Foamed the front tires; broke the 4WD?

[Texasmark]

A possibility here may be "rolling circumference". In foam filling, since my interpretation of foam filling is an "expansion-solidification" product, like the foam you use to seal openings around the house, there may be a situation where it caused the bias tire to balloon, which increased the rolling circumference ratio with the rears.

With a longer circumference, for a given gear ratio, the ground covered by the front would be more than the rear in proportion to non-filled and that would put more stress on the front axle drive mechanism...it's not only moving the vehicle over the terrain, but it's dragging the rears in the process ...aka the coupling mentioned herein could suffer as a result.

 

[ultrarunner]

I was told the BX 23 needs the pneumatic cushion of air filled front tires to protect the front axle assembly... especially when the loader is maxed.

 

[Texasmark]

I was told the BX 23 needs the pneumatic cushion of air filled front tires to protect the front axle assembly... especially when the loader is maxed.

There is some truth to that statement in that I was moldboard plowing once and the heavy clay was hard as rocks. I had my loader full of sand to get some front wheel ballast as the 3 pt implement was very long and heavy and would drag the ground otherwise.

I got in a hurry and went too fast over very rough ground and I tore out the ball bearings on both front axles. The fronts are huge and 12 ply (OEM installed ) so, even at the pressure of 20 psig, they don't give much....I can pickup a 1 ton pallet of fertilizer with the FEL and the sidewalls hardly show and bulging.

I do like current day, popular compact tractors where, for the diameter requirement for the front tires, they use large diameter wheels and high LW ratios...like 60 vs 78 which doesn't give you much sidewall slop.....much needed in front end work, even at low pressures which my LS has but the one mentioned is more like 78.

 

[Henro]

A possibility here may be "rolling circumference". In foam filling, since my interpretation of foam filling is an "expansion-solidification" product, like the foam you use to seal openings around the house, there may be a situation where it caused the bias tire to balloon, which increased the rolling circumference ratio with the rears.

Your interpretation is likely in error. The foam samples I saw were like firm Jello, nothing like stiff construction foam you are referring to.

Different stiffness options were offered.

 

[Texasmark]

Your interpretation is likely in error. The foam samples I saw were like firm Jello, nothing like stiff construction foam you are referring to.

Different stiffness options were offered.

Well I bought some foam filled tire/wheel assemblies and they were hard as rocks for the front of one of my ZTs. Since I usually run around 5-8# for a soft ride, they lasted the first test drive and off they came......but there are all kinds of fish in the sea......