The R4 is the number one choice for heavy construction work for a reason. Durability, toughness and they get the job done on and off road the vast majority of the time. They were never marketed as an AG tire nor a deep mud tire anyway. It would be interesting to see how well the other types would hold up in a construction environment. Funny that now they are the worst design ever yet the most proven design ever. Of note, an R4 can be grooved to enhance its performance in muddy conditions if needed.

"I can't drive there, the leaves are wet" --- R4 Tires

I have to agree to a point. As soon as the center is filled with grass/sod they spin. Yes it was in 4x4 , yes I had the diff lock pressed and even going down hill I managed to almost get stuck in my field. I tried finding an R1 tread the same size and like some sort of dark tractor magic, they don’t seem to exist.

The reason I went with R4 tires is because of durability. My boss bought brand new Ag tires for his tractor the very first day the brand new Ag tires got a flat that I plugged, do you know what punctured the front Brand new Ag tire? A little stick lol I couldn't believe it. I have 435 hours on my JD 3025E I have the backhoe on with the BXpanded Root Ripper and a brushcrusher grapple I have been doing nothing but clearing trees, bushes, and stumps. Right now I am driving over a lot of stumps some of which are only a inch or smaller in diameter while carrying full trees, a backhoe and my fatass, Not 1 puncture has happened YET I say yet because it's only a matter of time but if I had any other tires I'm sure I'd be out of plugs by Now? Whenever you buy a tractor you should know what you are going to be using it for I knew I was going to be clearing a shit ton of trees, bushes, and stumps so I wanted tough tires although I also use my tractor for gardening 4x4 comes in handy

Those are what I ordered on my 2023 1025R But it's taking four months for it to come in.

I’ve got r4. It wasn’t really a choice with mY tractor or I would’ve probably went r14. But the r4 are fine I haven’t got stuck yet and I do like them for loader work which is primary function for my tractor and farm scenario. Big picture is there are lots of tractor tire choices and to choose what works best for your application.

One of many tractor tasks, we skid logs out of woods and across fields. I will be doing that task tomorrow. There is no trail width to use a grapple in a woods. You must pull the logs out. My John Deere 1025R purchased brand new in 2020, I’m at 290 hours, zero flat tires. Family member with turf tires has more plugs in his tires then Bonnie and Clyde. He keeps a plug kit and 12 volt compressor in his tractor tool box. He told me one of his front tires is up to nine plugs. So, add avoiding flat tires to the reasons to get industrial tires. If you primarily purchased your compact utility tractor to be a lawnmower, you should have purchase a zero turn. Brush hogging, or sicklebar ditch mowing, then fine, but then you’re back in rough terrain were you need a more durable tire. My opinion. If you disagree, no worries.

Hmm, was considering versa terfs for my 1025r, but now I'm worried about them handling the loaded bucket. Weak sidewalls?

my r4 are loaded and I groved them night and day difference with groves works well on everything but deep mud

I totally agree with you the industrial tires are really not made for other work than on a hard surface and the turf tires are made for what they're intended to be used on if you only work in the field or forest I would go for the regular ag tires but this new ones are a perfect blend I live in Norway and even regular sized tractors are coming with a similar tires her offering better on road and off road use

You obviously haven't tested both tires. The R4 is superior. The R14 is a marketing gimmick.

They are absolutely the worst tire. Completely useless

Used R4's for a year while i was waiting on R14's to come in.. And it really made me happy i went with the R14!!

Love ‘em or hate ‘em? R4’s are the most popular tire, but maybe not the best…

After scrolling through your videos I realized why you make the recommendation that you do. You feature mostly JD series 1 and 2 along with Kubota B and BX series. These are commonly known as subcompact tractors. When tractors get to JD series 3 through 5 or Kubota L through M and the front end loaders can actually lift a real load those extra ply ratings become very important for that load carrying that you dismiss out of hand. If you had much experience with compact through utility tractors you would be aware of a fifth tread design called R2 it is similar to R1 but deeper lugs for soupier slimmer mud like in a rice field. Which with 5 tread designs put the versaturf directly in the middle of all around performance a true "happy medium " which is fine for subcompact. But among 3 series and up, you can customize towards a particular purpose, and for my purposes an R4 industrial is the best compromise. I would even go so far as to say, as long as you limit yourself to selling subcompacts your recommendation is legitimate. But if you're thinking that applies to series 3 to 5 you will be doing your customers a disservice. Messick's, Good Works Tractors, and Tractor Time With Tim all have good videos explaining the tread design differences. There is also one by, (forgive me if I get the channel name wrong as I can't remember it as well as the others) NH Trailers and Tractor, in which he mentions the tread design in passing, but brings in ply ratings and soft vs Hard rubber compound. I'll just finish by relating tractor tires to road legal vehicle tires. You would be ill advised to put LT tires on a Camaro or a minivan, in the same fashion you would be equally ill advised to put a P metric passenger tire or a Z rated racing tire on a dually pickup. Buy the tire that best suits your purpose.

They look like skid steer tires. Best used after being foam filled.

But for the average compact tractor buyer who’s using it for home projects they’re the best tires. I’m a fan of the R14s and think they’ll become standard like the R4 has but most guys are on paths grading their drive ways and moving a pile of dirt around in dry days.

I currently have "the worst tires" I still will never get my machine stuck unless it is buried up to the frame. the other thing is you will most always have plenty of traction, at least as much traction as the HP can handle. The crap tires have also with the 4x4 have given me plenty of traction w/ a 33hp tractor to move large round bales and full hay wagons done steep hill in a pinch. these best worst tire videos are mostly a waste of time the difference is minor. the tractor size and HP make the biggest difference.

100% agreed ! I used to have the r4 then went to the turf tires and now finally have the best over all tire in my opinion ( versa turf ) on my 1025r and can't believe the difference in traction in all applications ! Yes the side walls aren't as sturdy as the r4 but wow for better traction overall ! Will never go back to the other 2 styles I had before .

R14s are great but they are not available in many models. I couldn't get them on our Grand L. The ag tires tear up the grass too much so we could only upgrade to the R4, because turf tires won't work for our multi purpose applications.

Orange tractor bad tires....... Humm

I prefer hdaps

Your wrong