Tires HN TC33DA Correct Tire Size??

Dirtball · Mar 5, 2006

I 've been watching replies as 600 hrs ago I almost bought 4 AG R1 on rims for similiar problems. 700hrs has taught me more. Seems my turfs are better in my snow conditions than R4. If it's bad ice I put chains on fronts. You can overload the bucket with certain material (stone for ex.) . It is a compact tractor with a narrow wheelbase and high center of gravity- a skid loader with comparable bucket weighs 2-3X more and has lower c.o.g. My TC33 does many tasks and I now appreciate it's limitations more than in the past. I,ve reallly come to love my turfs. I finish mow 10acres with one machine, using MMM(60in) and 2 60in AcreEase Wing Mowers with no tire damage on the lawn. Just cant do it with R1 or R4. The final drive ratio is affected by rear and frt tire pressures . I run rears real soft sometimes for comfort when mowing. presently my fronts are worn down alot , but rears appear new so with 8psi in the rear and 25 front my ratio could be outside the range. I am going to buy new front turfs this year...Titan i guess....Bob

drm · Mar 5, 2006

Bob,

You might want to check into Firestone "Turf & Field - G2" turf front tire (article number 358-851) (web page). They have a 25x8.50-14 NHS tire that is 6 ply rated and has a 72" Rolling Circumference. I discovered this tire in my quest for a stronger front tire but have not been able to locate it locally. I want to see one before I purchase.

I have been trying to get as educated as possible before purchasing since I do not want to get a tire that will cause other problems. What is curious to me is that the OEM Titan (24x8.50-14) has an RC of 72 as does the Firestone. But, the Titan Static Loaded Radius is 10.2” and the Firestone is 10.8”. This may be due to the Firestone having a higher allowable pressure but is within the allowable front to rear tire radius numbers provided by Boomerang1 above.

You are correct about the Titan turfs that they are great 90% of the time. They do an outstanding job on grass cutting, excellent traction in snow and good grip on ice, and do a very admirable job in loose dirt and some mud. But, their performance during loader operations is marginal.

I have a lot of hard loader work to do in the next few years so a second set of dedicated front tires (R4 industrials) was what I was originally looking for to give me better grip in the mud and to provide more load capacity and less sidewall flex. Most of my property is slopped and I do not want to have an unstable front tire while doing loader work in the worst of these areas.

…Derek

Dirtrich · Mar 8, 2006

I have the same tractor you do and my turf tires have always worked well for me unless I overloaded the bucket and then they flexed a lot. However, last summer I was moving a lot of 3-4" trap rock and with the bucket fully loaded, it really beat up those poor turf tires.

So I called my dealer and he checked and said exactly what dealer #2 had suggested to you. Replace the Titan Trac C/S 24x8.50-14 turf tires with Titan Trac loader 25x8.50-14 R4's.

He said they would'nt make a difference in the real world and I completely agree, I keep the tractor in auto 4wd and it drives as normal. No difference either plowing this past winter. However, they really made a big difference driving over that trap rock...very sturdy and no flex. Also, they don't clog with mud the way turf's do.

I ended up mounting them on new rims so I could keep the turfs as spares or if I want to switch back if I ever mow.

Obviously, the pic is b4 I switched, as you can see there is no flex in the turf's even with some pretty big weight up front. Imagine how tough the r4's are. Don't have filled rear's either but always been stable.

Rich

drm · Mar 9, 2006

Rich,

Glad to here the Titan Trac Loader tires work well for you. I load my bucket pretty well, not heaped but full and since the dirt has high clay content it’s probably on the heavy side. I want to reduce the flex and the R4’s are the ticket.

I am surprised to see so little flex in the attached picture. What air pressure did you keep in the turfs? How about the R4’s?

Before I had my rears filled there were times that I would teeter on uneven ground since the rear was light. Big pucker factor there. Filling the rears and using a 500# box blade has eliminated that. Now to stiffen the front.

Thanks…Derek

Dirtrich · Mar 10, 2006

I generally keep the tires at their max pressure. The R4's run at 50 psi but I don't remember off hand what the turf's are rated for.

daTeacha · Mar 13, 2006

In all this, I noticed the conversation centered around rolling circumference. I thought this a little odd since the car world is more concerned about rolling radius, which should allow for more slippage or tread squirm, depending on the surface involved. The radius will decrease under a heavy load, and this should probably be part of the calculations.

Another factor not mentioned is the effect of different rim widths. Do original R4s use the same rims as the original turfs? A narrower rim will cause a tire to stand a bit taller, increasing both rolling radius and rolling circumference whereas a wider one will have the opposite effect. When you guys were getting information from the tire guys, did rim width get figured in? Car tires have design rim width on which all information is based included in the tire specs. Changing the width changes those specs. With the tires in question here, it might be enough to bring a marginal tire within the desired limits.

drm · Mar 14, 2006

daTeacha,

As you surmised the primary factor for determining the correct tires is the rolling circumference and the secondary factor is the static loaded radius. This may be due to the fact that the front & rear tires are significantly different sizes and the ratio of distance traveled of each is the most important measurement due to the operation and required slippage (lead) needed for proper operation of the FWD system.

I have used alternate tire sizes on several cars and trucks and you are correct that the loaded radius is the critical item to compare. I believe that this may be because the tires on a 4WD or AWD car/truck are almost always the same size on the front & rear so the overall height is sufficient to compare. Some but not all automotive tire manufactures list the revolutions per mile traveled for tires which would compare to the RC. And of course the static loaded radius is directly related to the rolling circumference.

Yes the radius will change under loading. I would think that the tire specs would be measured at the rated tire pressure and loading. Does any one know for sure?

Either way, I would not want to run a tire that is at the lower end or below the acceptable RC ratio range. For the TC33DA the R4 and turf tires use the same diameter and width of rim. Not sure if they are the same part number. Also, the tires I was comparing were rated based on the same rim width. I have not asked if a different rim width is available.

…Derek