Not sure exactly but I've heard it gives better longivety on bitumen. Maybe also to have better traction when reversing out of mud?

 

It's so when you get bogged you have a better chance of getting out.
I think they do wear better for highway travel as well but you're doing well to wear out a set of tyres on a header.

 

You can wear tires out on a combine?

Supposed to reduce wear on the tread bars.
Makes sense on 2WD, I think it's dumb on 4WD and even dumber on a track unit.

 

I was always told it was for better steering. Lets it bite on different points.

I have always heard too that when a tire is backwards the material is pulled under the tire and gives it lift. So it migh help some with compaction?

 

In fact, more thinking about it. I'm not sure I have ever seen a combine with rear wheels facing forward.

 

The last time we changed the tires I put them on facing forward, just because I thought it was prettier. I don't have RWD, but I can't say I've noticed any difference.

 

With the older bias ply, running them backwards on drive wheels reduces road wear. Used to be common place to reverse them before roading, if it could be easily done such as on a combine for any great distance, but with the advent of the newer tires and rubber compounds, something you just don't see done anymore.

As for why a freewheeling or ground drive bar lugged tire is run backwards, such as on a combine steering axle, rodweeder or hay rake, is the tire has less tendency to skid and will keep rotating even in slippery conditions, as it is being driven from friction to the ground, and being run backwards, it will be driven more positively.

I have often seen, on those Versatile BiDis used in feedlots and such, where they will have one set running in each direction. This is for added traction when backing out of deep manure.

As with many things, there is a science to the madness

 

The three reasons I have heard for it are;
-Less wear
-in a none driven tire they will ride up on top of mud better when running backwards
-on RWA when you get stuck going forward it will give you more pull to back out.

 

And there's always "To make you ask questions."

 

we reverse our rear tires when using griptracs so they don't cut up the ground in wet going.

 

I have also heard that rolling tires use less energy going backwards and also that there is a better ride. It could also be urban legend...

 

I have had 6 combines with 4 wd the wheels a not even on the machine from the factory but I don't have to tell the dealer how to put them they are always facing forward on 4 wd but on grain carts like most other people they are reversed they say that they run and last longer that way

 

Thank's all for feedback. So less compaction and less tire wear should be the key words here. As far as 4WD better traction reversing. Well. mine is 2WD only but I might reverse them just for the hack of it to see what can I experience and feel and shall share it with you.
Still trying to font front track system for it......Harain that was made for John Deere...supposedly great system but ungodly expensive ....In my case, used ones would cost me more than the combine!!!!!

 

I've heard of guys running the fronts backwards on loader tractors also. Less wear, and more traction when you back out of a place with a load in the bucket.

 

As for why a freewheeling or ground drive bar lugged tire is run backwards, such as on a combine steering axle, rodweeder or hay rake, is the tire has less tendency to skid and will keep rotating even in slippery conditions, as it is being driven from friction to the ground, and being run backwards, it will be driven more positively.

X2

 

That's right, dfb. When a wheel is powered with normal, forward tread pattern, and as it starts to slip the angle of the tread is such that it provides maximum traction and also keeps the treads as cleans as possible by pushing the dirt or mud to the outsides of the tread. As we all know, once your tread fills up with mud, you're good and stuck. The tread pattern is always wanting to be pushed into the soil V first, if that makes sense.

When the wheel is not being driven, slip is going to be manifested by the tired spinning slower than ground speed, and the same thing happens, but this time it's the ground pushing on the tire instead of the tire pushing against the ground (active force anyway). Same pattern, same idea. The V part of the tread pushes in the the dirt first.

Pivots typically have opposing tread patterns on each tower just so at least one wheel has maximum traction in each direction, though I have a few towers here and there where the tread is not this way, and it seems to not get stuck going in the wrong direction. And I haven't noticed any wear issues.

 

Some brands and era's of tires will say right on the side which direction for steering or for traction...

Tractor tread tires are as a rule mounted backwards if used strictly for steering...however mounted the normal direction if rear wheel assist(or front wheel assist) and are steer-tires too