Need advice on new L4701 - R1 vs R4 Tires

[vio4701]

Hi, new to the forum and new to tractors.
Just ordered the L4701 with FEL, Mower. This will be my first tractor.
I will also purchase skid steer attachment and a box blade.

I've searched other threads and different sites for info on what type of tires most choose for their needs
and I'm still a little on the fence about that would best suit mine.

- A little about what I will be using my L series :
- Loading and moving dirt and mulch for wife's garden
- A few times a year cleaning out goat barn
- Will be replacing posts and installing new fencing in a couple years on back 8 acres.
- Gravel straightening driveway once a year on front 4 acres where house is.
- I have some uneven ground in front lawn around home that needs new
top soil fill to level ground.
- 2 or 3 x a year I will disc and mow grass back 8 acres ( ground gets hard in summer here in Texas because of the clay )
- General farm use


I have 12 acres here in north Texas, mostly field and front yard, no brush.
When it rains here it pours and ground stays wet and soft for a few days so I don't plan on using the tractor when its really
wet or muddy. The biggest reason for me wanting the R4s is so I dont tear up the lawn with the R1's when using the tractor in the front 4 acres.
I would be using the tractor mostly around the home 80% of the time.

I also didn't know if the R1 Ag tires would be absolutely necessary for doing disc work out back once or twice a year.
It doesn't snow here much and if it does it melts by the next day. I wouldn't be using it in the snow either.

I'd appreciate any advice or opinions on which tire you think would work best for most my small farm needs.
If anyone from Texas is in a similar situation with a similar tractor and needs let me know what tires you choose.

Thanks - Vio

 

[Missouribound]

Without giving you a specific answer let me say this:
If you don't have the turf tires you will tear up your lawn. I have turf on my B tractor and it works well for everything I use it for. If you have some sharp saplings or sharp rocks to deal with you may consider something other than turf tires. I use my tractor primarily for mowing but in the off season it is in the woods clearing trees or digging up small trees. But most of my usage is on the lawn, thus the turf tires. If you have a lot of work to do you can either consider a riding mower for your yard or get a newest of tires and wheels for your tractor.
Both options will work.

 

[imnukensc]

I have R4s on my 2380 and don't tear up the lawn, but a 2380 is a much smaller tractor than a 4701. I think R4s are a great compromise between R1s and turf tires.

 

[vio4701]

Thats good to know, I feel like from what I've seen R4's can handle alot more load when the Fel is full too

 

[sheepfarmer]

I have R4's on an L3560. The only time I have torn up my lawn is when I turned the front wheels while standing still on half frozen ground. I have messed up the pasture skinning off a top layer when the ground was frozen and the top inch thawed, but I think any tires would have done that. It has pretty much had adequate traction for everything I want to do.

 

[vio4701]

I have R4's on an L3560. The only time I have torn up my lawn is when I turned the front wheels while standing still on half frozen ground. I have messed up the pasture skinning off a top layer when the ground was frozen and the top inch thawed, but I think any tires would have done that. It has pretty much had adequate traction for everything I want to do.

Have you plowed or done any disc work with the R4's?
I will be needing to do that once or twice a year.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Have you plowed or done any disc work with the R4's?
I will be needing to do that once or twice a year.

No. Only used a back blade and the fel on snow and dirt.

 

[vio4701]

Dealer quoted me 700 for upgrading to r4s from the ag tires. Is that fair? Also anyone know if the wheels are different or need to be swapped out on the l4701 if going with the R4's?

 

[Creature Meadow]

I have the sister to your tractor, L4600DT 4WD with R4's.

I have 5 acres of food plots and a 1 acre garden which I till, disk, and level with a landscape rake. They do well for the above applications.

I also have a subsoiler that goes down to 20", I subsoil garden with it twice a year. I do use 4WD when doing this and have few rocks and a sandy loom soil with a clay base down below 12-16 inches.

I do not mow my lawn with it but do drive all over my 13 acres and only when wet which I try to avoid does not tear up my grass.

For me the R4's are a perfect match.

 

[Bob Yocum]

Dealer quoted me 700 for upgrading to r4s from the ag tires. Is that fair? Also anyone know if the wheels are different or need to be swapped out on the l4701 if going with the R4's?

Per Kubota"s website on build your tractor there is an increase on price from R1 to R4 and yes the rims will be different now having said that I have owned 3 new Kubota tractors and the dealers I dealt with did not charge me nothing extra at the time to change my tire choice.

 

[KennedyFarmer]

Based on your input R4's are the way to go.

 

[vio4701]

Per Kubota"s website on build your tractor there is an increase on price from R1 to R4 and yes the rims will be different now having said that I have owned 3 new Kubota tractors and the dealers I dealt with did not charge me nothing extra at the time to change my tire choice.

I noticed that as well, I'll see what the final charge is when I talk to them again this afternoon.

I have the sister to your tractor, L4600DT 4WD with R4's.

I have 5 acres of food plots and a 1 acre garden which I till, disk, and level with a landscape rake. They do well for the above applications.

I also have a subsoiler that goes down to 20", I subsoil garden with it twice a year. I do use 4WD when doing this and have few rocks and a sandy loom soil with a clay base down below 12-16 inches.

I do not mow my lawn with it but do drive all over my 13 acres and only when wet which I try to avoid does not tear up my grass.

For me the R4's are a perfect match.

I think the R4's are going to be the choice for me as well. Dealer is going to call me later today and tell me a timeline of when the new wheels / tires will arrive for install and delivery.

 

[vio4701]

Does anyone know how tall the 4701 with rops and sunshade canopy is? I know tractordata.com saya 91.7 inches but thats without the canopy. My shop is 96 inches tall at the rollup door. Wondering if it will fit.

 

[coss]

I have an L3710 with R1s, and it will tear up a lawn in nothing flat. Because I also have a Massey Harris 50 with turf tires, I can separate the jobs by tractor and stay out of trouble.

If you went with turf tires, you may not have enough traction to disc your fields unless you used a fairly narrow disc to reduce resistance.

R4s would be a good all-around tire for your applications. You may need to avoid tight turns on the lawn so the front tires don't dig in. Most Kubotas have a tight turning radius, which is a big advantage in confined spaces, but it comes at the cost of generating a lot of forward vector on the outside of the tire during turns, and that can push up a furrow on grass.

 

[Stmar]

You may want to check the Kubota build site and see what the adder is for R4s. On a B2650 it is $85.

 

[chim]

Soil / sod is different in the great range of ZIP codes posters here live in. At my place, I've used turf, R1 and R4. Unless I use 4WD on sharp turns or drive like a moron, none of them will do damage. With R1 and particularly R4 there is a brief period that new tires will leave a slight "dot leader" on hard turns. The dirt work I've done was mostly with a loader and R4's. It wasn't plowing, but the R4's worked fine. That was cutting down the front of the lot and using it for fill to bury a 1,000 gallon tank that I set at the base of a bank. Wanted to bury it without digging a hole.