road travel and tire wear

[daTeacha]

I have a DX-29 with R1s. I'm on the advisory committee of a new hunting/hiking park taking shape about 3 1/2 miles away. Part of the park is 3 spring fed ponds that will serve as kind of the center for the non-hunting uses like hiking, birding, etc. There is some ground around the ponds that I get to keep mowed as part of the fun of being on the board. I trucked the Cadet over there and mowed it, spending about 2 1/2 hours cutting the grass. It would be more fun and less mowing time if I cut it with the bush hog and trimmed it later with the Cadet.

My question is this -- how much wear will I put on my tires driving 7 miles on chip and seal? Aside from making sure to run in 2wd, any advice about tire pressures for road use? I run about 9 lbs in unloaded tires around my place. I have 130 lb on each rear wheel. Would you recommend taking the weights off? I'll probably take the bucket off but leave the loader frame on, but do you think I should take the whole loader off? The ground is pretty flat compared to my place but not level.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I have a DX-29 with R1s. I'm on the advisory committee of a new hunting/hiking park taking shape about 3 1/2 miles away. Part of the park is 3 spring fed ponds that will serve as kind of the center for the non-hunting uses like hiking, birding, etc. There is some ground around the ponds that I get to keep mowed as part of the fun of being on the board. I trucked the Cadet over there and mowed it, spending about 2 1/2 hours cutting the grass. It would be more fun and less mowing time if I cut it with the bush hog and trimmed it later with the Cadet.

My question is this -- how much wear will I put on my tires driving 7 miles on chip and seal? Aside from making sure to run in 2wd, any advice about tire pressures for road use? I run about 9 lbs in unloaded tires around my place. I have 130 lb on each rear wheel. Would you recommend taking the weights off? I'll probably take the bucket off but leave the loader frame on, but do you think I should take the whole loader off? The ground is pretty flat compared to my place but not level.

No two brands wear the same on pavement. Some do remarkably well, and others seem to wear down in no time. My Deere has GoodYear DynaTorque II's that wear quick. The Armstrongs on my Massey wear like iron.

All in all, a 14 mile round trip shouldn't wear a tire noticably in even a few trips. If it were me, I'd not remove the weights, stick with the tire pressure you normallt use, and hit the highway!

 

[hazmat]

I'd be more concerned with getting clipped by traffic than the tire wear. Pay attention & let traffic pass when you can.

 

[daTeacha]

Not much in the way of traffic to worry about. If it's busy I might encounter 2 or 3 licensed vehicles on the way over and back. Still, I will have the SMV triangle on the tractor, another on the hog, the headlights on, the flashers flashing, and so on.

 

[firemanpat2910]

Farmwithjunk must be planning on going home for lunch then comming back Your tires wont get worn as fast if you pack a cooler and take your lunch with you!!!
Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[Glowplug]

All in all, a 14 mile round trip shouldn't wear a tire noticably. . .

I think he was counting on forgetting something. Either that, or running home to fill back up with gas. Maybe he means 7 miles for the front and 7 miles for the rear tires! Sorry, you got me going Pat.

 

[ustobefarmer]

I would think that on chip and seal you would not see any wear on your tires. I used to travel 10 miles between farms on all concert highway. You could see some darkning on the lugs from one trip, but I traveled this road for 12 years and never had a set of tires go bad. I was using a larger tractors that weight about 12k lbs. So I wouldn't be concerned about the wheel weights.

 

[RoyJackson]

I have a DX-29 with R1s. I'm on the advisory committee of a new hunting/hiking park taking shape about 3 1/2 miles away. Part of the park is 3 spring fed ponds that will serve as kind of the center for the non-hunting uses like hiking, birding, etc. There is some ground around the ponds that I get to keep mowed as part of the fun of being on the board. I trucked the Cadet over there and mowed it, spending about 2 1/2 hours cutting the grass. It would be more fun and less mowing time if I cut it with the bush hog and trimmed it later with the Cadet.

My question is this -- how much wear will I put on my tires driving 7 miles on chip and seal? Aside from making sure to run in 2wd, any advice about tire pressures for road use? I run about 9 lbs in unloaded tires around my place. I have 130 lb on each rear wheel. Would you recommend taking the weights off? I'll probably take the bucket off but leave the loader frame on, but do you think I should take the whole loader off? The ground is pretty flat compared to my place but not level.

If you're going to do this...do it for the enjoyment. Once you factor in the drive time, I doubt if you save too much time using the brush cutter and tractor, especially since you'll have to do close work with your Cadet. Might be a tax deductable thing too. Also, you might want to check your insurance coverage or the township's coverage (who owns the park?)
Personally, I'd still do it!

I don't run my 790 on the road except to get to a field which is, at most, a couple hundred yards. Even with off road use, I do see a fair amount of wear in my tires (about 150 hours on the 790). My guess would be 10%-15%. These are Titans, BTW.
You'll know pretty quick if the pavement is wearing out your tires...within 2 or 3 trips.

Be careful on those road runs! If you can get an escort vehicle behind you, that would be great!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Farmwithjunk must be planning on going home for lunch then comming back Your tires wont get worn as fast if you pack a cooler and take your lunch with you!!!
Sorry I couldn't resist.

Ah, getting old...... I coulda sworn I read SEVEN miles each way. Oh well.

OK, 3-1/2 miles, 2 tires, round trip = 14 tire miles.

Well, 3-1/2 miles won't hardy wear a tire at all. (even if I do go home for lunch)

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I think he was counting on forgetting something. Either that, or running home to fill back up with gas. Maybe he means 7 miles for the front and 7 miles for the rear tires! Sorry, you got me going Pat.

GAS? in a diesel tractor? Tires would be the LEAST of my concerns.

I've been on 2 "road rides" for antique/classic tractors. One was over 100 miles over 2 days. Nearly all paved roads. No noticably tire wear.