We blew the sidewall out on one of our Cat 936E tires.... We checked around town and everyone is through the roof.... have any of you guys ordered anything online and if so where? Our tires are 20.5 R25 Thanks guys
You can try Tire Maxx in Livonia mi, had pretty good luck with them. Just picked up a 16.9-28 for a JD 2020 for $250 out the door, and they have been pretty reasonable with mounting and repairs. Tom
Theres 5 on ebay right now, http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=20.5+r25&_sacat=0 Sometimes I see them on craigslist too.
whoever has the best prices locally, but I focus on a lot of other factors as well. Working in the tire business for a lot of years, you really saw what brands succeeded and which didn't and where, they generally carried this through their lines, you really do get what you pay for. If you want the cheapest tire and only run a couple hundred hours a year, go for it. Not saying the ebay ones were bad, they say they're a platinum supplier or something, but just in general. I priced some 20.5R25s the otherday. Firestone Bias 16ply SGG's were just over $1,500 each there are what we currently have and got 4,000 hrs from full tread to smooth, the first set were goodforayears of the same size and pattern and also lasted 4,000hrs, I also priced the Bridgestone VTS 650/65R25's, these we just over $4,500 each. They are listed as a tire for our wheel loader but we would maybe want bigger fender extensions as they would be 5" wider but only 0.45" taller in diameter. I did not price the 550/65R25s, they would only be about one inch wider, but would be 4.7" shorter in diameter. I think these tires are at the upper end of the scale for this size, but I did expect it due to the technology in them. The places I talked to said most people see 3-5 times better wear out of the radials. If we got 3 times better wear that would even out the cost for a better riding, better gripping tire. They said once worn out most people recap them and keep going, so in the long run it can beneficial, I just don't know if we will be keeping this loader long enough anymore. It spends most of its time on concrete but needs traction whenever off the concrete as it is in mud, manure and snow. Good luck on your tire search. Rubber isn't cheap. It will cost us more to put new tires on our new manure spreader than what we bought the old one for new $4,500x6=$27,000, we paid $27,400 for our old tanker that held 6,350 gallons on 4 tires, the new one holds 7,300 on 6. The old ones tires were just over a grand, they were 30.5x32" bias firestones, the new one has 850/50 Radial Galaxy's on 32" rims also. The difference is seen in road wear and equally important field damage. The radial galaxy's run only 20psi whereas the firestones ran 50psi. Tires are so expensive that you really need to evaluate each situation individually, look at what you're doing primarily. If you're always on concrete maybe you want good wear on concrete, but do you ever leave the concrete? How much traction do you need then? how long do you plan on keeping it and how many hours a year do you put on? how important is ride comfort, and ground disturbance. Talk with many suppliers and other operators to find your best choices then shop around for prices, remember most dealers mount their own tires much cheaper than the ones you bring to them. They'll also usually represent you better than online places against the MFG if a tire fails even outside a warranty. However these are costs to be factored in. again good luck. Tires prices are actually stabilizing some for now.