Inlcuding tips on lengthing the life span of your tires.

One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to replacing tires (tyres) is that it has to be old for new. Not necessarily so. In fact, more and more people are learning of the advantages of second-hand tractor tires. Furthermore, these often do just as good a job as brand new ones!!

Traditionally when talking about the tyres on a tractor, owners wanted maximum traction. This is crucial in minimising tractor wheel-slip which is an issue when the ground is instable, uneven, not well-worn, or when working with heavy loads and often all in combination. However, when trying to achieve maximal traction often a number of other factors are compromised on. For example, it was thought that the only way to achieve traction was through increased weight therefore by virtue of this added weight you were quite literally adhering the tyre closer to the ground increasing the contact and hence traction.

Needless to say this proved problematic. In doing so it was found that the fuel efficiency of the tractors would decline through the increased load they had to carry, in addition to increased wear on the tyre themselves and so on. Nowadays, thankfully, tractor tyres have been designed with traction in mind and with the optimal condition of light weight tyres having been achieved. Consequentially tractor tyres now are lighter, more durable and more effective than ever before.

There are a number of simple things you can do, however, to lengthen the life of your existing tyres. Firstly, it is important to regularly check your tyres. Remember that the time you spend in doing this will potentially off-set any time and money lost later in having to replace or repair tyres neglected through lack of maintenance. When examining your tractor tyres look for small rocks embedded in the tyre, beginnings of piercing in the tyre if you notice either of these see whether you can dislodge these and if so how deep the penetration into the tyre is. If it is severe it may be worth getting the tyre repaired as a pre-emptive measure.

Next you should be looking for overall tyre condition. What condition is the tyre trend, the surface of the tyre? When not using the tyres store them away from moisture and extremes of temperature as both these factors can affect the rubber of the tyres. If the tyres are continuously kept on the vehicle then try to park the vehicle in a well ventilated, protected and shaded area. Make sure all your tyres are correctly pressurized and that their valves and caps are on securely. When checking the tractor’s tyre pressure make sure the tyres haven’t just been in the sun or worked as they will be hot and this will effect the reading. Make sure your gauge is in correct working order and if you are going to be using your tractor on roads you should remember to slightly elevate your tyre pressure to prevent wear through tread-wipe.

 

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