Picked up a decent 644E loader from what might have been a blast furnace or foundry operation in Michigan, penumatic tires, recapped with a smooth tread and then filled it seems. 20.5 x 25 tire size seems common enough. The pickle is getting them off the rims, field service guy says they're gonna weigh 3k pounds each? so 3x the normal weight or something? He also mentioned the tire is unable to flex so will get stuck in a hurry on anything but hard packed ground. Small contact patch = super high ground pressure? It also sounds like there is a fair bit of expense in squeezing those solid tires off the rims. One of the tires is leaking some kind of ooze and the tech says that's likely the fill compound breaking down So besides being smooth, solid tires get stuck easily because they can't conform to the terrain? It sounds like I should look for a used set of tires/wheels for the JD? It seems JD uses a 14 bolt pattern, will see if they're all the same. I doubt we'll wear out a set of tires but some folks want as much for a 20% tire as the new imports cost. -J
My spreader truck runs an 18-8.50/8 tire, (an 18" tall riding lawn mower tire) against the truck tire to set the conveyor speed. I got the best 4-ply tires I could, but still couldn't get a season out of one. I sent one off to be foam filled. I came back 54 lbs heavier, and as rigid as wood. First bump I hit, it was so hard it bent the frame it ran on, instead of flexing.
maybe a regular trailer tire would suit you better. Northern has a 6pr Item# 122071
Can confirm about the lack of flex. I have an older Hyster 50 with 8.00-15 pneumatics that were foam filled by the previous owner. They don't flex at all and it's easier to get stuck in the grass than it should be, but not having to deal with flats is worth it in my case. Greyson
The bloke that invented pneumatic tires. ...well they thought it was such a ludicrous idea they tried to put him in the nut hut.
This was 10 yrs ago, I just told that story to point out that they are very heavy, and stiff.
Ten years! that's a lot of tires But yeah, JD dealer cautions that the filled tires beat the stuffings out of the machine if used offroad at all
If your filled smooth tires are ok, the nearest waste transfer station will probably give you something for the wheels and tires. Maybe you can trade them for wheels, or wheels and used tires. The filled tires are worth a bit. Getting them off of your wheels might be rather difficult, big hydraulic jacks, etc...
Local tire dealer says he has a 600 ton press for compressing the filled tire in order to remove the lock rings and pull the wheels apart.