tire width for a 4500# Ford

[PatsPOS]

Howdy, gang. Been lurking in this section of the board for a few weeks just reading, and I reckon it's finally time for me to ask a question. I have a '63 Ford 4000 that I pull with in the 4500# class...the tractor is a light-duty industrial (but NO ONE has said a word about it not being an ag tractor) and has 14.9 x 24 rear Goodyears, loaded, that are about 30% worn. Depending on the track conditions, I've pulled anywhere between 60' and 200'...which usually means I'm last or next to last in the class. I haven't noticed much difference in changing the tire pressure, although I've had it as low as 5 lbs with what seemed like a MINIMAL improvement. I think my problem is too much floatation in a light weight category...wide tires, not much weight.

So I have two options. Option #1 is taking the wheels and tires off my dad's 8N. They're 11.2 x 28, loaded, and probably don't have 100 hours on 'em. I'm kinda thinking that those tires might be TOO narrow.

But, as luck would have it, I also have access to a pair of 12.4 x 28s on a 9N we have (I'd just have to put the 9N rims on the 8N discs). These tires appear to be new, as you can still read the tire size on the cleats. I don't know if they're loaded or not, but there's 400 lbs of iron weights on each wheel, so I'm thinking that if the tires are empty, I could fill them with washer fluid (NOT a fan of CaCl!) and use the weights to get to 4500#.

My big question is: which option sounds better...11.2 or 12.4? Or would I be better off sticking with the 14.9 x 24s and coming in dead last at every pull?

Thanks for the help...
Pat

 

[Rob Mo.]

Hey there. Lets talk tires. You are running a 14.9x24 (I believe you mean a 28). Thats what I run on my 960 Ford & I do pretty well, always up there w/ the top runners. What makes a tire good is several things: 1. Thread height, 2. it's ability to flex (hard/soft) 3. thread pattern. Thread height is very important. I have had a new set of 13.6x28's on mine & all it did was spin out, that obviously wasn't the answer. What I run are 14.9x28's that are now about 30%, they are a match thread pattern also. Depending on the track is what I run as far as air pressure is concerned (between 6-9psi).

Now with your 2000, you should have a 172ci. w/ a 4-speed behind it. The tranny may as well had come out of a 8N. The best and only gear you can use is 1st (I'm sure that is what you are using). W/ weights, they don't need to be just in one spot. They need to be placed where the tractor is the lightest. If you spin out more to the back, front end comes up go to the front. This takes a couple hooks to read the track & understand what you tractor is going to do. Fluid weight in the tires does you no good, cause it is in contact with the ground.

Thats my opinion, hope this helps. Good Luck

 

[PatsPOS]

Thanks for the reply, Rob. Guess there were a couple things I shoulda mentioned in my original post. First, the tires ARE on 24" rims...like I said, it's a light-duty industrial, not an ag tractor. Having said that, my dad tells me the sidewalls don't wrinkle at all...I'd think with that much sidewall, they'd be wrinkling like crazy. Unless, that is, I'm still running too much air pressure. Kinda afraid to go below 5 PSI, though.

You were right about my having the 172 C.I. engine; however, I have a Select-o-Speed tranny. I've found 5th gear to be about the best...the first four gears are S-L-O-W! I've tried shifting 6th-5th-4th in the past, but that seems to do less good than just keeping it in 5th. There's a big gap between 4th and 5th, so that when I downshift, I lose virtually all of my forward momentum.

Another thing I meant to mention is that all the tires I mentioned in the first post are short/long bar.

I'm having a hard time understanding why fluid wouldn't help. It would seem to me that it wouldn't matter where the weight on the back half of the tractor is located, as long as it's pushing the tires harder into the dirt. I've seen lots of guys put rear wheel weights on when they run in more than one class...doesn't that have the same effect as fluid? Kinda like putting a 5-gallon bucket of water on your shoe as compared to balancing that bucket on a 2x4 four feet above your shoe...doesn't matter how high the bucket is, it's still pushing your foot into the ground!

Well, I've been known to be wrong a time or two before! I'm just trying to get some tips on how I can become a little more competitive. I sure ain't lacking in the horsepower department; just trying to get that power into the track!

Thanks for the help...
Pat

 

[Rob Mo.]

Hey Pat
The rim size just didn"t seem right to me, but the additional info made sense. My thought is that you need a different tire, preferly a long bar/long bar, not sure whether a narrow or wide bar will do you much difference. I have habe running my 960 with a wide bar & now trying a narrow bar, just to see how much & gain or loose. Just keep trying, eventually you will figure it all out.

Sorry, but I am completely lost with the SOS, never drove one or seen one for that matter. I haven"t heard a good thing about them to be honest with you. Really don"t know what to tell you bout that.

As for the fluid in the tires, if you search more into this site, I remember reading a post that best explains why fluid won"t do you much good when pulling. I don"t recall what it said, but it did make sense. Good Luck to you