No Traction Kioti Tractor, Is it Air Pressure or Tire Type?

Got an e-mail from Gary who is having difficulty with traction on his tractor. He has a Kioti DK4510 with ballasted tires, but he can't get good traction in other than perfect conditions, even with 4wd engaged. He wonders if lowering the air pressure could help or if it's an issue with R-4 tires in general.

It's unlikely that it's a problem with the tractor's tires. I've run R-4 tires on multiple tractors and have never had an issue with traction. In this area, though, we have rocks and a solid base, right underneath the soil, though, and, even in the worst conditions, you're never far from sinking down to where the tractor can get a good "bite"..

I had always thought that agricultural tires, also called R-1's, gave better traction than R-4 industrial tires. That is, until I observed a product introduction where two tractors, the same size, were trying to do loader work after an overnight 1" rain. The R-1 tractor dug deep ruts, creating a really rough ride and nearly sinking to the axles, the R-4 equipped tractor stayed on top of the ground. It was an eye-opening experience.

Now, if you're pulling a ground-engaging implement, like a plow or disc, in loose soil, R-1's would be the obvious choice. But, if you're doing loader work, and driving back and forth over the same ground, R-4's are the way to go.

Air pressure could be Gary's issue. I've personally witnessed tractors shipped from the factory with the back tires overinflated. I like to keep my rear R-4 tires at 12-15 PSI, which gives good wear and traction, plus a smooth ride. Front tires need to be inflated to the maximum recommended for loader work, because they're carrying a heavy load, but for field work like brush hogging, the air can be let out for improved traction and ride quality.

So, I'm not sure what's causing Gary's issue. It could be that he's in an area with really mucky conditions with a gumbo-like soil or near quicksand. I've had no experience with those types of soils, or what can work in those conditions. If you are, and have ideas, please put it in the comments.

For most small tractor applications, R-4 tires are the way to go for a combination of ride quality, low soil disturbance, and performance. It's unlikely that the type of tire that's on the tractor is the issue with the DK4510.

00:00 Introduction
01:14 Tire Sizes Explained
02:30 Personal Experience R-1 and R-4 Tires
06:26 Tractor Tire Inflation Explained
10:31 Could Soil-Type Be the Issue?

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[tfisadog]

I have a New Holland 33D and 45D 2002 When New Holland had a real tractor I also have a Kioti NX4510 And RX 7320 I have Never put ballast in either New Holland Both Kioti's Have Beet Juice. There is something about the center of balance on the Kioti that they are both light in the loafers. I think it is just the Kioti. As far as traction tires. The bigger difference in R=1 and R=4 is the R-1 is Self cleaning. You get mud in the tire and it will throw itself out. The R-4 will hold the mud. It won't sink in as fast but it won't get out of a hole as easy. Just my 2 cents. Good video as always Mike.

[Dave-llei]

I had a Branson with R4 tires on it. They worked great in the summer in dry hayfields but were useless in mud or snow. I ended up trading it in on a McCormick that had Michelin radial ag tires on it.
Thanks for sharing your information about tire pressures.

[bobgrier]

I agree with your assessment. I own a Kioti DK40SE, one size smaller, with R4 tires, and a Kioti CK3510HST, also with R4 tires. I have never had traction issues with either. Like you, I suspect tire pressure to be the issue.

[billspud]

The real question is what he is doing when he is losing traction

[TomKDQKK]

We live in the NE Ozarks with that same rocky soil. Ag tires just bounce and spin while R4's work really well. I hear a lot of people put R4's down but that is the best choice around here.

[rodgerneeb]

You did mention that it had loaded rears, however I didn't hear anything about 3 point or rim ballast, I have noticed that. My tractor is a totally different animal when using my loader while I have my rotary cutter as a counter balance, it can do things with more ballast that it couldn't even dream of running bob tail. It also makes it more stable with a lower center of gravity. You know these things Mike, he just caught you when you were a touch sleep deprived or something, this is tractor 101.

[tedperzanowski]

Simple common sense advice! Thank you 👍

[mikescanlon]

While working for a Deere dealership doing setup on different equipment, I often saw equipment tires coming in over inflated. I was always told they do that to set the bead properly.

[rockydevon]

Mike, I was watching your video on tires today. I agree with what you have said about air pressure. The first half of my life I farmed full time and had a fleet of 6 Massey Ferguson 265 set up as the orchard narrow. They ran Firestone 13.5x16.1 and I had their long bar short bar design. I worked on sand and hills a lot with these so I ran very low air pressure of 9psi with ballast. They were my primarry orchard tractors and did all the spraying mowing, harvest work etc that was in the orchard. I also ran 9.00x10 multirib on the front. that were run at low pressure as well. I always wore the tires out before I ever failed a sidewall or anything else. The traction was great and the ride was so much better. I bought a MF 1835M Hydro 3 years ago and it came with the R4 tires. We were unloading a semiload of big square bales that weighed 1200# average. My son was on our MF 5712S and I was on the 1835. it was raining like crazy and had been for days. It was supper muddy and I was concerned about how mine would do in that. He obviosly had no issue with that in the 5712 but I was amazed that as greasy as it was, that the R4 tires cleaned well, so I was able to spin through the really bad stuff. They would drift a little on the turn but cleared so well that they could power through the goo. The rears have Rimgaurd in them and the fronts are air at full pressure for loader work.

[mty]

I've been running tractors for 40 years, and I don't think I ever have put a gauge on a rear tractor tire. The main reason is that unless you have a special gauge made for tractor tires, if they have ballast in them the ballast will mess up a regular tire gauge. I've always just aired them up until they looked about right and carried on.
As far as R-4 vs R-1, in almost all conditions the R-1 will outperform the R-4, traction wise. The R-4 is a compromise from the traction of the R-1 that doesn't tear up the ground as much and to allow for better wear on hard surfaces. The whole reason the R-4 was developed was for construction equipment that saw both off-road and on-road use, because R-1 wear fairly quick on the road. In modern times homeowners and small farmers have found the advantage of R-4 for not tearing up the ground as much as a R-1, but offering better traction than a turf type tire.

[donbrutcher]

I grooved the R4 tires on my Kubota L6060. I live in upstate NY (snow country). Really helped, especially on ice.

[mharrye]

I worked for Allis-Chalmers Gleaner Engineering. We specified in our Operator's Manual that tires are overinflated for shipping. Request both by truckers and especially railroads (remember them - in the old days we shipped the majority of our combines by rail) to reduce tire deflection while being hauled. We had the proper inflation pressure both in the OMM and at times, we placed a decal on the tires to set tire pressure after unloading along with our confirming wheel nut torque after 50 hours. Not sure how many checked to wheel torque with a torque wrench because I think it was like 600 lb-ft.

[charleshall]

I adjust tractor tire pressure the same way as aircraft tires. No pressure gauge.
With very low pressure in tire then inflate until the outside of the lug is just touching the ground on a flat hard surface, with the current weight of the tractor as it will be used. That way it will wear evenly. Adjust as needed with different weights.

[MusicandMachines]

On my place in East Texas, I have thick red clay. When it’s wet, it doesn’t matter what kind of tire you have. The longer you try to get out, the deeper you’re going to sink. The tire speed on a tractor isn’t fast enough to clean out the tread. It just cakes on until the tire looks like a racing slick.

[dj-nrnm]

I have an nx4510 shuttle shift with non ballasted ag tires. I'm happy with the traction. I can't speak to the r4's but I've heard rumours that they clog up and lose traction whereas the ag tires don't do that as much. It could be a clogging issue which is similar to what another commentator wrote. As an aside, I run a small Kubota with ag tires and it sunk deep into a mud hole right up to the axles. I disconnected the trailer and the little tractor climbed right out. I like the ag tires personally.

[douthitfarmsalabama]

Just my experience here, but my pastures are mostly rolling hills and for field work R4's have proven difficult. For me, R4's around the house and barns are great for doing loader work and chores, my MX5200 and Kioti CK4010 with R4's even in 4wd lost traction out in the field. I have the same tractor as Gary, a DK4510 with R1's, and it never misses a beat. The tires on the MX5200 and DK4510 are loaded. My land is pretty hilly but it's also not hard and rocky, those grassy hills and softer soil make hard work for the R4 tires.

[sbladd]

We live in central New Hampshire and run R1"s with forestry chains all year long. The chains prevent the tires from sinking through the turf in the summer and of course provide the best traction on snow and ice in winter.

[gregkliethermes]

Hi tractor Mike, I enjoyed this video very much . I bought a John Deere 4044m about 2 1/2 years ago. I chose the r4 tires because the tires are wider and have more flotation and also because of much wider rear r4 tires also allowed for a greater amount of fluid for ballast weight . I had some friends tell me I should have got ag lug tires but I havenot had any traction problems. If I ever get enough snow here where I live I will have that experience to see how they work in deeper snow. I live here in Missouri about 20 minutes east of Jefferson City on hwy 50. Thanks again for the videos .

[jerrygilliam]

I bought an LS XR4145HC in Dec 2018. It came with R-4s. I don't recall the source but it depended on the surface type as to which one had better traction. R-1s were better in soft conditions with the drawback you mentioned. Their aggresive traction and narrow profile cause more damage to the path of travel. R-4s had better traction on harder surfaces because of more surface contact. R-4s also had higher load capacity.

As for pressure, R-4s are at the correct pressure when the lugs are evenly contacting the ground across the entire width of the tire.

I have every type of surface condition you can imagine(except dessert sand). The only time I've had much troubal with slippage is when using my scraper blade to push wet, heavy snow to the right on a right hand turn. It tends to push the tractor rear end to the left.

By in large, I prefer the R-4s, although I am curious about the newer R-14s.

[martinparlier]

Mike I live in North Carolina and snow 1 day and rain the next is normal. I've seen 8 inches of snow fall on Wednesday and it be 85 degrees by Saturday.