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Tire opinions

tomstractorsandtoys

tomstractorsandtoys

Well-known Member
I need 2 sets of 18.4 x 34 rear tires before spring for my 4020's. The one has Firestone 23 degree non radials that are 25 years old and wore
completely smooth. Been a great tire. My dealer tells me that Firestone changed the rubber compound a few years ago and the new ones will
never hold up like the last ones. He will sell them to me but he does not like them. He is selling a good many BKT tires. I saw some Alliance
at a tractor show and liked the looks of them. I have some Titians on a 3020 and the side walls are cracking rather bad. Both 4020's get lots
of use including tillage but neither are worked real hard. What are your thoughts?
cvphoto137131.jpg
 
Your tire guy is correct in that the current Firestones melt off. I've not heard it was the formula, but had heard that even before today's supply chain issues they had not let them harden any more due to reduced inventory??? Anyway don't go that route unless you don't drive on pavement. It's been going on at least 10 years.

I've had great luck with BKT, especially in radials. Have several sets on 4020's etc. Mitas is OK. Michelin is good too but more $$ and inventory seems limited.

Titan I've had good luck with, but my dealer has not, and does not carry them any more.

I do have him putting on a new set of BKT on a 4450 this morning.
 
One other thought... if you go with bias, BKT may look small. Their 16.9 will look like 15.5, etc. That doesn't seem to happen with the radial sizes however.
 
i have been told you can request rock compound tires that last longer, dont know if thats true or of availability of said tires, supply chain is very unstable right now it would seem.
 
Sullivan tire in Sullivan In is my tractor tire go to store.
They always have a farm tractor there. They repair tractor rims too.
I would respect the tire store's opinion when it comes to tractor tires.
He wouldn't maintain his reputation if he sold junk tractor tires.
Besides, I'm too old to change a tire.
Sullivan tire gets all my tractor tire business.
 
You kind of have to take what you can find on ag tires these days..... plan ahead, which it looks like you are doing.

Alliance are on my big tractor, seem fine.

Paul
 
BKT are fairly good, i just dont like the big wide lug on them. myself i prefer titans over them. and as for the rubber compound i dont think its only firestone that is changed. i am pretty sure its all companies.one will change so does the others. anything chinese is not good .
 
'Anything chinese is not good' may not be correct. N.A. vendors use Chinese mfgs. to build to a price (which they will happily do if there is volume enough to support the enterprise). Hey, them folks have satellites and that kind of stuff, probly make the best machine tools in the world. Head shakin' time.
 
haha , i had enough experience with chinese tires and tubes! tubes are total junk. 1/2 the thickness of firestone and good year tubes.
 
Tom. Those tires do not set around in a warehouse and have a chance to harden up. They need that time. We always ordered our 1st semi load of rear tires for the coming year and had them delivered the first week of January. They set in our fenced in lot till March. By that time we usually had taken delivery of 2 or 3 more loads tires. Those would get us through April and part of May. We sold all those tires mentioned above. If I was putting on new rear tires they would go on now and get little use till next spring. They would be Firestone's. We sold Titans but I was never impressed with them. Casings were thin and we had a lot of stubble punctures causing flat tires. What ever you do, if they are going on tube type put new tubes in them.
 
Tom. I just checked with my old tire supplier they are out of Firestone so they don't post a price. 18.4X34 8 ply bias BKT should cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $816.75 each put on at the tire shop. Mitas 8 ply 18.4x38 should not cost you more than $948.85 each put on at the tire shop. The pictures show a European tread on these tires, 45 tread made for European peat based soils. Tests show the 33 tread work better in our clay based soils.
 
Firestone 23 degree tread was the WORST tire I ever had. Within 6 monthe tires were cracked between every lug. Firestone would not do any thing, just said we were running them flat and pressure they wanted was flat. we to use the tractor had to put in higher pressure. Ended up putting reliners in both. And they never had the traction the 45 degree Firestons did. You could not give me a Firestone rear tractor tire, any other make will be better than what I had.
 
I have BKT's on a JD 2350, tires are loaded, tractor is just a chore tractor, the tires have been there about 10 years, still in good shape.
 
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