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Anyone tried re-using the foam in a foam-filled tire?

B

BigPapa53

Member
The tires on my 3000 are foam-filled. I’m putting a front end loader on it and the front tires are literally falling apart so new tires are in order.

Anyone ever tried re-using the foam in a new tire? I’ve put bib mousse “tubes”, basically a solid foam tube, in dirt bike tires, but I have no experience with the foam in tractor tires. The bib mousse is very light weight compared to the foam. How “firm” is the foam? Will it stay together without the tire around it? From what I’ve been told, the tire will need to be cut and peeled off anyway. I’ve got a very good tire machine at the shop, so if the foam will come off in one piece, I’d put one side of the tire on the rim, work the foam into the tire, then set the other bead. The weight and integrity of the foam is the main things I’m concerned about.

-Scott
 
I ran a fork truck at a huge company for 4-5 months, several fork trucks we ran had foam filled tires so
they could drive thru machining departments with razor sharp steel chips on the floor. One fork truck
another guy ran had the foam start falling apart and finally had to have the fork truck garage send the
tire & rim out for new foam.

I would say trying to install a new tire over old foam would be just about impossible. You damage the
foam at all and with the weight of the loader the foam would break up.
 
I have no experience to help you on this, but I think in theory it would work providing it is strong foam and you cut the old tire off. I only see two possible problems with doing it. First off, is the foam still structurally round? With the majority of the foam filled tires I deal with at work they get a flat spot due to age and/or sitting too long. I would not want a flat spot from day one on a new tire. The other problem would be that it would be very difficult to get your second bead with the foam fighting you, plus you may still have to use some air to seat your tire and keep it seated. Hopefully some else will elaborate better but to me it sounds like more headache than its worth. HTH
 
If the tube was used you will be able to reuse the rim, if no tube you are in for a fight. After want we went through getting the tire and foam off of a skid loader rim, I would buy different rims. Do a search on youtube they have one heck of a machine to peel the foam off of a loader tire.
 

No way to put the old intact foam inside a new tire not even considering attempting to mount tire on the rim with foam inside the tire. That would be similar to attempting to install a fully inflated inner tube inside a tire which isn't happening either.
 
Your kidding Right? once that stuff is in a tire Good luck, I have seen guys take a week to get tires off skid steer rims, and still had to buy new rims as they destroyed the old ones trying to cut that stuff off, one guy I knew ran his skid till the foam was worn almost to the rims after the tire was all gone except the sidewalls,, stuff is TOUGH to handle the compression it has to take to maintain its shape
 
Scott.......Sorry the idea will not work! My experience with trying to save two front 6x16 front tractor rims. I had friend (tire dealer) fill the two tires to eliminate flats while brush hogging. Well the tractor frame was not designed for the extra weight and broke twice.
It took me several days but after using sawzall and cutting radially I take was able to remove the foam in chunks. Actually used an oxy-ace torch to burn pieces out next to the rim,
Never again.
Jim B
 

It is not possible, The foam is only slightly softer than tire rubber, and comes apart only with a saw.
 
Your problem is you are trying to compare a soft foam mousse and a flexible bike tire that feels like it has 8psi when installed to a hard foam in a ridged tractor tire.
If the tractor tire foam is in a tube they make a tool that will take it off in one piece but you will never get it into a new tire.
 
yea that sounds great .if it don't work take in your house and put it on the stove and try to re melt it to a liquid then re pour it in. **********************
 
Fun to watch, but not from start to finish. Maybe come back every few days to watch for another hour or so.
 
Even if you could stuff it in there after removal, which you won't, without it stuck to the tire and rim it would roll and squish all over.
The tires have to be on the bead before the foam is applied, with a hole drilled into the tire for air to escape, so they are taking up all the space.
The shop should offer to cut the tires off if you have them foam new tires, if not you cut the tire off then cut the foam off.
Mine comes off the rim with just one cut, but there are different foams so some are denser than others. They can adjust the install to account for light loads or heavy weight.
I run mine through the tread until the foam is visible.
 

I have a friend that operates a metal salvage business and yard. He called to tell me that he has had old foam put into a new tire. They cut some foam off in order to get it into the tire, and then they had new foam to fill in the voids. However, it didn't work out for him because it did not last anywhere near as long as new foam.
 
I was in the tire business for 22+ years and dealt with dozens of foam filled tires. Yes the old foam can be
reused, but not the way you are thinking. Any time we replaced a tire filled with foam, we saved the old foam
and sent it back to the place that foam filled tires for us. They would take foam from small tires like yours
and put it inside large loader tires. Then they would finish filling the new loader tire with new foam. It
encircled the old foam thus saving the loader operator quite a bit of money. Its called chunk filling a tire.
 
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