R4 tire upgrade recommendations

Terrymcc

New member

Equipment
B7500HSD-R, RCK60-24B, LA272
Nov 10, 2020
2
0
1
New Mexico
I have a 2003 B7500HSD-R and would like to put better tires to be se for driveway snow plowing. Current tires are:
Rear- 31x15.5-15 Goodyear Terra-Trac
Front- 21x8.00-10 Firestone turf tires
I have not been able find much searching online.
The snow application is new for the tractor. For the rear, is the existing tire ok, need upgrading to ???, or should I get chains.
The front tires need changing anyway and I don’t think turf tires will be any good. What tire should I use for that or should I buy chains?
Any help would be appreciated.
 

85Hokie

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BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Jul 13, 2013
10,271
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113
Bedford - VA
Some swear by the turfs on snow ......

Personally, I would get a good set of chains - you can take them off in the summer and not break the bank on new tires. Replace the front tires as needed.

Do you have room for chains? Against the fender? You can slide those rear wheels out too if need be to gain more room.
 
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Raymo853

Member

Equipment
LX2610SU
Jun 26, 2019
71
22
8
Dorset, VA
85Hokie is right, chains for snow are the best.

While I have no experience, others report R4s are bad on snow. Consider R1, bar turfs or the new r14
 

Terrymcc

New member

Equipment
B7500HSD-R, RCK60-24B, LA272
Nov 10, 2020
2
0
1
New Mexico
Some swear by the turfs on snow ......

Personally, I would get a good set of chains - you can take them off in the summer and not break the bank on new tires. Replace the front tires as needed.

Do you have room for chains? Against the fender? You can slide those rear wheels out too if need be to gain more room.

Thanks for the reply. The back has been slid out and looks like plenty of room. The front is pretty tight. I’ll have to see how much room is required.
 

85Hokie

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Equipment
BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Jul 13, 2013
10,271
2,104
113
Bedford - VA
Thanks for the reply. The back has been slid out and looks like plenty of room. The front is pretty tight. I’ll have to see how much room is required.
I have known people that placed chains on the front too - if you were on snow/ice all day I would not see the problem. I would stay out of 4wd once you got back onto solid ground however.
 

armylifer

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BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
Mar 26, 2013
1,955
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113
Thurston County, WA
Is that a 4WD or 2WD? I don't know what the -R means on your model. If it is 4WD you must make sure that the tire sizes are not mismatched from what the stock tires are. The tires that you mention that are on it are not stock according to the specs that I see on tractor data. That lead me to asking if it is 4WD or 2WD.
As others have said, chains work wonders in snow. You can get cable chains, instead of link chains for the tire sizes you mentioned, if those suit your needs. The cable chains are easier to take on or off and are cheaper than link chains too.

 

Henro

Well-known member

Equipment
B2910, BX2200, KX41-2V mini Ex.
May 24, 2019
5,116
2,341
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North of Pittsburgh PA
I have a 2003 B7500HSD-R and would like to put better tires to be se for driveway snow plowing. Current tires are:
Rear- 31x15.5-15 Goodyear Terra-Trac
Front- 21x8.00-10 Firestone turf tires
I have not been able find much searching online.
The snow application is new for the tractor. For the rear, is the existing tire ok, need upgrading to ???, or should I get chains.
The front tires need changing anyway and I don’t think turf tires will be any good. What tire should I use for that or should I buy chains?
Any help would be appreciated.
Not sure of the rear tire tread pattern you have, but it seems to be something like an aggressive turf style.

Are the tires in good shape? If so chains will probably be the most cost effective option.

I got my chains from this place years ago. Here is a link. You can check them out if you like.


Sounds like simple ladder type chains, which I think are the least expensive, might suit your needs. I read in the past that chains on turf tires are pretty good on snow, and that sounds about like what you have.

I bough ladder chains for my R4 tires, and was not really impressed with them, as most of the cross links fall between the lugs. But they definitely are better than R4 tires with no chains.
 

Henro

Well-known member

Equipment
B2910, BX2200, KX41-2V mini Ex.
May 24, 2019
5,116
2,341
113
North of Pittsburgh PA
Not sure of the rear tire tread pattern you have, but it seems to be something like an aggressive turf style.

Are the tires in good shape? If so chains will probably be the most cost effective option.

I got my chains from this place years ago. Here is a link. You can check them out if you like.


Sounds like simple ladder type chains, which I think are the least expensive, might suit your needs. I read in the past that chains on turf tires are pretty good on snow, and that sounds about like what you have.

I bough ladder chains for my R4 tires, and was not really impressed with them, as most of the cross links fall between the lugs. But they definitely are better than R4 tires with no chains.
PS...That sounds like a really wide rear tire on a B7500. Would love to see a picture.
 
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drewzee87t

Active member

Equipment
L45 TLB, B2910 Turbo
May 20, 2016
176
93
28
misery
This my old b7500 w/ the goodyear tires. They are for a sand rail but Kubota used them for these. Great turf tire with lots of traction. Not as sturdy as R4 mine had a couple plugs in them, but they worked longer than the engine did.
 

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