Backhoe Tire (Tractor Tire) Questions
Questions to Ask Yourself when Buying Tractor Tires and Backhoe Tires
Investing in used backhoe tires or new backhoe tires is not something you do lightly. It is important to make sure you are getting the right tires for the job. Tractor tires are very expensive, so they represent a major investment in your equipment. At the same time, there is a huge spread of prices that you can pay for tractor tires.
With how much tractor tires cost, it is tempting to try to find the cheapest tires or the best deals and just leave it at that. But if you do this, you might be spending a lot more money in the long run as you have to replace the tires more frequently or lose valuable work time by having to take off the tires and repair them.
There are many different kinds of tires at many different price points because there are many different kinds of work that you might be doing with them. Here are some useful questions to ask yourself when used or new backhoe tires, to make sure that you get the right tires for the job. If you are buying backhoe tires from craigslist, these questions and answers will come in handy also.
What are the working conditions for my tires?
For regular farm jobs, R-1 tires are often perfectly adequate. However, for high wearing conditions such as feed lots, you may want the additional tread depth that R-1W tires offer. On the other hand, if your tractor is going to be on the road a lot, you would probably be better off with R-2 tires.
How large a load are you going to have on the tires?
You need to make sure that the tires you get are able to carry the weight you put on them. Keep in mind that things you add on to your tractor can add thousands of pounds. Don’t just take the base weight of your tractor when you calculate this.
Michelin tires have Increased Flexion and Ultraflex technology options that let you carry much heavier loads at the same tire inflation pressure, or the same load at lower pressure. This is a good option to look into if you are carrying very heavy loads.
Whatever you do, do not skimp on the ply ratings or load indexes. You need a tire that can handle all the weight you put on it.
What tires do you already have?
You can often get a good idea of what you need in terms of new tires by looking at the tires you already have and evaluating how they are performing for you. Any complaints you have about your existing tires can point you to areas you need to get better quality and higher ratings in your new tires.
Bias or radial tires?
Radial tires give better traction, durability, and soil compaction than bias tires. With radial tires, you often gain a lot of working efficiency because there is far less slippage. When your income depends on how quickly you can get your work done, greater efficiency actually translates into a better return on your investment. Radial tires also spread the force of the tractor out over a greater area, so they compact the soil less than bias tires. Radial tires give a more comfortable ride, which matters a lot when you are spending all day out on your tractor.
Radial tires cost quite a bit more than bias tires, but you get what you pay for. The benefits of radial tires often make the increased price more than worth it for farmers.
Will you be driving on the road?
And how fast will you be driving on the road? You need to make sure that your tires are speed rated for the speed you plan on driving.
What is your budget?
You get what you pay for. The more you are willing to spend on tractor tires, the better the tires you will get. Of course, everyone has a budget of what they are able to spend, and it doesn’t matter how great a tractor tire is if you can’t afford it. A tractor tire could take you to the moon and you still wouldn’t buy it if it was far above your budget. So estimate aggressively and plan to spend as much money as possible on your tires so that you can get tires that will do the job you need them to do, but be aware of what features you may have to choose between based on your budget.
