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FordNewbie

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I just recently bought my first tractor and holy crapola...why are tractor tires so expensive?! $1,300 for a new set before shipping! Does anyone have a good online source for buying tires? Anyone you prefer over the others? I'm needing two 18.4x30 on a 16" rim. It says it has 6 ply, but is it required?
 
That price is not out of line. The cost of a tractor can double to replace the tires. Remember however that the near equal performance of a new tractor will be 10 times as much, and part of that will be new tires. ^ ply is considered to be a necessity except for trailer queens and parade tractors. If there are thorns or sharp stimps where it is used 8ply are better. Jim
 
Welcome to tractor ownership. LOL Yes six ply is the minimum plys I would want on a tractor. I usually put 8 or 10 ply tires on any thing that will have any three point loads.

You also should be able to find local prices better than $1300 for two 18.4 x 30 tires. You also need to know that mounting a tractor tires is not a do-it-yourself job for some that ahs never changed a tire before. Yours also maybe filled with liquid ballast too. That makes changing them even more fun. If you buy locally then mounting is usually included in the price. That can easily be $100 a tire if the have fluid in them.

So buying tractor tires over the internet MAY not be the best place to buy.
 
I bought a set of NOS BF goodrich 13.6 x 38 tires ten years ago for $700 They have done better than the stock market LOL
 
I wonder how the cost small and large tires compare in dollars per pound: car tires; pickup tires; truck tires; tractor tires; aircraft tires, etc.. Pickup tires are about twice as heavy as car tires and they cost around twice as much too. Rear tractor tires are much heavier compared to car tires.

Also, rear tractor tires are not a high volume product. Compared to cars and trucks, the number of tractors is much lower. Tractor tires also have a long life, most last over 20 years, so the replacement rate is low.
 
I'll look around tomorrow for local places that sell tractor tires around here. There is a John Deere place in town. And now that you mention it when I aired up the tire there was a lot of gurgling going on. I just read they put water and antifreeze in them for ballast. Wouldn't that rust out the rims pretty badly??
 
Only if there is a leak, the tires probably have tubes, don't they?

Do you really need new tires? That is basically when they won't hold air anymore. Tire black will make them look better.
 
Well, I'm guessing it's not a tube because I heard gurgling, unless they put the water in the tube. I really don't think the actual tire would hold air, much less a liquid. Where the grippy things meet the side of the tire, it's literally split apart. About 3-4 inches or so. I can get my fingers all the way under them. I just didn't want to mow the pasture to have a blow out. I've been very careful not to drive it much because I'm worried I would get away from the house and not be able to get it back up here to work on if something popped. Like I said, it's the first time I've bought and used a tractor. I can drive just fine, so I won't run over myself. I'm only 24 and truck driver by profession. I am really happy with the purchase and eventually want to throw some money into it to fix it up.
 
Google Nebraska Tire. I have bought several sets from them. Good prices even with the shipping. The only limit is they will ONLY ship to a
commercial address. I think it's because there needs to be a forklift to off load the tires.
 
Our local tire shop charges 1.00 a gallon to pump out calcium chloride,and of course there would be a charge to put it back in I would think.They charge 4.50 for beet juice.
 
Where are you located? Miller tire in northern Ohio has about as reasonable prices as any. In the last 7 years the price of tires has doubled.
 
I don't know your situation and what your future plans are but, sometimes you can find used tires from a
dealer or on craigslist, again mounting can be a problem. Sometimes you see them with the rims from
salvage yards. It can be a temporary or permanent fix.
Ebay tires
 
you are right- if the tread has started separating from the casing, tire probably won't last very long. do you need 1 tire or 2?
check local tractor parts yards. there should be some supply of decent usable 18.4x30 tires already mounted. save mounting charges. if you aren't doing tillage, you don't need brand new tires. tread pattern needs to be going the correct way, or you will have to change it anyway.
good idea to add air with the valve stem on top- if the tire is loaded (water + ?). that keeps the calcium out of the valve core and pressure gauge = less corrosion= longer life.
another point- you don't want one side loaded and the other side not- depending on what you find used. tractor won't pull right unless you add wheel weights to the unloaded side so weight is similar on each side.
i like firestones. a little cheaper alternative would be BKTs. if you are buying new.
 
like columbo- one more thing. if you look at used tires and they are not mounted already- check the insides for signs of the cords showing through the rubber (cords will be at a 45* angle to the tire). bias tires that show cords will chew through the tube in no time.
 
Agree 100 percent. Buy from a local place. Keeps the money in the community and keeps them in business for service. You will have to have someone mount them anyway. Like what was already said look on CL or farm papers. Also look for auctions, sometimes they have some. As was said also, check over used ones good. With the cost of new, there is a reason they were taken off. Not many people change them anymore when they wear some like they used to. Good luck, the last 2 tractors I had to put tires on, I had to buy new as the sizes I was looking for are popular and no one had used.
 
That size tire is pretty costly and $650 per tire not that far out of line. That said, I always shop around and buy locally as they often can beat any online price. If you hear gurgling from the tire it has fluid and therefore it has a tube. You do not put fluid into a tubeless tire..
SHOP LOCALLY.
 

The amount of rubber in a tractor tire, compared to the amount of rubber in a common automobile tire makes the tractor tire look like a bargain.

I know that doesn't make writing out the check for tractor tires any easier, but we complain all the same when it's time to replace the tires on our cars and pickup trucks.
 
This is the best online prices I've found. If my local guy doesn't have what I need or is out of line on the price this is the next place I check. The shipping on the link is to my zip.
Simple
 
$650 for 18.4 x 30 isn't a bad price, really. As tractor tires go, 6 ply is pretty light. Especially if you are mucking about in the woods. Paid $700 and $900 respectively for an 6 ply and a 8 ply 18.4 x 34 tires within the last two years. If you REALLY want to get shocked, price Firestones. If you read back through some of the posts here, you will discover that some of the cheaper tires available are fairly poor quality. Don't go too cheap.

You also state you are new to tractors? Have you ever changed a tractor tire? Do you know someone who has? Have you priced tires and instillation from a local tire dealer? You might be way ahead of the game to just have the local tire guy sell you the tires and have him mount them.

But to answer your basic question, yes, tractor tires are incredibly expensive.
 
depends where you are locaated. Local tire companies quote tire on rime pricess. I deal with an amish company Smithville Tires and they are reasonable. Here in NE Ohio
 
"why are tractor tires so expensive?!"


LOL
Reminds me of the time on Hee Haw when one of the gals took a big swig of moonshine,spit it out and said "YUK! That stuff's awful!"
Junior said "You thought we was enjoyin ourselves drinkin that stuff didn't you?".
 
Ok, I called around all the tire places here in our town. None of them deal with Ag tires. The next largest town has 2 stores. One priced a new 18.4x30 at $557 + $40 for tube, mounted and fluid filled costs $780 each tire. He said they don't use water, but a new fluid ballast product that doesn't react with rubber and is 40% heavier than water. I can't remember what he called it. The second place has new 18.4x30 at $520 + $40 for tube. However, they will not install or fill them with ballast. So I think the best bet considering I'm looking at 300-500lb tire, I'll go with the guy who will drive them out and mount them. I guess if you only have to purchase them once every 15-20 years it's not so bad. Oh I forgot to ask them the ply of the tires. But we have 10 acres of just grassland. There's a couple very small cedar trees and hardly any real rocks. Most of our soil is sand.
 
I just put tires on the Allis. 14.9-28 6 ply. HD tubes, loaded with 3 bags of Magnesium mix with water in each tire. $1245 total.
a216586.jpg
 
Just seen an ad on a facebook page for a used set of 18.4-30 Firestones with 30% tread for $75. Don't know how close to Shelbyville Kentucky
you are but depending on what your plans for the tractor are 30% can last a long time.

Dave
 
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