A friend in another state runs Carlisle Ultra Guard tires on his skid steers and the front of his 4wd backhoes. He says they are the best tire he's ever run from the standpoint of traction, life and puncture resistance. The lugs are 1 3/8" deep. None of my local dealers sell them. Deestone is the prevalent brand here. I've helped someone install Deestones and it was relatively easy. The Deestones are a 10 ply tire that weigh 50 pounds but the Carlisle's are 12 ply and weigh 100 pounds each. My friend says they are difficult to install and doesn't recommend installing them without a tire changer. I can buy the Carlisle's for $209 each on Amazon. Has anyone ever installed a set of the Carlisle Ultra Guards in 12-16.5? I don't like asking a tire dealer to install tires I didn't buy from him.
If he can’t get them for you, they should not be upset if you supply the tires. Ask them directly.
I’m right with you about not wanting them to install the tires, but at the same time, they are making money off of the installation. Obviously they would make more of you bought the tires, but they still win.
Years ago, the sentiment that you guys echo was prevalent. However, with the advent of online tires, this is not so much so. Go on tirerack.com and there is a tab for delivery and installation. They will even ship the tires to the shop that will install them. It also shows you what the install price will be.
Thanks for the advice. The closest tirerack.com installer is 51 miles from me, but I'll talk with some of the other shops. I checked the specs on the Carlisle Ultra Guard tires and they do indeed weigh 100# each with 44/32 tread depth. They're also made in the USA. My friend says there is a noticeable difference in traction.
I thought I was getting a USA tire for my trailer when I purchased Carlisle...I mean that is right here in PA! Nope, they were Taiwan, so inspect the sidewalls. For me, I was back to my place before I looked. They seem ok, but I would have bought the Goodyear tires if I knew I was buying Taiwan! Put the Goodyear's on my other trailer, and they say USA.
Is there a vocational school near you...Sometimes they will do them...You need them done, they need to learn. In my area, it is customary to tip a pizza...LOL
I called the guy I buy all my truck and car tires from and he will mount them for $30 each. He doesn't sell equipment tires but can mount them. My company rents an offroad fork truck that has the same drivetrain as my backhoe. We have to pay for the tires. The machine goes through a set of Deestone steering tires in a year. It's $500 a pop for each tire installed.
Yes, I installed them on my backhoe. They are indeed heavy with deep tread and difficult to install with bars. I installed them with rims still mounted on the backhoe and used plenty of tire soap. I recommend you pay your buddy $30 each and let him do it.
I too would prefer to buy US made tires. Which brands are made in the US? Titan? Goodyear? Galaxy? Carlisle?
Not that simple. Tire builders use a global solution to fill their shelves. Check out this article. https://www.consumerreports.org/tires/where-are-your-tires-made/ The Ultra Guards are made in the usa though. https://www.carlislebrandtires.com/our-products/product-detail/ultra-guard/
I think all tire companies have products made in foreign countries. Only thing one can do is look at the actual tires. One thing for sure, when you are comparing the Chinese with the USA, you will pay substantially more for USA. Not saying the Chinese don't make some decent tractor tires. Just rather not have them on my machine. But, if you were to support Carlisle, and they were Chinese, why not but the Chinese brand for 1/2 the price of Carlisle.
Are these the MX or the standard ultras?
No, it's not the MX. The MX tread is not nearly as deep. It's more of a dual purpose tread.
Got the Ultra Guards installed Friday and drove the 9 miles to my farm Sunday. The TLB drives noticeably better with less bounce, perhaps from the increased weight. The tires say "made in the USA" on the sides. With my 5% Amazon card discount they were $200 each for a total cost of $460 mounted. Rear tires are planned for next year but my auto tire dealer says he can't mount the big ones.
Bote, Good deal...Glad to here they are USA too!
i personally do not like any goodyear or titan tires, automotive or off-road. rubber compound doesn't last and deteriorates and other issues. i have had several instances of poor goodyear tires going back several years. titan wheels are crappy. the outer lip on the bead is stamped crooked on several of mine. the join in the rim/bead area is poorly made where the rim is joined during manufacturing. the latest one is on a 2 year old small tractor and had trouble with the tire bead leaking- twice now. goodyear/titan used to be good but in my opinion, now they are garbage