Re: Foam in the tires

Posted by Hal (WA) on February 24, 2008 at 20:35:27 from (66.45.175.118):

In Reply to: Foam in the tires posted by TnT on February 24, 2008 at 14:06:46:

I have had the same problem with Hawthorn thorns and my Ford 641D. And I had my front tires filled with the foam for somewhat over $100 a number of years ago. The tires were not that old, looked perfect from the outside, but would puncture the tubes every time I used the tractor.

I also thought that those tires would last for the rest of my life, but in practice, that didn't happen. I think they worked very well for about 5 years. But then both of the tire casings separated between the ribs and ended up tearing most of the way around, leaving the hard, smooth rubber "doughnut" on the rim. Then the tractor wouldn't turn worth anything on snow and I had to replace the tires.

It is not easy to get the old tire and "doughnut" off the wheel. I used a Sawzall to cut the tire casing off and then to cut a section out of the "doughnut" to get it off. Only then could I remove the tire beads. Now that I know how to do the job, I think I could probably remove a foamed tire in an hour or so, but the first one took me at least 3 or 4 hours to get the rim ready for a new tire.

I also think that the foamed tires were hard on the front end. My foamed tires weighed several times what the air filled ones do. The foamed tires also didn't "give" almost at all, so there was no spring action to cushion the frontend from bumps. And I think that is why the casings failed, since the only way the tires could move was sideways, on top of the "doughnuts".

The replacement tires I put on the tractor were the heaviest duty tires I could find in the area. I put new heavy duty tubes in them and have added a quart of Slime to each one. So far, only one flat (and that was when I damaged the valve stem somehow), and I have only needed to add air a few times. I am being more careful about the Hawthorn bushes. It has been 1 and 2 years since I replaced the tires. It sure rides better.

I don't know if I would foam my tractor's front tires again. I was really disappointed that both tires failed between the ribs. But maybe those tires were not the best quality to begin with. It was a pretty expensive experiment at over $100 and maybe was hard on the equipment. But on the other hand, it sure was nice to not have to deal with flat tires for over 5 years. Maybe your long-term experience would be better than mine was. Good luck!

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