TIRES

[Paul Douglass]

I need to get tires for my 1956 Ford 851. The rear tires on it show 13 - 28 in big letters. Under that is 11.25 - 28 in smaller letters. What does this mean? what size do I go by?

 

[Anonymous-0]

The 13-28 means the size The 11.25 means the reccomended rim size for that tire. You want to go by the top number. But that is the old tire size the new size will be 13.6 x 28

 

[John (TR)]

Heres a 11.2-28, 12.4-28, and a 13.6-28 side by side by side

 

[Mathias NY]

I believe 14.9 is the new tire size for the old 13.

The website below has a pretty good description of tire and rim sizes. Click on the link for FAQs.
Miller Tire Website

 

[Paul Douglass]

WOW! looks like the new sizing would convert to something like 420/85R28. Nothing confusing about all this! Sad part is the tires will cost more than the tractor is probably worth.

Thanks for all the info.. I have to ask, I hte pictures posted above, will all three of those tires fit on the same size rim? Looks like the same diameter hole.

 

[Mathias NY]

I am a little confused. The numbers you read off your tire were 13-28 and 11.25-28. The first number indicates the width of the tire according the standards in place at the time of manufacture. Going by the chart on the Miller Tire website: 11.25 is the width of generation I tires, 13 is the width of a generation II tire, and 14.9 is the width of the generation III tires. All of these tire are the 'same' size, they were just made under different standards. I'm not sure where you pulled 420/85R28 from...

So the modern tire size for your tractor is 14.9-28. They will probably cost $250-$350 each depending on brand and ply rating. I recommend a 6 ply rating if you are going to do any kind of work with the tractor. 4 ply will be fine for a parade tractor. I also recommend new inner tubes also, they run about $50 each. Good luck.

 

[Paul Douglass]

I got the new size off of a website. I did a search for 14.9-28 tractor tires. One of the sites that came up had a table showing their sizes for related sizes like the 14.9, 13.6 etc., and that is what they said to order for the 14.9. Maybe it was their comparative sizes for their brand.

I live in an area that has lots of pretty big farms. I will just have to go to a tire store that handles farm tires and see what thay have and recommend. I only have 5 acres and mostly only use the tractor for mowing weeds with a brush hog.

 

[Joe(TX)]

The correct size tire for your tractor is 13.6.

 

[Mathias NY]

A 4ply tire with a tube will probably be fine for you. The higher the ply rating the tougher the tire is, meaning more puncture resistant and stiffer sidewall. If you did a lot of driving over rocks or brush the 6 ply would be a better choice.

You never mentioned why you needed to change tires. If the tire has good tread and isn't too badly cracked a new tube might be all you need to get back underway.

 

[Paul Douglass]

My tires a real worn. Sidewalls cracked. I also have some leaks in the rims that I want to get welded.

 

[RodinNS]

420/85R28 is a metric radial, and probably worth somewhere in the 700 buck range, and probably more....

If you had 13-28's originally, then I believe that will change to a 13.6x28 in the newer numbering system.
The simple solution to this is to measure the rims you have, inside bead to inside bead. You've probably got 12" rims. You can put a 12.4x28 or a 13.6x28 on that wheel. A 14.9x28 is getting wide, and a 420/85R28 would probably not fit up properly.
Look into a Primex/Galaxy or Firestone Field & Road tire for what you want.
Personally, I do run the radials on my tractors in that size range, but I'm running tires off on asphalt, accumulating ~300 hours a year, and I want the value from the radial tire. It's not likely to pay you if you have tires still on there marked as 13-28......
I would attempt to get at least a 6 ply tire though.

Rod

 

[Paul Douglass]

I just contacted Tucker Tires in Tenn. They sell a lot on E-bay. The gentleman says 13.6 will fit but will be 2 inches shorter than a 14.9 wich is the correct size to replace the old 13. Has anyone dealt with them before/ If so, do you recommend them? Looks like it would cost me around $800 for 2 tires and tubes