Massey Harris 44 Special tires

centash

Well-known Member
Hi all, new to the forum here, but have owned/operated old tractors for over 40 years. I am mainly a Massey Harris guy, having owned over a dozen different Masseys in the last 30 years. I just picked up a super nice 1955 MH 44 special. My question is what tire size are others using on their MH. It is a standard model, currently has wore out 14,9 X 30 tires and they look small. Years ago, I had a special with 16.9 tires; just wondering if anyone is using an 18.4 X 30 tire. Tractor will not be used for tractor pulling, just for shows and some antique plowing. Tires will not have fluid in them; I do have 3 sets of weights I can use if needed. Thanks all, Ben
 
It has 13 by 30 inch rims. This is the standard size according to the owners manual, with 14 by 30 being optional. Old advertising shows a 44 Special Riceland with the 15 by 30 inch rim, but I just wonder if an 18.4 tire would be very closr=e to the edge of the fender. I had a 55 on which I put a set of 18.4 by 34's on and the tire was less than half inch from the flare on the outside of the fender, even with them set as high as they could go. Not a safe place for fingers when your hand is resting on the fender. Ben
 
A 16.9 30 is close to 58 1/2" tall, the minimum rim width is 14" so it may be a better fit for a 13" wide wheel. A 18.4 30 is a little bit over 61" tall with a minimum 15" wide rim. A 14.9 30 is around 57 1/4" tall.
 
Sizes changed in the mid 1950's - essentially same tire but different way of measuring. 14.9-30 replaced 13-30 (the 13-30 are essentially same as original 11.25-30 but bead geometry is slightly different); 16.9-30 replaced 14-30; 18.4-30 replaced 15-30.

If I remember it right the 13 was tread width while 14.9 was section width. Problem with tread width was it was hard to get a good consistent measurement - especially between different brands.

Problem with Section width is it varies with rim width - for every inch change in rim width, the section width will change about 1/2 inch. OD will also vary - increasing wheel width will decrease OD but only slightly.

Also exact dimensions will vary from brand to brand by 1/2 inch to a bit more. And Overall Diameter of R1 vs R2 in a given size will vary by an inch or more due to height of cleats.
 
16.9x30 is the correct size tire for that tractor. standard model. 14.9 is the old size that replaced 16.9. row crops would have a taller and narrower tire.
 

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