Tires 101

[andy_jordan]

Sorry if these are dumb questions guys, but.....

My 1981 7245 is badly in need of a new set of tires - the originals are still on the tractor. I am trying to find appropriate tires, but need help in a couple of areas.

1) Does anyone know if the original (Barum) tires are tubed or tubeless - there isn't any identification on the sidewall (as far s I can tell) and the only way I can think of to find out is to either take the tire off or remove the valve (fine if there is no tube - less fun if there is because of getting the valve back in to the tube).

2) If they are tubed, can I put tubeless tires on the same wheels or will I need to put new wheels on? I vaguely remember something about needing continuous weld wheels for tubeless.

3) The rear tires are 16.9/30 on 14 inch wide rims, but the only tires of that size that I can find here (Canada) are designed for 15 inch wide rims. Does anyone know if I can get 14 inch tires, or what will happen if I put the 15s on. I can see putting the tires on wider rims - it will just create a flatter, squarer profile, but it doesn't strike me as a very good idea to put them on narrower rims because the bead won't seat properly on the wheels.

Anyone with any experience of this or am I just looking at a new set of wheels as well??

Thanks,

Andy

 

[alan]

1. The original Barum tyres are of the tubed type
2. The wheels are only suitable for tubeless tyres with a tube fitted. Yes you can fit new tubless tyres on the original rims using the old tubes.
3. 16.9 x 30 tyres can be fitted to 14" or 15" rims

 

[4wd]

You'll be Ok with those tyres - re-using the old tubes should be OK since the main way rubber degrades is from sunlight damage.
However if you find a lot of repairs it might be worth getting new ones - in my experience rear wheel tyres don't puncture much, but front ones do!

I would say very few tractors have tubeless tyres fitted, in fact probably none.
Since you'll be using a tube the initial seating of the bead will not be so crucial.

It's not as if you were cruising down the highway at 60 in it

 

[tony_adrian]

Sure wish I could find a replacement Barum front tire for my 3320.

My left front tire went bad after a chunk was torn out of the sidewall from a piece of iron hidden in the grass. I replaced it with a 6-ply tractor tire. The first time I filled the front end loader with half a load of gravel the new tire exploded thru the sidewall. Perhaps the blown replacement tire was defective but after replacing the blown tire and looking closely - it is easy to see it is not as sturdy as the original Barum tire. From now on everytime I use the front end loader the fear of another blow out looms large. I need to have another replacement ready.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Tony

 

[andy_jordan]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies.

Tony, a neighbour of mine does a lot of loader work, albeit with a MF rather than a Zetor . He swears by Firestone tires on the front. He has never had any problems with them and gives the loader a decent work out - a lot of sand and gravel as well as using the loader to clear snow in the winter. His fronts are the same as on my 7245 - 11.2/24 - just air filled.

Andy

 

[treaney]

Tony,

Barum (Czech company) are part of the Continental (German) group so if you can find a tire place that handles Continental they should be able to source one for you.

There is a dealer locator at http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/barum/automobile/general/home/index_en.html
but this only seems to cover Germany and the UK.

In Ireland, Barum would not have the same brand image with Farmers as Michelin, Goodyear, Firestone or Dunlop. However, I remember a previous post here on Zetorworld where Barum tires were highly praised by Forestry guiys - and Forest conditions are tough!

Tom

 

[Renze]

the 16.9-34 Barum tires we put under our 6718 give good traction, are puncture resistant but are very bumpy on the road... i suppose puncture resistance and bumpy-ness go hand in hand for most tires...

Hey but did you compare the ply rating of the exploded tire and the Barum tire ? You can get tires in ply ratings of 4 (only suitable for low inflation) to 12 ply (hard inflated loader tires) and the ex Dakota air plane tires under our old 5500 liter 1976 Schuitemaker manure tanker were 16 ply.

I suppose the ply rating was too low in relation to the inflated pressure, on that tire that exploded.

 

[tony_adrian]

Hey Again,

The exploded tire was 6 ply just like the Barum. I think
I need an 8 or 12 ply regular tire to hold up like a 6 ply Barum.

Tony

 

[andy_jordan]

Just an update, I got my new tires - 8 ply Matis (also Czech). Did some work with the loader this weekend as well as spending some time in the bush hauling trees out.

Obviously far too early to tell about durability, but they seem like good sturdy boots. Total cost with tubes and installed on site was around C$700 for the pair - about 470 Euros.

I solved the rear tire problems much easier - set of chains from an auction for C$50