Concrete or ?? Tires

   / Concrete or ?? Tires #1  

dourobob

Platinum Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2002
Messages
672
Location
Just West of Buckhorn, Ontario, Canada
Tractor
Wheel Horse 522xi
I am looking to convert an old and worn out manure spreader to a water carrier and I want to do it as inexpensively as possible.
Think I can get two 1000 litre (220 Gal BR or 264 Gal US) tanks fairly cheap and I think they will fit nicely on the spreader bed.
My question is about tires and how much they can handle.

By my calculation the combined weight would be about 4600 pounds (4400 for water and 200 for tanks & frames).

Can I fill the tires with something that will make them impossible ?? to burst? I heard about someone using concrete in tires. Sounds like it might work but I have no idea how this could be done.
Is there any other "filler" I should consider?
I will only be going short distances (1/4 to 1/2 a mile) on fairly flat land.

Any ideas??

Bob
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #2  
Won't last more than one trip or so. the rubber will rip off and the concrete break and fall out.
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #3  
Why not just use heavy duty trailer tires? Or you could go the expensive route with the foam filled tires that never go flat.
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #4  
Even if you could make the tires "indestructable", wouldn't the excess weight simply look for the next weakest link in the trailer? Perhaps the axle, hubs, or suspension?
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #5  
My recommendation is to find a couple of old trailer (mobile home) axle assmemblies with tires and wheels and put them under there. 1 would probably do the job.
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #6  
5000 pounds is not really that heavy a trailer. Most trailer tires (load range D or 6-8 ply rating) would handle that with only one axle (two tires). The suggestion for a mobile home axle is a good one - some mobile home dealers may sell them cheap. Otherwise, one 6000 lb trailer axle would do. Two 3500 lb. axles (four wheels) would give you a lot of insurance. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Concrete or ?? Tires #7  
Last I heard water was only 8#/us gallon so 1000l is just under 2200 pounds. 2500 pounds means you can get by with a single 3500 axle with common 5 bolt rims and trailer tires. Heck, even the wife's minivan is rated at 2600 pounds on the front and 2700 pounds on the rear axle so you could probably even use tires/rims off a minivan if you could find them as long as you got yourself a new 3500 pound axle (they sell kits with axle, springs and hubs at northern tool for under 150, just make sure you buy the bolt pattern for the rims you intend to use .. ford and chevy are different /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). I am not sure but unless someone overbuilt it by a LOT, the axle, spindles, rims and tires off your old spreader probably won't be very safe.

( just checked http://www.onlineconversion.com/waterweight.htm and it says 1000l water weigh 2204 pounds).
 
 
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