Dodged a bullet

Erik Ks farmer

Well-known Member
The inside bead gave out on a 18.4 38 on my baling/tillage tractor. 1135 MF, the last time I had the firestone dealer out on a service call it cost me dearly. So I called a local guy who started fixing tires here the last couple years, he came out and found the bead trashed, found me a used tire to limp on through the fall that turned out to be in pretty nice shape and got her all back together without sticking the dagger in my back. I thought for sure I was going to end up buying new rubber, I still need it but maybe I can limp along until spring.
 
You get lucky once in a while. I blew out 2 31x13.5x15 on my round baler and the two local tire dealer I use were $399 and 329 for 8 plys and I found some on ebay for $215 ea. shipping included. I normally prefer to buy local but when there is that much difference, sorry guys.
 
A local fellow was telling just yesterday that he had to put a pair of 18.4x38 on his tractor, just a shade under 3K. It is just nuts!
 
Maybe the Menanights (sp) in this area down here have the right idea. All there tractors have steel wheels on them even the brand new ones they buy. Was a place down this way that made the steel wheels for them but they closed the doors a year or 2 ago. Was funny to see a new tractor sitting on the lot with shiny new steel wheel of them
 

That's right, I priced them this spring to put new duals on the tractor, $1500 a piece for firestone or $1700 for Titans and that was in February, I'm sure it's higher now. That means if I had gone with firestone tires I would have put 6k in a tractor that's probably not worth much more.
 
I got lucky when I needed rears for my 8n. The only tire shop in town for tractors had some nice Kelly's that I got for $125 each. They had to be patched, but looked almost new. Couldn't say no. My older ones were badly dry rotted after sitting flat for 30 years in a barn. New ones were just not affordable.
 

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