Tires Dk5310se, new R14 Tire blow-out

[AirOpsMgr]

Sorry to hear of your trouble. Same thing happened to a friend with a JCB backhoe.
What could have been done differently to avoid this problem? I was considering buying the R14 tire for my Ford 545D, but the lower ply rating and your experience has made me reconsider. I need a wet/moist field tire and will be working around some cut saplings, but will avoid them if possible. I need a R1 or R14 style tread for rear tires, but now am convinced I need a higher ply rating and bias-ply design to minimize risk of punctures. Road Crew makes a 12-ply R1 tire but I avoid buying anything from the country where it is made. Any other viable tire options that you considered? Would a higher-ply R4 industrial tire with chains work okay? I hate to think of the damage such a set up will do, or even an R1 tread on grassy areas, which is why I have been considering the R14. Thanks.

I'm staying with the R14's as I finish-mow 15 acres and they're great on the grass (and do pretty well in the mud when needed). I'm just going to be more careful in the future and spend a little more time when cutting sapplings.

Fingers crossed that this was just an unfortunate combination of my haste along with the right sharp stick in just the right spot.

 

[beenthere]

So apparently I didn't cut some brush close enough to the ground with my cutter (blades weren't leaving punji-sticks, but obviously weren't frayed enough to avoid a puncture).

Left rear tire (Goodyear/Titan, R14T, 6-ply 17.5-24 IND, loaded with fluid) ran over a 2" sappling stalk and boom!

Even within the cab, it sounded like a 12Ga loaded with Magnum 00 Buck going off, a few seconds later as I'm watching the tire gush out the fluid, my phone rings and my wife asks if everything is okay as she heard a big bang from back in the woods (Over 100 yds away from the house).

Funny thing though, it didn't just punch a hole the size of the 2" stalk I ran over, it blew out a 12" gash in the 6-ply tire.

Must have caught this stalk at just the right spot between the tread lugs as I've been brush cutting through the woods for 2 months now (close to 50hrs just in the woods alone), at least 3/4 of a mile in trail cutting, and this is the first woods-related injury to the tractor (tires were at 19psi).

Called around to several shops & dealers in my area, all of them referred me to the shop nearest me, still took 5 days to track down available rubber (should have it tomorrow or Tue), but just throwing it out there, if ya blow out an R14T 17.5-24IND, expect 5 days to get one in Middle-Georgia

My finger marks the end of the blowout gash, the apex of the tread lug to the right of my finger is the entrance hole.

View attachment 806660

And to add insult to injury, the tractor is deep in the woods, so will have to get the new tire (unfilled) to the tractor via my UTV, get it mounted, drive it out, get it on level ground and then add fluid ...

Let's go with "Crap I don't want to do on my birthday, for $100, Alex" .....

$..it happens. The tire is ruined so just drive the rig out of the woods as can't hurt the tire anymore and shouldn't affect the tractor either.
Suck it up and take your chances in the future driving over brush stubs left by the brush hog. So far have never had an issue, but I don't run on these tires either.
And Happy Birthday.

ps read that it is done. but could have backed out so the bad low tire was on the upside of the slope. Too late now to figure on doing that.

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]
ps read that it is done. but could have backed out so the bad low tire was on the upside of the slope. Too late now to figure on doing that.

Per post #27, sounds like he tried that. Too tippy to move in either direction.

 

[AirOpsMgr]

Per post #27, sounds like he tried that. Too tippy to move in either direction.

Correct, & trust me, had there been a way to limp it back to level ground, we would've found it as the last thing I wanted to do was change a tire on an embankment with rain turning the GA clay into an ice skating rink

 

[AnotherBueller]

I'm wondering if you could slow drive your tractor with a flat tire close to your house so you could work with the flat tire in a convenient spot?
I actually have a truck tire shop just down the road that I believe does service calls.

I drove my BX <400 feet with a flat front on a grass / gravel driveway. Scuffed the rim bad enough that I couldn't get the bead to seal. Rim is made of a soft steel that abrades easily.

 

[scott_vt]

With the GA heat & humidity just after raining, I'll rank it right up there with a root canal or colonoscopy...

Goods Morning AirOpsMgr,
I think I get the picture !

Your a better man than me, Im working on going on 72 and my wrestling days are far and few between !