I can't explain why the tires of the same size are not the same height as the originals but my understanding is if the ratio of the rear tire size to the front tire size is wrong it can cause binding issues with the 4WD.

Have you checked with a local Deere dealer to see if they know anything about the difference in tire size?

 

Mine is not 4WD.

 

I have not checked with John Deere yet. 1) because the latest results of the 3rd attempt weren't known before closing time and 2) because JD will want twice the price for "their" tires.

 

Are the tires mounted or unmounted? If mounted, have they been pumped up to the correct pressure?

Compare apples to apples. It makes a difference. Possibly not 3" worth between mounted and aired up or fresh from the manufacturer but there will be a difference in physical dimensions. Rubber stretches under pressure and the cording that forms the skeleton of the tire can also stretch after years of flexing under load. While a 3" difference in diameter might be a bit of a stretch to accept as being realistic, I would not be surprised if the old tire is at least somewhat larger in diameter even if the tread is worn.

 

I agree with Tudor, And once they are aired up they might be the same, I also wonder if the new tires are 4 ply & old are 2 ply because with less ply the tires can grow larger easier. If nothing changes and the tires are 3" shorter after mounting them, that would only change tractor height one & 1/2 "

 

I also highly suspect that once they're mounted and aired up they'll be fine.

 

You guys are saying what I said, but the guy at the tire store doesn’t agree. Thanks for the input, I’m going to give them a try. Hopefully it’ll be okay.

 

Gotta wonder how much experience the guy at the tire store has.

 

So you are taking an unmounted tire and comparing it next to a mounted and aired up tire?

 

Go to the tire brand web site itself, they sometimes have measurements on there themselves of each tire they sell, actual size.

 

Rim width also will make a difference on tire diameter.

 

What tire brand did you start with?

What brands have you tried?

Include size, ply, etc.

Check brand website, they should have the diameter listed.

CCMoe

 

He has 30+ years as owner/manager of his own store. Very knowledgeable and trustworthy. Have been using him exclusively for 15 years of tire needs. He said both tires were in mounted and the new ones were a full 3” shorter than the old. I have 100% faith in his assessment.

 

They are mounted is a bit of new info or did I miss something?

 

Got it figured out. 1) The owner is out due to illness so I’m dealing with the son/daughter. 2) turns out they were comparing the tires laying on the sidewalk so when he told me “taller” it is actually wider. 3) the old tires are called “Pillow DIA” which I discovered are flotation tires. 4) the new tires are the exact same size, (31x15.5-15) as the old according to the sidewall. However they only measure 30” tall, 13” wide at the rim, 10” wide at the tread and fit a 15” rim. How that equates to a 31x15.5-15 is beyond me. Since the height is within 1” I’m going to try them.

 

I'm not real sure exactly what you are looking for so I went to tractor data, TractorData.com John Deere 650 tractor information to see what was recommended OEM.

Here is tire sizing,

John Deere 650 Tires
Standard tires (ag):	Front: 5.00-12. Rear: 9.5-16
	Front: 6-12. Rear: 9.5-16
Lawn/turf front:	23/8.5-12
Lawn/turf rear:	31/15.5-15

It looks like you have options to figure out.

CCMoe

 

I'm not real sure exactly what you are looking for so I went to tractor data, TractorData.com John Deere 650 tractor information to see what was recommended OEM.

Here is tire sizing,

John Deere 650 Tires
Standard tires (ag):	Front: 5.00-12. Rear: 9.5-16
	Front: 6-12. Rear: 9.5-16
Lawn/turf front:	23/8.5-12
Lawn/turf rear:	31/15.5-15

It looks like you have options to figure out.

CCMoe

Thanks, but I have it figured out now. What the info you provided does not reflect is that the Lawn/turf rear tires are "Pillow"or flotation tires. They vary greatly from a standard 31/15.5-15 tire in that they are at least 3" wider at the tread than standard 31/15.5-15 lawn/turf tires. I'll take some photos to show you all the difference. Today I contacted Bridgestone, which is who made the original tires, and was informed they are no longer in production. Searches of numerous tires sites reflected this as they are listed, but when you try to add them to your cart it indicates they are not in stock/available. Plus they are 2-3 times the price of a "normal" 31/15.5-15 turf tire, up to $850 each. The good thing is I learned a lot about lawn/turf tires today.

 

Do you need the Pillow tires?... perhaps regular turf tires would suffice?...

 

I have regular turf tires mounted on the rims now. Waiting on brake parts to put it all back together and try it. I'm thinking these tires will actually be better for traction. The "Pillow" tires were so wide they had very little traction because the pounds/square inch of the contact patch was pretty low. I'm thinking these narrower tires will give more traction by increasing the pounds/square inch, plus I picked up a set of wheel weights if needed.

 

The tires on the 650 shown on Tractor Data seem to have some big *** tires on the rear of it, no idea if they are stock.

CCMoe

 

The tires I am replacing were original tires. I'm replacing them because they are weather cracked on the sidewalls. The rear ones held air, but the front did not. In a comparison between the old/new tires, here is what I found. The old/new tires are the exact same size, (31x15.5-15) according to the sidewall data, however the old tires also have a marking of Pillow DIA on the sidewall. The new tires, mounted and proper pressure, measure 30” tall, 13” wide at the rim, 10” wide at the tread on a 15" rim. How that equates to a 31x15.5-15 is beyond me. The old tires, mounted and proper pressure,measured just over 31" tall, 15-16" wide at the tread, about 10" wide at the rim. I'm assuming then that the rim size is 15x9-10". I kept the old rear tires just in case there is an issue. The best price I found on the Pillow tires is $593 each, the high is $897 each, but it appears they are not available as I haven't found anyone with them in stock and most sites say unavailable.

 

Have you considered look at something other than tuff tread? There is still a large selection of off road 15" out there.

 

No. I have a set of Agricultural Tread tires, but they tear my lawn/garden up more than I want.

 

Are these the same as 15" car, truck size?

I have three Michelin XC AT 32x11.50 r15 that have never been on rims.

CCMoe

 

Already bought tires. Thanks though.

 

Ariens93GT20,

So, any 15" tire should work on his wheels.

I wonder if his tires are similar to those six wheel water/land buggies made several years ago, maybe still, I don't know.

I have a duck hunting friend that has one and loves it.

If any 15" tire will work, I would think there should be some options out there, possibly even changing the rim to match his desired tire.

I think he is looking for overall tire diameter/height to match what he has with the Pillow DIA's.

CCMoe

 

Exactly, I was looking for an exact match to the original tires. They are no longer made. I went with Carlisle Turf-Pro R-3.

 

There are a few different standards for tire sizes.

Tire code - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

That's the beauty of standards, there are so many from which to choose.

The width in a tire specification typically refers to section width, which usually isn't the tread width. Also, the actual sizes can be +/- almost an inch from the listed sizes. Finally, how much air is in the tire and the load on it also makes a difference. I notice that my deck height (at the front) varies by more than an inch, depending on how much air is in my front 15x6-6 tires on my X300.

A 3" difference for the same standard size seems excessive, but 1" is expected and 2" would not be too hard to believe.

Happy that the OP got tires he likes.

 

I can still get the Bridgestone DiaPillow here, my Kubota runs four, identical size. $400/ea... yowza.

Be thankful for all the options you have on that side, not quite so many here.