I always thought bigger tractor tires were just for show until I watched a guy in wet clay pull a stuck combine out with a worn out 1985 John Deere

Phoenix Wood · 2026-10-07T12:50:04.439721+00:00

I spent almost 3 grand on a set of wide tires for my 4020 last spring because the dealer swore they would stop me from sinking in the soft spots behind my barn. Fast forward to October and my neighbor Dale shows up with his old 4440 on pizza cutter tires, the kind I used to laugh at, and yanks my stuck grain cart out of mud that swallowed my fancy rig up to the axles. Turns out the real trick was his tire pressure, he runs them at like 8 psi and lets them squat, while I was pumping mine to 20 because thats what the manual said. The wider footprint just floated on top and spun, his narrow tires dug down to the hard pan and found grip. Now I am not saying wide tires are useless on dry ground, they saved me plenty on the road, but for wet clay they were a $2,800 lesson in assuming price equals performance. Has anyone else played with tire pressure instead of buying new rubber when the ground gets greasy?

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I always thought bigger tractor tires were just for show until I watched a guy in wet clay pull a stuck combine out with a worn out 1985 John Deere | Agricultural Equipment - Thought Shares