Hi Scrub, Depending on the size, you may be surprised to find you don't really have much of a choice. =) Radial is a good choice, unless its for an old tractor (may not have a radial in some of the antique sizes) or if you really want to keep the cost down as much as possible. Radials have that 'footprint' that gives better floatation and a smoother ride on the road (most of the time). If your tractor sits around a while, has several rear wheel weights, or is parked with an implement that is heavy on the tongue, the radials tend to get a flat spot that will go away after you drive around a little bit. In my experience, if a bias tire gets a flat spot from sitting around, it takes a while to run it smooth again. Just an observation. For brands, Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich and Titan all seem pretty good. Titan hasn't been in the ag tire business for very long (about ten years), but seems to make good tires with prices lower than some of the other 'name' brands. I'm not sure about Michelin. We have some Michelin Agribib tires on the front of our 4850 that are less than two seasons old, and are showing quite a bit of stubble damage. On the back of that same tractor are four Goodyear Dyna-Torque radials that are at least 15 years old, and are only scuffed a bit. Our 4955 has Titan tires on the back, and Kleber tires on the front. Those tires have all been really good. Our other tractors have either Goodyear Dyna-Torque radials Goodyear DT-710 radials on the rear. We've had no problems with those. The DT-710 seems to have better traction laterally and in reverse than the Dyna-Torque, and is really smooth on the road. I don't think Goodyear makes the DT-710 anymore, but they have one called the Versatorque that appears to be the updated version. Unfortunately, it appears to be limited to just a couple sizes. I'm going to be shopping for new 18.4x28 rear tires for an old tractor I'm working on, and the tire dealer told me they only had Titan and Firestone in that size. The Firestone is one of their 'economy' bias tires, the Titan is one of their 'better' bias tires. Still, the Titan tire was quoted at about $80 less than the Firestone. I'll be getting the Titans when I'm ready to put tires on it. Other related news - Titan has a bias tire they're making in antique sizes, specifically for the old 36" wheels. I'm sure that'll make a lot of restorers happy.
|