i am looking to purchase some flat proof tires for my skid steer and was wondering which brand of flat proof is better.how does each compare in tread life and ride quality.iv posted the link to skid steer solutions tire below http://www.skidsteersolutions.com/Skid_Steer_Flat_Proof_Tires_s/63.htm
link to nu-air flat proof tires http://www.mclarenusa.com/nu-air/nu-air-semi-pneumatic-tires-for-skid-steer-loaders-and-backhoes.html
Ward Equipment sell the Prowler Brand. Just purchased a set. Best price I've found on them, not going to tell the price I paid, but the will deal with you. They are located in greensburg, IN
has anybody tried the skid steer solution tires
here is a link to the ward equipment tires that were mentioned above.any thoughts on these as well. http://www.prowlertracks.com/Prowler%20Tires%20and%20Wheels.html
is this a bad topic,i dont seem to be getting many replies.thank you for your time
It's not a bad topic at all, it's possible that no one has experience with the tires you're looking at. Don't let that discourage you here.
ok thanks ill just give it some time
I have never heard about the other two brands and don't know anyone who has them (they are probably very new on the market), but I'm well familiar with Bullman and NuAir tires (someone on the forum even said they are both made by Mclaren, which is a US based company). Neither Bullman, nor Nu-Air are made in China, which at least for me is a positive sign about their quality. Anyway, first we got Bullman about 3 years ago and we really liked them because they put the end of our flats once and for all. And, we abuse the tires a lot. The Bullmans have good wear and cushioning. Once we wore them all the way to the holes (if I remember right about 700-800 hours), we upgraded to Nu-Air, which we are still running. The Nu-Air are one class higher than the Bullman -- more rubber, more cushioning, improved lug pattern for better wear, really a great all purpose tire. We got the Nu-Air AT version, which is their premium all terrain tire. They also have another version for slightly less money. The Nu-Air tires also run well with over the tire tracks, as they can absorb the debris that may get stuck between the tire and the track. Overall I think Nu-Air AT offers more value for the money even though they cost more. So, I think we got our money's worth and they saved us tons of hassle and lost revenues in dealing with flat tires and upset customers. I think we’ll be sticking with the NuAir for quite some time. And one final thing, be careful of any Chinese tires... our regular pneumatics from there were a disaster. :usa
I am looking to replace the rubber tracks on my Bobcat T190 as well as my Bobcat 331 excavator. Any suggestions on brands?
Don't anybody forget who's a sponsor here. (Hint: Look in the top right hand corner of the page.)
Ha,ha,ha... I didn't see it until now. Actually, we have been buying Bridgestone and Mclaren for the last 4-5 years not because of the ad above but because of their proven quality. McLaren is a first class company and as far as I know, they and Bridgestone are now the main suppliers for track loader and excavator tracks to Bobcat. :usa The last set we bought from McLaren was the multi-lug TDF tracks for T190 and they have a lot better traction than the OEM track. Plus they do really well in the snow. You can get these from any Bobcat dealer or from McLaren. McLaren is a great company to work with, but definitely not the cheapest. If you are looking for just cheap, then you should go online. There are a bunch of companies there. :beerchug
Let me correct myself. Few times McLaren was quite competitvely priced when compared with the rest. They run promotions now and then... BUt again, for the quality of their products, I can't expect them to be the cheapest.
Hillbilly, If I understand you wore a set of solid tires out in under a 1000 hours? I'm looking to put on a set on my NH 190 and they are about 4grand and they are telling me they'll last at least four times as long as a set of tires, we get about 800hours on a set of new air tires, 1400 if they are recapps and they are blowing to me that solids will go 4000hrs or about a buck an hour, am I being fed a line of bull from my tire sales guru, when I ask him who has a set they claim they haven't had anyone wear out a set yet to know how many hours they will actually go, all the guys I've talked to haven't had them long enough to know or else traded them off on the machine or a different bigger machine and got new tires with it.
Hmm, 4,000 hours seems unreal. I can double check our records to let you know the exact hours we put on... I may be wrong with the number I put above, but I'll certianly find out. I can tell you, though, that the Nu-Air AT we got now have more rubber and wear better than the previous brand tires we had. :usa
Ok Randy, we got the hours from the machine. Surprisingly, we have put 2,480 hours on the Bullman tires before we took them off - a lot more than what I initially thought. When compared to the current NuAir AT tires wear and thickness of rubber, I can tell that the Nu-Air AT will definitely go over 3,000 hours. Hope this helps you.
Thanks for the time you spent looking that up for me I really appreciate it. Maybe the salesman isn't as windy as I had thought. Is most of the work you do on cement or gravel or off hard surfaces in dirt?
I still think 4,000 hours will be very hard to reach, if at all possible. We work mostly on cement, asphalt and dirt; not much gravel here. The older tires were used mostly off-road on dirt (about 65-70% I would say). However, this time we wanted tires that did better on concrete as we have more city work, and this is how we found Nu-Air AT; I think these are the only flat proof tires on the market made specifically for concrete/ asphalt work. They have a very different tread pattern than the other tires on the market -- a lot more rubber touching the ground I would say. Maybe this is one reason why they last longer; plus their better rubber compound and more overall rubber. Hope this helps. But again, buy what will fit your job the best. These tires certainly work great for us and they are worth the money, but I can't say they are for everyone’s pocket. :usa
Thanks it helps a lot to hear what others are doing and what they think of products they have used, until now we were just planning on buying the cheapest thing on the market to give them a try but the more I ask, peoples opinion seem to be spend a little more for a better quality product which makes sense. I just couldn't see how any solid tire could last any longer than an air filled tire but everone is telling me the quality and hardness of the rubber and thickness make the difference, seems logical so we'll give them a try, even if they only last 2500 hrs with the flat cost and time lost figured in they would probably still pay in the long run and if you figured in anything for agrivation they are probably cheaper in the long run. Thanks for your time and info
Clawdaddy skid - steer tire alternative You may want to try a tire called a Nextire Clawdaddy. It has 3 1/2 inch tread depth and my experience and the experience of many people I have spoken with was very positive. Where it goes seems to be the biggest dictator of wear. Smooth concrete hours of 4000 are more common than not. When you see the tire it really has a wow effect and that wow is justified with its tire life. You can see the tire at www.clawdaddytire.com
I say Mclaren, They help keep this place open.
They don't make skid steer tires in 17.5 size that I'm needing though but thanks for the imput, I've never heard of them before, by the name your using I'd guess your associated with the company. Do they plan on making anything in 17.5 tires anytime soon.
I'm pretty sure McLaren makes the 14x17.5 NuAir tires. But you better call them up to confirm. I would image they won't be cheap, though. Good luck! :usa
I have purchase 2 sets of McLaren tracks and loved them, will purchase again. I no experience with no flat tires sorry
We bought a set of Mclaren tires for our 763 Bobcat a little over a year or so ago. They have held up quite well so far although it has not had a whole lot of hours put on it. When we originally bought the machine, we foam filled the stock tires and they were shot by the time the machine had around 900 hours on it. The machine is primarily used for clean up duties around an Eagle Rock crusher, so it encounters a lot of rock, mud, and ocasional re-bar. We also run loegering over tire tracks on it.
I have had good luck from these guys http://www.tobysexton.com/air1.htm
That I am aware of 3 companies make a solid 14x17.5. Brawler makes a molded on tire. The tire has a soft ride but the tire is molded to a 22 inch rim so when you wear it out you throw it out. Not great for the environment and not great for you because you always buy the wheel. The plus is many people I have spoken to really like the tire. Mclaren also makes a tire, that goes on a demountable 20 inch rim. Also a soft ride but with an ability to put new tires on old wheels the price should go down with subsequent purchases. Forklift Tires Inc also sells a tire on a demountable 20 inch rim. I do not have personal experience with this tire in this size but would expect it to perform similarly. Toby Sexton Tire can also sell you an aircraft retread that will fit the bill. It is not guaranteed flat free, but it is as close to flat free as you can get without being so. Hope this helps
The 10" and 12" Nu-Air tires we have from McLaren are both with 16 inch rims, not 20 inch. However, we used to run Bullman flat proof tires before and they came with 20 inch rims. The 14" Nu-Air tires do come with 20" rims, as they are much larger tires. The 4 inch narrower rims on the Nu-Air means there is more space for the cushioned rubber tire, and this explains why the Nu-Air has more cushioning and lasts longer than the other flat proof tires on the market, plus their superior rubber compound of course. At least, this is what we have found out so far by using several brand tires...
I have been mulling this over for 6 months now and have finally reached the end of my patience. I sent a couple of emails one to Clawdaddy but have not heard anything. I found a tire that looks identical to Skid Steer Solutions but at a better price. I maybe stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime, guess we'll see. With McLaren having the press on replacements I can replace with those if necessary. I am hoping they can be retreaded when the time comes. I have had two flats in the last two days, of course on the back tires. I have continually had issues with bending rims in tough rocky conditions which is everywhere here. I will have a set purchased by mid week.
I'm not sure you'll be able to put Nu-Air rimless tires on some other tire brand rims. I think they may be somewhat tire specific, but you better call them direct to find out. Yes, the Nu-Air can be retreaded. Here is a picture of some retreads...
I ended up with the Nu Airs from McLaren. I got them within close range of SPW industries. Their tire looks identical to skid steer solutions tire. I got an email back from Clawdaddy. They are expensive as well. My issue with them is how narrow the tire is (just over 9"). My 465 weighs almost 10K and really the 12X16.5 is too small for the weight. So price aside its too narrow for my application and then there is the issue of running tracks with that tire. Its a killer looking tire but not for me. Actually had SPW not messed around I would have bought theirs. At any rate, its McLaren I hope they perform like they say they will.
Where can a guy get this done and what does it cost?
Thanks for the info. We tried a company out of NJ and had good luck also. They don't have 14x17.5 for our Cat 272C but we put 12x16.5's on and they worked great. The link is www.summitrubbertracks.com
Hi, can you reuse the rims and put new tires on them once you wear out the original tires?