Tires have cords within their layers that give them the strength to hold air pressure. A balloon will grow and grow until it pops without ever getting past 2psi. A tire may change shape under inflation pressure but it does not stretch unless cords break. Once they DO break, that section of the tire becomes like a balloon, where pressure on the inside (normal inflation pressure, or dynamic pressure spikes from tire hitting things) will stretch the rubber until it fails. It's much thicker than a balloon, but it WILL stretch and it WILL pop, and the only question is when.
I agree the stakes are lower on a tiny tractor (probably..) than a high speed vehicle, but given the loader and the possibly of a sudden side-to-side rocking from a tire failure while a heavy load is held high leading to tipping over, I would just recommend to replace it as soon as possible anyway.
Also, the cords break from the tires impacting things. Low pressure can contribute because low pressure allows the tire itself to flex further than they otherwise would when they hit something. You'd need a high-speed camera to see it, but a lot of 'pothole' / impact damage is because the sidewall was momentarily folded flat or kinked under a large force. A properly inflated tirew basically splits the force between its own flexing, and just moving the tractor it's attached to, but a low enough pressure tire will take more of the force in its own flexing and transfer less of it to moving the tractor. Good ride quality! But poor tire durability as far as the sidewalls are concerned. Ironically the tread area is less likely to puncture at lower pressure, so it's a tradeoff. Long story short, run recommended pressure and up it to max if you are putting more than the recommended weight on the tire due to loader work.
To get some context on what's happening to the weight on the front tires with a loader, here's an interesting vid: Graph showing relationship of loader payload to front axle weight.
It is NOT a 1:1 ratio. I set the link to the exact time he starts showing the graph and showing the results of his test.
I agree the stakes are lower on a tiny tractor (probably..) than a high speed vehicle, but given the loader and the possibly of a sudden side-to-side rocking from a tire failure while a heavy load is held high leading to tipping over, I would just recommend to replace it as soon as possible anyway.
Also, the cords break from the tires impacting things. Low pressure can contribute because low pressure allows the tire itself to flex further than they otherwise would when they hit something. You'd need a high-speed camera to see it, but a lot of 'pothole' / impact damage is because the sidewall was momentarily folded flat or kinked under a large force. A properly inflated tirew basically splits the force between its own flexing, and just moving the tractor it's attached to, but a low enough pressure tire will take more of the force in its own flexing and transfer less of it to moving the tractor. Good ride quality! But poor tire durability as far as the sidewalls are concerned. Ironically the tread area is less likely to puncture at lower pressure, so it's a tradeoff. Long story short, run recommended pressure and up it to max if you are putting more than the recommended weight on the tire due to loader work.
To get some context on what's happening to the weight on the front tires with a loader, here's an interesting vid: Graph showing relationship of loader payload to front axle weight.
It is NOT a 1:1 ratio. I set the link to the exact time he starts showing the graph and showing the results of his test.
Last edited:
