Tires Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy.

   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #1  

Reg

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Any tips/tricks for handling ~1,000 lb loaded tires and rims ?
At about 400 lbs empty mine were about as much as I could bully around bare handed, now that they weigh about as much as a horse I feel a need to treat their mass with appropriate respect. I have an el cheapo engine crane and was thinking of trying to use/adapt that. I think it will take more than a short length of chain or a fabric sling.

The reason I want/need to get the wheels off is to put turfs on.
I could do one side at a time and use the FEL to move each wheel around once it is off and the turf wheel is on.
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #2  
It sounds like you will be doing this often. If so, I would recomend building some sort of a dolly system that you can set the tires on, unbolt them from the tractor and wheel them away. You could make one and then take the wheel off with the loader but it seems to make more sense ot have one for each tire.

Maybe others will have a better idea.
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #3  
Forks !

:)
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy.
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thanks all,
I don't know how often I would want to do this, but once in the Spring and again for Winter sounds like the minimum of twice a year.

I was browsing the Northern pallet trucks last night, but,,,,,,,
What I am most concerned about is the possibility of a tire toppling while I am, for example, reaching through the center hole trying to turn the axle to line the studs up. Lifting it from ABOVE it's c of g seems like a good idea and right now I'm thinking some sort of a "tongue" could be fab'd that would fit through the rim gap near the top, the other end being attached onto/into the engine crane's arm.
I could probably get a 1/2 inch thick steel bar in there, maybe 6 or 8 inches wide would be strong enough. I havn't measured anything yet, I might be able to use something thicker. For safety a hole in the tip of the tongue so a bolt or hitch pin could be put in to stop the wheel from slipping off when I back the engine crane away to make space to get in and attach the turf wheel.

Juss thunkin' out loud (-:
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #6  
We moved to our new home last August, which with the added acreage rapidly prompted the need for a TRACTOR!!! The lawn looks like a golf course and according to my wife will stay that way. So my machine came with R4's and I also bought a set of turfs. As it turns out I have a 14" I beam handily located in the garage centered perfect in the middle. I bought a beam trolley and a 1350lbs. overhead hoist and mounted it to the beam. I take a chain off of the hoist, short piece, a choker to that and the loaded tire and tension. After wheel is off of tractor I run a chain through the center and up to chain on hoist, then lower it on to 4 x 4's it can't tip due to hoist tension. I repeat process but lift second rear up and slide beam trolley over to where I set the first.

Good luck,

Brad
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #7  
After ponderating for a few minutes...

Modify the engine crane so that it has a wheel on the end, like a small trailer tire
and pick the tire up with it. Then you can spin the tire to line up the lugs. This only works if your wheels are dished out. I borrowed this idea from Westendorf's website. They have somthing similar that mounts on a loader.

My other idea is to use a commerical big truck tire jack. Probably have to modify the rollers the tire sets on as the tread is way rougher than a truck tire.

Another tractor with forks would be handy but cost prohibitive :)
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #9  
Geez, you guys missed the easy one!

Buy a second tractor with FEL !

Or buy / build a tire truck and do it on cement. Design with wide base to minimize tipping.

jb
 
   / Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy. #10  
A picker would be the ideal choice. The overhead beam sounds good too. :D

There ain't no easy way out for this job. It will take some proper equipment.:D
 
 
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