Tire Question

[gltrap54]

My B3200 is 15 years old with 850 hours, always in a heated shop, now about those tires... They are still in very good shape but I'm starting to get flats... How often do you replace tires?

 

[HamishMacCheap]

Do the tires go flat so frequently that it is bothersome (simply inconvenient) or an impediment to operation of the tractor? If not just occasionally bothersome, I would air them up as needed since you say they are in very good shape. I speculate you mean the tread is still good.

 

[LouNY]

Or add a stop leak product;
I've had good results with this in older tires,

 

[JWR]

My B3200 is 15 years old with 850 hours, always in a heated shop, now about those tires... They are still in very good shape but I'm starting to get flats... How often do you replace tires?

To be honest... never. Put in tubes. I have a BX2200 we bought in 2001 and it was a year or two old then with 200 hours. I replaced one front tire only because of damage. I see nothing wrong with the tires now at 950 hours. Garage kept all 24 years.

I also have older B2150 Kubotas one of which I bought used in 1993 and it was bought new by the first owner in March 1989. Original turf tires, no problems in 36 years. You will definitely hear hordes of people crying over seeing little cracks they will call dry rot, etc. I realize there are industrial applications where a tire failure could be life threatening, etc. That is not me and not MOST tractor owners. To each his own...people believe what they want to believe. They do get hard / brittle compared to new tires which makes for less traction on some surfaces. When there is a real need to replace tires (among us casual retired farmers...) you will see serious breakdown of the tire body.

OBTW, my family heirloom 1954 Massey Harris Pacer [which is the one seen in the avatar picture to your far upper left...] had rear tires replaced around 1995 or so only because the rims had rusted through due to chloride liquid fill. We decided we might as well replace tires and wheels together...those replacement tires are on it today, approx 30 years later, and doing just fine (though the machine is now rarely used.)

 

[ultrarunner]

Slime, Foam Filling, Tubes can all be viable options.

I’ve had good luck with all of the above.

First check that the valve core isn’t leaking and no punctures.

 

[old and tired]

20 years, same tires... will need to replace as they are wearing out. Within 4 hours of owning the tractor, I ran over a 2x4 that had 4 nails coming out of it.

Great, used slime and that lasted 10-ish years but always had to "top-off" with air. Finally, put a tube in. Works great but it was a royal PITA to clean out the 10 year old slime.

I would NOT recommend slime... I had a lawn mower where the tire with slime had exploded!!!

 

[ultrarunner]

20 years, same tires... will need to replace as they are wearing out. Within 4 hours of owning the tractor, I ran over a 2x4 that had 4 nails coming out of it.

Great, used slime and that lasted 10-ish years but always had to "top-off" with air. Finally, put a tube in. Works great but it was a royal PITA to clean out the 10 year old slime.

I would NOT recommend slime... I had a lawn mower where the tire with slime had exploded!!!

Many don’t like slime… especially tire shops.

I had a wheelbarrow that was always flat and in 2010 slimed it… no problems so far… your mileage may vary.

 

[gltrap54]

Do the tires go flat so frequently that it is bothersome (simply inconvenient) or an impediment to operation of the tractor? If not just occasionally bothersome, I would air them up as needed since you say they are in very good shape. I speculate you mean the tread is still good.

Yeah I've still got good tread, it's just that I've started picking up tire punctures that I've never had in the past... Made the mistake of having a mobile tire jobber out to repair a rear tire & got slammed with a $450 bill.... Won't make that mistake again...

 

[HamishMacCheap]

got slammed with a $450 bill

Wow! I would never have thought such would be so expensive.

 

[gltrap54]

To be honest... never. Put in tubes. I have a BX2200 we bought in 2001 and it was a year or two old then with 200 hours. I replaced one front tire only because of damage. I see nothing wrong with the tires now at 950 hours. Garage kept all 24 years.

I also have older B2150 Kubotas one of which I bought used in 1993 and it was bought new by the first owner in March 1989. Original turf tires, no problems in 36 years. You will definitely hear hordes of people crying over seeing little cracks they will call dry rot, etc. I realize there are industrial applications where a tire failure could be life threatening, etc. That is not me and not MOST tractor owners. To each his own...people believe what they want to believe. They do get hard / brittle compared to new tires which makes for less traction on some surfaces. When there is a real need to replace tires (among us casual retired farmers...) you will see serious breakdown of the tire body.

OBTW, my family heirloom 1954 Massey Harris Pacer [which is the one seen in the avatar picture to your far upper left...] had rear tires replaced around 1995 or so only because the rims had rusted through due to chloride liquid fill. We decided we might as well replace tires and wheels together...those replacement tires are on it today, approx 30 years later, and doing just fine (though the machine is now rarely used.)

Thanks for your input! This gives me some good insight as to where I stand on replacing tires!

 

[gltrap54]

Wow! I would never have thought such would be so expensive.

 

[ultrarunner]

$10 dollar bills have been replaced by $50 dollar bills…

Took a co worker out for burger, fry and drink and $55.

We’re getting hit with travel charges as high as $1,000 a trip.

 

[gltrap54]

I agree! When I called them they quoted me a price of $135/hr which I felt I could live with but the tech was here an hour and shoved a bill under my nose for $450 & I almost went scorched earth! They had tacked on emergency road service, fuel surcharge, etc, etc

 

[HamishMacCheap]

On one occasion, I had a stick of wood get wedged in between the rim and the bead of a rear tire. I was fortunate I was able to get the tractor on an equipment trailer before it went completely flat and transport the trailer to a local tire shop that sells Ag tires. Fairly easy fix.

On another occasion, I had a front tire on a compact tractor go flat (if I recall correctly, it was a bad valve stem but I am not sure at this point in time) and I dismounted the tire and took it to the above mentioned tire shop for repairs. Again, a fairly easy fix and not expensive in either case.

If the tires involved are of a manageable size, you might consider dismounting them and taking them to a tire shop that deals in Ag tires and ask that they install tubes. If the tires are too big to manage, if you have an equipment trailer or if you have access to an equipment trailer, consider taking the tractor to the tire shop for tube instillation.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

On my f1445 mower, I foamed the tires, kinda like closed cell foam. Been working great for several years now. Those tires and dry rot cracks in them. It is 100% left under a shelter but the sun can peak inside everyday for 1/3 of the day. I figure when the tire quits working I will replace rim and all.

 

[gltrap54]

$10 dollar bills have been replaced by $50 dollar bills…

Took a co worker out for burger, fry and drink and $55.

We’re getting hit with travel charges as high as $1,000 a trip.

 

[gltrap54]

Yuuup! I'm 70, retired, on a fixed income & when I get hit with these kind of surprises (i.e. $450 for a tire repair) it takes a lot of fun out of my hobby!

 

[gltrap54]

On one occasion, I had a stick of wood get wedged in between the rim and the bead of a rear tire. I was fortunate I was able to get the tractor on an equipment trailer before it went completely flat and transport the trailer to a local tire shop that sells Ag tires. Fairly easy fix.

On another occasion, I had a front tire on a compact tractor go flat (if I recall correctly, it was a bad valve stem but I am not sure at this point in time) and I dismounted the tire and took it to the above mentioned tire shop for repairs. Again, a fairly easy fix and not expensive in either case.

If the tires involved are of a manageable size, you might consider dismounting them and taking them to a tire shop that deals in Ag tires and ask that they install tubes. If the tires are too big to manage, if you have an equipment trailer or if you have access to an equipment trailer, consider taking the tractor to the tire shop for tube instillation.

 

[ultrarunner]

The cost of paying to get things done is a shocker to many…

Many large outfits now lease new equipment and or only keep as long as service contract offered.

 

[gltrap54]

You're spot on with your advice! Just yesterday I took one of my front tires in for repair & the plug was $12.... Now my rear tires will require a little more effort due to their size but you can bet I'll figure it out before coughing up another $450... lol