What do you have for a groover? I'd like to get one. That's a nice job you did on those R4's!
Losing interest in R14 tires...
- Thread starter Henro
- Start date
NHSleddog, I read your post last week and went to look at the pictures and decided to finish mine. I had done the front in the Spring and then just got busy. Got a whole bucket of licorice! It was 65 and sunny. Thanks for the inspiration.
I borrow it from a friend. It looks like a really old version of what you can buy on Amazon now.
This is what I used. Bought it a year ago. I comes with a packet of replacement blades.
Ideal Tire Groover/Cutter Heated Grooving Iron #4 Blades & Head, IMCA, UMP | eBay
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Funny, but yesterday I made a call to talk to a salesman at a place I called some months ago when my son in law was shopping for his BX23S.
Talked briefly about tires. His comment stuck with me. “Whatever tires you buy you will probably not wear them out in twenty years anyway ...”
Maybe I am suffering from overthink!
Talked briefly about tires. His comment stuck with me. “Whatever tires you buy you will probably not wear them out in twenty years anyway ...”
Maybe I am suffering from overthink!
I wore out 3 sets on my old NH in 20 years.Funny, but yesterday I made a call to talk to a salesman at a place I called some months ago when my son in law was shopping for his BX23S.
Talked briefly about tires. His comment stuck with me. “Whatever tires you buy you will probably not wear them out in twenty years anyway ...”
Maybe I am suffering from overthink!
Did you run a lot on pavement? My R4s on my B2910 are still in great shape after 18 years and 1800 hours... But no use on paved surfaces...
Maybe 10%.Did you run a lot on pavement? My R4s on my B2910 are still in great shape after 18 years and 1800 hours... But no use on paved surfaces...
This stuck out to me and it dawned on me is spot on. I am needing new tires. I went from turfs, to R4's. R4's didn't last long which I was disappointed in.
Also, I really wasn't that impressed with the R4's over the turfs for what I do. I wanted to believe they were better in the snow which is a main reason I got them. I had to admit they weren't. I saw a video by Messicks where they compare turfs and R4's in the snow and the advantage R4's have is almost nill.
I should add i have chains but I despise putting them on. I don't have a garage and generally have to put them on while sitting on gravel in snow outside. However, I have them if needed.
Most of what I use my BX for is mowing and with how wet the summers have been, even the R4's are a bit rough on the grass.
So the R4's went bad way too soon and I threw on the old turfs I still had. One front one has too many holes to keep it going.
So I was stuck between replacing front turfs, or replacing some / all of the R4's.
I had a recent experience of trying to pull down a bunch of fallen trees that got hung in a tree. It was muddy and trying to pull down the trees with turfs, sometimes uphill, was pointless.
So I think that goes to what I will be doing 90% of the time, and being willing to suffer through the rest,
So my plan is the turfs. The quote above basically figured it out for me.
Trail, you say, "R4's didn't last long which I was disappointed in." I am curious as to why they didn't last. How long did it take to wear them out?
I don't think I could wear out a set in 25, maybe 30 years!
I don't think I could wear out a set in 25, maybe 30 years!
D2 - Not sure if this makes a difference, but I should add I keep my BX outside. It sits under an elevated deck, but is pretty much in the elements. That said, rear R4's lasted about 4 years. Both started showing a lot of wear and tear in side walls, then one had a slow leak, which turned put to be side walls.
It is my first set of R4's and seemed unusual, and from what you wrote, probably is. Not sure why this happened.
It is my first set of R4's and seemed unusual, and from what you wrote, probably is. Not sure why this happened.
My L4240 is an '07 model. The tires are the originals. I am the second owner and the previous owner use it for mowing heavy brush a lot. The tires have some wear and tear but far from no good/can't use. Here's a sample of the pieces I cut out last week grooving them, and there is a lot of rubber left!
Attachments
Trail, I also am curious, as the R4 tires on my B2910 at 18 years are still in great shape after 1800 hours, and the AG tires on my BX are in great shape too, after 1200+ hours. The BX tires are foam filled.
How many hours did you put on your BX in those 4 years when the R4 tires failed? Was it mostly on pavement? Where did you buy the tires? Off brand or well know brand?
Curiosity speaks here!
As an aside, since I am the OP of the thread, I thought I would mention that my thinking changed.
Rather than buying a new tractor with attached backhoe, I realized it would more fit my needs and wants if I bought a used mini excavator to supplement my existing tractors. (And I could sell my 3PH BL4690A backhoe to offset the cost a little.) I found a Mini EX that I may purchase.
Still, I hope to see R14 tires in person sometime...but think it likely I will ever need to own them.
Rather than buying a new tractor with attached backhoe, I realized it would more fit my needs and wants if I bought a used mini excavator to supplement my existing tractors. (And I could sell my 3PH BL4690A backhoe to offset the cost a little.) I found a Mini EX that I may purchase.
Still, I hope to see R14 tires in person sometime...but think it likely I will ever need to own them.
Well reading these posts are discouraging when it comes to my tires.
Estimating I had under 400 hours. Almost never saw pavement. Gravel drive and yard / woods work. Got them from my Kubota dealer. Unsure on brand. I can check at some point.
I Knew they should have lasted longer but had no idea it was this extreme.
Even in our slick clay, the R14's on my LX2610 will stall the tractor in low range with HST, especially if I'm pushing with the FEL. The fronts typically come off the ground, but the backs giterdun. They've got some serious grip, but don't dig holes real fast. If I do manage to spin them, the footprint gets bigger, and they bite harder and shed the mud/dirt pretty quickly. Kick the dif-lock, and bingo, whatever is chained to moves. I'm very happy with them, because they don't destroy the lawn either. Can't say much about wear, but that's going to be a function of weight, operating surface and how hard you are on them. If you're spinning, you're not moving. Try something different. Get a bite somehow. That's the whole point of a hydrostatic transmission.