Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Beware of deep weather checking on used tires—they may be unsafe.
Tires
Some weather checking is normal for tractor tires because they are often stored outside and
exposed to the deteriorating effects of sun, mud, and water; on used tractors, the tires are
often quite old. If the weather checking has become so severe that it results in deep fissures,
however, beware, as the tires could come apart at any time.
Within reason, tread depth is not as important on tractor tires as it is on your car or truck.
However, try to find lugs with at least 50 percent of their tread depth left. New 28-inch tires
have 1-inch tread depth, and new 38-inch tires have 1½-inch tread depth.
A type of tire well suited for acreage tractors is the R1 agricultural tread, which has diag-
onal bars that run from the inside to the outside edge of the tire. R4 industrial tires are also
popular. They are more like backhoe tires or a cross between a turf tire and an agricultur-
al tire. They have bars that are wider and not as deep (aggressive) as those on agricultural
tires. They support weight without digging in as deeply. Chains can be added to any tire to
increase traction.
Be aware of rear tires that have calcium chloride added for weight, as the fluid can rust
out the wheels quickly. Rust around the valve stem could indicate that the wheel is rusting
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