Using truck tires on small skid loader

Wisconsin Cowman · Feb 11, 2011

I have a question on using truck tires on my Lahman Little Dipper. I am thinking using 205/75/15 tire on this skid loader. This skid loader will not get that much use. Use it mostly for snow and would put tire chains on it any way. Now I priced out some 7.00x15 skid loader tires and asked about using the 205/75/15 tires. The tire guy said it would be pouncing when using it. I have never used truck tires on other skid loaders so I am looking for other opinions from people who tried this on a small skid loader before.

RGMartin · Feb 11, 2011

Sidewalls will be your issue. If you could find a true 8 or 10 ply tire in that size you would be OK. To the best of my knowledge they don't exist.

M Nut · Feb 11, 2011

Just my opinion, but having a skid loader and knowing how bouncy they are, I think you need heavy ply bias tires to keep yourself from bouncing out of the seat. Radial tires would be to soft I think. Unless they have gone up in price, my brother bought some 7.00x15 skid loader tires new for about $50 each and put them on a 4x4 toyota pickup we used around the farm. That was quite a sight, and no stopping it in mud.

Wisconsin Cowman · Feb 11, 2011

I am going with the skid loader tires more then likely anyway but just wanted to hear what people think about using the truck tires. The 7.00x15 tires are $112.00 a piece for Titians which is the cheapest I found.

M Nut · Feb 11, 2011

Wow, they have gone up then. This was about 5 years ago and they were purchased at Mills Fleet Farm. I think they were Carlisle brand if I remember correctly?

Leroy · Feb 11, 2011

I cannot answer the questions about working but I can answer a question that you did not answer and that conserns the diameter. The 205-75 X15" tire is a small diameter tire, the next size up is 215-75 and then 225-75 and then 235-75 so you have quite a bit of difference in diameter-height there. Don't have a chart to tell me how much, now the 7:00 X 15 is not listed on any chart I have found. I have the 235-75X15" on mu trailer and am when I do some repairs switch to the 7:00 X 15" truck tires and when I do that I will gain about 3" in diameter. So with the difference between the 205-75 and 235-75X15 I am guessing about an inch and a half (have those sizes but not going out in the snow and ice to measure and then the 3" difference between my 235-75X15 and the 7:00X15 of 3" the 205 would be about 4 1/2" shorter or smaller in diameter and that would translater to the axle setting 2" closer to the ground for that much less groung clearance and acording to that a lot slower transport speed plus a lot less traction due to the way smaller size. Set a 205-75x15 next to a 7:00x15 and see what I mean.

deadeye012 · Feb 11, 2011

Try Nebraska Tire in the right hand side of the page. Looks like $96.80. I have bought from them in the past. Ok to deal with. While you are at it, get 4 for me. I have my uni-loader on blocks right now redoing the clutches. Need the tires later this summer....JB
Nebraska Tire

Bryan inIowa · Feb 11, 2011

You will be fine . My dad has a hydraMac with truck tires on it works ok,,My used buddies lil hydramac for a year with car tires on it , worked fine, no bouncing. Bigger machine ,daily use Ithink i'd spring for skid tires though

mkirsch · Feb 11, 2011

They won't last long. You'll wear through the treads quickly if you don't tear up the sidewalls skidding around.

OliverGuy · Feb 11, 2011

Speaking of skid loader tires, I bought a group of four mini skid steer (Toro dingo) tires today. 18x8.5-10 carlisle trac chief"s, $75 each. Ouch. These are little tires.

Moline_guy · Feb 11, 2011

We have a lahman loader just like yours and its getting to the point it needs new tread also. Those loaders are light and I think if you run the tires at 50psi there isn't going to be much difference than what you are running now. I have seen lot of small bobcat loaders with grip vehicle tires on and they do just fine.

Kevin Schmidt · Feb 12, 2011

Don't bother with the car tires, they are terribly jumpy when you use it, side walls are not stiff enough (even overinflated) and because of the tread design they grab a lot harder when you turn. They basically grab-release-grab-release making the machine very hard to run smoothly and sometimes even dangerous.

All in all, car tires suck on a loader, save yourself some trouble and buy the loader tires, you won't regret it....

Leroy · Feb 13, 2011

Is his Little Dipper actually a skid loader? When I worked at the fertilizer plant 20+- years ago they had a Little Dipper loader and it was the size of a small skid loader but worked like a reversed 2 wheel drive tractor with the loader over the two drive tires (7:00 X 15") with smaller rear tires and it turned like a combine with a rear axle the style of a combine. With something like that putting the size tire he was talking about on instead of the other size it would be like running with the wheels in a hole all the time with the bucket end setting low and would efectly lower the bucket lift height about a foot. Now if it is actually a skid loader (newer than the Little Dipper at the plant) then putting on the smaller, shorter, tires he would reduce the already to low ground clearance. So why did no one else visit that idea? To me that would be more important than tire design. Like taking your tandem axle truck with 20 or 22" tires and putting on 16" tires from your pickup. Loose ground clearance and load capacity and ability to get to speed and fuel milage.

Using truck tires on small skid loader

Wisconsin Cowman

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RGMartin

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M Nut

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Wisconsin Cowman

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M Nut

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Leroy

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deadeye012

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Bryan inIowa

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mkirsch

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OliverGuy

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Moline_guy

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Kevin Schmidt

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Leroy

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