Me and my boss have been weighing the pros and cons of the two PROS foam filled no flats , longer life , lowers center of gravity CONS More weight to haul , rough ride , cost Pros Air filled ,cost (compared to foam filled) smoother ride, seems like they get better traction Cons, flats, less life, Which do you prefer ?
I belive now that there are different levels of firmness available for foam...Pro I have driven many forklifts that have had both filled and non-filled tires and can say that I prefer non-filled over filled tires. I have yet to feel that the tires (48"tall, 24"rim) actually feel balanced when they are filled with foam, maybe a tire of a small diameter would be less noticable
Can't aford flats I tried to get away with air filled tires a couple months ago. 4 flats in 4 days, just can't aford them. Frankly I think I get a better ride with the extra wieght, less bounce and more stable on steep terain. I don't like the Nu-air type though. They just don't wear well.
I like the foam fill when they are new, but as they where down they are a pain to deal with, I have kept the bald ones in the past just to run on lawns when no digging or traction is needed. The next set I plan on trying air filled with a good helping of tire slim in them to protect against flats. I've had reall good luck with it in my atvs, so I'm curious to try it in my skid steer tires.
I think the advantage of foam fill is when you work sites that constantly kill your tires with nails, screws, etc., and your over your skid steer being out of commision, not to mention the cost of flat repairs. Otherwise, foam fill is not worth the extra expense. Foam does add balast weight which helps control wheelies and endo's, but I don't think you'll have as smooth a ride over choppy terrain as with air tires. Also, when you finally wear your tires out, you have to cut them off the rim with a sawzall. One thing I've seen some foam shops do is add chunks of old solid foam from old tires as a filler, then inject new foam. I've questioned this and been told it's just fine. I can't see how there's a strong bond between old solid foam and new injection. I don't care what they say, if I'm paying for foam, I don't want "chunks and foam".
Get the best of both worlds. They have "solid rubber tires w/holes in them". Advertised right on here. Ride nice, but no flats
What kind of wear ya gettin out of those?
from what i have seen and worked with the air are nice for ride over rough ground foam for severve duty tires because of the extra wear you get and the fact that they are a pinta to take off and put on the rims especially in the winter when they are rocl solid frozen and the guy needs it now. i think imo if you run ott's foam fills inside are the way to go becuase pulling tracks off to fix flats as for the tires with the holes in the side walls i have seen them and they look like all the other tires on wear the center is bald and the sides are bran new. foam fills are also bad about breaking chains and lug nuts cause most guys dont check the lugs every week or month it kinda all depends on the gauge of chain also on how bad they tear them up
also i don't know how many of you do this but you can recap the foam filled tires i think twice but by the time you recap them twice i would think the cords and cables would be about wore out or broken in the tire. how many of you have trouble with the tire spinning on on rim or the rim spinning inside the tire if that makes more sense i have seen it twice don't know how common it is
The last demo company I worked for had all our tires either foam filled, or solid tires with the cushion holes in them. Both faired about the same. This included skid steers, forklifts, wheel loaders, and mag machines. The only downside I have found with foam filled tires is they only take so much abuse. More so on the loaders. If you got a good size cut the weight of the machine will start making the foam puke out of the tire. It gets a flat spot rather quickly. This makes for a poor ride on a concrete slab. As for adding chunks of foam, and then injecting new. I dont see a problem with it. By its very nature, foam has air bubbles in it. With a piece cut and laid in, the new foam will attach itself to the other just fine. Although the weight is a downside when it comes to transport, the no down time due to flats makes up for it. The only transport downside I see is if you are moving the machine with an undersized tow vehicle. Personally, the other option I see would be slime filled tires, which works great, but only works so many times. I think if I were to be relying on a skid steer as my main machine, I would be bringing an extra rim and tire with me on my trailer at all times.
It all depends on what you want out of your tires the most. The pros and cons you listed are pretty much right on. it really boils down to ride comfort, cost/flats. If flats and the down time associated with them are your primary concern you should go with foam filled tires and understand that they will beat you up in the cab. If you can't handle the rough ride and can put up with flats go with the air filled tires.
what about the nu-air do they work good and how is there wear compared to air filled tires and was wondering how much a set of 4 might cost and if they cost alot more are they worth the money? i also wish to inquire about the protrac system how does it perform do 2 steel tracks cost.thanks
I have foam filled and like them
I have used foam in the past and I recommend buying a quality tire if you have them filled. Cheaper tires wear out too soon and the foam is expensive. I am currently using the Nu-Air and have been pleased with the ride and the wear. Keep in mind that you can regroove the Nu-Air when they get worn. My experience has been that it is cheaper to use foam or Nu-Air, instead of having down time with flats.
Worst thing with flats is the downtime and lost production. I've used foam-filled tires in areas where flats were a common everyday problem. But foam is expensive and once the tire is badly damaged or worn out, the rim is a bugger to clean up, mount a new tire on and refoam. Having a couple of good spares is a cheaper option I found, so long as you stay on top of having two spares. Making the operator change out the wheels helps. After the first time he becomes more carefull about running over stuff.
Hmmmmm...this is a good idea.
28 ply recapped aircraft tires are my current favorite. heavier than conventional but you can add water if you need more weight.