Choosing Tractor Tires

Once you’ve purchased the right tractor or other major piece of farm equipment, you won’t want to simply hop onto the machine and hope for the best. There are ways you can adjust and upgrade it to make it more efficient and help you increase productivity. One such area that could use some upgrading is the tires.

The right tires can have a big impact on your farming operation, so Mike Cooper Tractors has provided some tips for choosing the right ones for your machine. You can also stop by our location serving Tulsa, Oklahoma, to chat with our experienced staff to see how they can help you. We also welcome patrons from Broken Arrow, Muskogee, and Tahlequah.

Tire Types

Firstly, you’ll want to know a little bit about your options. The tire industry classifies your options based on the kinds of terrain they’re best suited for or other important driving considerations. For example, one of the most commonly used tires for tractors are agricultural tires, or the R1 group. These are best suited for dry land farming with high-traction lugs with deep angles. Looking around at your tractors and your neighbors’ tractors, this is probably what you’ll most commonly see.

However, that’s not the end of the line when it comes to your options, and certainly not our automatic recommendation for everyone. You’ll find R2 tires are better for flooded or muddy fields, and other wet areas. These probably won’t be as common in the United States, but you will find them in rice paddies and sugar cane farms.

R3 tires, also known as turf tires, will give you flatter, smoother treads. These can be ideal for— big surprise—turf, which you don’t want to tear up with treads that are too rough. They can also be helpful if you spend a lot of time on loose material, like sand or gravel.

Finally, R4 tires are going to be your industrial scale style. If you use your tractor as a substitute for construction equipment, this might be the ideal choice for you. They’re more versatile than that, and also make for good field tires, so if you use your tractor for a variety of applications, this might be your best option.

Rear Tires vs. Front Tires

All the tires we’ve listed so far come in both rear and front tire options, but you have a few more options when it comes to front tires. You can choose an F1 set, which are single-rib tires that can cut deep into the soil for maximum control. Three-ribbed F2 tires provide minimized lateral side-slip from the raised center rib. For a little more support, you can get F2M tires, which are great for heavy loads on hard surfaces.

Load Rating

Speaking of heavy loads, another way to ensure you’re choosing the right tire is to check the load rating for the sets you’re looking at. Your tires need to be able to handle the weight of the tractor, the attachment, and any other additional weight (operator and transportable material included). The ratings are measured partially using a three-star scale, with one star maxing out at 18 psi and three-star options pushing the weight capacity limit to 30 psi. Combine these psi limit recommendations with the size of the tire to determine total capacity.

If you’re still scratching your head a little bit, that’s okay. The world of tires can be deceptively complicated, so if you need additional help, stop by Mike Cooper Tractors and we’ll help you with all your tractor-related needs. We proudly serve Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Muskogee, and Tahlequah, Oklahoma.