How Much Does An 18.4-38 Tractor Tire Weigh? | True Weight

Most tires in this rear tractor size weigh about 250 to 350 pounds before fluid, rim, or tube.

If you’re trying to move one, ship one, or figure out whether your jack, loader, or tire machine can handle it, that range gets you close in a hurry. A bare 18.4-38 can land in the mid-250s in a lighter long-bar build, then climb into the mid-300s when the casing is heavier and the tread is deeper.

That’s why this size confuses so many people. The sidewall stays the same, yet the real number on a scale can swing a lot. Tread style, casing thickness, tube setup, wear, and ballast all change what you’re dealing with in the shop or on the trailer.

What The Sidewall Number Tells You

The size 18.4-38 tells you two things right away. The first number points to the tire’s section width in the old inch-based farm tire system. The second tells you the rim diameter in inches. So this is a wide rear tractor tire built for a 38-inch rim.

What it does not tell you is the tire’s weight. That part comes from the casing, tread design, ply rating, and whether the tire is bias or radial. Two tires can both say 18.4-38 and still feel like two different beasts once you try to roll them across a concrete floor.

That old farm sizing also hides one more detail: many people lump bias and radial replacements into the same bucket. In day-to-day talk, that happens all the time. In the shop, it can bite you. A radial replacement that fits the same tractor job may not weigh the same as an old-school bias 18.4-38.

18.4-38 Tractor Tire Weight By Tread And Build

The cleanest way to answer the question is to look at current manufacturer listings for this exact size. On Titan’s Dura Torque page, the 18.4-38 listing shows 256 pounds. On Titan’s Special Sure Grip TD8 page, the same size shows 347 pounds. Same size. Big spread.

That gap tells you more than any single number can. A lighter long-bar field tire can stay near the low end. A deep-lug, heavier-carcass tire can land much higher. So when someone asks, “How Much Does An 18.4-38 Tractor Tire Weigh?” the honest answer is this: bare tire only, think roughly 250 to 350 pounds unless you have the exact brand and model in hand.

Why One Size Can Give You Different Answers

Rubber weight adds up fast. A tire with deeper lugs carries more material in every tread bar. A thicker casing adds more body plies and more mass in the shoulder and sidewall. Even before you add a tube, one 18.4-38 can feel mild next to another that looks ready for a pulling track.

Wear changes the number too. A half-worn takeoff won’t match a new tire fresh off the rack. So if you’re buying used, don’t assume the catalog weight and the real weight are twins. Close, maybe. Dead-on, not always.

Then there’s the setup. Bare tire only is one thing. Tire with tube is another. Mounted wheel is another again. Liquid-filled rear wheel? That’s a whole different job.

Setup	Usual Weight	What Pushes It There
Bare 18.4-38, lighter long-bar build	About 250 to 265 lb	Shallower tread and lighter casing
Bare 18.4-38, standard R-1 build	About 265 to 290 lb	More rubber in the tread and shoulder
Bare 18.4-38, deep-lug heavy build	About 320 to 350 lb	Heavier carcass and deeper tread bars
Used takeoff in the same size	Usually less than new	Worn lugs cut down rubber mass
Same tire with tube fitted	A bit above bare weight	Tube and valve hardware add mass
Same tire mounted on a rear rim	Far above bare weight	Wheel center and rim weight vary by tractor
Same tire with liquid ballast	Hundreds of pounds more	Fluid fill is the big jump
Full rear wheel assembly off the tractor	Often a machine-handling job	Tire, rim, tube, and ballast stack up fast

What Changes The Number After You Buy It

If you’re not shopping for a bare tire, don’t stop at catalog weight. Many rear farm tires spend their whole working life mounted, and a lot of them are loaded. That means the number you care about may be the full wheel assembly, not the rubber alone.

Here’s where people get caught: they ask for tire weight, then show up to move a loaded wheel. That’s how a “two-man job” turns into a loader, chain, and patience job.

Bare Tire Vs Mounted Wheel

A bare 18.4-38 is bulky and awkward, but it can still be rolled, tipped, and worked into place with the right tools. A mounted rear wheel is different. Now you’re dealing with steel, a center disc or cast center, wheel hardware, and a shape that doesn’t want to balance nicely once it starts to lean.

If the wheel is still on the tractor, removal can be the slow part. If it’s already off, floor space becomes the issue. One bad tilt and the job gets western in a hurry.

If The Tire Is Fluid-Filled

Fluid ballast changes the plan more than anything else. Once liquid goes into a rear tractor tire, the wheel turns from “awkward but manageable” into “use the machine.” That’s the point where jack choice, floor condition, tie-down plan, and trailer loading all matter a lot more than the sidewall size alone.

• Ask whether the tire is bare, tubed, mounted, or loaded.
• Ask for the exact brand and tread line, not just the size.
• Ask whether the wheel center is stamped steel or cast.
• Ask whether the tire is new, half-worn, or nearly done.

Those four questions can save you from bringing the wrong trailer, the wrong jack, or the wrong expectations.

Job	Number To Plan Around	Better Assumption
Freight quote	Bare tire only or full wheel?	Get that answer before you book pickup
Shop handling	Can it be rolled, or does it need a machine?	Loaded rear wheels usually need mechanical help
Jack choice	Rear axle load plus wheel weight	Plan for more than catalog tire weight
Replacement match	Bias 18.4-38 or radial replacement	Don’t treat them as the same tire
Used purchase	New weight or worn weight?	Worn tread means less rubber to haul
Trailer loading	One wheel or a pair?	Two loaded rears can add up fast

How To Size Up Your Own Tire In Five Minutes

If you don’t have the catalog page, you can still get close without much fuss.

1. Start with the bare-tire range. For most 18.4-38 bias rear tractor tires, 250 to 350 pounds is the working range that keeps you out of trouble.
2. Check the tread. Tall, deep bars and a stout shoulder usually mean more mass.
3. Check the setup. Tube, rim, cast center, and ballast all stack on top of the tire weight.
4. Check wear. A worn tire can shave off a fair chunk of rubber compared with a new one.
5. Plan for the heavier case. If you’re lifting, hauling, or setting beads, it’s better to have too much handling gear than too little.

That last step matters most. Weight mistakes on rear tractor tires don’t usually show up on paper. They show up when the tire starts to tip, the jack sinks, or the trailer deck suddenly feels smaller than it looked.

What Most Owners Should Budget

If your question is about the tire by itself, budget for roughly 250 to 350 pounds. That range fits what current maker listings show for this size across lighter and heavier tread designs. If your question is about the full wheel assembly, don’t use bare tire weight as your working number. Mounted and loaded setups can jump far past that.

For day-to-day shop planning, these numbers are the ones that matter most:

• Bare tire only: usually about 250 to 350 lb
• Bare tire with heavier deep-lug build: often near the top of that range
• Mounted rear wheel: much heavier than the tire alone
• Liquid-filled rear wheel: plan on machine handling, not muscle

So if you just need the plain-English answer, here it is: an 18.4-38 tractor tire is not a one-number item, but the bare tire usually sits in the 250-to-350-pound zone. Get the exact model when you can. If you can’t, plan for the high side and the job tends to go a lot smoother.