It might seem like a strange question initially, but the weight of tractor tires is something that a lot of people wonder about.
Compared to the small tires we see in our vehicles, tractors have huge tires so it’s unsurprising that you might find yourself asking ‘how much do they weigh?’ In fact, it’s not really a strange question at all.
The weight of tractor tires is something that is important to both farmers and tractor owners, as well as athletes and weightlifters.
As well as their traditional use, tractor tires are often used for athletic purposes for a variety of sports activities, and also weight lifting.
So how much exactly does a tractor tire weigh? If you’re curious, read on and we’ll tell you all about these tires.
What is a tractor tire?
Before we go any further, it’s important that we first establish what a tractor tire is. This might seem like a fairly obvious question, the answer is in the name as tractor tires are the tires that are fitted to tractors to allow them to move.
This is a simple answer, but tractor tires are actually a lot more complex than this.
While all tractor tires are designed for use on tractors, they do come in different shapes and sizes which will be better suited for different types of tractors.
Just like regular tires that we use on our cars, tractor tires are constructed with a mixture of different rubber types with wire, fabric, and a mixture of other chemicals. The major difference between tires for a regular car and tires for a tractor is their sheer size.
The weight of the tires aside, tractor tires are massive and there’s a good reason for this. Due to the size of the tractors themselves, and the jobs that tractors are used for, the tires have to be big to match. Larger tires provide the tractor with a better grip as they can bite into the ground that they are covering.
Similarly, the large size of tractor tires provides them a larger surface area, giving better traction which allows the tractor to operate in a variety of different weather conditions. But the size of the tires isn’t what we’re looking at today, so it’s time that we move onto their weight.
How much does a tractor tire weigh?
As disappointing an answer this is, there is no uniform weight for a tractor tire. As we’ve already mentioned, tractor tires are available in a range of sizes and weights that are designed for different tractor types.
Surprisingly some tractor tires are lightweight, while some are incredibly heavy. There are 4 different sizes of tractor tire ranging from small through to extra large.
All of these tire types have different weights, but if you’re looking for a broad answer, the average tractor tire will weigh between 400 and 600 pounds.
But to find out more, let’s take a closer look at these different tire types. First looking at the small tractor tires. These are the smallest size of tractor tires available and usually weigh roughly 300 pounds and measure approximately 17.5 by 25 feet.
Despite these being the smallest size of tire available, don’t let their size mislead you, these tires are still very heavy. The average car tire weighs no more than 25 pounds, meaning that even the smallest of tractor tires weighs 12 times the amount of the tires we use on our cars.
The next size of the tractor tire is the medium tires. These tires are not that much bigger than the small tractor tires, usually weighing roughly 400 pounds and measuring 20.5 by 25 feet. There is not that much of a difference between small and medium tires, but you will have to buy the one that is more appropriate for your vehicle.
Sizing up from the medium tires, we come to the large tires. These tires are probably the most common size for tractors and usually measure approximately 23.5 by 25 feet, weighing between 400 and 800 pounds per tire.
As this is quite a broad weight range, it is worth noting that this range exists due to wear patterns and the use of metal within different tire manufacturers.
Finally, we come to the extra-large tires. These are by far the heaviest tires available for tractors, weighing upwards of 1,000 pounds per tire.
The use of these tires makes the load of the tractor incredibly heavy, weighing over 4,000 pounds without the body of the tractor itself included. These massive tires usually measure upwards of 26.5 by 25 feet making these the largest tires available.
How do I measure the weight of my tractor tires?
Now that we’ve established the different sizes of tractor tires, you may be wondering how you can measure the weight of the tires on your tractor.
Due to their huge size, you cannot simply place the tires on a weighing scale, so how can you weigh your tires?
The process of weighing tractor tires is actually pretty simple. You might put off the idea of weighing your tires because of the thought of lifting them, but there’s no need to do this.
To identify the weight of your tire, you first need to find the sidewall of your tire. Upon the sidewall, you will find a 5 digit number set out in the format ‘xx.x-xx’. These digits are key in identifying the weight of your tire, these digits are the measurements of your tire in inches.
The first set of numbers measures the width between the two sidewalls of your tire, the second set of numbers measures the diameter.
These digits can then be calculated by one another to determine the exact weight of the tires that your tractor uses. If all four of your tires are the same make and model, you can then multiply this number to calculate the load of your tractor.
Summary
So in short, if you’re looking for an average weight of tractor tires, they usually weigh between 400 and 800 pounds.
But if you want to calculate the specific weight of your tires this can be easily done by finding the exact measurements and performing a quick calculation to give you the weight.
