front tires for deere 4300

[defed]

the front tires on my deere 4300 are in bad shape. they are 25x8.50-14 r4, i believe 6 ply (i will have to double check). i was looking at 10 ply r4 as replacement for increased puncture resistance in thorns and such. part of the reason the current ones are bad is the sidewalls are cracking/splitting because they go flat in cold weather from thorn punctures. my plugs must shrink more in the cold and slowly leak (they are fine in summer).

are all r4 tires the same? someone mentioned to me that they thought skid steers had a different type of rim so the bead on the tire was somehow different. i can't find anything like this in searches. i do see some tires listed as 'skid steer' or 'skid power' but can't tell if they are in any way different. do i need to get a certain kind of tire or will pretty much any 25-8.50x14 work?

thanks!

 

[dfkrug]

the front tires on my deere 4300 are in bad shape. they are 25x8.50-14 r4, i believe 6 ply (i will have to double check).

I use that size on my 20yo Kioti, and I am considering new ones, too. They are original, with nearly 1150 hours on them. Tread is down by half, and traction is suffering. Never had a puncture.

As for what to buy, I saw them for $105 each on eBay, shipped, but before sales tax.

Years ago, I bought some for a 4300 I was restoring, but don't recall particulars.

 

[defed]

I use that size on my 20yo Kioti, and I am considering new ones, too. They are original, with nearly 1150 hours on them. Tread is down by half, and traction is suffering. Never had a puncture.

As for what to buy, I saw them for $105 each on eBay, shipped, but before sales tax.

Years ago, I bought some for a 4300 I was restoring, but don't recall particulars.

i was surprised, i thought they would be like $300 each now. i have seen them under $100 for 6 ply and around $110-$120 for 10 ply. mine has 1600 hrs, the tread is fine, just the sidewalls are failing. one is starting to bulge through a crack, so i figure i better get them.

i just wanted to be sure that the ones i've been looking at are the right ones and that if i got some heavy duty industrial that they weren't somehow not going to work for some reason. the loadmaxx seem to be budget friendly.

 

[dfkrug]

These are BKT brand, from Preston's tire in NE. I have never heard of the brand.

I imagine that these tires last a Long Time if kept off pavement and in 2WD. 1600 hrs is great. I mounted my own, but these tires are STIFF.

"14 BKT Skid Power Skid Steer R4 6 ply Tubeless 25x8.50-14"

 

[defed]

These are BKT brand, from Preston's tire in NE. I have never heard of the brand.

I imagine that these tires last a Long Time if kept off pavement and in 2WD. 1600 hrs is great. I mounted my own, but these tires are STIFF.

"14 BKT Skid Power Skid Steer R4 6 ply Tubeless 25x8.50-14"

those are some of the ones i was looking at, but are only 6 ply - and also where i got to wondering if 'skid steer' tires were in fact somehow different as someone told me they thought they might be. do i need 10 ply? probably not, but for $10 more, why not? the old 6 ply did get thorns through them. i figured i was going to take them to the tire place. i doubt my changer has the power to do it and even the guy that does my inspection didn't know if his would - wouldn't know until he tried and found out how stiff they were! heck, the 10 ply might not even 'go flat' if they get a hole.

for $110, i wasn't too concerned about the brand. i imagine they should be plenty good enough for the use i put them through - mostly finish mowing and brush hogging.

 

[dfkrug]

I got them on using my modified HF manual tire mounter, which is mounted to the forks of my tractor. The JD wheels did not have bead-retention lips that ATV and some car tires have.

ATVs are the hardest to do. Need a special tool for those.

 

[oldnslo]

Skid steer tires might have a different style side wall in the bead area to reduce flexing while skid turning and protect lip on the rim.

 

[greenie]

Front tires under a loaded FEL bucket take a beating with the weight and the turning I'd recommend the 10 ply and compare the tire load rating - they vary.

 

[defed]

Front tires under a loaded FEL bucket take a beating with the weight and the turning I'd recommend the 10 ply and compare the tire load rating - they vary.

interestingly, i can't find an actual load capacity on the 10 ply. all the tire places just list the 'load range' as 10 ply (or 6 ply etc), even for name brands like carlisle. edit: for some brands they do show a 'load index'. amazon shows both a ply rating and load capacity for some of the name brands tires.

the 4300 doesn't have a very high front loader capacity, less than 2000 lbs.

 

[dfkrug]

the 4300 doesn't have a very high front loader capacity, less than 2000 lbs.

The OEM R4s on my Kioti handle 40 psi, and a load cap of something like 2000 lbs each. But I also have 1500# of counter-weight.

My loader is only rated at about 1150#, but that's at full height. I can lift a full ton a few inches off the ground, and do so regularly. The JD 420 or 430 loaders have decent load caps, too.