Be Sure To Spec the Correct Tire

Farm tractors need the right tire to do their best work

One of the key ways to turn the features of your mid-size utility tractor into performance on the ground is choosing the right tires. Think about your site, climate, and the jobs you want to do and consider your options:

• Bias vs. Radial—Bias-ply tires are the lower-cost option. They are stiffer than radials and pull the edges of the tire off the ground, concentrating wear in the center of the tread. Radials have more flexible sidewalls, plus sturdy belts under the tread. Together, they flatten the tire's footprint, improving traction to ensure even wear.

• Tread—Bars are great for traction: either the classic curved bar treads that pull tractors through soil, or hockey-stick shaped straight bars used at construction sites for hard surfaces. Blocks or "buttons" provide a lighter impact on turf. Advanced "hybrid" treads of blocks are arrayed in curved patterns to provide longer wear on pavement, good traction and a softer touch on turf.
• Void—A high rubber-to-void ratio puts a lot of tread rubber in contact with the ground, good for minimizing wear and improving ride on paved surfaces. More void—larger spaces between bars or blocks—adds traction and helps the tire clean itself, which makes it better for mud, sand or snow.
• Compound—Tire "rubber" is really a complex blend of dozens of ingredients, optimized for different surfaces. For paved surfaces, look for a harder, scrub-resistant or wear-resistant compound. If you'll be in fields, gravel or the woods, cut resistance is a better fit.
• Shoulders—Sharp shoulders on a tire add traction in mud and soil, but they can tear up turf. If you need a gentler touch, look for rounded shoulders.

Be sure to operate your tires at the optimum inflation pressure for the load of your tractor to ensure that the tire maintains its optimal shape, wears properly, flexes over rocks and debris, and minimizes heat buildup. The result: longer, more productive tire life.