Tires How many miles will a tire last?

[Wildcat Ranch]

I got a pull type bale wagon and was wondering if anybody knows how many miles you could drive on pavement with 16.9x30 radials before needing to replace them?

 

[guyw]

I don't know about radials, but on our family farm, we used to take regular bias ply tubeless tires from cars when they no longer had enough tread to be legal for a car, slapped a tube in them, and ran them for what seemed to be forever on our hay wagons. Of course, they never went much above 20 mph no matter where they went, either on the road or hayfield. I would guess running at highway speeds behind a truck would likely be a different story.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

Sorry, I wasn't as descriptive as I should have. I was asking about the driving tires on a tractor. I will be going from field to barn and to do so, I will have to travel on the road a little. I am also looking at doing it as a service to others and I am trying to figure out how much to charge per mile.

 

[Jimbrown]

My guess is they will dry rot before you wear them out.

 

[ustobefarmer]

A lot depends on the type of pavement. I used to drive 10 miles between farms on a concrete highway and you could see a lot of scuffing on the rear tire lugs. I didn't keep track of the miles, but after a couple of years I think the tires would need to be replaced. I drove between farm for seasonal grain farming.

 

[AlanB]

I do not have a direct answer, but a thought, the Amish / Menonites here do that a lot. We buy our sod from them, and they deliver with a tractor, If I remember next time I will ask.

We discussed it last time as I was noting how worn the tires get running on the pavement, but I do not remember getting a mileage estimate.

And thinking about it, I am not sure he tracks by miles.

Not sure if you have those folks in your area, but it may be worth asking around.

 

[RobJ]

They'll last right up until you need to replace them.

 

[daTeacha]

That question has more variables built into it than most asked here. Between the psi, the compounding, the actual weight on the tires, the nature of the pavement, the make of the tires, how much turning you might do, hills, how heavy the wagon(s) might be, and a dozen other things, it's really hard to tell. I don't know that anyone tracks miles on farm tractors, either.

I do know that in northwestern Ohio there are guys who will drive the tractors 50 miles between fields and not worry about tread wear much.

Years ago, my FIL bought a Super M near Columbus at a sale and drove it home -- open platform mind you -- during a cold late fall rainstorm. The trip was about 70 miles and he didn't worry about the tires. I think they're still on the tractor, too.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I have 14.9x24 on there now and they have maybe 3/4's of a inch left of tread. I was told that it was used as a scraper tractor for a dairy so I could only imagine that with it being 2WD, they were spinning the tires a lot.

I will be using this tractor to do some no-till drilling and tillage work. Would everyone agree that bigger, wider tires = more traction? Wider footprint or larger tread depth? Below are the 2 tires that I got pricing for and would like everyone's opinion. Pricing included filling them with calcium.

CONTINENTAL AC 65 - $2822 (pair)

Larger contact footprint area (65%
cross section) for increased traction
while lowering soil compaction
Optimal tread bar arrangement
and flexible sidewalls
High load-bearing capacity
ideal for field, grassland, and
road use

CONTINENTAL AC 85 - $2314 (pair)

High traction capabilities as a
result of its high tread bar
number and large tread depth
Utilization of low-wear tread
rubber significantly increases
duration of service life
Larger footprint decreases
compaction and crop disturbance

 

[Richard]

I've tried to count how many licks it took to get to the center of the Tootsie-Roll pop but I've never been able to find out.