tire punctures

[Anonymous Poster]

I've been doing a lot of heavy work with my B2400 this year and have now had 3 front tire punctures in the past 3 times using the tractor. I'm working in areas where there is a lot of debris and I expect all the punctures are from nails. I have turf/bar tires which include turf-like front tires (the rears are big like turf tires, but have traction bars like ag tires.)

My questions is whether R4 tires will be significantly more resistant to punctures than the front turf tires I now have. I would consider changing if it will make a significant difference.

Peter

 

[Thomas]

Peter,
If you only have puncture your tires 3 times so far than I say you done well.

Do or have you consider tubes in your tires?
The reason for asking the question,if you were working and punch another hole maybe a can of fix a flat could help you out.

For if I had 3 flat tires /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif in this area I would try and remove top of ground or something.

I thought I saw once in a catolog {Northern Hydraulic} one could buy a magnet,4 to 6 foot long couple of inches wide.
It can be used on pick ups to tractors and you level to the height of the ground by chains.
Stay safe and stay /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[Thomas]

Peter,
After my 4th cup of coffee my brain started to recall /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif about the magnet I spoke of in my earlier post.
Northern tool & equipment catalog.
Website www.northerntool.com
The magnet can clean a swath from 36" to 72" and the magnet picks up nails,wire and other metal objects.
This might be the answer to your question.
Have a pleasant weekend and stay /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[art]

Peter the industrial tires do have far more material for an object to go thru but it still doesn't mean no flats. The bulk of the extra plies in the industrial tires are built into the side walls for the added weight on the tires from loader work. It might be enough to get you by depending on what is doing the damage. Those added plies on the side wall are what gives the industrial tires the rougher ride when mowing that has been discussed on this board before. There are pros and cons to every thing and depending on how much more of this type work you have to do should help you make the choice of the extra expenditure with no guaranteed relief.

 

[gerard]

peter,
The magnet idea works well (we use one for the barn to sweep for nails for the horses, not my tractor, but same concept) Only problem is you can't sweep your whole property, it won't work if things are buried and then you unearth them, and it won't work on thorns. What will work is some green goo. Go to gemplers.com and search for tire repairs. They sell the stuff by the quart/gal or 5 gal. It's a gel that remains a gel and if you get a puncture it fills in and thats the end of it. The fix a flat mentioned hardens up after application and is only goos for that one time. The green goo stays liquid and just keeps rolling around the inside of the tire filling any punctures that occur. They have different compositions but the lower priced one should fit your needs. (The better stuff works on bigger holes, was developed for the military, and costs more) R4's are more puncture resistant but a nail at the right angle would still go right through.

 

[scruffy]

Harbor freight also carries the green goo. Speaking of that magnet, how about mounting one on the back side of a loader bucket? Seems like it would pick up a lot when the bucket was dropped down low, and by mounting on the backside, maybe it would keep it from getting ripped off.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks for all the magnet suggestions, but as one note mentioned, the problem is constant unearthing of "stuff" from 200 years of farming and life. I'm going through areas that used to be dumps and are filled with glass and metal debris including nails, and the old foundations of barns that haven't stood for 100 yrs. Unfortunately it's not just a matter of picking up the nails from the last roofing job.

When I get a flat, I just put in a plug. It's actually a lot easier than patching a tube since you don't have to remove the tire or the wheel, but sooner or later I'll take it in the side wall and so-long tire.

 

[Bird]

I had to put my first plug in a front tire this past week; a mesquite thorn./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[Harv]

I hate to flaunt my ignorance here, but could someone tell me more about these "plugs"? Sounds like something worth knowing about.

 

[TomG]

I think the plugs are the ordinary plugs for tubeless tires, at least I haven't heard of anything specifically for tractors. Seems like a nice easy solution that can be done in the field without taking anything apart. They should work on front tires, I don't know about the rears. If it holds pressure, great, if not, there's really nothing lost.

A dump superintendent I know gets flats regularly, he carries the plugs and repairs and reinflates his tires on site without even jacking up the truck. Of course, the plugs aren't going to work if the tire has a tube and probably not with liquid fill.

 

[Thomas]

Bird,
Mesquite thorn,would that be in the same family as a thron apple?
Over the years thron apple which some call thron needles claim a lot of flat tires./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Thats one tree branch you want gloves on when removing.../w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[Bird]

Harv, TomG has already answered. There are several brands of course. You can buy a "kit" that includes a punch for inserting into the puncture to clean any debris out and a tool to insert the plug. And they're only good for tubeless tires (in my case front tires only). I've never tried, or known anyone who's tried, using them in a liquid filled tubeless tire, so I can't really say whether it would work or not, but have some doubts. The plugs have been around almost, but not quite, as long as tubeless tires and I know folks in the tire business who think the modern ones are better than patching a tire on the inside. Some of the early ones (40 years or so ago) had a tendency to blow out and/or leak, I've always preferred a patch on the inside on my cars and pickups, but I think you'll find most tire dealers use the plugs instead now-a-days and only patch the inside if the customer requests it, so I put my first plug ever in one of my pickup tires last year and it's still there with no leaks. In 4 years, I had to put two plugs in one of my riding mower tires with no problems, and as mentioned, I plugged my tractor tire last week without taking it off the tractor, removing the valve core, etc. so it's quick and easy.

Thomas, I'm not sure what the thron apple (or is it thorn apple?) is, but mesquite is a common bush or tree in this part of the country that is hard to get rid of, and the thorns (up to 2-3") are supposedly the reason the old cowboys invented the leather chaps to protect their legs. I stepped on one about 4 years ago that stuck right through the bottom of my sneaker; ouch! As far as I know, no one has found a good use for mesquite wood except for barbecuing (sweeter than hickory). And it burns hotter than most wood; not too good for fireplaces. I cooked the mortar out from between the bricks on my first fireplace and had to rebuild it.

Bird

 

[Harv]

The ol' American Heritage Dictionary sez --

da•tu•ra (dú-tÜr2ú, -tyÜr2ú) n. 1. Any of several plants of the genus Datura, having large trumpet-shaped flowers up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) long and usually prickly fruits. The leaves and seeds yield alkaloids with narcotic properties. Also Called thorn apple.

 

[Bird]

OK, Harv, with that definition, I have an idea what it might look like, but I don't know whether I've ever actually seen one or not. It doesn't sound like something I'd want on my place any more than I want mesquite.

Bird

 

[WVBill]

The plug kits apparently do work with liquid filled tires. The B6100D I just got has water filled Ag tires and one of the front tires has a plug in it with no leaks.

Bill

 

[DVerbarg]

WVBill,

Do your liquid filled tires have tubes? If so, then that would be remarkable if a tube tire was able to be plugged. I've heard somewhere, maybe it was here, that tires can be liquid filled without tubes. The potential of having a tubed tire punctured is one of the reasons that I have not yet liquid filled my tires but am leaning toward bolt-on weights.

Bill, can you confirm that you have tubed tires?

 

[WVBill]

Well, when my Father-in-law gave me the tractor (he's the original owner), he said that the front ones (the one with the plug) are not original and are tubeless. I'll take a look when I get home tonight.

How can one tell conclusively whether there's a tube in a tire or not?
(other than taking it off the rim...)

Bill

 

[Bird]

Bill, if it's been plugged then it had to be a tubeless. However, a tube could have been added later, so the plug doesn't conclusively tell you whether it has a tube in it. I've had enough experience with tires that I can tell by the valve stem, but don't know how to describe here how to do it.

Bird

 

[scruffy]

The tube type valve stem will visibly stick through the hole in the rim without an overlap. The tubeless valve stem will have an obvious overlap, and or have a screw type retainer covering a rubber seal, as it requires the stem to be sealed to prevent any leakage around it.

 

[Bird]

Scruffy, that's a pretty good description, but then there are some tubes with a valve stem that has a retainer ring screwed on them on the outside, which is what I have, but they don't have the rubber seal like the metal tubeless valve stems.

Bird