Oh no!!! Flat tire already!!!

[Thomas]

[QUOTE=Glowplug

Total extra cost to me: $73.
...................................................................
Like they say..."you can't beat that w/a stick"...by the sounds you got a good dealership.

 

[andover farmer]

WHO IS YOUR DEALER? SOUNDS LIKE HE'S FIRST CLASS AND KNOWS WHAT THE TRUE MEANING OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!

 

[Z-Michigan]

fill 'em with foam and you'll have zero problems. a little pricey on that big of a tire though. 6 or 7 yrs. down the road you will have run over many posts w/nails. ya might even go lookin fer the thorns and nails just to tramp on 'em.

Is this a common thing for tractor tires now? Where would I get tires filled with foam? And does it add any weight or not?

 

[Glowplug]

My dealer is really awesome, for lack of a better word. How many dealers can you call on a Saturday evening and then have them volunteer to come out to your home on a Sunday to pick up your tractor, transport it to the tire shop, transport it from the tire shop to his dealership, then transport it back to my home without any charge?!! He has always been very good to me, available, helpful, and courteous. He is Joe Haydon at Haydon Equipment, Inc. in Cynthiana, Kentucky which is about 25 miles north of Lexington.

I was wondering about the foam-filled tires myself. Like I said, the tires on my brush mower are foam-filled airplane tires. It seems to make them virtually indestructible. But I don't know how it would affect the ride and I doubt it adds any ballast weight whatsoever.

 

[chrisjbell]

Is this a common thing for tractor tires now? Where would I get tires filled with foam? And does it add any weight or not?

Filling tires with foam is common, especially for machines that are used in construction (where nails and such are common on worksites). You can usually find a place to fill them through your dealer (although most dealers don't do it themselves). I used a tire place in town that handles a lot of tractor tires. It does add weight to the tire, which is an added bonus. The downside is that it is pretty expensive.

 

[chrisjbell]

But I don't know how it would affect the ride and I doubt it adds any ballast weight whatsoever.

It doesn't impact the ride much, if at all. Tractors don't have much by way of suspension in the first place - that's one of the reasons the seat is so important . It does add weight, and does so at the lowest possible place (yeah, I know that half the weight is above the axle, but so are the suitcases and they work great) so is quite helpful in keeping the tractor shiny side up.

 

[Glowplug]

I would love to know how much weight filling the tires with foam would add. I guess it would add some; foam is heavier than air. Filling my 16.9-30 tires 75% full with CaCl adds between 700 and 750 lbs. depending on what concentration is used. If it would come close to that I'd probably do it. In fact, I'd definately do it if I could find someone who could do it. It would at least give me peace of mind and prevent anymore "surprises" when going out to the barn.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Glowplug - why is calcium chloride in your tires? Everyone around here only uses rimguard, due to the corrosion issue. I also think they fill tires more like 80-90% here and your tires would be near 1000lbs of extra weight if filled to that level. Just my $0.015.

 

[Glowplug]

Glowplug - why is calcium chloride in your tires? Everyone around here only uses rimguard, due to the corrosion issue. I also think they fill tires more like 80-90% here and your tires would be near 1000lbs of extra weight if filled to that level. Just my $0.015.

Actually my tires aren't filled with CaCl. They're filled with Windshield washer fluid rated to -20F. That's what my dealer fills all the tires with. I guess it makes sense too; it stays liquid down to -20F and would be noncorrosive. The only reason I mentioned CaCl is because that's what's in the owner's manual with those specifications.

 

[chrisjbell]

I would love to know how much weight filling the tires with foam would add. I guess it would add some; foam is heavier than air.

The foam that is used to fill tractor tires is formulated to add weight (there are different formulas that can be used - in some cases weight isn't desirable), but it is more dense than liquids and adds even more weight. One of the tricks when foam filling a tire as large as yours is how to get it on or off the tractor - when they are that heavy it requires specialized equipment.

Windshield washer fluid works well, too. And I think I read that you have tubes in your tires so you shouldn't need to worry about the fluid rusting out your rims.