Hello Everyone! I just slashed the back left tire on my case 90xt skidsteer. The cut is deep and runs half way around the tire in the middle of the tread. The only thing I can think happened is that I spun the tire 1/2 revolution while it was on something sharp in the ground??? If I continue to run the tire should I fill the slot with something to keep debris out? What happens to the stability of a skidsteer when a back tire goes flat? If I replace the tire do I need to also replace the front one so the the tread is the same? Is it important to have matched tires? Any other tire comments are welcome also.
I am not aware of any product capable of doing that. If you are on a hill/slope and it goes violently flat (all the air leaves at once) you could have issues with stability but more than likely you will just have a downed machine when the tire goes flat. Murphy's Law states that the tire will go flat in the worst possible location to change it. Not necessarily. How are the other tires, wear wise? If the other tires are fairly new and have good tread life left, I would replace it with a new tire that has the same style tread. If the other tires are wore, say 50% or more, I would look into buying a used tire and not worry too much about the tread pattern, just run it out with the other 3. In my opinion no, other than you have miss-matched tires on your machine. Now I would not run one air tire with 3 solid tires but I am assuming these are normal air-filled skid tires. Their too expensive.
Thanks CM1955. The tires were new about 100 hrs ago. I will see if I can get a pic of the slash also. I was wondering... since on a skidsteer the front and back wheels are connected with a chain (as I understand it) that would make them rotate at the same rate. If I have 2 different tires on the same side wont that make one of them wear out faster due to them not having the same circumference? This brings me to another question: When should I normally rotate the tires? How much wear difference btwn front and back before switching them?
The amount of wear from front to back is not significant enough to adversely effect the function of the machine. Typically as long as the tires are the same size (likely 12X16.5 or 33X12x15) The amount of wear does not matter. Sucks to get a cut like that in the first 100 hours of a new set of tires. You might consider pulling the damaged tire off the machine and replacing it with a new one. Keep the cut tire as a spare.
Yea, it's a bummer, but I figure it's part of the deal. Kaiser, my dad used to have me remove and save (in a box on a shelf) parts off of our delivery truck which I considered too worn out to be reliable. "you never know when the new one that you just put on will be in worse shape than the one you just took off" he would say. I always figured that if I was not comfortable enough to have it on there then I didn't want it as a spare either. Being as frugal as I think I am, but not as ##### as my dad, I will run it out on the back. If it were on the front I would move it to the back. I will look for another tire of the same make and keep it as a spare. KSSS, I do appreciate being reminded of the option.
KSS, You were right, they are 12x16.5 size tires. Here is a pic of the slash: Since the slash does not go all they way to the ply (pretty close though, by the looks of it) I will run it out on the back. I think I might let a few pounds of air pressure out. CM1955, You also were right - they are too expensive!
That sucks LedgeEnd. If the cut is just in the lug then you may get many more hours out of it or run over something that hits it just right and goes through the tire. I would run it out and see how much more life I could get out of it.
If you dont see cords run it. If you see the cords its a good spare , it will not last long .
Using a flathead screwdriver or the like, pry the rubber apart the length of the slash(taking care not to go into the body ply). If you do not see any cord anywhere, it's a non issue. If you see cord all the way(or most of) it's junk-run it until it blows and have a spare ready. If cord is visible in a spot or two, take it off and have a retreader do a section repair(or you may be able to get by with a spot repair-the repairer will make this determination) on it. This will save the tire and give you it's full lifespan at a much lower cost than a new tire.Also, no need to lower air pressure because of the split if it is not to the cord.
I would never consider a "may pop" to be a good spare. Besides, no one in their right mind would inflate a tire with exposed/damaged body cords visible. Talk about a recipe for disaster. Why not just place a lit cherry bomb in the valve of a full propane cylinder? A potential bomb is a potential bomb-six of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. Sorry if I'm a bit sarcastic, but **** poor advice is **** poor advice, and advice like that can get someone hurt or worse.
tireman - I grew up with "if it still holds air run it". From that I learned that the tire will go flat at the worst possible time. I think your point of not inflating a tire when there is damage to the cords is a point that I would like to ask about... When I have had a puncture in other tires (trailer, auto) I have had them repaired and put back into service. Obviously in this case there must have also been some damage to the body cords. Do I need to consider something different with these heavy duty tires? Again, I have checked the slash all the way around and there are no cords exposed. From what I have recently read on tires and from the experience of others here I can safely run these out. The only catch being that the tread is compromised and so mother nature will continue to work on that weakness which could lead to early failure.
The key word is repaired. When a tire has a nail hole(small puncture injury)-first there is minimal body cord damage,which is repaired by using a reinforced patch that structurally "repairs" the injury.The key being that the tire has been inspected inside and out and therefore properly repaired(we assume). In the case of exposed/damaged cords as in reference to an injury like your skid steer tire,there would be significantly more damage resulting in more structural integrity lost. Think of body cord damage as a severely rusted area on a pressure vessel(as in air tank or propane cylinder). Same thing-the body cords and the bead are the structural strength of the tire. That's why I said if there were small spots of damage they could be section repaired,which entails removing all the damaged cord and re-vulcanizing new rubber and a large boot(repair unit)into the cut away(think of this as welding in a new piece of metal). In short-no-the same principals apply to all tires. I hope this helps to answer your question. Just ask if it doesn't.