Tire pressure

[2515R Dude]

Hi All! New here.
My 2515R just had first 100 hours on it.
The question is, for the rear tires the manual says the rear tire pressure should be 2 bar which is roughly 29PSI.
On the tire is written 23PSI. the dealer says 30PSI.
The tire manufacturer, i called the US rep, says 23PSI.
Which one is correct or i'm overthinking it, my OCD sometime kicks in wrong places.

 

[ericm979]

Different tractor but I run my rears at 15 psi. I want the tire to squash enough so the full tread is touching on hard ground.

 

[2515R Dude]

Are your tires loaded or it does not make any difference?
Also, at the beginning i was running 30PSI but after i reduced to 23 i feel like the tractor is less stable or "mushy" or what is the correct term, like a little boat on waves goes from side to side.

 

[K5lwq]

I run about 15 in my tractors with R1 tires. Better traction and ride.

 

[deserteagle71]

13 psi in my John Deere's rear tires.

 

[ericm979]

Are your tires loaded or it does not make any difference?

Loaded but I don't think it makes a difference. There's still enough air that the tire can squish.

Also, at the beginning i was running 30PSI but after i reduced to 23 i feel like the tractor is less stable or "mushy" or what is the correct term, like a little boat on waves goes from side to side.

I haven't noticed that, or less stability on side hills. But its a different tractor and operator.

My theory is to run as low a pressure as I feel I can get away with as it gets better traction.

 

[ptsg]

Hi. Welcome to TBN.

I run my R1 tires at around 14 PSI on the rears and about 30 at the fronts. I do have my rear tires filled with water though.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I too base it on contact patch with the ground. I want a full width of tread touching (or close to it) on hard ground. For me, I think that's around 15 psi. Yes my rears are filled with Rimguard, but as Eric says, I don't think that matters for this topic.

My fronts are at 30 psi, mostly due to loader use. If I wasn't randomly picking up various loads with my FEL, (or Gawd forbid, didn't have the FEL) I think I'd probably air my fronts down to 15-20 psi as well.

 

[2515R Dude]

My only concern is if there any negative effects running low pressure,
There should be a reason manufacurer recommended 29PSI. And the dealer started saying something about warranty.

 

[sea2summit]

My only concern is if there any negative effects running low pressure,
There should be a reason manufacurer recommended 29PSI. And the dealer started saying something about warranty.

If you aren't running on pavement low pressure will not have negative effects. It will however; improve traction, give the operator a softer ride, distrubuted the weight better across fragile surfaces like lawns, among other benefits. If you do the math on your rear tires surface area you'd be shocked to see how little you actually need to support your tractor (probably between 3-6 lbs minimum).

Front tires if you're doing FEL work are a different story, but rears I also use the tread touch as a gauge for correct pressure.

 

[5030]

I run about 15 in my tractors with R1 tires. Better traction and ride.

Ride is irrevelant with no suspension in the first place. For me, 30 out front and 25 out back and no loading either.

 

[EdGooding]

I use 14psi in the loaded rears and 30 in the fronts (have a loader) on my MF.

 

[LouNY]

I'm another at 14 PSI rears and 25-30 PSI fronts.

If your tire is marked at 23 psi max, I certainly would not exceed that regardless of what your manual may state.
Too many errors in the translated owners manuals.

 

[ericm979]

Usually the tire pressure number on the tire is what's recommended for max load. Which is hopefully significantly more than what its being run at.

Low pressure on pavement is a concern because the tire flexes more and generates more heat. Enough of that damages the tire. That's not much of a concern at tractor speeds unless maybe you road the tractor in high range for miles.

Also I suspect that loaded tires don't heat up much at all.

 

[2515R Dude]

If you aren't running on pavement low pressure will not have negative effects. It will however; improve traction, give the operator a softer ride, distrubuted the weight better across fragile surfaces like lawns, among other benefits. If you do the math on your rear tires surface area you'd be shocked to see how little you actually need to support your tractor (probably between 3-6 lbs minimum).

Front tires if you're doing FEL work are a different story, but rears I also use the tread touch as a gauge for correct pressure.

1. I have blacktop roads on most of my property.
2. I have tried to reduce to 14psi, I did not see increased pattern, maybe my tires too stiff. It is R1 Tyron tires.
3. Most my concern is about safety and constant discrepancy between Branson recommendations and the real thing like tires or grease fittings.

Guys, thanks for sharing your knowledge and thoughts, I'll experiment a little between 14 and 23Psi.

 

[oosik]

The R-1 rear tires on my M6040 are loaded with beet juice. I run them at 16 psi. This gives me a full chevron pattern on my gravel driveway. I run the front tires at 35 psi. All four tires are R-1, 6 ply, Firestone.

 

[Branson Bob]

Hi All! New here.
My 2515R just had first 100 hours on it.
The question is, for the rear tires the manual says the rear tire pressure should be 2 bar which is roughly 29PSI.
On the tire is written 23PSI. the dealer says 30PSI.
The tire manufacturer, i called the US rep, says 23PSI.
Which one is correct or i'm overthinking it, my OCD sometime kicks in wrong places.

Welcome to our forum. I would stick with the manufacturer's spec and try that for awhile.

Loaded but I don't think it makes a difference. There's still enough air that the tire can squish.

I haven't noticed that, or less stability on side hills. But its a different tractor and operator.

My theory is to run as low a pressure as I feel I can get away with as it gets better traction.

Agreed except sometimes I use my pallet forks on the three-point to carry boulders and full IBC totes. Once I get 2000+ pounds back there I like to have more pressure in the rears. With the backhoe it doesn't matter because of the outriggers. Just my personal preferences.

I'm another at 14 PSI rears and 25-30 PSI fronts.

If your tire is marked at 23 psi max, I certainly would not exceed that regardless of what your manual may state.
Too many errors in the translated owners manuals.

Agreed that it's better to underinflate than overinflate.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Hi All! New here.
My 2515R just had first 100 hours on it.
The question is, for the rear tires the manual says the rear tire pressure should be 2 bar which is roughly 29PSI.
On the tire is written 23PSI. the dealer says 30PSI.
The tire manufacturer, i called the US rep, says 23PSI.
Which one is correct or i'm overthinking it, my OCD sometime kicks in wrong places.

Overthinking it, its all within the ballpark but if you need to please your OCD do,
(23+23+30+29) /4 =26.3 PSI

I would personally go with what its written on the tire...

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

There's really no "harm" in running max inflation. About the only thing you may experience is traction issues and more wheel spin. Also possibly a rougher ride when driving over hard ground or pavement (which it sounds like you have). That may or may not become a factor for you, depending on your use. Operating at too low an air pressure might result in rolling a tire off of the rim. It is an extreme example, and one you may never face.

The "guidelines" are just that. Guidelines. There's no way a manufacturer (tractor or tire) can forsee all the possible situations that a tractor operator may face in their specific operating environment, so there are ranges listed like you've experienced (in this case, tire psi).

 

[LD1]

Go by the tire manufacture. Too many variables for a tractor manual to have a one-size fits all approach.

Manufactures are constantly switching brands of tires. Sometimes they have different plys or different pressure and weight ratings. And even different tire types like R1, R3, R4, R14.....radials or bias, etc.

Tractor tires arent really standard like automobile tires like load range E = 80psi, D = 65, and most car tires = 44.

Trust the tire manufacture when they list a max.

ITs okay to go under max to improve ride or traction.