Need tires - Where to start? What to expect?

[1700 N TN]

I am a new tractor owner. I don't have any experience owning/operating a tractor. I bought a property that came with a 2wd Ford 1700. Tractor runs great. The tires are original and are badly dry rotted. Right front and right rear require airing up prior to using. All four look very rough.

My questions. How does one go about replacing the tires? I can take the front tires off. I assume a tractor place can put new rubber on the old rims? I guess one question is...do tractor tires come pre-installed on rims?

What about removing the rears? Is this something for a professional?

I believe the fronts are 5.00-15 and the rears are 11.2-24. These are ag tires. Ballpark what should I expect pricing for tires and cost to replace and is there a preferred place to buy from for best pricing, service, etc?

I apologize if these questions are dumb...thanks for any help.

 

[jeff9366]

Following is a LINK to the T-B-N archive: REPLACING AG TIRES.

https://www.google.com/search?clien...placing+ag+tires+site:tractorbynet.com&rls=en


Until recently tractor tires have been in short supply and not price negotiable due to demand for mining equipment.

Good tires are as important for safety on tractors as on automobiles.

With 2-WD you will want to replace current ag tires with new AG TIRES.

Tractor tires do not come pre-installed on rims.



Following is a LINK to eBay search for 11.2 X 24 Ag Tires:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...ires&_nkw=11.2+x+24+Tractor+Ag+Tires&_sacat=0



TractorData.com concurs in tire sizes:

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/2/5/252-ford-1700.html

 

[1700 N TN]

Jeff, thank you for your time in responding. Thanks for the search links too. Is EBAY a good source for tires or should i try to buy local using the EBAY pricing as a guide? I don't think I can mount them myself so i think I would need to have a local shop mount them for me.

 

[Utopia Texas]

Look up your local "farm bureau" and find out from them who is local in the ag tire business.

 

[JimRB]

I visit the tire repair shop that repairs earth moving tires. He orders whatever tire I want from the catalog. You can find the tiny front tires and overpay for at Tractor Supply. Some tractor dealers sell and mount tires at a reasonable price. My front tires rotted out once. The rear tires are a bit rotten but they are good for a few more years.

 

[Utopia Texas]

My little Ford 1215 needed new tires 2 years back and the only ones I could find locally were Firestone ag tires. I do not know if it is the weight of the FEL but the back tires still look brand new but the front tires have dozens of large cracks near the rim edge. Go figure !

 

[1700 N TN]

I drove 45 minutes saturday afternoon with my 4 year old "co-pilot" in tow to a Tractor Supply. I told a store employee I needed to replace a front ag tire on a Ford 1700 and that i had the flat tire in my truck. He pointed to the back left wall and said the tires were back there. They had three wall racks with wheelbarrow tires, trailer tires on rims, lawnmower tires and a couple of unmounted ATV tires but nothing that looked like what i needed. I found a second employee and told her what we needed and she told me they didn't mount tires and what I was looking at was what they had.

I let my boy pick out a blue plastic matchbox size tractor that kinda looked like ours and we left. He's a good co-pilot I will not, however, be going back to Tractor Supply. I went home and decided to ask the forum because I didn't know where else to go and the large area tractor dealerships were closed.

Thanks again for all of the replies. Hopefully we can make some progress next weekend. At least on the fronts.

 

[jeff9366]

Is eBAY a good source for tires or should i try to buy local using the EBAY pricing as a guide? I don't think I can mount them myself so i think I would need to have a local shop mount them for me.

What is available on eBay will change from day to day, even hour to hour. EBay pricing may be a guide, but real world pricing is likely to be 15%-20% higher for apples to apples, from my experience. Many eBay "store" sites work out of their home/garage and have relatively little overhead and only the stock listed. A dealer has both staff overhead and inventory to finance. You may or may not get "fresh" rubber on eBay. ( If an eBay site has 100% rating, I would have confidence in their product. )

Any willing tire shop can mount tractor tires. The question will be: Are the rims sound when current tires are taken off? Probably, but not for sure. Your certainly do not want to mount new tires on unsound rims. (SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY) Probably a good time to check the wheel bearings and steering too.

My local Kubota dealer is very fair. I have purchased two new tractors from them and received fair, not low pricing. They are fair, not low on service; worth it to me as repairs and maintenance are reliable. When I need tires I will trailer my Kubota to them. How far away is Ford/New Holland service?

January and February are the least busy time of the year for tractor shops. Begining in April everyone wants service IMMEDIATELY.

Nothing wrong with TSC….but they are not a source for tractor tires. Next time check the item on TSC's web site.

 

[1700 N TN]

January and February are the least busy time of the year for tractor shops. Begining in April everyone wants service NOW.

I hadn't thought about timing...I'm not a farmer. Thanks for the heads up and all of the other information as well. I think if I can just get the fronts done then the rears can wait.

 

[jeff9366]

I think if I can just get the fronts done then the rears can wait.

As you have the fronts off, you have options, including eBay. Why don't you Google: Tractor Tires Knoxville Tennessee? Any tire dealer can mount front tractor tires on rims as easily as car tires. You probably want tractor tires WITH TUBES.

5.00-15 LINK:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk....TRC0&_nkw=ag+tire+5.00-15&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[bjr]

I have bought from Nebraska tire a couple of years ago. They had the best prices on "buffed tires" (factory seconds). I do my own tire work, so, I'm into cheap as I can get. Freight was a factor in the price though. bjr

 

[GManBart]

One note of caution relating to the rear tires. It's possible that the rear tires could be loaded with fluid. In that case, they are VERY heavy, and similar tires have maimed/killed people who either didn't know what they were doing, or made a mistake in handling them.

Many places have mobile tractor tire services where they have everything they need to dismount, mount, etc the tires on location.

 

[mjcountrybumpkin]

Call a few tire shops. They have mobile service trucks to come out and install / repair tires. It will cost more than eBay , but it will be done probably in an hour or less and you wont have to handle a thing. Rear ag tires can get real heavy real quick if you don't know what your doing not to mention if they mess something up ( tear a tube) it won't cost you anymore.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I just replaced a front tire on my 1720 last fall...
It was a 7-14 Ag heavy cleat tire since my tractor is a 4WD...
I work right across from a Discount Tire store and it is very convenient for me to purchase tires there...
Last 3 sets for my car and truck I bought there and was satisfied with the service and price...
Went to them with the tractor tire and rim...
They had to order it from a distributor but had it in a couple of days...
No worry no fuss...
Any good dealer that will take the time with you can get you a tire from a distributor if they want to do it...
Some tire dealers do not...
This one does...
If I was getting a rear tire my choices would be limited to several other dealers in the area that specialize in truck tires...
They are used to mounting bigger tires typically used on large trucks and industrial equipment...
Still yet though they would have to order the tire from a distributor and a typical wait time is a couple of days if the tire is in stock...