CK30 HST 4x4 Front Tyres

[Alien]

The normal replacement tyre seems to be the BKT 7-14 but it is only 4 ply and I have a FEL.
Has anyone used the Armour Grader tyre which is a 6 ply rating? LINK

Both my fronts have finally given in after 9 years of abuse.

There is a Titan tyre as well but it is considerably more expensive. ($50 per tyre)

 

[powerscol]

Titan makes a good tire (think Goodyear) and you pay for what you get. They came on my Bobcat as original. More import though is the replacement needs to have the same or very near the same rolling diameter. Check you original tire specifications against what your considering getting. They may say the same size on the tire, but dimensions can be different. A call to the dealer mechanic might be good too.

 

[VictorW]

My CK30hst came standard with Titan R4 Industrial tires and the fronts are 6 ply. They've held up well so far after 10 years. The Armour Grader might do well also. Just found a price for that tire here in the USA, 90.44, internet order plus shipping but out of stock. Must not be to common here. I couldn't find much as far as reviews.

 

[Alien]

Thanks for the comments. I had a choice of 3 tyres.

Would have been easy to stick to the BKT but I really wanted a heavier ply tyre. I carry a lot of large rocks in my bucket.

I settled on the Titan 6 ply even though it costs quite a bit more. It is about a centimeter bigger diameter and has a slightly larger rolling circumference, however I only use 4x4 in loose stuff so it will not bind up on me. Being a mechanic I am quite aware of the negatives. I am sure the positives outweigh them in this case.
The BKT tyres had tubes and on inspection each tube had a tiny hole, otherwise they are in good order.
The Titans are Tubeless so today when I pick them up I will grab a couple of tubeless valves. The old tyres only took 5 minutes to knock off the rims with levers. I was expecting them to be tougher.
I had to get the new tyres up from Sydney but it only took a couple of days.
Industrial tyres were not an option as they require a wider rim.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Are you mounting these yourself? I had one of my front tires come lose from the rim. After trying everything except ether, I finally took it to a commercial tire place where used one of those air canon things (like this) to seat the bead. The mounted tire was heavy, near my limit for lifting into my pickup.

 

[Alien]

These are only front tyres I am fitting. I picked them up today and am impressed with the thickness of the sidewall. The BKT tyres feel like paper compared to the Titan.
It should have been sold new with Titan tyres as the BKTs are clearly not good enough for a tractor with a FEL.
I can see these new Titans lasting me forever compared to the others. I will fit them tomorrow.

 

[Alien]

ritcheyvs, there is another way for a handyman to seat tyres on rims without having to resort to a gadget like that.
If you put a ratchet type tie-down strap around the outer diameter of the tyre and pull it tight the tyre will easily seat itself on the rim. Initially it is best to remove the tyre valve so that you can blow more air in to push the beads out then quickly replace the valve. Once the bead pops out, remove the tie-down strap. I have used this method many times.

These Titan tyres would be twice as heavy as the BKT ones. I am pleased I decided to go for them.

 

[ritcheyvs]

ritcheyvs, there is another way for a handyman to seat tyres on rims without having to resort to a gadget like that.
If you put a ratchet type tie-down strap around the outer diameter of the tyre and pull it tight the tyre will easily seat itself on the rim. ...

I've used that trick in the past on other tires. And I tried it on my front tractor tire. It came close but didn't work. Let us know how you make out.

By the way, I had the same problem with new rear tires on my riding mower. The original tires were very flexible and easy to seat. The new ones were stiff and came "banded" together (and had been for some time) such that the beads were actually touching. I could not get them to seat without the air cannon, but I didn't try lighting off ether that time either.

 

[Alien]

Tyres are all fitted. I did well as it is only 9.00am here. I had to use the ratchet tie-downs but it worked easily. I could nearly get them to take by pushing my knee into them but these tyres are really stiff.
Only problem I had was I sat the tyres down while I got my air hose ready and my dog came along and peed all over them when my back was turned... grrrrr. I had to hose them down and dry them off before I started.
I use a can of spray silicone on the beads. This makes them pretty easy to get on. Checked my rear tyres while I had the air hose and ... wooops... They looked OK but there was only about 10 PSI in them. I am a bit lazy because to check them I have to run the valves to the top of the wheel otherwise I fill my guage with ballast water. So, I had been neglecting them.

Never tried the ether trick. I don't think I would be game unless I was desperate.

 

[VictorW]

My Titans have done well and I hope those new ones last long for you. I've seen one person use ether and I think I would buy a cannon or just have the tire shop do it. The trick is how much ether to use. To much, as I had watched, wasn't good. I had mounted 12x24x12 on 10 inch wide rims for my lawn mower and couldn't get them to seat even with a ratchet strap. A shop charged me $5 for both to seat them and they used a cannon.