Flat Tire Survey

glennmac · Aug 23, 2001

As part of our continuing education on tire options, I thought it might be informative to collect info on how frequently we have gotten a flat tire, which tire (front or back), what kind of tire (ag, turf, R4), and what caused it.

I also think it would be informative to report no flats and what kind of tires you have.

In about 200 hrs of tractoring I have had 1 flat on my front R4. Dont know exactly what caused it, but it happened when cutting brush. I couldnt see a puncture. Dropped it at a local tire shop and had a tube put in it.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by glennmac on 08/23/01 10:02 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

Wheeldog · Aug 24, 2001

I've had no flats to date with my turf tires (in just over 40 hours). No bush hogging for me, just finish mowing, rototilling, and loader work (some in the woods).

Mike_Dumond · Aug 24, 2001

Let's see, on my current tires, I've got about 900 hours and got my first flats in the past month. Two nails through the rear ag, fixed on scene with plugs. On the front, I sliced it in two places with glass, took to a shop for patches and a tube. Teach me to tear down a building with my tractor.

Bird · Aug 24, 2001

My '95 B7100 came with all 4 tubeless tires and I put a quart of Amerseal in each front tire and 2 quarts in each rear tire to start with. In 4 years and nearly 500 hours, never had a flat.

My '99 B2710 came with tubeless tires on the front and tube type on the rear. I put water and antifreeze in the rear ones and no flats so far on them in 310 hours. But while pushing a big pile of brush with the fork lift forks on the front of the bucket, and brush trailing down each side of the tractor, I ripped a valve stem right out of the right front wheel. That also broke the tire bead loose from the wheel by the time I noticed it. I just raised the front end of the tractor with the loader, put a new valve stem in it, and re-inflated it in the field with my portable air tank. Since then, I had a slow leak in the same right front tire from a mesquite thorn and I plugged it myself.

Bird

glennmac · Aug 24, 2001

Bird and others, please tell us what tread tire you have on the tractors (ag, turf, r4). One thing I am interested in is the relative propensities of these tires to get flats.

Bird · Aug 24, 2001

Glenn, all my tires have been R1 (ag) tires. The B7100 had Goodyears all the way around, and for some reason, the B2710 came with Goodyears on the front and Firestones on the rear.

Bird

Knight9 · Aug 24, 2001

Only a little over 50 hours (service to happen early next week /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif) on the B2410 with turf tires. Lots of bush hogging included in that time. No flats. Did have to let some air out of the tires as the dealer had delivered them too full.

Kevin

TerryinMD · Aug 24, 2001

51 hours on JD 4100 with R4s. I time cutting brush. Roto-tilling, cutting lawn, moving materials with FEL (manure, road millings, soil, knocking down dead trees, smashing multiflora rose and brambles), trenched 1200' for hidden dog fence. No problems so far. Dealer only had about 10lbs of air in the tires upon delivery.

treeboone · Aug 24, 2001

I have 6 ply R1 on a L4610. First flat on the rear at 50 hours. What a pain, Calcium cloride and a slow leak. Tire dealer came out and sucked CaCl out of both rear tires at my request and patched the leaking tube. A 72.00 house call. I now run without liquid ballast and less air pressure.
My guess is your survey will discover more flat tires in the R1 and R4 users. They are tougher than the grass tires, but logic says they will be exposed to more flat hazards. How long would turf tires last on a construction site or logging? My guess is not long. For me the R1 serve well, in timber and plowing snow. If these get more flats I may look into the Radial version.

Harv · Aug 24, 2001

Great, Glenn -- this is my worst nightmare, but so far so good.

Only 53 hours on my L2500DT with filled (rear) ags. No flats so far.

I spend much of my time trying to tame some pretty rough terrain and overgrowth, so I feel it's just a matter of time. I also feel I am at risk every time I work the brush pile, which is pretty much every time I go out. I tend to push right into it, and brush piles seem to consist largely of pokey things. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Call me a pessimist, but I just know my first flat will occur Sunday evening, just before it's time to pack up and leave the property for a couple of weeks. And I will undoubtedly be a mile out in the boonies. At the beginning of storm season. On a steep slope. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

RichS · Aug 24, 2001

60 hours on Tractor with R4's. 1 flat caused by buried T-post while clearing for pasture. Broke tire down, patched, re-inflated. As added insurance put Amerseal in front tires. Approx. 10-15 hours without another flat.

Rich S.

Egon · Aug 24, 2001

Two front tire flats[ turf tire ] on B7100HST in 1450 hours. Both while working in bush with the loader.

Von · Aug 24, 2001

Put 600 hrs. on B8200 with turfs and never had a flat. Have 194 hrs. on B2710 with turfs and had slow rim leaks on fronts, so i put 16ozs of SLIME in both front tires. Just had my first flat on a loaded rear tire from a nail. Pumped out CaCl and put in a new tube, and put the CaCl back in. Nail from the kids building ramps to jump their bike on in back yard.

PCIMegaCore · Aug 24, 2001

In about 60 hrs of tractoring I have had 1 flat on my rear turf (BX2200). A roofing nail caused it. I high tailed it back to the garage, stopped so the nail was facing upward, jacked the tractor to minimize ballast leakage. Bought a $3 repair plug and been good to go for the last 20 hours.

TxBilly · Aug 24, 2001

Bird
Watch out that you don't have a rollover with the Firestones/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.
Bill

ERNIEB · Aug 24, 2001

Over two years with over 400 hours. R4's all around.
No flats on the rear tires. On the front, got the first flat about two weeks after I got the tractor. Used the "whatchamacallit" and gave it a shot of sealer. About a week later the other front tire went flat. Gave it the same treatment.
Since then I ocassionally have to air up the tires, and every few months give them another treatment. Only once did one pick up a screw, had to plug that hole. All the rest are from thorns, thorns, and more thorns. I have no idea, how many thorns are in those front tires, or holes from thorns, must be in the hundreds, at least.

Ernie

Bird · Aug 24, 2001

Yeah, Bill, I guess those Firestones are dangerous./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Of course, I learned 45 years ago to never buy a Firestone tire for a car or pickup./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

Alan L. · Aug 24, 2001

B2710 with R4 tires - had a flat the first day in rough conditions. The rear tire broke from the bead as I was backing down the ramp off the trailer. It was a b*tch to get it off and also was diffiicult to get air back into it. I plugged the hole (from a big thorn), went to Tracto Supply and picked up 6 quarts of master seal - put 2 quarts each in the rears and 1 each in the fronts. After 230 hours - NO more flats.

Alan L., TX

mlmartin · Aug 25, 2001

My used 870 had several plugs in the front tires when I got it. I had tubes put in to prevent slow leaks. They didn't help much for fast ones/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif.

The tires are Bridgestone turfs. I've had four flats on the front, none on the rear in 96 hours of use. Three of the flats have no known cause. We couldn't find anything in the tires, but there were holes in the tubes. The fourth flat was caused by abuse. I was being fussy while placing a 7 foot granite billet as a threshold in front of the barn. The rim of one of the front wheels ripped the tube.

I'm still thinking seriously about getting Arnco flatproofing installed in the front tires for three reasons:

1) flat proofing
B) ballast
III) reduced deflection

But that will have to wait until I get a job/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Matthew