# Pick a tire for this tractor



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

The Massey 285 that I recently purchased came with a ruined rear tire. I'm likely to sell the tractor within a year so I'm not going to recoup my money if I would install a pair of brand new ones. I also can't find anyone locally who can/will order me a "Farm King" to be an exact match to the existing tire. In lieu of matching tires which would make the tractor more valuable, I'm considering throwing on a used mismatch that I can have for almost nothing. That investment I can definitely recoup. I'm attaching a photo with the center tire being what's on the tractor now and the ones to the left and right being the two that I can get cheap. Which one do you think would be the more appealing choice if you were buying a tractor with mismatched rears? The long/short has better tread so it would win in case of a tie or indifference.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

The long/short screams mismatched tires, the left if a person wasn't paying real close attention they may not even notice.

First thing I did on one of my Whites was to get an exact match, they had one practically new Firestone radial and another off brand that was about shot far as sidewall and tread, works the differential a lot more if the rears aren't matched for circumference.


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

I would go to the left 2 reasons long bar long bar would not look as out of place and miss matched tire is a turn off to me if I'm tractor shopping.

I'm going through sort of the same thing rite now I have a tire with a big break on inside so I just ordered 2 new tires today hate to spend the money but this is the 4th time I had tire off. It cost me $450 in the last three years time to pay the tire guy and move on.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I would think the left would be a good choice....and less stress.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

The one on the left. The long/short bar would stick out like a sore thumb. Personally I shy away from buying a tractor with miss matched tires. Even though the wear wouldn't be the same if it was the same brand and tread it wouldn't bother me too much.....too bad you can't find anyone to order a matching tire for you.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

If I was picking, or buying the tractor from you in a year, I'd want the one on the left just because it is a much closer match.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

A few thoughts now that others have responded and they mostly echo your ideas.

•if the circumference on either was notably different than the existing tire, I would choose the tire with same circumference regardless of tread pattern.

•My initial inclination was to definitely go with both long bar long bars but part of me likes the long bar short bar because it has a lug angle much closer to the 45 degree existing FarmKing. However, if the general opinion is that the long long is a better visual match, I'm fine with that. That's why we ask questions.

•I also don't particularly care for mismatched rubber but the economy buyer is in it for the price. That's who's going to eventually buy this thing. I would love to replace both with a new, mid-quality matched pair or one with an identical match, but as mentioned that is either not feasible because I can't eat $1400 in tires when trying to sell a $7000 tractor or because I can't find anyone to order me the exact match, apparently because it's more of a regional brand and this tractor was shipped in from Minnesota by the previous owner.

•you'd think with six (at least) tire shops within close road service distance that somebody would have a used on out back. Salvage yard was nearly tapped out as well. Plenty of 38 and 30s but 34s completely picked over. Bad luck. Oh well.


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## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

Last spring, before seeding, I too had a tire problem, with an 18.4 X 34 tire. Phoned around to a few tire shops, to find what they had used. One tire shop, only had one, one had a matching pair, at 40% tread left, and the rest of them, didn't have any, that size. Was told, they were hard to come by, and that was the truth.
Being a gut feeling told me not to go New, I put the matching pair on, good job I did, as a few weeks later, during planting, the Clutch went on the tractor, a 1650 Cockshutt, built in 1967, I decided not to put the money into the tractor, and traded it, for the tractor, I have now,,a 2-70 White Field Boss, a 1976 model, that had brand new tires, on the back of it. 
I agree, the one on the left, looks like a decent tire.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Just my opinion, having run L/S bar tires for many years, that anyone who gets one of them is a victim, not a recipient.


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

Just curious Gearclash what's your beef with long/short?


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

farmerbrown said:


> Just curious Gearclash what's your beef with long/short?


They vibrate the tractor horribly at lower speeds, and seem to be utterly devoid of traction in winter conditions. We have had three tractors with L/S tires, the two bigger ones (1066, replaced by a 5140) would pitch when roading with a significant drawbar load to the point of being quite dangerous. Both tractors had Good for a Years on and that may be part of it. No amount of ballasting would make the pitching go away with the 1066.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Gearclash said:


> They vibrate the tractor horribly at lower speeds, and seem to be utterly devoid of traction in winter conditions. We have had three tractors with L/S tires, the two bigger ones (1066, replaced by a 5140) would pitch when roading with a significant drawbar load to the point of being quite dangerous. Both tractors had Good for a Years on and that may be part of it. No amount of ballasting would make the pitching go away with the 1066.


Well there's your problem-- NoGoodYear tires-- sorriest tires made IMHO. NEVER had any luck with them.

Older 5610S came with them from the factory-- GY L/S "Dyna-Torque II's"... they lasted several years and started coming apart, and were worn in a BAD pattern from even the LITTLE bit of roading we do... (and I mean LITTLE). Replaced them with Titans, as the newer 5610S had Titans on it and they've held up MUCH better... (course that was before Titan got bought out, so we'll see...)

Later! OL J R


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

After the above comments, apparently in some form of cosmic spite, a good matched pair of Goodyears appeared on Craigslist last night.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

8350HiTech said:


> After the above comments, apparently in some form of cosmic spite, a good matched pair of Goodyears appeared on Craigslist last night.


No such thing as a "good" set of Goodyear tires...

Oh well, I guess SOMEONE has to buy them. I know I won't... I've NEVER had any luck with Goodyear tires... about as sorry as Chinese mudgrips in my experience...

Later! OL J R


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Luke, I won't say that GoodForAYears are universally awful, I have a set of 18.4-42s on the rear of my loader tractor. They are a 45* lug radial, and I can't find any reason to complain about them. Their ability to crawl around in a muddy feed lot is impressive.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I've had terrrible luck with good for a years.But I do have a set on my baler tractor that wears well for baleing and road wear and ride but not worth a shit in mud.

http://www.nwtire.com/tires/make/goodyear/dt710-radial/


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

8350HiTech said:


> •you'd think with six (at least) tire shops within close road service distance that somebody would have a used on out back. Salvage yard was nearly tapped out as well. Plenty of 38 and 30s but 34s completely picked over. Bad luck. Oh well.


HiTech,

After reading this post, though I would look at the old tires I took off my Oliver 1850 years ago (put some new radials on). Guess I going to have to get some pictures and post on Craig's list. Matched pair of 18.4 x 34's, just setting in my old barn. I didn't realize that size was so hard to come by. Didn't look at the brand, I just know that at the time, I was pulling a chisel plow or disk with the old Olie and radials made a world of difference. Never used these tires for a sand box (used one of the 38's I took off the Ford 5000 for that and it is in use today with grandkids ). Changed the Ford first to radials, that's were I got my experience with the radials. :wub: That Ford would almost drive though anything with those radials. Got tired of using the Ford to pull out the stuck Oliver, then hooking up to the disk and pulling the disk out with the Ford. If you want to know, Ford could pull the disk, but it was working a lot harder than the Oliver and usually the Ford was hooked to the corn planter. My life was easier for me to switch tractors, than unhooking / hooking up another piece of equipment. So it was new rubber radials for the Olie (as soon as I could come up with the moola, that was).

Thanks for the idea of selling them on Criag's list (actually knocking some of the old cob webs out of this noggin, to remember tires). Have to admit there was no CL, back when I bought the radials.

Larry


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

This tractor has been kept on the back burner for a month but today I finally got something at the Deere salvage yard that I considered a sufficient mate to my oddball Farm King. Fittingly, it's also an oddball. An Akuret. Time to wrap up some projects so I can justify buying some more!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

We've never had any luck finding 34's used. Maybe back in the day when new tractors came with em on, but 38's took over a long time ago.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

That's a pretty decent match HiTech. Nice find.


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

Looks like a good enough match to see if the tractor is gonna be a keeper. If it is a keeper then down the road you can always put new rubber on it. Those look good enough to last many years though.

If you decide to sell it then those look darn good enough to be matched rubber and not detract from the tractor's value.

All in all I would say you did darn good.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

My thoughts exactly, rank.


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