B6000e rear turf tires - 16" wheels?

[djb25]

Hi everyone,

I have an old B6000E with a set of 7x16 ag tires on it. They are super-narrow and tear the heck out of my yard, so I decided I would try and figure out a cheap way to switch over to turf tires.

I stopped at a former Kubota dealer nearby that still had a lot of misc parts laying around and I found a set of 16x10 rims that fit the pattern on my tractor. Unfortunately, he didn't have any turf tires that would work for me. I picked up the wheels for $100 (they were brand new).

Now I'm trying to find a compatible tire - and I'm not having any luck at all. I didn't realize that it would be so difficult to find a suitable tire. It appears that anything that uses a 16" wheel is going to be way too tall for my tractor.

Anyone have any idea of where I can look for something suitable? I'd frankly rather have a more aggressive type-turf tire. I use the tractor mostly for the loader and the box blade - I don't mow with it.

BTW - it is a 2WD tractor, so I don't have to worry about rolling radius. Basically I need something around 28-30" tall. The 7-16 on the tractor now are 28" tall, so I think I could get away with 30".

Any ideas out there?

 

[284 International]

Interco makes a 31 inch tall, 10 inch wide Super Swamper that would probably work really nicely. The model number is 10/32-16LT

On your 10 inch rims the tire will be a touch shorter even, and most likely will work fine. A grey market tractor parts supplier, Hoye, makes a popular conversion kit that runs a mud terrain rear tire with a lawn mower front tire to less expensively convert tractors, so it's done regularly. http://www.hoyetractor.com/turf.htm

 

[djb25]

Interco makes a 31 inch tall, 10 inch wide Super Swamper that would probably work really nicely. The model number is 10/32-16LT

On your 10 inch rims the tire will be a touch shorter even, and most likely will work fine. A grey market tractor parts supplier, Hoye, makes a popular conversion kit that runs a mud terrain rear tire with a lawn mower front tire to less expensively convert tractors, so it's done regularly. http://www.hoyetractor.com/turf.htm

Do you have a good source for the tires? I've poked around on the web but I can't seem to find that model anywhere other than the Interco website.

 

[284 International]

I don't have anyplace for those specifically. They may be one of their limited production tires. I know that a 30x9.50 or equivalent tire is readily available in a variety of patterns. The trouble is fitting that onto your 10 inch rim, obviously, which is a recurring theme, unfortunately. They should fit on the ag rims, I imagine. The real root of the trouble is the massive 10" width, with the need for shorter tire heights. Are you sure you can't go bigger in height? It would really open up the range of automotive tires. In the 35" range, there are tires that are very wide.

On the expensive side, Titan lists a 9.5-16 turf tire: http://www.titanstore.com/info/4A7495GY as does Firestone. Again, you'll probably need different rims.

Some 10 or 11 wide tires for the front ends of construction tractors come in 16 inch rim sizes, too.

Going the opposite direction: Are you really sure you need new tires? I don't really have many problems with tires tearing up the grass unless they spin, and then it doesn't matter what type of tire it is. Driving across the lawn if it is damp leaves tracks, again, whether turf tires or ags are on.

I like R3 tires (turfs) better for some things, don't get me wrong, but in my experience, they won't let a person operate on tender areas with impunity.

 

[djb25]

I may have to return the wheels. I didn't expect such difficulty tracking down suitable turf tires. I bought the wheels because they were cheap - spending $400 on tires isn't going to get me very far ahead of the game.

But yeah, I do need to change the tires. It's a 2wd tractor and the super-narrow ag tires I have now dig in way too easily... and when they dig in, they dig in deep!

 

[Kytim]

But yeah, I do need to change the tires. It's a 2wd tractor and the super-narrow ag tires I have now dig in way too easily... and when they dig in, they dig in deep!

How hard do you have the Ag's inflated, that is what pressure you running in them?

 

[djb25]

How hard do you have the Ag's inflated, that is what pressure you running in them?

That is probably part of the problem - the tires are filled with some sort of rubber foam or something. They're permanently rock hard.

 

[Kytim]

Thats kind of what I thought, I've owned that tractor and now own a B6000DT. When tires are too tightly inflated the footprint is narrower causing a higher psi on the soil surface, resulting in less flotation and deeper impact print. Your foam filled tires are essentially a hard inflated tire. when lowly inflated ags are used some of the impact is lessened.

 

[twostep]

Have you looked for an automotive offroad tires similar to what 284 International recommended? If you were closer I would trade you my 28x8.5-15 turfs...