Big truck threw a tread. Can I use it?

[wetstuff]

I have a 6' Meyers plow mounted on my JD 1070 .. and would like to have a tad softer, contact edge on the blade.

I saw an 18 wheeler holding up holiday traffic last night clearing the mess throwing this tire made; this morning I snagged the big piece. This tread's meaty part is about 7" wide x 1" thick. If I cut it down to about 4-5" I could get a clean 6' length out of it. The road face is patterned - the inside somewhat smooth. How could use it?

Thanks in advance for the assistance. It may be July 2 and 90f today, but I know I better get started!

Jim

 

[duckhunter27]

Sounds like a heck of a plan to me don't see why it would'nt work and if it don't you are not out anything. Good luck like to see pic's when you are done.

 

[Wolfy]

Wetstuff, I used a pickup tire to make a rubber edge for my grading blade, which I keep on my Ford all winter. What I did was cut the tire maybe 3 inches from the "corner", on the sidewall and the thread. So if you roll it out, you end up with a rubber L shape. Then I bolted it to the blade (be sure to use fender washers) through the sidewall. Which leaves the thread side to ride under the blade. It plows the grass fantastically, will not rip it up, since the rubber that is tucked under the blade acts like a edge and skid shoe in one. It does okay on the pavement. Won't cut through hard snow. Maybe extra weight would help. I live with it, since my other Ford has a plow with a hard plastic edge, much better on pavement. It might be quite the chore to cut through a heavy truck tire. Another time I made backhoe stabilizer pads, from a loader tire. Takes some effort and good sawzall blades, but worth it.

 

[JDgreen227]

I have a 6' Meyers plow mounted on my JD 1070 .. and would like to have a tad softer, contact edge on the blade.

I saw an 18 wheeler holding up holiday traffic last night clearing the mess throwing this tire made; this morning I snagged the big piece. This tread's meaty part is about 7" wide x 1" thick. If I cut it down to about 4-5" I could get a clean 6' length out of it. The road face is patterned - the inside somewhat smooth. How could use it?

Thanks in advance for the assistance. It may be July 2 and 90f today, but I know I better get started!

Jim

It will work well, mine sure does. I don't know how to post a link here on TBN but if you go to the thread titled "Snow Plowing Gravel Driveway--problem solved" that was started on 2/1/11 in this forum it will show you and explain what I did with the tire tread I found. Think mine was the second or third post in the thread.

 

[Don87]

It will work well, mine sure does. I don't know how to post a link here on TBN but if you go to the thread titled "Snow Plowing Gravel Driveway--problem solved" that was started on 1/21/11 in this forum it will show you and explain what I did with the tire tread I found. Think mine was the second or third post in the thread.

The way to post a link is:

Find the thread you want.

Right click in the address bar.

click copy.

open this thread.

click quote, or post reply.

in the spot you type in...........right click, then click paste.

 

[JDgreen227]

Thank you, just copied that info to my Blackberry Memo Pad for future reference.

 

[wetstuff]

.... I do a simple copy/paste of the URL on my iMac.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/194360-snow-plowing-gravel-driveway-problem.html

Thanks JDG .. Am I correct you made a sandwich with the tread as the meat? How much rubber is exposed below metal? Can you see it flex, etc?

Anything you can say about how you would do it a second time would be useful. I am thinking about trying a Skilsaw rather than Sawzall ..bet I have to lube the **** out of it .. and wear a respirator.

Wolfy.. Reading your post, I was thinking-ahead, you were making a forward 'scoop' with limited take up and a trippy realease .. then read you actually reversed it so it also make a shoe. Cool. I'm after a really knarly edge but one that won't tend to gouge the tarmac or my stone drive.

At the moment I am hip deep in making a Rider truck body into a tractor shed. Thanks again for all the postings you guys do.. 'back in the day' we were pretty much alone in making these decisions.

Jim

 

[JDgreen227]

.... I do a simple copy/paste of the URL on my iMac.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/194360-snow-plowing-gravel-driveway-problem.html

Thanks JDG .. Am I correct you made a sandwich with the tread as the meat? How much rubber is exposed below metal? Can you see it flex, etc?

Anything you can say about how you would do it a second time would be useful. I am thinking about trying a Skilsaw rather than Sawzall ..bet I have to lube the **** out of it .. and wear a respirator.

Wolfy.. Reading your post, I was thinking-ahead, you were making a forward 'scoop' with limited take up and a trippy realease .. then read you actually reversed it so it also make a shoe. Cool. I'm after a really knarly edge but one that won't tend to gouge the tarmac or my stone drive.

At the moment I am hip deep in making a Rider truck body into a tractor shed. Thanks again for all the postings you guys do.. 'back in the day' we were pretty much alone in making these decisions.

Jim

Yup, it is a sandwich...had to buy much longer carriage bolts to get it all together. Tread hangs down about 5-6 inches from metal, is very thick, has hardly any flex. Sawzall with coarse tooth blade is best for cutting, a Skilsaw blade if you use one has to have very big, wide spaced teeth as they will plug with melted rubber fast. Didn't use any respirator as surprisingly little smoke was created. Would not have done anything differently except perhaps used a brand new drill bit to drill the holes, that brass wire in the tread is tough to get thru...had a whole bunch of old drill bits, used them instead then threw away afterwards. I don't know if using lube (oil or water) on blade and/or bits would make cutting and drilling easier, you try it out. Happy Independence Day.

 

[wetstuff]

I got another tread.. bigger/better this time! This was nearly a clean throw about a 1/2mi from my shop where we have a section of 65mph bypass. "Thank you Mr. Trucker."

I got a 48 tooth, Bosch 'Steel cutting' blade for my 7.5" skill saw. Cutting into the side - it bogged down and blew a breaker. I got some 30wt oil.. Nope. Then I discovered the tread wants to curl inwards and was pinching.

Placing it over this block helped as did a can of silicone. The saw pretty much ate thru it crossways .. only slowing at the thick rubber bit on the other side.

NOW - the big question is: How to cut it lengthwise? I would like to have as much meat left after trimming as I can, but it does not seem realistic to think I can cut 12-14' thru the thick portion of the tread... But, does the 5" you see leave me enough meat to make a decent sandwich for my Meyers plow? ..it's only about 90 today but I am planning ahead.

Jim

 

[JDgreen227]

I got another tread.. bigger/better this time! This was nearly a clean throw about a 1/2mi from my shop where we have a section of 65mph bypass. "Thank you Mr. Trucker."

I got a 48 tooth, Bosch 'Steel cutting' blade for my 7.5" skill saw. Cutting into the side - it bogged down and blew a breaker. I got some 30wt oil.. Nope. Then I discovered the tread wants to curl inwards and was pinching.

Placing it over this block helped as did a can of silicone. The saw pretty much ate thru it crossways .. only slowing at the thick rubber bit on the other side.

NOW - the big question is: How to cut it lengthwise? I would like to have as much meat left after trimming as I can, but it does not seem realistic to think I can cut 12-14' thru the thick portion of the tread... But, does the 5" you see leave me enough meat to make a decent sandwich for my Meyers plow? ..it's only about 90 today but I am planning ahead.

Jim

Nice, new looking freebie, but I don't understand why you want to narrow it? As you can see in the picture of my RB, the tread sticks out from the metal wear strip both top and bottom, I did think about narrowing mine, but that would be just for cosmetics. Not worth the effort to me.