Tires Punctures with filled R4's?

[Not Retired Yet]

For anyone that has filled R4 tires and spend/spent a lot of time clearing land - did you ever puncture a tire? I really like the idea of added weight by filling tires, but am concerned about punctures and potential mess. What do you think?

 

[kubotalinc]

I have beat the tar out of mine clearing my land and never had a leak, well worth the money to have them loaded!

 

[unhappykioti]

I have mine filled with RimGuard, it's basically beet juice does not rust or corrode your wheels-no harm to the environment if you do do puncture. It's great for extra traction.

 

[nue2farm]

If you do get a puncture, be sure and tell who ever does the repair that it is on a filled tire, make sure they refill the tire when done.... Don't ask me how I found this out....

 

[IslandTractor]

It is really hard to puncture an R4 in the woods or field. Metal could certainly puncture them but even that seems rare.

I've had no punctures in about six years of land clearing in wooded and rocky soil. I bump into buried metal not infrequently too as parts of the farm I work on was used as an old auto dump in years past. Never even a serious nick to the R4s over about 500 hours of seat time.

If it ever happens I intend to just put the puncture up top where the air is and use a reamer to jam one of those glue repair strips into the hole. Haven't done it yet but that is supposed to work. I dread the possiblity of needing to get a five hundred pound plus tire on and off a trailer without having use of my tractor to do it.

 

[Not Retired Yet]

Thanks. I like the extra weight it gives but didn't know how puncture proof R4's are. My land is rough with broken/sharp limestone and the typical locust thorns and old barbed wire.

 

[kattywumpus]

I believe your concern should be the number of plies (belts) instead of tire type, however I do think R4 are far better then turf tires for this application. Example, if I remember correctly Kioti R4 tires are 6 plies were Bobcat tractor R4 tires are 8 plies. In general the more plies the more punctures resistance the tire is. The ply type also affects puncture resistance. I really do not believe AG will buy you anymore puncture resistance then R4, it always seem to me punctures occur between the tread or in the sidewalls.

I did get one small wooden stick in my rear loaded tires. The stick didn't go through the plies but force itself between the top rubber (tread) layer and the top of the plies. This created a small bubble in the top of the tire between the tread. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the stick out. I cleaned the hole then pushed in a plug (glue repair strip) to prevent dirt from entering the hole and grinding on the plies.

 

[IslandTractor]

Regarding Ags vs R4, R4 are considerably more puncture resistant.

 

[Not Retired Yet]

I plan on getting R4's due to the work and terrain, my current concern was puncturing a filled R4 and how likely that would be.

 

[kattywumpus]

I assume you are looking to purchase a tractor (from your profile) with everything bundled and are trying to decide if loading the tires should be in the bundled? If so my vote is "yes" if you planning on using a FEL or ground engaging equipment like a bottom plow or box blade. If you search the forum for "Loading Tires" or "Tire Ballast" or "RimGuard" or "Washer Fluid Tires" you will find many discussions concerning this. I believe you will find the advantage outweighs the puncturing concern. Once you decide loaded tires are worth it then see if the dealer can get R4 tires with more plies and what the cost is. Also what does the dealer offer for liquid ballast? Many owners load their tires with windshield washer fluid (very low cost) or beet juice (RimGuard is one brand). Another option is Polyurethane Foam/Flat Fill but this is very expensive but maybe worth it in your situation. I believe the challenge with your question is 30 members could tell you they never had an issue and then the first day you use the tractor you puncture a tire. You just never know. If a tire puncture is a major concern and money is tight get factory R4 tires and load them with windshield washer fluid. There are DIY postings on the forum for this. If you go with this option you may want to purchase rear wheel weights for extra weight since windshield washer fluid is lighter then the other ballast options. Each of my tires has 600lbs of beet juice for a total of 1200lbs and my FEL can lift 2800lbs. This weight seems to work well for my tractor and FEL lift. I hope this helps.