Armstrong Tires

[coveredbridge]

The Firestone R-1 Field and Road rear tires on my 820 are failing. I noticed the sidewall on 1 has begun to split. I assume these are the original tires and are about 45 yrs old. The tires are tubed and loaded with calcium, and I want to transfer the calcium to the new tires, so I will be buying tires and tubes. Prices I've got are about $400 ea for off brand (BKT) and $800 each for Firestone just for the tires. This tractor doesn't get used a lot. I mainly use it as a field mower and occasionally for ground engagement (rear blade) and pulling/dragging, etc. Also plow occasionally with 2-bottom plow. That's why I want to keep the calcium. Probably around 50- 60 hrs per year total. So, I found a tire dealer that has a set of used Armstrong tires that he says are in very good condition that he'll sell for $200 ea. I'm going to go look at them soon, but I am looking for input on Armstrong tires. Are they acceptable for the uses I have described or should I avoid them? Also, anything in particular I should look for when I inspect these used tires?

 

[bigtiller]

Don't be afraid of them, Armstrong made some darn good tires. They were just as good as Goodyear and Firestone were.

 

[MHarryE]

Armstrong Tires were sold to Pirelli in 1988. Pirelli sold their main ag tire production plant to Titan mid-1990's and the Armstrong Tire name disappeared. So if original Armstrongs, they are at least 20 years old. However, a trading company purchased the rights to the Armstrong name in 2012 with the intent to produce ag and truck tires with the Armstrong name and old logos. At that time they had not yet said where they were going to procure their tires. It's not uncommon for suppliers like this to shift tire molds from plant to plant depending on quality, cost, delivery, etc. I haven't really hears anything about these "new" Armstrongs but the old Armstrongs are new Titans.

 

[coveredbridge]

I just got back from inspecting the tires. They are Armstrong All Traction R-1, made in USA. I can't imagine that these tires are 20 yrs old. The sidewalls show no sign of weathering or damage. Very little tread wear. You can still read the 14.9 sizing molded into the lug. Casings look clean. No cracks or cuts in the beads. There were a couple small woody stems embedded in the tread. I dug them out, didn't seem to be too deep or a problem. The tread is probably more aggressive than I would prefer, but for minimum $300 savings vs new tires, I think I can live with them.

 

[Wolfy]

Back in the construction days, we had a John Deere 410B backhoe with Armstrong rear tires. They were rugged tires. I think 12 or 14 ply. You could run over almost anything with them and not be punctured. But I also purchased BKTs for my loader tractor fronts, and so far I have been thrilled with them. My back tires are 1985 Firestones. Still holding air with plenty of tread and plenty of weather cracks.

 

[coveredbridge]

These tires don't have any Titan labeling on them. They only say Armstrong. So would that mean they were made in 2012 or after? If they are 20 years old but show no signs of rot or weathering, should I be concerned about the age of the tires?

 

[bigtiller]

Armstrong Tires was bought out by Pirelli in 1988. Pirelli was then bought out by Titan Tire in 1994. So that makes the tires you are looking at a minimum of 27 years old. If it was me, I'd keep looking. $400 for the pair seams high

 

[jenkinsph]

Years ago I had Armstrong tires on several tractors and were good tires. Armstrong had a large tire plant in Natchez MS. about 60 miles from our farm. If these tires are twenty years old I would pass and continue looking. I would be curious if they have a date code as that might solve the age problem.

 

[coveredbridge]

Years ago I had Armstrong tires on several tractors and were good tires. Armstrong had a large tire plant in Natchez MS. about 60 miles from our farm. If these tires are twenty years old I would pass and continue looking. I would be curious if they have a date code as that might solve the age problem.

I asked the dealer Friday about the age of the tires. He said he would try to find a date code and let me know but I haven't heard back from him yet. I don't think I want to take a chance on 20-yr old tires no matter how good they look.

 

[Xfaxman]

I asked the dealer Friday about the age of the tires. He said he would try to find a date code and let me know but I haven't heard back from him yet. I don't think I want to take a chance on 20-yr old tires no matter how good they look.

I think the rubber in a 20 year old tire might be better than the new ones made today.

These pictures were taken in December 2004. The R1 tires were over 20 years old then.

Still using two of the 30 year old tires now. :thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

Armstrong made a great tire years ago but those days are over and those tires are gone. Today I'll only buy Firestone unless size prevents otherwise. if you're talking radials there are more and better options but I still prefer Firestone. I think Titan makes different grades of tires and things may have changed but as of a few years back I did not have good luck with OEM Titans. I had better luck when I kept them overinflated and steered clear of marginal situations.

 

[jenkinsph]

That 820 is getting old and spending $800 per tire isn't cost effective unless you keep it another 20 years or more and actually use them. Also the tires mentioned Armstrong 14.9" are over size for this tractor as it came with 12.4 28 tires. I had an 820 and if it were my money I would look for 12.4 28 or 13.6 28 tires new or used depending o the tractor overall condition. New oversized premium tires would be hard to recoop on an older tractor if you sold it in the near future.

Which brings us back to the Armstrong 14.9 28 tires, the price is a lot lower than new ones and if you have this size now and it fits well enough this might be the cheapest solution for you. I would add that the weight and traction load would be minimal for these tires on your tractor (31 pto hp) and may last you for several years. That is a judgment call you would need to make based on the condition of the tires that you have seen. $400 sounds a lot better to me than $1600 and you would not get that $1200 extra back if you sell the tractor.

 

[coveredbridge]

That 820 is getting old and spending $800 per tire isn't cost effective unless you keep it another 20 years or more and actually use them. Also the tires mentioned Armstrong 14.9" are over size for this tractor as it came with 12.4 28 tires. I had an 820 and if it were my money I would look for 12.4 28 or 13.6 28 tires new or used depending o the tractor overall condition. New oversized premium tires would be hard to recoop on an older tractor if you sold it in the near future.

Which brings us back to the Armstrong 14.9 28 tires, the price is a lot lower than new ones and if you have this size now and it fits well enough this might be the cheapest solution for you. I would add that the weight and traction load would be minimal for these tires on your tractor (31 pto hp) and may last you for several years. That is a judgment call you would need to make based on the condition of the tires that you have seen. $400 sounds a lot better to me than $1600 and you would not get that $1200 extra back if you sell the tractor.

You are right about the tire sizes. I couldn't find a listing for a 14.9 tire in the operator's manual. I assumed the Firestone 14.9-28's currently on the tractor were original since they looked old when I bought the tractor 25 years ago. Also, for all the use it gets, $800 per tire is not an option if any less expensive option is available.


I think a new Indian tire (Alliance or BKT) at $300 - $400 each would be a better option than 20 year old tires at $200 each, even if they look really good. I just don't know how you would know how a 20 year old tire would hold up after it was mounted and inflated. I think a standard size tire may be a better option. Any thoughts on how the tire width would affect performance? Also, how can I tell if the rims are original equipment or at least the correct size for the smaller tire? Would 12.4, 13.6 and 14.9 tires all fit on the same rim?

 

[sixdogs]

If tires/tractor are kept out of the sun in a barn, I've seen 35 year old tires with no cracks or checking and perfectly serviceable. The rubber may get harder but out of the sun keeps them in good shape.

In fact, I have an implement I pull over the highway and I recently found some rib implement NOS Firestones that were maybe 25 years old. The rubber is a little hard but I'll get great mileage out of them.