Tires How could this happen !!!

[hr3]

Something happened today I would never except.. I started up the tractor but only after plugging it in for about 5 min. it was 15 deg. Out. I took off shortly after starting the tractor and started working. About 30 min. later I was going up the hill into the dirt pit and lost forward motion.. I looked down and was I was in 2 wheel drive.. Slipped it in 4 and took right off.. Loaded up the bucket and took off about half was to where I was going to dump the dirt I was about to go across the lawn so I slipped it back out of 4. With the R-4's it's better on the lawn..

I was headed back for another load and was thinking,, how on earth did I lose traction,,R-4's with chains,, loaded tires and big old backhoe hanging off the back not much of a grade.. So as I was going up the hill again to the pit and sure enough as she came to the top I was spinning.. This time I open the cab door and look,, sure enough tires were NOT slipping. I tried again and just as the hst would load a bit nothing no movement.. Looked out the door again in disbelief and pocked my head way over to look at the axle.. OMG it was turning,, the whole wheel was turning inside the tire ???

Slowly I went back to the barn to check the air,, sure enough 1lb of air and the tire didn't look down at all.. Sooo after all this my question,, How could the tire have only 1lb and not even look down ???

 

[Diamondpilot]

Big heavy rubber. I had the same thing happen on my tractor once.

Chris

 

[CurlyDave]

You have discovered one of the most interesting things about tires.

Everybody "thinks" they know how a tire works -- the air pressure holds up the vehicle -- but that is just plain not true. What really holds the vehicle up is the stiffness of the sidewalls.

On automotive tires, the air pressure increases the stiffness of the sidewalls substantially. On your big heavy-walled tractor tires, the sidewalls are stiff enough to hold the weight without any air pressure.

 

[Pushing_Tin]

Wow I'd better go check my tire pressure!

 

[Diamondpilot]

You are lucky they were not tubed... You would have ripped the valve stem off more than likely.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

I've seen pullers run sheet metal screws thru the rims into the beads to keep tires from rotating on the rim.

as for stiff tires... I got used aircraft tires on my batwing.. I was servicing it one day and checked pressure.. half of them were empty.. but they are SOOOO thick they held fine.. I aired them and they didn't look any different

soundguy

 

[RoyJackson]

...as for stiff tires... I got used aircraft tires on my batwing.. I was servicing it one day and checked pressure.. half of them were empty.. but they are SOOOO thick they held fine.. I aired them and they didn't look any different

soundguy

When I was an Airedale in the Navy, I worked on F-4 Phantom II aircraft. Those tires got changed pretty regularly (once the cords showed), both aboard ship and ashore. They were normally sold for agricultural use.
Those tires had 26 (Yes, 26!) plies.
For use on those aircraft, the pressures were 375-400 PSI for shore use and 480 for carrier landings.
I reckon they'd last a few decades in a farm wagon.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. almost like solid tires!

soundguy

 

[wushaw]

When I was an Airedale in the Navy, I worked on F-4 Phantom II aircraft. Those tires got changed pretty regularly (once the cords showed), both aboard ship and ashore. They were normally sold for agricultural use.
Those tires had 26 (Yes, 26!) plies.
For use on those aircraft, the pressures were 375-400 PSI for shore use and 480 for carrier landings.
I reckon they'd last a few decades in a farm wagon.

That's some air pressure, on commercial aircraft their only 200 on average.

 

[RoyJackson]

That's some air pressure, on commercial aircraft their only 200 on average.

Yep, sure is a lot. The F-4's weren't good at low speed landings so they came in pretty hot. Used to call carrier landings "controlled crashes". That's the reason for the high pressures (higher then most other military aircraft of that era).
The tires were mounted on split rim wheels with 22-26 bolts (can't recall the exact number) holding the rims together. One never stood alongside the tire/wheel assembly while inflating. It was preferable to use a special inflation cage (in case the assembly blew), but that wasn't too common.
We had an F-4 crash north of Naples, Italy in the mid 70's. No one would get near the broken landing gear to deflate the tires. We had a Marine guard shoot the tires (to deflate them).

OK, sorry...old sea stories pulled this thread way off topic!