Spare tire

[emr]

We've been having issues with our PT422 getting flat tires on the job. Apparently when we drive over brush, the branches are poking holes in the tires. We want to get a spare so that we can finish up the day and fix the flat when it's convenient for us. The last time we had it in to a tire place to fix the flat, the guy offered to find us a spare from one of his suppliers. Today he told me that he can't get 12x8.5 but he can get 12x7. He thought it would work fine. What do you all think? He will also give us a tire that has more plys.... Going from 4 to 6 ply.....if I recall correctly. He thought the tires were pretty flimsy for our application. Anyone else have problems with flats?

 

[MossRoad]

Do you have turf tires?

I have turfs on my 2001 PT425. I ended up putting tubes in a couple of the ones I had leaks in, and putt SLIME in the tubes. It has worked well. We have lots of briars and stickers and rose bushes. I'd be leery of going with stiffer tires, as that might impact the ride when doing things like mowing. But that's just a guess. No personal experience.

 

[emr]

We do have turf tires on now.

I own a tree care company and we only use the loader for that. No mowing or anything like that. I'm concerned about causing as little turf damage as possible.

 

[MossRoad]

Ah. You could try some tire sealant in there and see if that does it. I've found, though, that the turfs can be spun off the rims. Tire sealant won't stop that. That's why I'm tubing them as they go flat. Haven't had a tubed one with tire sealant in the tube go flat for years.

 

[EddieWalker]

Don't waste your time. Get the tires filled with foam and never deal with another flat. I can't even count how many flats I got with both of my tractors. Once you start getting them, they patch fairly well until the tire is too full for patching, then you have to get tubes, which don't last because the tires are already ruined already. You just keep getting flats sooner and sooner then before.

I bought brand new tires and had them foamed ten years ago. I Haven't had a flat tire since then, and I haven't lost a day of getting things done dealing with a flat tire since then. Best money I ever spent on my tractors!!!

 

[BobRip]

I too recommend slime. I rarely have to even add air.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I am less excited about slime but the product does work. For me punctures seem to happen in the sidewalls and not the tread so the sealant doesn't really work.

Love the idea of foam filling except for me I need the "softness" of a tire for side traction.

Get the correct size spare. I have 4 spare tires here on the farm and go through them quite often if I am doing logging work.

 

[emr]

We talked about getting them filled with foam but have held off for a couple of reasons. First, the closest place that does it is about a 45 minute drive from here. Second, weight. It would be nice for counter balance but again, we are concerned about lawn damage. Every other company around here has big equipment and they are known for damaging lawns. We have small equipment and our customers expect very little lawn damage. That's why we get hired a lot of the time.

 

[4570Man]

Aren’t the tires on a PT small enough that weight gain would be minimal?

 

[MossRoad]

We talked about getting them filled with foam but have held off for a couple of reasons. First, the closest place that does it is about a 45 minute drive from here. Second, weight. It would be nice for counter balance but again, we are concerned about lawn damage. Every other company around here has big equipment and they are known for damaging lawns. We have small equipment and our customers expect very little lawn damage. That's why we get hired a lot of the time.

If that's the case, try tubes a tire sealant like slime. It's worth the experimental price. I think I got my tubes at Rural King, and the slime at Autozone. Just be sure to remember that the PT rims have a valve stem on both sides. Remove and plug one of them to avoid filling the wrong one once you tube it.