Proper Tractor Tire Inflation

I try to keep the inflation on the tires on vehicles I drive up and down the highway at, or near, their maximum inflation. They have less rolling resistance that way and seem to wear well. My attitude about all of that air changes, though, when I'm adjusting the inflation of my tractor tires and this video discusses why.

Even with low inflation, you can see the wear pattern on the R-4 tires in the video is toward the middle. The "bite" the tires are getting is only about half of the tread width, and in the middle. At first blush, it looks like the tires are over inflated. But, when you get the tire gauge out you find that they're actually under inflated by about 6 pounds per square inch, and that's exactly where I want them to be.

On highway vehicles, you have spring suspensions to absorb the shock of uneven road conditions. On most tractors you have nothing to cushion the blows to your butt of uneven field conditions. So, the soften the ride I want to be toward the minimum recommended tire inflation, or even a little below. I generally keep my back tires around 10-12 PSI, which is below the recommended minimum of 16 PSI. I feel that gives me a good ride, good traction and good wear.

If you've just purchased a tractor, it's especially important to check you tires for inflation. When I worked at a dealership, we noticed a lot of the tractors had tires that were way over inflated when they came off the truck from the factory. Maybe the trucking companies like it that way because it's quicker to chain them down, or maybe the tire companies send them out that way hoping they wear out sooner so they can sell you more (they'd never do that, would they?), I really don't know why. But it wasn't uncommon to see tires inflated to 5-10 pounds over the maximum recommended. If the dealership you bought the tractor from isn't watching that real closely, your tractor could have been delivered that way and you'll get a real harsh ride and excessive wear in the center of the tire.

So, grab that tire gauge and get out to the barn and see where you are. And remember, if the tires are fluid filled you'll want the valve stem at the high point to check the air.

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Видео Proper Tractor Tire Inflation канала Tractor Mike