Tire Selection Should i use wider tires ?

[RickB]

The ground speed should change little to any going to a 18.4x38 since he already has 14.9x38 tires. They may be a bit larger but I don't think it will change the ground speed enough to notice. Dual 14.9's would put a lot more strain on the axles than a singe 18.4 would. The single tire would be much better in mud also unless you have very long axles so you can space the duals at least 12" apart so mud can shed otherwise they will slick over and give no traction in mud.

You will need to replace the rims also for the wider tire. I don't think they would work on a 14.9 rim.

Ground speed will increase a little over 10%. Whether that is noticeable is open to debate. It is a consideration especially in operations where decreasing throttle is not an option.

 

[RickB]

Thanks for the replies !
I have been searching for tires and rims and found a SH. set (rims+tires at 18.4 r38) for under 600 dollars
wile searching for them i saw some tractors (universal m650) with 16.9 r38 with weights attached; this seams as a better option since the added weight needed to make the 18.4r38 tires wark at their full potential would put to much strain on the tractor and increase fuel consumption.

Agree fully.

 

[RickB]

on the other hand adding fluid instead of weights should not add as much strain on the engine and thus afford the 18.4r38 instead of the 16.9r38 ones ... ?

Engine won't know or care if the tractor is ballasted with fluid or iron.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I looked up some tire sizes on the net and a 14.9x38 has a rolling circumference of 199.7" while a 18.4x38 has a circ. of 216 or 8.2% larger. If you want near the same rolling circumference go with a 18.4 x 34 tire which has a circumference of 203.7. I don't think either tire will put you noticeably faster. As an example using a 18.4x38 tire traveling at 6.4 MPH, the 14.9x38 would be traveling 6 MPH. I doubt that .4 MPH would be noticeable unless you had a GPS system on board. 6 MPH is considered a good speed for disking which is why I used that as an example.

You may notice a lot less fuel consumption using the wider tire due to less slippage. Slippage on a tractor is what eats up the fuel, not the amount of weight that is on it. Starting and stopping is only thing different with heavy vs light. Once rolling the weight is negligible on fuel consumption. Since most of your tilling is non-stop, a heavier tractor that has 0 or near Zero slippage will burn less fuel than a lighter tractor that is slipping 5% or more.

 

[RickB]

I looked up some tire sizes on the net and a 14.9x38 has a rolling circumference of 199.7" while a 18.4x38 has a circ. of 216 or 8.2% larger. If you want near the same rolling circumference go with a 18.4 x 34 tire which has a circumference of 203.7. I don't think either tire will put you noticeably faster. As an example using a 18.4x38 tire traveling at 6.4 MPH, the 14.9x38 would be traveling 6 MPH. I doubt that .4 MPH would be noticeable unless you had a GPS system on board. 6 MPH is considered a good speed for disking which is why I used that as an example.

You may notice a lot less fuel consumption using the wider tire due to less slippage. Slippage on a tractor is what eats up the fuel, not the amount of weight that is on it. Starting and stopping is only thing different with heavy vs light. Once rolling the weight is negligible on fuel consumption. Since most of your tilling is non-stop, a heavier tractor that has 0 or near Zero slippage will burn less fuel than a lighter tractor that is slipping 5% or more.

Good for you. My numbers came from the 2011 Firestone Farm Tire handbook and the tables therein pertaining to radial tires. They did not come from thin air. Tire data vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and tire to tire within brands. You may also check on optimum tire slip. A tractor experiencing zero or near zero slip is considered overballasted by any and all ballasting models or authoritative guide you will find. Like I said, whether 8 or 10 percent travel speed is significant is open for debate. But you are going to have to find somebody else to debate with.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Good for you. My numbers came from the 2011 Firestone Farm Tire handbook and the tables therein pertaining to radial tires. They did not come from thin air. Tire data vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and tire to tire within brands. You may also check on optimum tire slip. A tractor experiencing zero or near zero slip is considered overballasted by any and all ballasting models or authoritative guide you will find. Like I said, whether 8 or 10 percent travel speed is significant is open for debate. But you are going to have to find somebody else to debate with.

No debate intended, but it looks like you already started one.

 

[motownbrowne]

No debate intended, but it looks like you already started one.

Actually I think Rick is right here. In some applications, say if the PTO is in use, an extra 8-10% ground speed could be a problem. I would say that most tractors don't have 20 forward gears like yours, so speeds can be harder to match. I think he was just saying "good for you" that you don't think it would matter. Maybe a bit catty, but he is in fact not arguing, but leaving it to us.

 

[razafas]

I think i am gonad go with an 18.4 r34 or r32 , whatever i find easier to acquire, and add an extra 450 to 900 weight ( fluid or otherwise ), and since i use the tractor for plawing or transportation the diference in speed shold not be a problem .

 

[Beltman60]

beat juice (Rim Guard) is more lbs./ gal than antifreeze

 

[kevin37b]

I have an 65 hp, 2WD, 7385 lbs tractor equipped with 14.4R38 tires that i used mostly for pulling and plowing.
For the most part i am ok with it but i get in a lot of trouble on wet terrain, and since i can't afford a new tractor in the near future, i was thinking for a cheap fix by replacing the tires with 18.4R38 ones and possibly adding some weights to it.
I am looking for around 20% increase in pulling power.

What do you guys think ?
Have other ideas?

Aint nothing tirewise gonna fix WET TERRAIN , Need FWA ,