Directional tires " is there a right and wrong "
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| Movement of water on a directional tire |
By design directional tires on a drive axle displace water,
snow and loose material to the center of the tread. When slippage occurs the
treads then divert material to the side allowing more traction. Under braking
material is channeled faster into the center of the tread. On a trailing or
non-driven axle putting the tires on in a reverse direction will add to
stability and increase the braking capabilities as any water , snow or loose
material in continuously diverted to the
outside of the tread.
The use of directional tires will increase the chances of a spinout. While they can increase forward traction by 30% they also reduce stability by 30%. I have always recommended non directional and keeping newer tires on the rear.
And from farmers the experts on directional tires
If you ever drove a farm tractor you'd understand. Some tires have a
"directional" tread -- effectively >>>>> or
<<<<<<. Now, you might expect that a tread of
<<<<< would have better traction if you were attempting to pull
it to the right (and it were resisting the pull by trying to go left), but
that's not the case. The <<<<< tread will "load up"
with mud/gravel/whatever when pulled to the right (and traction will be reduced
to near zero), but if pulled to the left it will be "self cleaning"
and traction will be an order of magnitude better.
Because of the directional grip of ag (bar lug), on 2WD with front ags,
you are supposed to turn them "backwards" for best steering traction
in forward motion, if 4WD, fronts would go on as normal. On the rear, when
doing primarily reverse pushing, you would also want them reversed for best
traction. I have ags on the front of my 2WD loader tractor, but I have them in
normal direction & have adequate steering traction, but then I have all
that weight pushing down while using the FEL.
When I had a loader tractor with front wheel assist, I put the front
tires on backwards and it made a big difference when backing up with the loader
full.
On big tractors, if you do a lot of driving on pavement such as tractor
cruises, the tires wear a lot longer running backwards.
Besides the uses listed here for running ag treads backwards I know of
one farmer who farmed on very sandy land that ran his farm tractors with the
rear tires reversed. His reasoning was that the tires running the normal way
are meant to dig into the soil for a better grip. On his very loose sandy soil
he ran them backwards so the bar lugs would tend to gather the soil under the
tread instead of digging down and him getting stuck in the field. He ran his
tractors and combine that way and I guess it worked for him.
In our area the tractor riders,
reverse them because it makes the tractor ride smoother and don’t have the
bobble effect at high speeds.
A quote from my JD owner's manual:
"If tractor is mainly used for loader operations, lug direction may be
reversed. Tire life may be increased by up to 30% and front traction is
improved in reverse." That's for the front wheels only, and where the
tractor is used mainly for front end loader operations. I have no idea why that
tidbit of information stuck in my mind for 20 years, but I just looked it up
again, and that's where I got that quote.
That's what I was taught that on a driven wheel they need to push the
material out to the edge of the tire. But when they are on a non driven wheel
you turn them around and get better traction.
I run front ags during the winter (on
a 2wd Ingersoll) and it does seem to me that turned around they provide better
bite and steering response ... which is the point, of course.
I have heard that it depends on if it is 4x4
or or not. For 2 wheel drive, some run the front tires backwards, so I am told
anyway. I think it is supposed to wear better.
They clean themselves out, while being
powered, when they're mounted like they are in the pic; if they're backwards
(which should only be on non-powered axles), and they're powered, they just
collect material in the middle and they may as well not have any tread at that
point (on certain surfaces).
a buddy of mine used to have to take 2
round bales of hay down a fairly steep slope to his cattle, the difference in
traction forward or backward was so significant that he would back down the
slope keep the tractor from taking off sliding going forward. BTW before anyone
mentions it it was a large tractor with fluid filled tires, wheel weights and
he carried the bales one in front and one behind on a bale spea
just to add...that is why ground drive
implement tires are "backwards" so to speak of what you would think.
More grip to the opposing force.
I think you have the most logical
answer. It is an "old farmer's tale", with SOME truth to it that
running with the tires backwards in mucky conditions causes you to lose
traction sooner going forward, preventing you from getting the tractor stuck as
far out in the muck, and then giving better traction backing out of the bad
spot.
Manitoba I used to think what difference could it make. but in recent
yrs dragging things through the mud Ive observed some wheels not turning or
barely turning. Can you say anchor. Those wheels were usually a smoother tire.
So any undriven wheel with a directional tread on it should be mounted
backwards if your going to be in any soft conditions. Disclaimer-Results may
vary depending on soil type, climate, operator skill.
Large manure spreaders run their track
tread backwards to reduce berming. .
Central IL I bet the tracks on your manure spreader are backwards like
grain carts and pull type sprayers to make them keep rolling in muddy/wet
conditions.
I run R1 tires and mounted them on
backwards. Dealer stated that in wet conditions the tires will throw mud
instead of packing up and pushing through the field. Has worked very well so
far. This is on a 620 J&M tires are 20.8 x 38
A lot of tires have 2 arrows on them;
one for powered tires, and the opposite way for unpowered tires. It works kind
of like a ratchet, the powered way grips the ground and pushes the machine
forward, the other way, the ground grips the tire and keeps it rolling, as
opposed to sliding and digging in, or pushing up a pile in front of it. I run them that way on my spreader
trucks, and it makes a big difference:
And On Motorcycle tires
Performance
motorcycle tires that are manufactured specifically for the front and the rear
of the motorcycle may not only have different tread patterns, but also
different tread pattern directions. Take a quick look at the set of Pirelli
Angel CT’s mounted on my Pulsar 200NS. Both pictures were taken from the front
of the motorcycle.
In such
tires, not only is the FRONT and the REAR stipulated, the direction of travel
is also inscribed onto the side wall. For proper installation, you’d want to
install in such that the tires are rotating in the correct direction of travel
when the motorcycle is moving forward.
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