New tires sure do pull nice

Last Sunday while my dad & I were getting started again to finish chopping the 1st crop, I noticed the left tire was wet on the inside, but no oil or anything was leaking out. Tasted just a little dab on my tounge and sure enough, the tire had a crack that pinched the tube.

I chopped that wagon full yet as it was s low leak, but then when I was going to hook to the 3rd wagon looked and everytime it went around to the bottom, it would spray out some fluid. I unhooked and drove home (of course I'm down the road a ways) and took the rented 986 off the bagger. Used our 285 to run the bagger (9' and a good load on it) then which was hauling wagons, and the 1600 was used to haul loads.

Got the hay off just in time as I got wet on my way home- I pulled the cab doors off just to stay cool.

Dad called on Monday and got new tires put on. Turns out we got some Co-op Made in the USA Bias 8 ply tires (forget the name they gave 'em - Agri something) in place of the old and pretty worn Coop Radials. Got to test them out right away on the plow, and they sure did grip compared to the old ones would. NO slippage until I got to some ruts that had standing water in them yet.

We're gonna boot the bad tire and put them on the duals, and then get rid of the completely bald Feild & Roads on them. Maybe make them into some raised beds for the garden along with the other tires. It'll take a bunch more dirt to fill those 18.4-38's though compared to the 18.4-34 and 15.5-38's we've got out there already...







Donovan from Wisconsin

yeah those look like co-op agri-force. have them on at least 3 of my tractors! sure do have good lugs on those babys!....you all done chopping hay now? i just fifnished yesterday and am gonna bale the rest of my hay.
have a good day!
P.S it is rainin' here now so you may get wet within' the night time hours
DF in WI

I like that canopy!

Nice tires, I really need new tires on my Farmall H, but I cannot afford them yet, if my H did not have the reliners in the tires, they would have been done for many years ago. I'm also going to have to get rear tires for my 1949 John Deere A, it has the big 15.5-38 tires... it will cost a lot for new tires for 2 tractors, but it will we great when I can get new tires for them.

The Coop Agriforce are Goodyear Dyna Torque II relabeled and some cheaper. Been selling some since Goodyears are hard to get this year.

Well that way you can squeeze some more value out of those old tires. But boy howdy as much as I hate changing rear tractor tires, moving inners to duals and retiring old duals sounds like you've got too much energy and are bored in a shop on a lot of rainy days.

My hands hurt like the dickens after spending 3 hours with a couple flat irons and a hammer beating the tire bead loose and prying it off. What's your technique? To rotate that many rubbers on that many rims, you've gotta know something I don't! what's your method? and what tools?

Those old field and roads might make better pulling tires than flower beds.

Andy, I would bet you could find good used tires for both of those tractors. I have seen quite a few really good used tires at tractor show swap meets and by walking the tractor salvage yards. You might be suprised what you could come up with if you ran a want ad too. Walk around a worthingtons yard if you have one around you. They have a lot of stores and a lot of inventory.

Hey Iowa Tire Guy, I am pricing up tires for my JD 3020 but can't seem to locate any of these Coop Agriforce tires. Could you PM me with a price for 15.5 - 38's? Like to compare the price to the import 8 ply and Firestone quotes I got.

I would if the PM worked. My email is open, drop me a line and I will try, but remember all tires are in tight supply now and it is hit and miss for what I can find.

In loose soil the new full height bias will out pull the worn short radials. However on hard surfaces the old radials will outpull the new bias. And in loose soil new radials will out pull new bias.

I change rear tires pretty easily. Take a loader tractor to break the bead down. Place 4x4" blocks about 45 degrees apart on the sidewall of tire right at edge of rim. Push down w/ loader. Flip and repeat. Bead broken....Then remove. I have changed a 15.5x38 in a hour and fifteen minuates, By myself. Not to bad, but not really fun either...Good luck!!!!

One good bead hammer and two 36" tire bars. A couple of well placed blows with the bead hammer is all that's needed to break down most tires. Special emphasis on 'well placed' and 'most'... You want you angle of attack on the hammer such that it will go in under the wheel lip when you're coming down, and aim to just miss the wheel or 'kiss' it on the way past. If you don't do that and you hit an inch out on the tire sidewall you'll pound on it till the cows come home, and you still won't get it apart.
Tough tires require the same technique except that you keep moving around the circumference of the wheel beating the bead down 1/8" at a time.
Soapy water or a product like Myres Skid also help to lube things up. Once you get both sides broke down the tire should work off pretty easy with a couple tire bars....
I've never understood why so many people spend so much time and money on contraptions to break a bead down. A few well placed blows from the bead maul is all that's needed. Quick and easy.

Rod

Nice pics. The new tires look to me like Field & Roads.... Regaurdless, new is always better than old baldies.

Rod

Of course I have power tools to do the job but occasionally I end up doing a tire like you describe. There have been a couple of times that I missed with the maul and kissed the edge of the rim on the way to my shin. Ever seen a grown man lay on the ground and cry? That last time all I had to do was to brush against something with my leg and it was the same pain all over again. That lasted for about 6 months. I think the reason more people don't do it that way is the learning curve to hit in the right place. Give me a duck bill maul and a couple tire spoons and I can do most any drop center as fast as on a tire machine, but it took me years to learn how.

Yeah we finished it up last Sunday. Got it all knocked down and chopped in 4 days. Only about 35 acres, but still pretty good for us- woulda been over 2,000 small squares to handle.

Monday when we got the new tires I hooked onto the plow right away to plow under 1 field that was almost all grass. Got it in corn now- not gonna fully mature probably, but it'll be just fine in the silo.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Me too- Keeps me from boiling my brain on thse really hot days...

It came off a White 2-85 and got it for about $300. Painted it up when we were doing the white for my 1600.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Probably how we're gona do the duals, but we needed those rear tires NOW and they're filled with fluid. We don't mess with those- just call in the experts.

Donovan from Wisconsin

That's all Fine & dandy, but when the tractor only gets about 100-150 hours a year, those radials would be shot before they're worn out. We're happy we got a good 5-6 years out of those radials after we bought the tractor. We were gonna put new tires on it this year anyway, just not quite so fast.


Donovan from Wisconsin

God to know- Hopefully these ones don't peel apart like the old Good-years have.

Our 285 had Dyna Tourques on it from the factory. They went about 5-6 years before Dad replaced them because the tread was starting to separate. Still ok otherwise and one is now on a dual for that tractor now (After laying around for about 20 years). We're thinking about new tires on that one again next year after about 25 years of good service out of the Power Mark long bar/short bar tires.

Our 1600 had Goodyears on it and they were doing about the same thing, but they were severely weather cracked as well. One was rendered unusable at one point (not sure how- well before I was born) and one of the original Firestones went back on it for probably 20 more years.

Most other older Goodyears I've seen in this area have the same problems. Don't hold up to the elements and the lugs separate from the rest of the tire.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I highly doubt that- There's no more than 1/4" of tread left on them, and there isn't a sharp corner on the front edge of the lugs like then Coop's that came off the 18 or the Power Mark's on our 285.

However if you're interested let me know- I took them off the dual rims tonight.

Donovan from Wisconsin