I need a new set of drive tires for my lowboy truck. It's currently running 285 / lo pro 24.5 . 500 hp detroit, 13 speed od trans, 4.11 rears. With my larger rough terrain crane on I'm somewhere around 102-105,000 gross. I don't put on a lot of miles, usually within a hour of my shop and probably only average once or twice a week delivery to a jobsite in that area. If we drive two hours from home that's a far trip. If I go to the 11r.24.5 I can get a 16ply tire instead of a 14 ply. And I can get a more aggressive/ waste hauler type lug tire than I can in the lo- pro 24.5. Just having the crane a little ahead or back on the trailer, can make a big difference what is on the truck for weight. The 16 ply tire appeals to me in that regard. We see a lot of shot rock conditions, and the small lug patterns tend to get the small chips stuck in them, and then they just keep working their way in, in, in. I don't do a ton of miles so I don't care about the rolling resistance/ or even a terrible lot about the wear/ life with a large waste hauler lug, compared to a more "over the road" tire. I like traction, and the little rocks just fall out on the big lugs. Biggest question- how much will I notice the little taller tire in 1st gear? I swapped the rears from their original 3.42 to the 4.11 shortly after I got the truck- in my area of short steep hills it was really hard to get going in first with the tall rear ratio. Right now its about right- to maybe just a little tall- theres a few times I wish I had a really low hole like a 8LL or some of the 15 speeds have. (or like my old rt613 in my 35ton crane- its a 18.00 1st gear with 6.14 rears, it just walks in 1st. ). But what I have is okay right now. I just don't want to really lose a lot more low hole. I did a little playing around with a tire size calculator and I'm only showing a 3mph difference in top gear, in changing the tire size- I don't see how I'm ever going to notice that little change down in 1st, but I've been wrong on a whole lot of other stuff. So bump up to the 11r24.5 while I'm buying tires, or stick with the lo pro 24.5 size I have?
Go tall 24.5 and don’t worry about the difference. It’s not enough to sweat IMO.
I don't believe you'll even be able to tell in the low hole, it might even help in soft ground. You will, however, notice in the top 2 gears. Will you be bothered by it? Probably not.
Right now empty it seems to cruise pretty decent at around 60-65, it will run a little faster but I usually don't have far to go, and see no reason to really wind it out. Before I swapped rears I think it would have run 90 +, and I sure don't need that. The drive tires aren't totally gone on the truck, but I've got a freightliner we are going to fix up. I'm planning on taking these drives off the w. star, and put new tires on it and move the old ones to the freightliner. Thanks guys.
While we are talking tires, I'm looking at a couple different prices. Anywhere from $259/ tire if I stay 14 ply lo pro (which I'm probably not going to do), to $300- $369/ tire for 16 ply waste hauler cut and chip resistant 11r 24.5. Prices are FET paid and I'm mounting them. http://www.constellationtire.com/regional/cdr928/ Only $259/tire if I stay lo pro 14ply. http://www.constellationtire.com/regional/cdm-950/ $300/ tire for 11r24.5 16 ply https://www.hankooktire.com/us/trucks-bus/hankook-dm04.html $369/ tire for 11r24.5 16 ply I really like the DM04 hankook's- I've got them on one of my cranes and have had good luck with them. They are a real similar tread pattern to some goodyears I've got on one of the other cranes, and I never fight the rock penetration on them that I do with the smaller block patterns.
I like the Hankook looking ones, I have nothing to contribute to this thread but I will learn from it, keep us posted on how it goes. I was wanting to get 11R24.5 just for the back since I current'y have 11R22.5 and as aggressive since the road to my property in MT is 20 miles of rock road and I have gear ratio of 4:89 I hope this helps my overall RPM in 6th gear.
As for the subject of this thread, I can't comment as I could not figure revs/mile of the low pro size. But as for the chunky waste hauler lug. I used those a lot and really, really liked them on muddy roads and in snow. In the wet, thick snow we get around here, having those tires was like having chains on. And putting chains over top of them was nearly unstoppable. Not really sure about how they wear, but tow bills cost more than a little extra tread life.
I would bet you will tell some diffrents at first but after some time you will get used to it. I work on propane trucks that deliver to rual areas they run the waste hauler pattern. Have you checked in to the Hankooks are supplyer told us that they had a warehouse fire and we have had trouble geting some of them. The only thing i dont like about a real ruff tire is geting chains on them.
275-285 & 295- 24.5's are basically the same as 11R-22.5's revs per mile. I have even ran them side by side on duels in a bind. Off the top of my head I thank that is 494 RPM. Changes a little depending on brand and model of tires.
https://www.toyotires.ca/sites/default/files/imce/Databook_mdtrktrs_Comparison_Pg_25.pdf
My vote is for the 24.5 Hankooks on a lowboy tractor. We have 2 lowboy tractors, essentially identical except the drivers, one has the lug logger tread like the Hankooks, the other has BFGs with the tread pattern on those Constellations that were put on when it was mainly running on the highway. They are good tires, ride and wear good but don't scramble around off highway like the others, it is a significant difference in going up steep logging roads empty. As far as wear and rock resistance they seem to be pretty similar.
Go Hankook. Logger lug all day.