Changing tire size on a four wheel drive tractor

[Bigfoot62]

I'm agreeing with the "herd."

Air 'em up. That size tire should handle it. IIRC, max air pressure should be around 30-35 PSI.
BTW, that's the same tire on the front of my TN70A and 5083e. They will both handle 6x5 bales just fine.

 

[Texasmark]

I was thinking yesterday after answering this post. I have a set of bias ply 700-15 8 plys with a pressure rating of 60 psi as I recall and also as I recall it's rated at 2400# highway usage, 4800 for the pair. They're on 3500# axles on a tandem trailer. Bet your 8 ply at 60 beats it in max rated load.

 

[MHarryE]

Your 11.2 x 24 8 ply tires have a 2540# load rating at 36 psi. As to how that relates to your bales - depends on the weight per tire without the bale and the distance in front of the tires to the center of the bale. Unless you have rear counterweight, the bale is going to transfer weight from the rears to the fronts. It is very likely your tires are overloaded when moving a bale but you are probably driving around low speed. The ratings are for speeds up to 25 mph.

 

[LD1]

Would be nice to see the OP respond here. Have no idea how heavy his bales are, or how much PSI in the tires, or if he has counterweight.

Counter weight helps but lifting a bale STILL takes weight off the back and transfers to the front.

My 18,000# backhoe is sitting on 8 ply rear tires. I have well exceeded the weight limit of my 4-ply 7x16 tires on the front of my kubota. Probably had every bit of 5k over the front axle many times when working the loader hard, and dont notice the tires bulge at all.

1500# bale on the front of a 105hp tractor is a relatively light load for that machine. Should be nothing that properly inflated 8-plys cant handle

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I keep 30 # in my front tires that size, and I have loaded/hauled hundreds of 4x5's...

But I pick and load boulders and logs that are MUCH heavier all the time!

SR

 

[MHarryE]

Think of how easy it is to overload the front tires on a tractor with loader. As an example, my L5740 came with 10 X 16.5 skid steer fronts to match the 17.5L X 24 rears. Load capacity of the fronts (4 ply) is 2760 per tire or 5520 total. The tractor weighs just a little over 8,000 pounds with loader and pallet forks. I can lift a 1 ton pallet off the ground but at that point the rears are barely on the ground - if I get off the tractor the rears go up in the air. When you do the math - it's simple - 8,000 pounds of tractor plus 2,000 pounds of loaded pallet is all on the 2 fronts - 10,000 pounds or nearly double the rated load capacity. I now have 10 ply tires good for 5,600 pounds per tire. Now I don't run around with a 1 ton pallet all the time but I do move a lot of gravel, etc., and it's very easy to overload the fronts on it, a typical CUT. Even worse are our 2 larger Ag tractors with loaders that we use for moving bales. Fronts do not last long with all the bale moving we do even with radials kept to max rated inflation pressure. For tire life we always spear on on the rear before picking one up on the front just to ease tire load. The loaders on the larger tractors stick out so much further in front than the loaders on the smaller CUT that the moment created by the bale load creates an extreme weight shift to the fronts.

 

[TSO]

Think of how easy it is to overload the front tires on a tractor with loader. As an example, my L5740 came with 10 X 16.5 skid steer fronts to match the 17.5L X 24 rears. Load capacity of the fronts (4 ply) is 2760 per tire or 5520 total. The tractor weighs just a little over 8,000 pounds with loader and pallet forks. I can lift a 1 ton pallet off the ground but at that point the rears are barely on the ground - if I get off the tractor the rears go up in the air. When you do the math - it's simple - 8,000 pounds of tractor plus 2,000 pounds of loaded pallet is all on the 2 fronts - 10,000 pounds or nearly double the rated load capacity. I now have 10 ply tires good for 5,600 pounds per tire. Now I don't run around with a 1 ton pallet all the time but I do move a lot of gravel, etc., and it's very easy to overload the fronts on it, a typical CUT. Even worse are our 2 larger Ag tractors with loaders that we use for moving bales. Fronts do not last long with all the bale moving we do even with radials kept to max rated inflation pressure. For tire life we always spear on on the rear before picking one up on the front just to ease tire load. The loaders on the larger tractors stick out so much further in front than the loaders on the smaller CUT that the moment created by the bale load creates an extreme weight shift to the fronts.

How does your tractor weigh 8000 lbs?

 

[ovrszd]

The front tires on my Mcormick tractor don't seem to be heavy enough to handle a 1400lb round bale.I would like to put some heavier duty tires on but it is a 4 wheel drive. It has 11.2-24 8 ply Good year tires

I've worried about that on my Kubota M9540 with FEL and Grapple. I load the crap out of the front tires regularly.

I did some research on Micheln's website and discovered a comparison chart that indicated I could go from my Titan 12.4x24 Radials to Micheln MultiBib 420/65R24s and keep my same 4wd ratio. I'd gain 3" of tire width and several hundred pounds of weight carrying ability.

Not pimping Micheln at all. But you might do some research on their website and educate yourself about a similar conversion. In U.S. verbage they are considered R1W (wide) tires. You see them occasionally on AG tractors. Lot wider stance and better capacity. I would think all major brands offer something similar including Goodyear.

Good luck with your search and let us know what you find!!!

 

[LD1]

Agree that 8k seems a bit much for a 5740.

Tractor and cab are 4200
Add about 1800 for loader
1200# tire liquid.

Total 7200. Add 2k pallet and 9200# total if the rears do lift.

Still over, but perfectly illustrates the need for counterweight on The 3ph.

If tires weren't loaded, tractor would only weigh 6k, and you would likely only be able to lift 1k in the bucket.

Sure, only lifting 1k sucks compared to 2k, but 7k on the front axle/tires is better than 9200. Shows how adding ballast in the tires loads the front axle MORE than without, and thus the need for something heavy on the 3ph

 

[TSO]

Agree that 8k seems a bit much for a 5740.

Tractor and cab are 4200
Add about 1800 for loader
1200# tire liquid.

Total 7200. Add 2k pallet and 9200# total if the rears do lift.

Still over, but perfectly illustrates the need for counterweight on The 3ph.

If tires weren't loaded, tractor would only weigh 6k, and you would likely only be able to lift 1k in the bucket.

Sure, only lifting 1k sucks compared to 2k, but 7k on the front axle/tires is better than 9200. Shows how adding ballast in the tires loads the front axle MORE than without, and thus the need for something heavy on the 3ph

I think even that is overstated, loader is closer to 1200. The tractor with loader and filled tires will be closer to 6500.

The heaviest thing I ever lifted/moved with my Massey was a large boulder... Using the forks to get under it (it was about 4' diameter), I could only lift it a couple inches, just enough to scoot it around. So it probably weighed in at around 2600-3000 lbs. That definitely squished my 10x16.5 fronts a bit. At the end of this year when I replace the fronts (they'll be worn out by then) I'll be looking for a heavier duty 10x16.5 tire.