Tires Can you mix tires?

[yooperdave]

Can you put ag tires on the back and industrial tires on the front of a compact 4wd tractor? I like the traction of ag, but am concerned that ag tires on the front will rip up any turf if turning in a hurry.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks

Yooper Dave

 

[MikeBurr]

Yes you can, but with a BIG BUT--
I am currently running r4 on front and turf on my rears with no problems. But I did make sure that the spec's for the front turf and r4 tires were very close in size. A non- 4wd would cause no problems, but with a 4wd you have to be careful. I am sure others will tell you more...

 

[Joe1]

I'd agree with Mike. If the back tires are stock, the circumfrance of the replacement front tire should be the same as the original front tires. In theory, if you change from a 40 inch circumfrence front tire to one 44 inches, when operating in 4 wheel drive, the fronts would "drag" 4 inches for every 40 inches you moved forward or back. This would put a lot of strain on the drive line on hard pavement even when going in a straight line.

If they are the same outside diameter then the circumfrences is the same I would think it should not be a problem

Joe

 

[Lazy]

Hi
I don't understand how the front tires would drag 4 '' just because they are bigger, what would happen if the front tires were smaller, jump 4"?

Charlie.

 

[gone]

Joe 1 is right, only if front tire was 4" bigger it would want to pull the front tires, more leead, the front tires would spin way faster than the rear. excess wear on tire and driveline would ocuor, possable driveline breakage,not good

 

[BillyP]

On a MFWD and with MFWD engaged, the front tires and the back tires are tide together. If you change the rolling circumfrence of one, you need to change the other in the same ratio. If you don't, you will get lag or lead. This is why tire pressure, with a MFWD, is so important.

 

[rambler]

The tire size is very critical on 4wd tractors, especially the big 150-250 hp ones. You can't even run with worn tires on one axle & new tires on the other - too much difference! The front axle needs to pull about 3% more than the rear axle for proper operation. Any more than that & the front axle will get too much pull - and the front hubs start with $5,000 parts each & go up from there. You do not ever, ever want the rear axle pushing more than the front pulls. That binds up the drivetrain & you have a big big repair bill.

I do not know how this directly relates to a CUT but there is _certainly_ the same issue. Perhaps a CUT, being lighter, is more forgiving. But I would not want to risk my investment. Be sure you get matching tires front to rear, in size.

--->Paul

 

[RobertN]

Yes, you can. You need to study the tire books and web pages though.

I have R4 on the back, and R3/turf on the frnt of my Kubota. I wanted to swap to R4, and just happened to have an unrepairable flat on a rear turf tire. I could not afford a full set of tire, especially since the fronts were pretty new to begin with.

I put my nose in the books, and verified the rolling diameter of the stock turf tires, front and rear. Then I checked the same data on Ag tires specced for my tractor. Then... I compared those figures with what was available in R4's. I found that I could run R4's specced to the same size as optional ag tires, and maintain the proper ratio.

You have to get it right though. Others have mentioned lead/lag. If the front tires are the wrong size, you can have excessive tire wear, or worse, damage to your front differential and driveline.

 

[John_Mc]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You have to get it right though. Others have mentioned lead/lag. If the front tires are the wrong size, you can have excessive tire wear, or worse, damage to your front differential and driveline. )</font>

Two things to remember when trying to "get it right":
(1) As someone mentioned, you want about a 3% lead with the front tires (that is, front tires should be about 3% bigger circumference than what the gear ratios "say" they should be).
(2) Don't assume that the manufacturer "got it right" with the stock tires. Some set-ups really push the limits of what is acceptable (probably because nothing is readily available that matches the tractor in that tread style?). You should go back to the gear ratios between front and rear, and work from there.

John Mc

 

[KiotiJohn]

Check out this website about lead/lag to learn a little more and how to check yours:
Lead Lag Article