Tires Front Ag Tires Weight Rating Shock

[HickoryDean]

Have had LB1914 for 4 years. Recently replaced front AG tires. Noticed tires flatten out when FEL filled with dirt. Found this on Titan tires:
"14 pounds max air pressure" "395 pounds max weight".
Did tire dealer sell me wrong tires, or am I reading this correctly? It seems like it should say "1,395 pounds", not 395.
Where shall I search for new 6-12 Ag tire specifications?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Fredex]

According to Titan's web site the info you have on the sidewall of your tire is correct; 395 lbs max load at 14 psi max pressure for 2 ply rated tires. For 6-12's of4 ply rating it is a little better; 600 lbs max load at 28 psi max pressure. Do you still have the old tires - check the sidewall ratings on them if you do. Then try to find something equivalent. I don't think a 2 ply rated tire is viable with a loader. Even the 4 ply seems marginal to me.

 

[HickoryDean]

Fredex, thanks for looking that up. The tire store where I ordered them did not reopen after Katrina flooded it but it has been just over a year anyway so my opportunity to bring it up with the dealer is moot.
This morning I brought the two fronts to a volume dealer. He swears that the industrial tires he has will not only fit my rims but also have the same profile. He has both 8 and 10 ply in stock. He will put 8-plys on. Pressure may be as high as 50 lbs. By my calculations, each front wheel bears 1,200 lbs of weight with dirt in the bucket. Another factor is angle. When my Kioti is on a downward angle, say 15%, while loading up, there must be a whole lot of weight on those front tires.
Anyway, I'll find out Monday when I pick them up. I'm taking the day off as I have every 9/11 since WTC/Pentagon/and the 4th airplane.
HickoryDean

 

[Fredex]

He swears that the industrial tires he has will not only fit my rims but also have the same profile. He has both 8 and 10 ply in stock. He will put 8-plys on. Pressure may be as high as 50 lbs. HickoryDean

Good move! I assume that by "same profile" he is implying "rolling diameter." That is important with 4WD so that the front drivers "lead" the rears by a small percentage - "lagging" fronts is NOT good. Perhaps your owner's manual has a word or two about that.?. TBN has also had lengthy thread discussions about 4WD lead/lag in the past.

 

[Highbeam]

You need to anticipate your front tires taking an awful lot of weight. Have you ever lifted up a load of dirt and or a stump and had your rear end come up? That front axle was feeling way more than the entire weight of the tractor at that moment. It was feeling the normal front end load, the entire rear end load PLUS whatever lift force your loader is putting on the stump that made the rear end pop up.

 

[dfkrug]

Other than changing front tires, the answer to the problem of
overloading the front tires is good counterweights, like a 500+
lb box scraper or a 700+ lb mower on the 3-pt hitch. Counterweighting
is more effective in this case than wheel weights or rear tire fluid.

 

[Fredex]

Other than changing front tires, the answer to the problem of
overloading the front tires is good counterweights, like a 500+
lb box scraper or a 700+ lb mower on the 3-pt hitch. Counterweighting
is more effective in this case than wheel weights or rear tire fluid.

DF: You are correct, of course, that a counterweight on the 3pt will transfer weight from the front axle to the rear. I often do that even with my 50hp tractor. Also correct that wheel weights or rear tire loading will not do that, but does improve stability.
However, neither will correct for an unscrupulous tire dealer selling him grossly under-rated front tires. He estimates 1200 lb per tire with bucket of dirt. Assuming 800 lbs of dirt (400 per tire), that leaves 800 lbs per tire for an empty bucket. That overloads 4 ply tires of the size in question. The dealer sold him 2 ply tires which I suspect would be overloaded by the tractor alone without loader installed. BTW when I looked those tires up on the Titan web site they were listed as GARDEN TRACTOR tires. Definitely not appropriate for the application in question. Still, when he gets his new 8 ply tires he should definitely consider carrying his box blade along when using the loader - just easier on all things front end-wise; tires, bearings, axle, power steering as well as being more stable.

 

[dfkrug]

I, too, was stunned to learn of the low capacity ratings of my
AG front tires on my first Kubota and JD tractors. I often saw
them flatten nearly to the rims when lifting a load. Unfortunately,
I did not find replacement AGs of the proper size with significantly
higher load ratings. It seems there is no way to NOT exceed the
capacity of OEM AG tires on CUTs with loaders unless heavy
implements are on the 3pt.

Now I use very high capacity IND tires on the front of my Kioti,
but I am also enduring very poor traction relative to AGs.

Why aren't 6-12, 7-14, and 7-16 AG tires with at least 6 plys
commonly available?

 

[HickoryDean]

Four years ago a Kioti (now New Holland) dealer talked me out of ordering a 1914 with Industrial tires in favor of taking one "in stock" model with AG tires and KL102 FEL. If there exists a fairly comprehensive list of things for newbies to watch out for, one of the items ought to be this:
"Calculate tractor weight/4, + FEL weight/2, + lifting capacity of FEL/2. Compare total weight with front tire load capacity. If front tires will be overloaded, keep wallet in pocket."
Thanks for all the input. The brushcutter does stay on the back anytime the FEL is attached. The new front Industrial Tires have already been tested with a full bucket of dirt and no flattening occurred.
HickoryDean

 

[Fredex]

If there exists a fairly comprehensive list of things for newbies to watch out for, one of the items ought to be this:
"Calculate tractor weight/4, + FEL weight/2, + lifting capacity of FEL/2. Compare total weight with front tire load capacity. If front tires will be overloaded, keep wallet in pocket."

Well stated!!!