Blazin
Addicted to ArboristSite
Oh poop!
First time haulin' in the pickup
- Thread starter Whitespider
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Oh poop!
beerman6
Addicted to ArboristSite
for a good time put radials on the rear and bias-ply on the front 
naturelover
Tree Freak
The Ranger has some 31-10.50's on it now, the best tires I've had on it so far. Do really well in the mud and snow, and aren't too loud on the hardtop either for being a pretty aggressive AT tire.
Don't know how well they will last though, but am liking them so far.
Don't know how well they will last though, but am liking them so far.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I shoulda known anyone with a hate for the EPA and all things modern would have trouble with them newfangled radial thingies on a truck too. There ain't enough money in the world to make me go back to bias tires.
37s will last forever and a day under a 6.2. There ain't enough power there to turn em, without a set of 5.13 gears under it, you'll be as cranky as Spidey with a fuel injected chainsaw trying to get it to pull anything, Sell em to a mud bogger and buy you a set of 30x9.50 or 265-75 16s. It'll make a much nicer truck out of it.
37s will last forever and a day under a 6.2. There ain't enough power there to turn em, without a set of 5.13 gears under it, you'll be as cranky as Spidey with a fuel injected chainsaw trying to get it to pull anything, Sell em to a mud bogger and buy you a set of 30x9.50 or 265-75 16s. It'll make a much nicer truck out of it.
There ya' go thinkin' again
I have radials on everything else, and I even have a set of 31x11.50 Cooper Discoverers on aluminum rims for the pickup (my summertime street tires)... but from September on into May I run tires with real traction. During Fall, Winter and Spring that truck spends way more time doing off-road chores than on-road... and over half the time it is on-road, it's on muddy/gravel/rocky county roads and/or snow. There ain't no sense in running (relatively) soft-rubber radials for the gravel, rock and fields to tear up (you ever seen a frozen corn stalk puncture a radial? I have, more than once), and there ain't any loss of "drive-ability/ride-ability" running bias on them roads... besides, radials suck when it comes to real traction (but I'm sure someone who has never run a traction-lug bias tire will argue with me and tell me what great traction they get with their wonder-radials).
L-O-L
I had to go all the way back to 2004 (the pre-rust days, L-O-L) to find one...
But see, here's a pic of it wearing the fair-weather shoes.
I had to go all the way back to 2004 (the pre-rust days, L-O-L) to find one...
But see, here's a pic of it wearing the fair-weather shoes.
100% true about them bias ply tires and traction many times my dads 77 chevy would walk right through a mess and the 93 chevy with radials would get stuck. But you wouldnt want to take that truck down the highway @70 mph.
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Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2
L-O-L It's usually during hunting season when my bias ply tire advantage is most noticeable. While the other guys are locked in 4-wheel drive, spinning tires, slipping sideways, and making rooster tails of sod/mud/water/snow I drive around them without slipping a tire... and that's without the 4-wheel drive engaged!
But hey, somebody has to be there to pull them out... right?
My bad... my bad...
Jredsjeep
ArboristSite Operative
i have not run them but have heard good things about these bias tires
STA Super Traxion Light Truck Bias Ply Tires
there are a few guys on some other forums who are also big fans of bias, one owns a tire shop. he hauls heavy with horses all the time and just plain refuses to put radials on. i have actually met the guy, very old school but knowledgeable guy.
STA Super Traxion Light Truck Bias Ply Tires
there are a few guys on some other forums who are also big fans of bias, one owns a tire shop. he hauls heavy with horses all the time and just plain refuses to put radials on. i have actually met the guy, very old school but knowledgeable guy.
Wow! Thanks for the link Jredsjeep, I was wondering where my next set would come from.
I worked in automotive and light truck for over 20-years at our family owned Ford dealership... most of those years as the parts and service manager.
We sold tires for a good share of that time, and I agree with that "tire shop owner"... radial tires are for cars and street pickups, they don't belong on an off-road or working truck. Probably the most common issue with radials is separated and/or broken belts when subjected to heavy loads, "pulling" stress or impact (such rocks and stumps when off-road). The second most common is sidewall punctures from sticks, corn stalks, and whatnot. Nothin' will make you more mad than having a pencil diameter stick destroy a $225 radial by passing through the sidewall...
Jredsjeep
ArboristSite Operative
i have been thinking of switching myself but am going to let the radials wear out first, i am not made of money. i have a 94 Ford Crew 4x4 diesel that hauls wood and general stuff regularly and sometimes gets taken into the woods. I have actually had 2 radial sidewalls fail on me with my current tires, one was my fault i backed to near a beam and cought an edge. it really didnt take much but when it blew it created a crater in the ground and showered me with grass and dirt since i had my window down. sure scared the kids some! the second one broke a band and blew out on me going down the highway unloaded. not fun but at least it happened in the rear so it could be controlled. now i have miss matched wear tires.
according to my old school buddy, the only reason we are going to radails for trucks is that it is far cheaper to make them. for a real hauling truck or off road durability they suck. bias rules for a working rig, they also last far longer in both tread wear and sitting in general.
i have to admitt i am a little worried going to bias, my truck can sit sometimes and i am worried about permanent flat spots or i might not like the performance. i have never run them before. its good to hear you can correct the steering to handle better that eases things a bit.
according to my old school buddy, the only reason we are going to radails for trucks is that it is far cheaper to make them. for a real hauling truck or off road durability they suck. bias rules for a working rig, they also last far longer in both tread wear and sitting in general.
i have to admitt i am a little worried going to bias, my truck can sit sometimes and i am worried about permanent flat spots or i might not like the performance. i have never run them before. its good to hear you can correct the steering to handle better that eases things a bit.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
If the bias tires really offered better traction and load carrying capabilities, you'd still see em on heavy trucks and farm tractors.
Bias ply tractor tires are way better for traction and as far as big truck if its highway use you do not want bias ply. I think alot of the problem with radial tires as far as traction is the squattyness(dont know if thats a word) of them. Jmo
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Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2
That’s just so wrong…
On hard surfaces (such as pavements and hard packed earth) the radial tire does offer better traction (to a point) because as the sidewall flexes the footprint remains flat and the contact area with the ground increases… but who needs more traction on pavement?? Even on loose, dry surfaces (such as sand or dry, loose farm ground) this may be an advantage (depending) because a wider footprint helps keep the tire on top. But the biggest advantage is that the radial tire doesn’t tear up near as much ground, sod and whatnot. Another advantage is the softer, more comfortable ride and less vibration transferred to the vehicle… but at the expense of less heavy-load stability (i.e., more side-to-side sway).
But when it gets wet and muddy, snowy, or even just wet grass… that’s when the traction-lug bias ply will outperform the radial every time. As the side wall flexes on a bias ply it actually lifts the center of the tread, forcing the outer lugs in a pinching-like action into the ground. If you drive traction-lug bias ply across your yard they’re gonna’ leave tracks unless it ain’t rained in over a month… they will tear up some real-estate if you’re not careful. In mud and snow, less is more; less tread surface in contact with wet and slop means it’s less likely to ride up on top and spin, rather it digs in grabbing anything available to increase traction… like the paddles on a paddleboat. And they won’t load up with mud either, they self clean so the lugs are always grabbing new earth. If you look at properly inflated traction-lug bias ply tires sitting on a hard surface the outer lugs will be just barely touching, or even actually elevated off the surface when not under load.
As far as load carrying ability… that’s a function of the tire construction, and either bias ply or radial can be constructed to handle equal loads. Large over-the-road trucks hauling heavy loads at high speed will be better served with radial tires because of less heat build-up. But smaller working trucks (such as farm and construction site pickups), hauling variable loads, at lower speeds, on varying and uneven surfaces and conditions will find the bias ply to work much better overall… greater stability and traction with less chance of sidewall punctures or belt damage from impact.
I could go on… but what’s the point, you’re obviously in the camp that believes the radial tire is the best thing since sliced bread for all situations and conditions… and I’ll just continue to drive circles around you in the mud, snow and any other slop you can think of. Nothing in this world has ever been best served with a “one-size-fits-all” way of thinking… tire construction included.
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naturelover
Tree Freak
The ones on the Ranger seem to have very little flex in them, though I think they are a 6 ply. Sidewalls do have some flex, but don't know that it would ever be enough to make much of a difference.
Do believe they are wider than a bias ply, which could make a difference, especially in snow. Course even that has its limits, had the Ranger in so deep before the tires were pretty much lifted off the road, needless to say I hung her pretty well that time.. :jester:
Will say that after I put those AT's on, I was coming home on a snowy day and the road was covered in snow. Several people had already found the ditch. Well, I locked it in 4wd and on up the hill I went, nary slipped a wheel.
Got into some mud a few days later, so flipped the switch. Hit the mudhole and about got stuck up. 4wd wasn't working at all, dang vacu-lok hubs weren't kicking in. I would have never believed I would have made it up that snowy hill in 2wd, but it did.
And in my experience, if one waits until they're slipping or stuck before locking it in, its usually too late.
And if they ain't cleaning themselves out, you ain't spinnin' 'em fast enough.
Do believe they are wider than a bias ply, which could make a difference, especially in snow. Course even that has its limits, had the Ranger in so deep before the tires were pretty much lifted off the road, needless to say I hung her pretty well that time.. :jester:
Will say that after I put those AT's on, I was coming home on a snowy day and the road was covered in snow. Several people had already found the ditch. Well, I locked it in 4wd and on up the hill I went, nary slipped a wheel.
Got into some mud a few days later, so flipped the switch. Hit the mudhole and about got stuck up. 4wd wasn't working at all, dang vacu-lok hubs weren't kicking in. I would have never believed I would have made it up that snowy hill in 2wd, but it did.
And in my experience, if one waits until they're slipping or stuck before locking it in, its usually too late.
And if they ain't cleaning themselves out, you ain't spinnin' 'em fast enough.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I'm gonna let you have your biased (pun fully intended) opinion on this one. All I'm gonna say is that any time I've been stuck, be it radial or bias ply tires, traction hasn't been the issue. Lack of ground clearance (be it 6" in a car or 2' or better on a tractor) was what stopped forward progress. Ain't but two things that will help that: A taller tire, and hope we hit solid ground before we bottom out even deeper in, or a wider one that will float over it. Therefore, I'll continue to think that my "inferior" radials have "enough" traction.
PS - Spidey, if you decide you need a custom user title, might I suggest "That 70s Show" for ya?
And in my experience, if one waits until they're slipping or stuck before locking it in, its usually too late.
And if they ain't cleaning themselves out, you ain't spinnin' 'em fast enough.
If they're spinnin', the one thing you surely ain't got is traction.
I see that all the time, guys try to compensate for lack of traction with momentum... lock-it-in and go balls-to-the-wall. That's fine if you make it through (or over), but if you don't make it you're just that much deeper in the soup when it all comes to a stop. It can be especially bad in thick muck or deep, hard-pack/drifted snow because the tires will ride up on top until momentum is lost, then they break through, dig and leave the axles laying on top... with the tires suspended above any sort of available traction.
I tend to go at it a bit differently... I walk it in slow, in 2-wheel drive, trying not to slip a tire. When, and if, forward progress halts and the rear wheels begin to slip, that's when I "lock-it-in" and back up! Now I have the opportunity to reevaluate what's ahead of me... I've stuck 'em to the rocker panels before, I hate walking, and I hate shoveling even more. If I do decide to continue forward, I still walk it in slow, and as soon as the wheels start to slip I stop and back up! Reevaluate again! When working through deep snow this allows the axle housings to keep pushing snow out of the way and tires remain on a solid traction surface... it don't make for fast travel, but it's a damn sight better than walking! Working through thick, deep, mucky mud this gives me several opportunities to gauge just how deep it is... 'cause if it's bottomless, there ain't any combination of 4x4 and tires that will pull you through it. You might get lucky and momentum will carry you over it, but on the return trip you might not be so lucky... I don't believe in luck much, I believe a man makes his own luck.
If your tires are spinnin', you ain't got traction... if you ain't got traction, you're gonna' get stuck... four spinnin' wheels just mean you're gonna be that much more stuck when it happens!
addendum: Oh... and by-the-way, don't try the "walk-it-in-slow" technique with your silly wide-footprint radial tires, they'll just walk up on top and when you try and back up they'll just sink... and then you walk :bang: Best off just keepin' those street tires on the street.
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