Tractor Tire Pressure

[ALBALD1]

My owners manual recommends 25psi for most general work including fel operation. Seems like they sag w/ a bucket full of dirt. Is that normal or should i make them stand up under load/

 

[3RRL]

I suppose you are talking the fronts, and mine does too. But I generally pump them up to at least 32psi since I'm mostly on dirt anyway. For heavy fel work I get up to 38psi.

 

[RoyJackson]

My owners manual recommends 25psi for most general work including fel operation. Seems like they sag w/ a bucket full of dirt. Is that normal or should i make them stand up under load/

I suggest you add enough pressure to ensure theode front tires are pretty stiff. You'll notice increased difficulty (very) steering (when there is a load in the bucket) if you don't have adequate pressure.
Definitely keep an eye on those tires when using your loader and increase pressure accordingly.

 

[RoyJackson]

My owners manual recommends 25psi for most general work including fel operation. Seems like they sag w/ a bucket full of dirt. Is that normal or should i make them stand up under load/

I suggest you add enough pressure to ensure the front tire sidewalls are pretty stiff. You'll notice increased difficulty (very) steering (when there is a load in the bucket) if you don't have adequate pressure.
Definitely keep an eye on those tires when using your loader and increase pressure accordingly.
Inadequate pressure in the fronts not only causes difficult steering. The tires can roll off the rims. Also, the tractor is less stable, thus increasing a potential for a roll over.

I came close to rolling the tires off my rims (when carrying an old boiler)....not a comfortable feeling!

 

[ALBALD1]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing. I recently moved a pile of dirt that took about 15 trips on grass, then cement, then asphalt, & then grass a gain. The whole thing was probly less than 200 ft, but I just didn't figure that was good for the tires. I double checked the owners manual & it said 25psi for fel work. I'm gonna just put them up to 32 & just adjust as needed from there.

 

[Grrrr]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing. I recently moved a pile of dirt that took about 15 trips on grass, then cement, then asphalt, & then grass a gain. The whole thing was probly less than 200 ft, but I just didn't figure that was good for the tires. I double checked the owners manual & it said 25psi for fel work. I'm gonna just put them up to 32 & just adjust as needed from there.

All of the fronts on our 2WD tractors are at 40psi no matter what they do. The back tires are at about 10psi.

 

[skipmarcy]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing. I recently moved a pile of dirt that took about 15 trips on grass, then cement, then asphalt, & then grass a gain. The whole thing was probly less than 200 ft, but I just didn't figure that was good for the tires. I double checked the owners manual & it said 25psi for fel work. I'm gonna just put them up to 32 & just adjust as needed from there.

I wouldn't go any higher than the max. pressure rating on the tire - that figure is there for a reason. That being said, I run mine right at that pressure all the time - 40 psi for my R4 16.5x12. The owner's manual may not necessarily be correct - my manual gives tire pressures for R1 tires for my model but not the R4's that came on it new.

 

[SkunkWerX]

I wouldn't go any higher than the max. pressure rating on the tire - that figure is there for a reason. That being said, I run mine right at that pressure all the time - 40 psi for my R4 16.5x12. The owner's manual may not necessarily be correct - my manual gives tire pressures for R1 tires for my model but not the R4's that came on it new.

I agree with Skipmarcy, look at the sidewall of the tire and see if it gives a Max. psi. If so, then I would use that.

If they say Max of 25 psi, and you put 32 in them, you are running about 23% over the max recommended pressure. If you ran 10% over, that would be 27.5 psi and would be the farthest I wold go above Max. rated.

 

[pat32rf]

I tend to take the other side of the coin. I have a lot of sharp rocks and sticks, not to mention bumps. I learned (on my 4x4s)a long time ago that a softer tire is less apt to get a hole poked in it, gives better traction and floatation, and a much smoother ride. The tires should have some flex (but not enough so it pinches the sidewall against the rim)
Going over a stick or stone with a hard tire can tilt your tractor real quick, but if your tire can conform to the stick you won't feel it as much. This is even more evident with a rear tire.
Used to always run oversized tires on the little(3-4000lb) 4x4s at about 12-15psi and get even tread wear and a smooth ride, excellent traction. (Then when they went to a garage for an oil change they would come back with 25-35psi in them.)

 

[RoyJackson]

I tend to take the other side of the coin. I have a lot of sharp rocks and sticks, not to mention bumps. I learned (on my 4x4s)a long time ago that a softer tire is less apt to get a hole poked in it, gives better traction and floatation, and a much smoother ride. The tires should have some flex (but not enough so it pinches the sidewall against the rim)

Pat, have you ever used a loader? Lower pressure (to a degree) is OK for mowing and using the tractor with a 3PH implement. But loader work compresses those tire sidewalls quite a bit. They'll look almost flat, in fact. This dramatically increases the difficulty in steering and can roll the tire right off the rim. The sidewalls, being compressed, make the machine unstable too.

I found this out when moving an old boiler. I didn't check (and increase) the front tire pressures. Boy...I was in a jam since I didn't notice the problem until I was ½ too my destination (but I was wondering why it was so tough to steer...I attributed this to the loader and power steering hydraulic sharing the same reservoir)). When I saw how flat the fronts were, I almost defecated in my jeans, bro...