Yes Lowering your tire pressure is a fine way to increas traction, just don't go so low that you start wrinkling the sidewalls.
say again sorry, what psi and what psi?
say again sorry, what psi and what psi?
Increasing Traction
I lowered the tire pressure in my garden tractor and i noticed when i went through mud i saw the tire track was toward the outside of the tire it sunk in further and twards the middle it was up. Is this OK for increasing traction the pressure in the tire originally was PSI and now its PSI is this OK.
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12PSI to 5PSI
Put the tractor on dry pavement. Wet an area ahead of the tires and drive through it onto dry pavement. You just took your tractor's "tire prints".. Look at the tire print, the imprint should be equal across the tire.
Less print in the center and more print on the edges = too little air.
Less print on the edges and more in the center = too much air.
This works for bar tread also.
BTW, most newly delivered "new" tractors have WAY too much air in them. Dealers often overlook adjusting the air pressures before delivery.
Less print in the center and more print on the edges = too little air.
Less print on the edges and more in the center = too much air.
This works for bar tread also.
BTW, most newly delivered "new" tractors have WAY too much air in them. Dealers often overlook adjusting the air pressures before delivery.
From your description, it sounds like the pressure is a little too low now. From the way you describe it, it sounds like the crown of the tread (area where the tread rounds over into the sidewall) is on the ground but the middle of the tread is not.
I don't know what the manufacturer recommends for a pressure, but it sounds to me like it is a little too low.
And you are right, reducing pressure, to a point, does increase traction.
I don't know what the manufacturer recommends for a pressure, but it sounds to me like it is a little too low.
And you are right, reducing pressure, to a point, does increase traction.
chains are another way that'll get you added traction.
It sounds like the tires are a tad too soft. For more traction, you might consider loading them with Rimguard.
GOOD TIP !!! :fing32:Put the tractor on dry pavement. Wet an area ahead of the tires and drive through it onto dry pavement. You just took your tractor's "tire prints".. Look at the tire print, the imprint should be equal across the tire.
Less print in the center and more print on the edges = too little air.
Less print on the edges and more in the center = too much air.
This works for bar tread also.
BTW, most newly delivered "new" tractors have WAY too much air in them. Dealers often overlook adjusting the air pressures before delivery.
Later,x595
In a perfect world,the tubeless tires on some tractors I have,wouldn't have dry rot and slow leaks,but they do--so I usually have to inflate my rear tires up to 30 psi and hope they aren't flat by the time I'm done mowing or whatever..even though the tires appear over inflated,I have not noticed them leaving anything less that a full "footprint" on my driveway after diving through some water..they do seem to spin a bit easier,but not to the point I'd get stuck or anything ..
I have noticed when one tire has more air than the other,as one poster here stated in the past ,it "fools" the spider gears in the differential and tends to make it act more like positraction,and spin both rear tires,not just one..when I had one tire with only a few lbs pressure and the other still fully inflated,I noticed I pushed snow much better and farther before "spinning out" than with both tires inflated equally..It helped a lot,but nothing beats adding chains & weight though!..when I added weights and chains AND had one tire lower on air than the other,my tractor felt like it had 4wd, compared to how it performed previously..
I have noticed when one tire has more air than the other,as one poster here stated in the past ,it "fools" the spider gears in the differential and tends to make it act more like positraction,and spin both rear tires,not just one..when I had one tire with only a few lbs pressure and the other still fully inflated,I noticed I pushed snow much better and farther before "spinning out" than with both tires inflated equally..It helped a lot,but nothing beats adding chains & weight though!..when I added weights and chains AND had one tire lower on air than the other,my tractor felt like it had 4wd, compared to how it performed previously..
In a perfect world,the tubeless tires on some tractors I have,wouldn't have dry rot and slow leaks,but they do--so I usually have to inflate my rear tires up to 30 psi and hope they aren't flat by the time I'm done mowing or whatever..even though the tires appear over inflated,I have not noticed them leaving anything less that a full "footprint" on my driveway after diving through some water..they do seem to spin a bit easier,but not to the point I'd get stuck or anything ..
I have noticed when one tire has more air than the other,as one poster here stated in the past ,it "fools" the spider gears in the differential and tends to make it act more like positraction,and spin both rear tires,not just one..when I had one tire with only a few lbs pressure and the other still fully inflated,I noticed I pushed snow much better and farther before "spinning out" than with both tires inflated equally..It helped a lot,but nothing beats adding chains & weight though!..when I added weights and chains AND had one tire lower on air than the other,my tractor felt like it had 4wd, compared to how it performed previously..
Now that sounds interesting. I may have to try this. I wonder if it would work in a pinch on other vehicles?
The guy who mentioned it first here said it was an "old drag racing trick",and thats where I heard it too,guys were always juggling tire pressures at the dragstrip, trying to get lower ET's,and they found not having them equal often made both tires grab,instead of one going up in smoke..works on the farm too!..
A small increase can also be had by making sure the tractor seat is as far back as is comfortable. The further back the seat, the more of the drivers weight is distributed to the rear tires. If the seat is too far forward the front tires are taking more of the weight. Small but noticeable IMO.
The "old drag racing trick" has to be applied correctly to be effective at all. The idea doesn't actually "fool" the spider gears but will allow somewhat better traction (total gain still up for discussion) to the wheel opposite the torque twist loading at take off. Any gain might come from softening the left rear.
A normal differential rear on a tractor without locker, I can't see the benefit unless the softer tire is on the softer ground... which you can't always arrainge.
A normal differential rear on a tractor without locker, I can't see the benefit unless the softer tire is on the softer ground... which you can't always arrainge.
It is also a trick used by off roaders. I have used it many times in my jeep to get extra traction.The guy who mentioned it first here said it was an "old drag racing trick",and thats where I heard it too,guys were always juggling tire pressures at the dragstrip, trying to get lower ET's,and they found not having them equal often made both tires grab,instead of one going up in smoke..works on the farm too!..
A tractor may "sit" on its tires but air is what supports the weight of the tractor. If you run too low of a pressure, then the sidewalls of the tires will flex far more than the manufacturer designed them to. Eventually, all that flexing will take its toll on the carcass and lead to failure. If you have an Operator's Manual, then the correct inflation pressures will be outlined. If you don't have an Operator's Manual, then the question becomes "Why not?".
Five to six lbs of air is all I have been running in the rear of my tractors, including bar tires, and with a loader. I have an extremely rough yard, and one day I decided to experiment with the air pressure in the rear tires to soften the ride. I figured buying new tires had to be cheaper than throwing out my back. I lowered them to 5 lbs, and could notice the difference right away. The tractor no longer bounces me out of the seat, and traction is phenomenal. I always run the front tires at the max pressure. After many years, my tires still look great.
My x729 was delivered with about 15 lbs in the rear.Put the tractor on dry pavement. Wet an area ahead of the tires and drive through it onto dry pavement. You just took your tractor's "tire prints".. Look at the tire print, the imprint should be equal across the tire.
Less print in the center and more print on the edges = too little air.
Less print on the edges and more in the center = too much air.
This works for bar tread also.
BTW, most newly delivered "new" tractors have WAY too much air in them. Dealers often overlook adjusting the air pressures before delivery.
My GX came with over 35 lbs. Don't know what the top rec. pressures are for a 729 but I'm sure it's closer to it than 35 is to 12psi.My x729 was delivered with about 15 lbs in the rear.
I think it is 10 lbs. Heck, I don't even know. :trink40:My GX came with over 35 lbs. Don't know what the top rec. pressures are for a 729 but I'm sure it's closer to it than 35 is to 12psi.
8 PSI is what my Suburabans rear tires ,22x8.50x12" should be inflated too,according to the sticker under the hood..15 psi for the 4:00/4:80x8" fronts..
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