Ford 555A front tire load rating

mattyb515 · Apr 4, 2023

At some point in the near future I need to pickup new front tires for this backhoe. The manual doesn't have a recommended load rating for the tire. Does anyone have any suggestions? The bucket can lift 5,200 lbs. at maximum height. I have no idea how much weight sits on those tires in an unloaded state so I'm not up for guessing. Any help is appreciated.

DanielW · Apr 4, 2023

I don't have any specific load rating, but I think you'd want 10-ply rated tires if doing the thing properly.
That being said, the bolt pattern on my 555 (and I suspect all of 555's) is the same as a lot of 60's era
medium duty trucks. I put a set of 8.25-20 tires/rims from a scrapped grain truck on mine years ago. They're
still holding up dandy, and it's seen a lot of work.

mattyb515 · Apr 4, 2023

Thanks for the info. on the 60's era trucks. I hadn't thought of that. The manual does say 10 ply but when looking at 10 ply tires I've seen everything from a load rating of 2000 pounds up to 7000+ pounds.

Jim.ME · Apr 4, 2023

(quoted from post at 13:15:21 04/04/23) Thanks for the info. on the 60's era trucks. I hadn't thought of that. The manual does say 10 ply but when looking at 10 ply tires I've seen everything from a load rating of 2000 pounds up to 7000+ pounds.

It might help if you tell the size of the tires currently on it. Two wheel drive or four wheel drive? Tractor Data says the front"s were 11L-16. If the 555A is like most tractors it could have used several different sizes. You might look the tires over and find the rating on the tires on it currently. 12 ply is common on loader tractor front tires.

mattyb515 · Apr 5, 2023

The tires currently on it are 11L-16. One is a 10 ply one is a 12 ply. The 12 ply is a 11L-16SL and it looks like the rating is 2800. I could be wrong though because it's very hard to see. I can't read the rating on the 10 ply tire. It's a 2WD machine.

Jim.ME · Apr 5, 2023

I would go with the 11L-16 in 12 ply (or 14 ply if available). Then you can shop for the highest load rating in that size if you want.

Andy Wickiser · Apr 5, 2023

Just for another data point my 455d, which
is pretty much the last descendent of the
3CYL 555 (201 CID, 5000 lb front loader)
has 11L16SL 14 ply tires and the rating on
the side is 3870 lb @ 60 PSI. I've lifted
4500 lb to full height. If you do this
remember to check the tire pressure
beforehand or the tires will squish
decidedly.

mattyb515 · Apr 6, 2023

Thanks for the help guys. I'll go with a 14 ply with a load rating of around 4000 lbs.

Ford 555A front tire load rating

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