Front tire size preference

[Richard from SE AZ]

My 2N has had car tires on the front since I got it 17 yrs ago. Car rims were welded to 2N centers. They made steering easier when I had the loader mounted. I took the loader off awhile back and am not going to put it back on. I have a set of 16" and a set of 19" rims. Which would you mount and why. This is not a farming tractor. It is used mainly to mow and blade. The 16" wider than the 19s. What size tires do they take ?

 

[Jim WI]

I think I would keep the car tires for mowing.

Second choice would be 16 inch rims with implement tires.

Third choice would be 19 inch rims with motorcycle tires.

Last choice would be either size with ribbed tires.

 

[R Geiger]

I have two 8n's both with 16" tires. When I got them they both had car tires on them. the one with the loader I put on implement tires and they work great. The other one without aloader I put three rib tires on it, I use it for mowing and blade work. They also work great. The implement tires do made it steer harder when I have the loader off over the tri rib ones. If I was running a finish mower, I might use something different all the way around.

 

[Paul in MN]

The rib tires can really tear up grassy ground, especially when turning, and they are poor for road travel. Some of the rib tires have a single rib, which may have worked well when the 2N was used for plowing, but not for much else. For the use you have described, I think JimWI has given a great answer. The skinnier the tire, the easier the steering wheel turns, but the more damage to the ground. If you do any roading, the skinny tires will begin the shimmy motion much sooner than the wider tires. I service one 8N that has the 19" 3 rib skinny tires and they wear out very fast. Maybe a Firestone tire of that 4 x 19" size will run longer, but the cheaper brands (@~$80) each only last him about 2 years (lots of road travel). On my 2 8Ns, I run 15" or 16" car and trailer tires, and they last forever and come for free.

Paul in MN

 

[Colin King]

The 19" tires make steering easier, but they dig in, as Jim mentions. I would not use 19" rims and tires on a mowing tractor.

Colin

 

[Royse]

Assuming 3 rib tires, the skinny 19's steer easier on hard surfaces.
The 16's steer better in soft soil and don't sink in as bad.
The car tires would probably do less damage to your yard than
the other two when turning corners as they would slip a bit easier.

For blading, you may need to brake steer to help the car tires, IF
you have to make any really sharp turns. Not usually an issue.
Might be here in Michigan snow, but in AZ? Probably not a big deal.

 

[hd6gtom]

When I owned the tire business we scrapped a whole lot of 19" rims. Guys went with 5:50x16 tires and rims.

 

[Richard from SE AZ]

Thank you all for the good information. I think I will stay with the car tires. Maybe I will look into 16" implement tires also and try those. I can always sell them if I don't like them or don't work well for me.

 

[Ultradog MN]

For a mowing tractor I would also use the car tires but car tires will still scuff a bit.
What I have found is adding front ballast will eliminate some of the scuffing too. I run car tires on my mowing tractor. Since I added 160 lbs of weight on my front bumper I get less scuff than I did without the extra weight.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

The original N-Series front tires were 4 x 19 single ribbed 4-ply set at 28 PSI on 3 x 19 rims. Why the single rib? I think it was because they didn't really know, and since most previous tractor models (i.e. Fordson) used steel single track fronts, that is how they designed them. Plowing with them helped ride furrows better I think. I've used those, 3-ribbed Firestone fronts, 6.5o x 16 Guide Grip, and car tires (hated those) for plowing, and the single ribbed won out. There was a 5-hole pattern 16" front wheel option offered for the 9N/2N tractors too. Often see them on fleabay, CL, and ADS forum here. 16" size was recommended for use with FEL to give greater stability. I don't have a FEL but have Firestone 6.00 x 16 Guide Grip fronts on my 8N for my work tires. They have the two piece wheel weights added too and major usage is mowing, discing, cultivating, back blading, and general lifting chores with boom. I mowed 5 acres of cow grass with a WOODS 660 mower but not too concerned with looks. Scalloping was done by the mower on turns, not from wrong tires. The fix was adding stabilizer bars to mower. When I take my 8N to shows, I get her all gussied up in her original clothes.

1948 FORD 8N RESTORED:

SAME DRESSED IN WORK CLOTHES:

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

 

[kylemorley]

I use used 16"x6" Harley rear motorcycle. Most Harley shops will be happy to give you a couple. Or a couple dozen! They seem to steer just fine too.