Farmall 350 Tire Questions

[Bill VA]

My 1958 Farmall 350 presently has 5.50-16 front tires and the rears are 12.4-38.

What should the original tire size have been on both front and rear? I see 5.50-16 and I think 6.00-16 as an
option? For the rear, I see 11.00-38 and option 13.6-38.

Not sure where the 12.4-38 comes from.

Is the 5.50-16 a correct match for the 12.4-38 tires or a 16.00-16?

If putting new tires all the way around, what tire sizes would you recommend? Working tractor, haying and
hopefully a little fast hitch plowing one of these days.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[caterpillar guy]

At the price of tires I would run them till they were giving me trouble. As for the size I would nnot be afraid to put the 13's on and the 5.50-16or the 6.00 either one will be fine. You are not going that much bigger for the tires on the front to matter. Might be a couple inches taller on the 13's with no change in the fronts would not show much. I guess it would be more of a personal issue than anything.

 

[DeltaRed]

My 350 has 6.00x16 on front.Rears are 12.4 on rear. All four were replaced within the last year. Tractor sits level. IMHO,perfect tire size.My SuperH also has those sized tires.

 

[DeltaRed]

Bill,there are many combinations that would work well.So what you have ,or any of the other sizes you listed.would be considered 'correct'.As the other poster says,just run em till they go boom.No worries.

 

[Jim Becker]

Front tires were standard 5.50-16, optional 6.00-16. They also list 7.50-10 and 7.50-16, which were options for the single front wheel.

Rear tires were standard 12.4-38, optional 13.6-38. Cane and rice options were listed as 11-38, 12-38, and 13-38. Evidently at that time cane and rice tires had not yet converted to the new size markings. The first 2 C&R sizes are equivalent to the conventional tires listed that use the newer markings. Any of these sizes were available in either 4 or 6 ply ratings.

The size options on either end were available regardless of sizes used on the opposite end.

By the way, 11.00-38 is a size marking from even earlier times. It is not the same as 11-38.

 

[D Slater]

Used 600 x 16 and 13.6 on a 350 and SH with 12 wide and 11 wide rims on rear. IH listed 10/38 or 11/38 tire on a 10- inch rim. 11/38 or 12/38 on 11-inch rim. 12/38 or 13/38 on a 12- inch rim. 11/38 is 12.4/38, 12/38 is 13.6/38, 13/38 is 14.9/38. In my opinion 14.9 are to big on a 350. Not going to knock anyone for what they use. I don't have a dime in them.

 

[DR. EVIL]

The 10-38, 11-38, 12-38, 13-38 are all old sizes based off tread contact width of the tread to the ground. In 1954, just a few months before 300 & 350 production the Tire & Rim Manufacturer's Association changed tire sizes to reflect tire casing width at the bulge of the sidewall on the bottom of the tire while under a typical load at recommended inflation PSI. THOSE are sizes 11.2x38, 12.4x38, 13.6x38, 14.9x38, and 15.5x38.
ALL tires have a recommended rim width. LUCKILY, 350's use cheaper double bevel rear rims if the tractor has 8 spoke cast rear wheels. The H, M, 300 & 400 typically have Deep Well, or DW style rear rims that are about 40-50% more expensive but are easily available. I'd get 6 ply rears for a 350.
Front tires are easy, it's really hard to tell a 5.50x16 from a 6.00x16 from a 6.50x16. If all you do is mow & rake hay, any of those sizes in a 4 ply is fine, if you have a loader on the 350 you need a 6 ply, if you lift big round hay bales, get 8 ply.
One comment about buying tires, rubber tires are made with petroleum, crude oil, tires directly follow the crude oil price. I've been shopping for a pair of 13.6x38 6 ply for my '51 Farmall M, Dad bought it new fall of 1950, took delivery on Christmas Eve '50. I wanted 23 degree Firestone ALL Traction Field & Road's. And Firestone stopped making them. Mitas in Charles City, Iowa makes a 14.9x38 that has identical tread to the Firestone ATF&R. Soon as the crude oil business straightens out I'm getting a pair. I'd buy Firestones but they're crazy expensive.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

There really is no reason or way to "match" from front to rear on these as they are 2WD tractors. You need to have the correct tire size ratio front to rear on a 4WD to avoid driveline binding.

Oh I know about the whole "running uphill/downhill" deal but the tractors of this era tended to run uphill across the board. Uphill is the "correct" look. You would need to put grossly oversized rear tires on the tractor to get it to run level, which is not only more expensive, but soaks up the available power so you don't have it for field work.

I think for a 350 I would go with 6.00x16 and 13.6x38. 5.50 and 12.4 if you want to save a few bucks.

 

[mccormicksw4]

(quoted from post at 06:24:18 07/08/22)
. You would need to put grossly oversized rear tires on the tractor to get it to run level, which is not only more expensive, but soaks up the available power so you don't have it for field work.

I think for a 350 I would go with 6.00x16 and 13.6x38.

I like that very much esp about oversized tires. a lot of guys don't understand that side effect

 

[Bill VA]

Thanks for the replies everyone - very much appreciated!

Bill