Cost to ship tires

I help some good friends find parts to restore their tractors, tractor tire are high $$$ here and used one are a little hard to find. I see very good tires on this website for sale. I mean like today there is a 11.2x38 tire on for $150 looks like new How do you guys go about trying to ship an item like a 38" tire???????? I would think they could buy the tire and have it shipped cheaper than buying a new one?????????

Rex I to have notice good used tires in other parts of the country. I have never found a way to get them cheap. Miller tire and tucker tire ship tires for about 125.00-150.00 a pairs But when I get a quote it is double that! Trucking co. only want to deal with volume. You also need the seller to work with you to get them to the freight depot. Most guy want cash in hand pickup in there yard. oldiron29

First off be careful. Everything looks better in pictures. Tires can be pretty bad and still look good in the pictures. Cuts or breaks on the side not facing the camera, for example. Flash hides even moderate weather checking. I personally would not buy a used tire that I could not inspect myself.

Second, the seller has to be willing to go to the trouble of shipping for you. A rear tractor tire is not a trivial thing to ship. You can't stuff it in a box and drop it off at the nearest UPS store. It must be shipped by freight, and arranging that is a lot more effort than mailing a package.

Shipping by freight is generally not a door-to-door thing, though that service can probably be arranged at extra cost. It's a depot-to-depot thing. The seller needs to drive to his nearest depot, and drop off the tire. You pick it up at your local depot.

Packaging depends on the carrier. Some of the bigger carriers want it strapped to a pallet.

There's a website called U S H I P . COM, where you can communicate with carriers, get some of your questions answered, and get bids on having items shipped.

I would estimate that it would cost $200+ to have that tire shipped by freight.

No offense but I guess it would cost $200 if you knew the source and destination and that's what it came out to. Could be more or less. Distance and carrier will make the difference. If you find something and the seller is a reasonable sort you can post it on U ship as mentioned. The first bids will be bigger carriers and the rates will be high. Then along come an assortment of bids and it will take a few days because you keep rejecting the high ones until someone who wants to do it for what you are willing to pay comes along. I have even had free offered if I would give positive feedback. There is nothing wrong with a deal that puts your tire in the bed of a truck pulling a load that other people have already paid for. It is a bonus to the trucker. Some carriers do not see it that way and their argument has merit but I still feel that it is a load that was never going to travel at full rate so it is still a good deal for both. I have shipped entire tractors for $200...twice in fact...with carriers that were dropping cars off in the midwest and coming back empty. They were glad to have it and named their own price.

If you know a trucker or two, talk to them & see if they ever go to where the tire is. May take a while but can work out cheaper.

REX if you look on this site there is a haul section, find some one having somthing shipped your way see if you can get it on the load,you have to work at it ,there is no magic,it might take awhile

(quoted from post at 04:33:29 02/02/12) I help some good friends find parts to restore their tractors, tractor tire are high $$$ here and used one are a little hard to find. I see very good tires on this website for sale. I mean like today there is a 11.2x38 tire on for $150 looks like new How do you guys go about trying to ship an item like a 38" tire???????? I would think they could buy the tire and have it shipped cheaper than buying a new one?????????

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So you're going to buy a used tire here, and another used tire somewhere else, and those 2 tires are NOT going to match, may not even stand up to the same height, and you're going to put them on a "restored" tractor?

I KNOW new tires are high priced because I had to buy a new set of 12.4x38s just about one year ago, but if you shop around, you CAN find some deals, and then you don't need to worry about how to get them shipped.

Thanks for the replies, I help these fellows out I am sure they do not restore to the quality most people do but its fun and anything is better than letting an piece of equipment rot away to nothing.
Besides some tractors are not up to new tire standards but a good used one would fit the bill. I guess we will just keep looking local.

I live about 15 miles from ME Miller. I have friends and family in ohio and MI. If no hurry for the tires I am sure I can get you a deal on delivery.
Todd