I Put Backhoe Tires on my Tractor and Drove it to the Tire Store, Dumb Move?

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My tractor needed new tires so I went to the local tire dealer to see what they had. They had an off-brand 4 ply tractor tire for $525@, or a name brand (Firestone) 8 ply for $800. I didn't like either of those two choices. My salesman saw that neither of his proposals was getting me excited when he came up with another idea...a backhoe tire with 12 ply for $625 each. That's what I went with.

The tractor in question is a Massey 362 2wd that was my dad's. He owned and operated an apple orchard and when he past away in 2007, I inherited the tractor. I really like it because it sits low to the ground and is stable on hills. I can pull an 8' bush hog with it. If it was hydrostatic drive I'd sell my other tractor and use it all the time. Hydro's have spoiled me.

This summer, the rear tire on the left side, started losing air. It was badly weather cracked, and I knew my days of patching it and getting by were numbered. When it quit holding air I decided it was time for a change. The problem was, I have no way to haul it. In order to get it to the tire store, I'd have to pay someone to come get it and take it there and then pay them again to bring it back, or...

The local tire store is 2.1 miles away, so I could drive it up there. Half of that distance is a county road, but the rest is past a Super WalMart, Lowe's, Arby's, Wendy's, etc., a heavily travelled area. I headed out on a Sunday morning, hoping to avoid a lot of traffic, but we're at the time of year in the Ozarks when tourism is in full swing. Leaves are turning and a lot of people are in the area to see the fall colors. There was more traffic than I had hoped there would be.

Questions for you...was I dumb to put backhoe tires on my tractor and should I have "roaded" it to the tire store? I'm sure I'll get some opinions, please put in the comments below.

In the end, I'm very happy with my new tires and am considering getting a 12' batwing cutter to go on the back of the tractor now that I'm not afraid to use it. It's really the perfect tractor for hills, I just wish it was hydrostatic drive.

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I never thought about removing the slow moving vehicle placard when hauling a tractor on a trailer. Thanks for mentioning that.

j.cunningham
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Haven't been to the Royal Winter Fair since my FIL passed 20 yrs ago. He used to show Simmental cattle there. But I need some grease tubes anyway for the Lube Shuttle I bought from you 2 yrs ago. There's an excuse to drive the hour to revisit the Royal & say Hi. Hopefully Lube Shuttle is going to set up a Canadian distributor of their products (maybe they already have- we talked about that when I ordered mine); maybe I'll see you next week.

barrywiseman
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I caught the absent placard immediately. I think the 12ply was the best choice to make on a low use tractor.

badgerlandturf
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I drove 25 miles to my tire store with a Flat I had to keep airing up
Your tire choice is awesome I think. Wish I had them

cliffbennett
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The tires look good. Didn’t know there was a “backhoe” R4 tread. It is different than traditional R4 tread. Looks like it has a little more of an AG influence in the tread. I think it was a wise choice considering your tractor is used as a utility tractor. Would like to hear your assessment of them as you tackle different projects, including snow performance this winter.
Good reminder of the SMV usage!

lcee
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Is very hard to me to learn something new.i buy a used tractor mitsubishi mt 286 3month ago and I don't have someone to teach me how it's work or how to engage different things. You are a GREAT PERSON and easy to listen I enjoy your videos.

ΚΩΣΤΑΣΠΑΠΑΤΡΕΧΑΣ
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Yep, sometimes we all do those "Dumb Things" when we get into a hurry & our minds are distracted. I'd say you made a good choice on the tractor tires considering what you plan to use the tractor for & so on. Thanks for sharing with us. Take care.

crslyrn
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Just proves your human Mike! Keep on trucking!♡

Ok-Mardy
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Hi Mike,
The SMV sign should be on all the time. I always have mine in place as i never know when I might be on the road. When the tractor is on a trailer, it shouldn't matter if it is still on the tractor unless it will blow off. Lots of tractors and implements have SMV signs that are actually decals instead of a removable sign.

Unless you are tilling with your tractor where you need a deep lug tire, the tires that you chose are the same as I would have chosen. I think you made the wise choice.

tomoaktree
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You did good on the tires. And guys "road" their tractors all the time around here. Some have more than one field they work that aren't connected so it's a must. And yea, I noticed the missing SMV right away.

georgesimpson
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Although you forgot the triangle, all of your lights were flashing. Also, you had an additional high mounted flashing light to help alert traffic of your presence.

As for your decision, I can't think of any downside to having all that extra strength in those additional plies. In my humble opinion you made the best possible decision. Those tires should last til your grandkids inherent that workhorse tractor.

richardalesi
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Great job and savings. Looks good. I have a smilar issue with a trailer. I noticed on my tilt trailer which I may use 2 to 3 times a year that the tires are dry rotted and big cracks. Just to add Mike it is also illegal to take those signs and use them on post or put them on a stake next to your driveway entrance as a reflector. Best thing is to check in your state's DMV local office.

KrazyKajun
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In our ag community we frequently have tractors and various types of farm/construction equipment on the roads. Most display the SMV sign and some don't. I spoke with our local county sheriff about SMV signs a couple of years ago. He chuckled about it and replied "Well, we live in a farm community. And if a person is driving down one of our local roads and sees a great big green, red, orange or blue thing in the road and he can't figure out that it's farm equipment and its going to be moving slow then the little orange triangle is the least of our worries." There's that common sense thing again. Wish there was more of that in our governments.

bobwollard
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Good looking tires…as far as roading tractor with bad tire been there done that more than once ..70 years young raised on a farm been driving tractors since age of 9 ..so could write a book on dumb what not to do stuff…enjoy your channel

jimmie
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I too took off down the road without having the SMV in place. Fortunately I remembered 1/4 mile down the road. Now I keep it behind the seat whenever it's not hooked up.
I like the tires and road my tractor for service, or to get the windows tinted.

justindavis
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For what you are using the tractor for, I believe you made the right choice. I noticed the missing SMV sign as soon as you backed out of the garage. Interesting story, years ago I sold a piece of farm equipment that I agreed to deliver about 10 miles away. This was a large piece of equipment that I hooked up to my 150 hp John Deere tractor. I made the delivery with no problems and headed back home. On the way home, the State Patrol and the County Sheriff had set up a "safety check" where all vehicles were stopped. Drivers had to show drivers license, registration, insurance card. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals were also checked. I pulled up in my John Deere, expecting to get waved on through, but NO. I was checked along with the other motorists, except the only thing that they checked was for the SMV sign. My SMV was on correctly and I was allowed to proceed. If I didn't have the SMV, I would have received a ticket.

mikewatson
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Good move on tires, and driving. You had a flashing light. We're not perfect. You are good!! 🤗

donniesims
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Smart move Mike getting the 12 ply backhoe tires, I'd a done the same thing, enjoy your videos

davidhaskins
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Mike I think you made a good choice on tires. I would have done the same thing. As far as how far you went with the tractor. I just drove a 8520( I think that's the number of it) JD with a 10' bushog about 40 miles Taking it from our plant to our Sister plant. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make that run. I stayed mostly to back roads but like you the last 5 miles was.on a 4 lane highway. I will say I made it with no issues but I don't care to repeat it. We had borrowed this tractor the month before to cut under our powerlines and I picked it up and then brought it back. I hope we buy our own for next year's cutting.

jeffloveless
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Great video. Everyone gets to learn from your mistake and also offer an opinion without costing a red cent. Can't beat that Mike. 😀

hankfrankly