Buying the best tractor tires isn’t the most straightforward process, especially compared to buying tires for your car.
Not only do you first need to consider and decide upon the purpose and type of terrain that the tires will be used on, but you also have to pay attention to traction, pressure, maintenance, and a host of other things to make sure that the tires will work well for the intended purpose.
So whether you’re looking for the best tractor tires for mud, hills, sandy soil, or snow, we have you covered.
5 Best Tractor Tires
Best Overall: MaxAuto 4PR, Tubeless Tires
The MaxAuto 4PR, Tubeless Tires are our top pick for their reliability and versatility.New: $69.99
These MaxAuto 4PR, Tubeless Tires are our top pick due to their excellent traction, construction quality, and reliability.
With an impressive load range of 620lbs @ 28psi, and tread depth of 7.1mm/0.28″ these tires won’t go low on pressure and will provide superb traction, especially on grassy surfaces and hills without damaging the turf itself. This is largely down to the tires’ unique pattern design that increases the tire and the ground friction.
A popular replacement for riding lawn mower tires, lawn tractor tires, garden tractor tires, garden tractor pulling tires, and more, many people state that these tires are an improvement over the original tires on their tractor.
Best for Mud: Carlisle Super Lug Lawn & Garden Tire
The Carlisle Super Lug Tires handle mud like dry ground.New: $78.58
If you need tractor tires that can effortlessly handle deep mud, then you will love the Carlisle Super Lug Lawn & Garden Tire. It is the tire of choice when substantial traction is required. This is down to the tires’ sharp angled tread elements that deliver maximum pulling and pushing power.
Where others tires would get stuck, these Carlisle tires will power right on through the mud with ease, handling the mud like it is dry ground.
Best for Hills: MaxAuto 6PR, Tubeless AG Tires
MaxAuto 6PR, Tubeless Tires are the right choice when you need traction on very hilly terrain.New: $159.99
These MaxAuto 6PR, Tubeless Tires are the best tractor tires for hills, which is no surprise when you learn of their 15.8mm tread depth and unbeatable load index of 1760 lbs @ 32psi.
Despite the tires size, strength and aggressive tread design that results in excellent traction, you can be safe in the knowledge that they won’t tear up any turf. They offer excellent control in many types of terrain, too.
Best for Sandy Soil: MaxAuto 4PR Sand Trial Tires
The MaxAuto 4PR Tires low profile and lower pressure ensure that they will perform excellently on sandy soil.New: $109.99
It can be a challenge finding tractor tires that perform well on sandy soil, but the MaxAuto, 4PR, Sand Trial Tires are definitely up to the task.
Compared to other tires, these feature a lower profile design and lower pressure, which means that the tires won’t dig into the sand and results in much better traction on sandy surfaces.
Best for Snow: MaxAuto Snow Hog Tires
A thick tread depth and high load index means that these tires are exactly what you need when it starts to snow.New: $75.99
The MaxAuto Snow Hog Tires are the best tractor tires for snow with their long-lasting tread compound and excellent traction properties.
With their 14mm tread depth and load index of 405 lbs at 20psi, the tires are ideally designed for use in the snow.
When the weather turns and snow starts to fall, you’ll be glad that you spent the time to equip your tractor with these tires.
What to Consider When Buying Tractor Tires
- Terrain
When buying tractor tires, the single most important thing to consider is the terrain they will be used on. This is because tires are constructed and designed differently depending on the terrain.
Having said that, there are also “all-terrain” tires that do not necessarily excel on any particular terrain, but are suitable for most purposes.
- Construction
When it comes to tractor tires, there are two modes of construction – bias or radial. Bias may be cheaper and are popular for their utility, but radial tires are more durable and have better performance.
- Maintenance
It’s always a good idea to be aware of any maintenance needs that tractor tires have. For example, it’s good to know the load index, which will inform of you the tire’s actual weight capacity. Knowing the proper PSI is also crucial, so you can avoid over-inflation and under-inflation.
- Tire Classifications
Tractor tires can be classified as R1, R1-W, R-1HA, R2, R3, R4, and HF. There are also F-1, F-2, and F-2M, and F-3 tires, but these are largely obsolete and only used in legacy, two-wheel drive tractors.
R1 Tires: The most common tires used on farm tractors A good all-rounder, though are not well-suited to on-road or hard surfaces, and definitely not on snow.
R-1W Tires: The W stands for wet, which means that these tires perform better on deep mud or clay.
R-1HA Tires: Commonly used for row cropping due to their tall and slim design
R-2 Tires: Unsuitable for the vast majority of farmers due to their greater tread depth. Only really useful in paddy fields
R-3 Tires: Known as lawn tractor tires, which means that unlike the R-1, they are grass-friendly. They are used in compact and lawn tractors and are perfect for farms with huge areas of grass, though perform poorly on mud.
R-4 Tires: A cross between the R-1 and R-3 in terms of tread depth, which makes them a great all-rounder. They drive well on roads and other hard surfaces yet manage to not sink in the mud. Better on grass than the R-1, but caution should still be exercised.
HF: Designed for commercial field farming and forest use. HF stands for high flotation, which means that they perform excellently on many types of surfaces