How Not To Take Care Of Your Tires

[sixdogs]

I always overinflate in the fall and then correct in the Spring. Vehicles store better with a little more air and this method allows me to start the compressor only once without a whole bunch of tire checking that I won't do anyway.

 

[dragoneggs]

I just dropped off one front tire from my 10 month old BX25 at the Kubota dealer. I tried 2x to find a leak but couldn't, but was getting tired of finding it suddenly flat every 2 weeks. Dealer sure didn't offer to cover under warranty, but immediately said "we'll probably want to put a tube in it".

I definitely suggest and BX owners to tube your fronts... No leaks since I did mine over a year ago.

 

[xzcVAbc5]

I definitely suggest and BX owners to tube your fronts... No leaks since I did mine over a year ago.

How many hours before your fronts leaked?

 

[ultrarunner]

Mine started needing to be topped off from the get go...

I thought it was just something I needed to check each week... the dealer said it was normal.

With slime... the pressure remains constant for months at a time... not sure if the problem is where the bead meets the rim or elsewhere?

 

[dragoneggs]

How many hours before your fronts leaked?

First one in a couple weeks. The second a couple months later. I was working her very hard in 4wd with lots of loader work though in rough terrain.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I think someone suggested that the tire was not sticking to the rim thus letting the tire turn on the rim/wheel. Odd that it happens to one front tire on BXs if this is the reason. About half of the BXs or more that I've owned have one front tire that leaks air which I've always fixed them with a tube. Maybe someone that currently has the issue could mark their rim and tire at the same spot and see if the mark gets separated and thus prove that the tire is slipping on the rim.

 

[sixdogs]

I have had leaky front ties as described and accidentally discovered that by overinflating the tire for a while (over winter for me) it seemed to fix the problem. Maybe tires aren't seating as well these days? All but one were OEM's.

 

[dragoneggs]

I would be surprised if the tire is rotating on the rim but marking it would be an easy test. I just assumed it was the harsh terrain. Boulders and logs and 4wd operation that overly deformed the rubber.

 

[crazyal]

One of the nice things about ag tires vs industrial tires is you can see the sidewall flex when you have load in the front bucket. Anything close to full load will squat them. If they are low on air they will squat badly.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I would be surprised if the tire is rotating on the rim but marking it would be an easy test. I just assumed it was the harsh terrain. Boulders and logs and 4wd operation that overly deformed the rubber.

Nope, that's probably not the reason. This is a problem that has been going on for years with one front BX tire in the turf and industrial tire and on level subdivision mowers as well. There are some past threads that got lots of posts and we even formed the one front tire leaking BX club which I left when I traded my BX to a B but alas I returned to the BX group and back or was back before tubing this last tire so hopefully I've left the club again. Slime became the #1 choice of most club members with good reported results but I never went that direction, got close a few times but just didn't.

 

[Greenfield Dave]

Right now my tires in the front are new. If I measure to the center line of the wheel I have a diameter of 27" diameter. With that diameter my wheel has a circumference of about 84 inches. If I travel ten revolutions of the tire I cover 840".

Now lets "wear" an inch off the tread. This changes the diameter of the tire to 25". The wheel now travels 25 x 3.14152 inches or 78" per revolution. Ten rotations now covers 780".

The connection between the front axle and the back axle is "locked" when in 4wd. That being said, the drive shaft into the front axle must match the rotation of the rear axle. If both connections are rotating at the same speed then the engage/disengage is a easy task. Now imagine the front axle with the 1" or wear on the tires. The front wheels are now rotating faster to cover the original design (new tires) of 840". The rear tire size has not changed any appreciable amount (fronts wear out way faster than rears). This causes a mismatch of the rotation speeds where the front axle meshes with the rear axle thus a bind is felt when shifting.

You can travel in 4wd all the time but as the front tires wear the ratio becomes more of a mismatch. when locked in 4wd this "mismatch" of turning must be accounted for. Since gears can't "slip", the only place that the "slip" can occur is at the contact with the ground. With the rears being heavier than the fronts, the fronts are forced to make up the mismatch by sliding on the ground slightly, this sliding accelerates the wear of the front tires thus accelerating the change in the diameter.

I am sure we are both on the same page that this all comes down to is get your tractor out of 4WD unless you need 4WD and keep your tires inflated fully, especially as they get shorter. By all means get it out of 4WD when you have a heavy load in the bucket on a solid surface where the front tires cannot "slip" as would happen on gravel.

Hope this makes some sense John. I suspect we are on the same page just a different language.

Gregg

OK Gregg, I have a question. My L4400's fronts are about worn out and I am having trouble shifting out of 4WD. Wouldn't the rear tire wear compensate for the fronts wearing, after all, they're wearing too..

While we're at it, is there any tires that wear better as replacements? The OEM tires are Titan II, and at $177 a piece, I'm looking for something more economical..

Thanks!
Dave

 

[repete]

OK Gregg, I have a question. My L4400's fronts are about worn out and I am having trouble shifting out of 4WD. Wouldn't the rear tire wear compensate for the fronts wearing, after all, they're wearing too..

While we're at it, is there any tires that wear better as replacements? The OEM tires are Titan II, and at $177 a piece, I'm looking for something more economical..

Thanks!
Dave

My rears are filled so they are much heavier than the fronts so I suspect the slip happens in the fronts. Also, if you wore an inch off your rears it would be a much smaller percentage of tire radius lost. I have to replace my fronts due to wear probably at a three or four to one ration with the rears. The amount of rubber (square inches) in contact with the ground is significantly greater on the rears than the fronts as well.

As for which tires wear best, I have yet to be able to discern any difference by manufacturer. All I know is that my driveway should be softer due to all the rubber I have left on it... The last ones I put on the fronts I got from Nebraska Tire. I ordered tubes as well. Since the hole where the stem comes through was rusted, they had a little boot that protected the tubes from the rim as well.

 

[repete]

Does the BX leakage occur with stock as well as aftermarket brand tires?

 

[sixdogs]

OK Gregg, I have a question. My L4400's fronts are about worn out and I am having trouble shifting out of 4WD. Wouldn't the rear tire wear compensate for the fronts wearing, after all, they're wearing too..

While we're at it, is there any tires that wear better as replacements? The OEM tires are Titan II, and at $177 a piece, I'm looking for something more economical..

Thanks!
Dave

I see lots of tires used and abused and it's universally accepted that Firestones are the best. I have had the most difficulties with Titans and I only buy them when there is no size alternative.

 

[Mowbizz]

I noticed one of my BX front tires was flat a couple weeks ago...lifted the front with the bucket and slimed the tire. Was okay until I was putting on my backhoe and when I turned to come back from the rear of the garage where my concrete slab is, and felt the dreaded drag of the front wheel again. This time the tire was wobbling on the rim with a broken bead...luckily, I lifted it and brought my compressor out and was able to "pop" (it literally, went POP twice while inflating as the bead and once again sealed.) Now I don't trust it even though it has held air for a good week now.
I am going to go the tube route and forget about it! Calling my dealer now.

 

[Johnkn]

Picked up my 10 month old, 40 hour front BX tire from the dealership today. $34 to tube it. I just remembered that when I trailered the BX25 home last December the tire was flat and I had to air up before unloading from the trailer, so this has been happening since day one. On mine, it never seemed to get low, it was with Ok or flat every few weeks. I would check the pressure every few days and it would be ok, then next time, flat.

 

[dragoneggs]

Does the BX leakage occur with stock as well as aftermarket brand tires?

Yes my leaks were with the original stock tires right out of the gate. I recommend tubing them from the start. I'm not a fan of sliming but I know many are okay with that approach.

 

[ultrarunner]

I like tubes... just can't buy them anywhere local or have them put in at the tire shops... might be the area where the tractor is located.

Figured by the time I found some online and had them shipped and then installed... I would be losing too much of my vacation time waiting.

All things equal... tube would be the better choice and they can be patched too.

 

[dragoneggs]

I like tubes... just can't buy them anywhere local or have them put in at the tire shops... might be the area where the tractor is located.

Figured by the time I found some online and had them shipped and then installed... I would be losing too much of my vacation time waiting.

All things equal... tube would be the better choice and they can be patched too.

Really??? Les Schwab... while you wait. 'least round here.

 

[ultrarunner]

Really??? Les Schwab... while you wait. 'least round here.

Closest one is about 35 miles away...

I went there to buy two tubes for my box utility trailer and learned they didn't have any... recommended buying two new tires.

I also took my BX23 rear tire to the Goodyear truck center as they said they repair tires... said I would have to leave it and I did... after 3 days they said they don't repair off-road tires...

Ended up driving 90 miles to Stockton California to a AG tire place and had both rears foamed filled and worth every penny.

I have heard explanations from liability to profitability.