I'd have much preferred R4s. The turfs were not self-cleaning, and it took very little mud or snow to turn them into spinning balloons. They were also a good 15" wide (13-24s, I think), so I didn't even want to think of what chains would cost.

Besides rear traction (specifically, lack of), trying to steer a pair of sliding balloons is no fun either.

//greg// ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-09-17          96661

There is no perfect all round tire. Probably in the real world R-1's would be the best choice if snow were your only concern, but they leave nasty tracks in the lawn, etc, etc. I've had turfs, other than golf course, park type mowing only situations they're a real poor choice for most any other duty. I'd get the R-4's and a set of chains if fender clearance for the chains isn't a problem. Frank. ....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-09-17          96665

For what you have described I find that the turf tires without chains are the best! Who wants to keep resealing driveways as the chains give a smaller foot print to grab with. The idea of a chain is to drop in and grab traction for you and you can't do that on solid surfaces. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-09-17          96667

Art; After I wrote the post the thought you bring up came to mind. I guess I was only thinking of my own situation with gravel drives. In the real world with R-4's in snow I've never got in a situation where with a bucket of snow that the front wheels would'nt push me out of where I was in, or that by dumping the bucket of snow that the loader bucket would'nt push me out. I've never owned a set of chains for a CUT, but I do have a set for a regular size farm tractor chains that have been rusting in the corner of a shed somewher for 20 years. Frank. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-09-17          96678

Traction is really only developed by the edge of a lug catching against something. It therefore folows that the more edges there are, the more traction you will have. In winter there is one more factor that enters the equation, cold, the harder rubber of a R4 gets stiffer still, meaning even less traction. A turf tire though has very soft rubber and develops outstanding traction on a hard surface, asphalt, concrete, frozen dirt, gravel, hard-packed snow, even ice itself.

We plowed commercially for years with the whole fleet sitting on turf's, no chains, ever, only studs occaisionally, we could easily out push or pull a set of R4's or R1's.

Remember, in the vast majority of the time the tires are running on ground that has already been cleared, it doesn't matter how much snow there is, it only matters how much snow is UNDER the tire.

Best of luck. ....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-09-17          96689

Dean, my comment about the weight is based on my experience in two things:

1) With enough weight you can overcome poor tire design and provide decent traction with almost any tire.

2) Every R-4 tire I have encountered so far has been designed for skid loaders and are so stiff that they will support the weight of a smaller CUT with no air in them.

A tire that stiff and unyielding is ok on a 8000 pound Bobcat in the snow but not so good on a 1200 pound sub-CUT. ....

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KRAKY1
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 6 CENTRAL WISCONSIN
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2004-09-17          96702

It's my opinion that r-4's will give you more bit in "loose" conditions. Mud, slush, wet ground etc. Turfs would probably outpull the r-4's on 1ce becasue you'd actually have more "tire on the ground". Like noted above your tires are actually working on ground that was already cleared. I probably wouldn't let the snow conditions make the call on the tire but the mowing conditions. If you plan on having your tractor on lawn all the time go with the turf. If you do some trail, loader, and lawn combo work I'd say go with the r-4's. Just my opinion and your mileage may vary!! ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2004-09-18          96780

for hard packed solid surfaces, it really is the number of sharp edges biting in. In europe they use heavily siped snow tires that would put all american snows to shame. R-1's and r-4's are both awful in hard slippery situations that involve a SLOPE. My r-1's with calcium and diff locked would not move where all of my cars with 2wd drove easily. My drive is gravel so chains turn my tractor into a whole other machine. Most turfs would be better on hard surfaces, but some have lugs with rounded edges and they are no better than the others. If it were just the "more tire on the ground" issue, I would be throwing away my size 11 vibrum lug work boots and getting some size 16 basketball sneakers at the foot locker when it came time to shovel. ....

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