Tire Selection B7300 front tires

[HAR]

While not critical right now, my front tires are weather checked. They are Firestone 21x8.00-10 tires and no longer available from Firestone (discontinued). Looking at any in that size, I do not see anything available. Does anyone know of or if there is a replacement tire? Appreciate any help/ideas.

 

[Thomas]

If you dare try this site.
New Kenda Turf Tire Kubota Mower Garden Front Tractor Tire Replaces 21x8.-1 | eBay

 

[4get gto]

Try "Surplus Center". They "had" 20x8x10 at one time.Although they were Wanda. Cheap. I know it's not the exact size you're looking for but may be fine if you're not 4wd.

 

[HAR]

This is a replacement on a 4WD tractor...often used on wet soft turf...so size may make a difference. Owners manual does not give any 'optional' other tire size.

 

[4get gto]

ATV's commonly use that size (21x8x10) and a 4 ply rating. Might be an option..
And yea I'd want to stay as close to 21" tall too. ..

 

[pmsmechanic]

My 4410 came from the factory with 27 x 8.50 x 15 tires. I wanted wider tires in front so I compared tires. Not all tires labeled the same are the same height. I found several sets of 26 x 12 x 12 tires that are the same height as the factory 27" ones.

You could look and see what options you have. There might be a different sized tire that would suit your needs.

 

[4get gto]

My 4410 came from the factory with 27 x 8.50 x 15 tires. I wanted wider tires in front so I compared tires. Not all tires labeled the same are the same height. I found several sets of 26 x 12 x 12 tires that are the same height as the factory 27" ones.

You could look and see what options you have. There might be a different sized tire that would suit your needs.

I agree about the sizes and heights. But unless you have them in person,side by side it's kinda tough to know for sure. And you really got to have them mounted and aired up to know.
The consumer can only go by what's written on the tire and hope it's accurate or at least close.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I agree about the sizes and heights. But unless you have them in person,side by side it's kinda tough to know for sure. And you really got to have them mounted and aired up to know.
The consumer can only go by what's written on the tire and hope it's accurate or at least close.

Lets just say that I had a really helpful tire shop and they let me try tires on rims till I had what I was looking for. They've done this several times for me as I would end up wrecking tires. The last pair I bought were a 6 ply rating and I haven't had troubles since. It looks like this set will need to be replaced because the tread is disappearing.

 

[rScotty]

This is a replacement on a 4WD tractor...often used on wet soft turf...so size may make a difference. Owners manual does not give any 'optional' other tire size.

I'd say you are doing the right thing in worrying about matching size for 4WD and particularly if you use it in a high traction situation. Might as well take the time to protect the drive train from the "shaft windup" problem.

BTW, you can always tell if you are getting too much driveshaft windup in 4wd because with too much shaft torsion, the 4wd lever will be excessively difficult to shift OUT of 4wd. "Excessively difficult" is hard to measure, though. That's because most manufacturers - especially older ones - do not use a locking mechanism to hold the shifting fork in 4wd. Instead, when you shift into 4wd, they depended on a bit of the elasticity from the drives shaft windup to bind the shifting fork and hold it in the 4wd position.

What I'm trying to say is that even if everything on you tractor is perfectly stock, it will still often take a bit of effort to pop it OUT of 4wd. And that's normal. It's deliberate.

Back to the tires... You can use a variety of sizes and treads. The spec. that you want to match is called "rolling circumference". All tires have this spec. and you usually can find it in the mfg's tech data. Or call them.
BTW, "rolling circumference" is measured, not calculated. It is not really related to diameter. It's a spec. all it's own, and has to do with the elasticity of the tire and how much it deforms from a circlular shape. I'll see if I can find some Firestone specs.

good luck,
rScotty

Weather checked tires will go a long time... and can be tubed, so you probably have time to get the right one.

 

[rScotty]

OK. Here's an old link to a Firestone catalogue shows that as a "turf and field" tire for compact & garden tractors.

http://www.yournexttire.com/content/Tirecatalog2017FirestoneAgb.pdf

It's what we call a "Turf tire" or R3. Flotation type mostly for mowing - although I like that tire on my own little tractor for general use.

Look at the rolling circumference or "RC" below. That's the number you need to match. Finding the perfect front tire can even involve buying new rims, but they are pretty reasonable for small front tire sizes. Rim specs are more or less universal across all makes and models....and the specs are stamped on the rim itself. I've successfully changed from turfs to ag type tires by changing rims and matching the RC.
rScotty

 

[HAR]

rScotty
Many thanks for the reply, info, and link. Even though the OEM has discontinued the tire, I find it hard to believe that no one else makes a like or similar turf tire in that size. I have had a couple suggestions offered elsewhere, but it is for a tire that is definitely only a close size fit, and definitely not intended as a turf tire. That make me quite leery. I will keep looking.

 

[HAR]

For those following this thread and those who might be interested, I found a CONTACT link to KUBOTAUSA and have sent an inquiry to them asking what they would recommend as a replacement tire. I will post their response. Who knows....they might recommend a trailer tire!

 

[rScotty]

For those following this thread and those who might be interested, I found a CONTACT link to KUBOTAUSA and have sent an inquiry to them asking what they would recommend as a replacement tire. I will post their response. Who knows....they might recommend a trailer tire!

Well that's a novel approach. Let us know what you find out from KubotaUSA.

Yes, what you find might not be listed as a tractor tire. When I was doing the swap on a 35hp 4wd tractor the front tire that came with the right combination of turf tread type, rolling circumference, sidewall width, and rim diameter was listed as an Goodyear light aircraft tire. It turned out to fit right and work perfectly. So the spec. sheets can be accurate. Price was about the same as I would have expected for a tractor tire, too.
rScotty

 

[pmsmechanic]

Well that's a novel approach. Let us know what you find out from KubotaUSA.

Yes, what you find might not be listed as a tractor tire. When I was doing the swap on a 35hp 4wd tractor the front tire that came with the right combination of turf tread type, rolling circumference, sidewall width, and rim diameter was listed as an Goodyear light aircraft tire. It turned out to fit right and work perfectly. So the spec. sheets can be accurate. Price was about the same as I would have expected for a tractor tire, too.
rScotty

The aircraft tire would be one tough tire too. What I've thought about but never tried would be to run a router across the ribs to add a groove to mimic a turf tread. Would the router bit be able to cut a groove in the rubber?

 

[sandman2234]

What I've thought about but never tried would be to run a router across the ribs to add a groove to mimic a turf tread. Would the router bit be able to cut a groove in the rubber?

I would try a skil saw or look for a tire regrooving tool. A router might do it, but oh the stink it would produce at those speeds!
David from jax

 

[rScotty]

The aircraft tire would be one tough tire too. What I've thought about but never tried would be to run a router across the ribs to add a groove to mimic a turf tread. Would the router bit be able to cut a groove in the rubber?

Well, actually those Goodyear tires turned out to have a decent tread pattern on them. I'd say they looked more like a miniature fat automotive tire than like a tractor turf tire ...but whatever they were, the tread worked fine.
rScotty

 

[HAR]

I have heard from KubotaUSA twice, but so far they have been less than helpful. I have resubmitted my query and hopefully this time they will come up with an answer. They have acknowledged that the tire is no longer available from the manufacturer and that they have no stock and nor do they intend to stock.

 

[4get gto]

Have you looked into the ones "Thomas" mentioned in post #2.?

 

[HAR]

4get gto:
A lot of people have pointed to some 'other' tires, most now in metric, but I am leery of using something not recommended by Kubota....that Kendra tire205/65-10 is basically a 20 not 21 tire (DML Tire and Wheel Calculator). If this were not a 4WD tractor, I might consider, but until I am sure that it will not damage my tractor, I am going to steer clear. As one user pointed out, a weather checked tire with a tube might last a very long time. As I am not in any hurry, I will continue to investigate.

 

[/pine]

Some points to ponder on 4x4's and tire rolling circumferences...
Extremely worn front tires (from heavy loader work) can reduce the RC and height by over an inch...the same goes for the inflation of the same...in my experience this reduction of over an inch from the original size of the front tires had no effect on the drive train /shaft windup etc...even when the rear tires remained within a fraction of their original height/RC...

I'm not saying not to be concerned about the RC of tires on 4x4 machines...but in my experience it is not nearly as critical as is often cited...