HELP! Tractor with foam tires

anybody know where I can rent a tractor/shredder in south texas with foam tires? Need a week rental and cannot locate one that has tires filled

Would even trade a management buck hunt for up to a 140 inch deer -

You might not need foam filled tires. It's very expensive and very heavy. Just ask if they're slimed. That'll get it dun.

You may be able to find something from an industrial rental that would work like skid steer on tracks with front brush cutter

http://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=bakerrental&e=com

slime will not work - this is deep south texas with lots of thorns - we have miles of senderos to shred so not sure a skid steer will do it

Slime is useless in my opinion for serious use. I have been using an industrial grade tire sealant in my tractors for years without a flat due to thorn/nail/screw puncture. The last time I hit a mesquite stump that stabbed a hole and had to replace the tube with a heavy patch in the tire. There were about 70 mesquite thorns in the tire I had to work out with a screwdriver & needle nose pliers before I put the new tube in. I will try to remember to look when I get home to see what the brand name is on the stuff I use. I bought in a gallon jug from the Kubota place here in Austin. It works!

PM tlk, I can tell you were they rent a 38hp JD with 5' shredder and foam filled tires if that will work. Used to be $145 per day(no hours and you supply fuel). Might have to drive south of SA about 1 hr to get it though.

I am sure it is good but this will be a rental so not sure I can fill their tires with anything

How about a tracked skid steer with a front mount shredder? There are attachments that will do a number on mesquites.

+1

Ive mowed down some pretty nasty thorny deep south texas brush with water filled back tires and a gallon of slime in each front and (knock on wood) never had a flat. Maybe once every other year I air the fronts up a bit. Going strong since 2007, not just a week rental.

thanks - we are not dealing with mesquites - it is shredding miles of grass in senderos that has grown up due to the rain -

Stxranchman thanks - will call them today

I don't get it. If you're not dealing with mesquite, why do you insist on foam filled tires? I mow our lease in Throckmorton, its filled with Mesquite and Prickly Pear. My tires are slimed, have been for 15 years. I mow right over that stuff. Big cactus patch will get scraped and piled out of the way to rot before I mow over the patch. Mowing cactus can spread cactus as every little flake can sprout roots and grow. Regular mowing will take care of this issue.

May can find someone like Doggett or RSC that has solid tires on some of their equipment. May create ruts, but ruts hold moisture so it's like a win/win.

If foam filled was such a necessity in your area you would find them for rent.

The senderos still have thorns. If tires not foamed you are done. Done this before. And no rentals down there are not foamed

What kind of thorns? They must be pretty bad.

You already got the answer nothing but foam filled will work Go find it.

. The kind that puncture tractor tires

What thorns besides Mesquite will puncture tractor tires? I mow mesquite and my tires are fine (slimed).

Honey locust will totally mess them up so will the mimosa ferns that get some size to them. Honey locust though will get into side walls.

I didn't know mimosa ferns had thorns. Honey Locust is a bad one, but likes moist ground. None of that in South Texas. I wonder what he has down there?

Yeah, they get up over head high in some spots on our place and it ain't fun. I forgot about them and will have to wade through them to check a camera at some point.

Im on the southern Duval County line... I consider that typical south texas. In 7 years we haven't found anything slime wouldn't handle.

Yeah, I think he's over thinking it. I've mowed some stuff that made me apologize to my tractor. No flats.

Borrowed a buddy's tractor last year with tires with slime. Ended up with flat tires because of mesquite thorns. ALso have used RTV tires with slime and had them leak from thorns. On top of all that there are some staubs that can and have punctured tires we have out there. We have used foamed tires in the past with no issues. Used tires with slime and had issues - simple as that. maybe the thorns on our place are just bad [censored] thorns

STXranchman thanks again for the lead on a rental place -

Have you considered contracting it out so you really don't have to worry about what happens to equipment?

Stobs make a big hole. Slime won't fix that. Rear tires need a gallon of slime each. Front tires less. My tractor could mow that as it's no worse that what I do regularly I bet.

About foam. As I said, expensive and heavy. I put new tires on my restored NAA. It needed front weight to handle 6' bush hog. I filled the new front tires. They're almost as heavy as the slimed read tires. It cost me a bunch!

Tried slime and that sutff is not worth a dang! Started using this and its bad azz stuff! Expensive though. It last for the life of your tires!
http://www.gemplers.com/product/G65511/GEMPLERS-Ultraseal-Tire-Sealant-1-gal-Bulletproof-Grade

Water. I use water in all my tires, about 80% fill capacity, coupled with a sealant that my tire dealer provides. I've had two flats in 10 years both against metal objects in the ground. The water adds a lot of weight to the tractor which helps when you have an implement in the ground and makes the tire just tougher then heck. I have a Kubota 8540 that I use about 450 hours a year under all kinds of conditions on my ranch.

I've been doing a lot of field work turning huisache into cleared areas in order to plant native grass to support bobwhite quail. The areas are cleared by a dozer and then I run a root plow, disc, tooth harrow and cultipack. The dozer leaves a lot of stobbs behind but I've had no issues. I hit a stobb with my front tire in a turn this week and my door glass was sprayed with water/sealant on the partial tire rotation and nothing after one complete rotation.

I have heard water is good too - our problem is we are renting a tractor and nobody we can find uses foam or water - stxranchman sent me to a place that does have the foam but they will not reserve a tractor - they are hours away and you have to drive to their shop, walk in, and hope it is not reserved already - anyway we are still looking

They won't deliver you a tractor?

These

Nope - this place provides a trailer but you have to go to them to get it

Can't you call them and give then a credit card # for the days you want it?

trust me I tried everything I could - guy says boss says no reservations -it is what is is - we will figure it out and find something - if I have to go buy a dang tractor and fill the tires up I will -LOl

Can't help with anything about renting a tractor, but I had both front tires on two of my tractors foamed about six years ago and it's been one of the best things I ever did. I went through every type of commercial slime the different tire companies had. The purple stuff seemed to be the best, but they all have their limits and then they just wont work at all.

It's cheap to get a flat fixed, but it does ruin an entire day of getting anything done. It was about $200 for each tire to get them foamed. They are super heavy, which is great for traction. I have no need to add bumper weights.

All four tires that where foamed on the two tractors are tore up. I have most clay soil with black locust being the worse tree for thorns. I don't know what tears chunks out of the tires, or where the holes in them come from, but I don't really care because I can keep going through anything I want. I probably get one flat on a rear tire per year, so it's not really worth the money to have them foamed.

I should have mentioned that you could call Victoria Oliver in Victoria. I know they took a 115 HP Kubota on trade and they are a bit "deep" in it so they are renting it to get it to a sell-able value. I saw it going out with a 15' batwing on rental last week while I was there buying some consumables for my Kubota.

Probably took the guy getting burned several times to make a zero tolerance rule like that!

I would be careful with a foam filled tire. We did that to the front right tire this past summer because of recurring flats. The tire was too heavy for the tractor components and sheared off completely. We had to tow it back with the skidsteer.

Somehow I doubt that the tire breaking off was the result of a foam filled tire. That loader is easily capapble of placing more strain/weight on the axle than a filled tire.

Biggest down fall to the foam is the weight.. unless your talking rear tires or industrial equipment...

Unless you were driving around on the rear wheels, the tractor did not know the tire was filled. The wheel supports the weight of the tractor, not the other way around.

Nice 5005 or is it a 575?

its not that this was the cause of the whole incident it just speeds up progress if lugs are not checked

The tractor mechanic was pretty sure the incident was caused by the foam filled tire. When it happened the front end loader wasn't in use and we were shredding some marshy areas That front tire weighs close to 400 lbs vs the 75-100 lbs of the front left one. The lug nuts were tight but the tire completely sheared off the lug nuts. The tractor mechanic said unless you have heavier weight components (like for 4x4) he wouldn't recommend foam filled.

400 LBS? that stuff must weigh more than concrete

I just don't understand how a heavier tire equals more weight on the lugs. That extra weight is on the ground. I've been shredding for many years with my NAA with both front tires filled and no problems.

if one was filled and the other one wasn't then that's going to make one drag more than the other... think think that's what he ment by 400lb vs the left one

No kidding, doesnt sound like "foam" LOL

People have put 100's of pounds of weights on the front of tractors for eons. I personally don't see how the tire weight became and issue unless it was free hanging with all the stress on the bolts, even still??

I had a buddy with a 95 HP Kubota that he foam filled all 4 tires. He continually had front end issues with his tractor till he went with forestry tires instead of foam filled. Had same issue with a road grader on the front tires.

It would make more sense if the added weight put stress while turning.

I wondered about this, and I would never do that. The foam costs more than a new tire, and yes, it is very heavy. A small styrofoam coffee cup is heavy, maybe 5 pounds.

The added weight is putting stress on a front axle or end that was not designed for that much weight. Same issue will arise when foam filling Ranger or Mule tires. They ride rough and weigh a lot more. Had a tire store tell me that most guys he sold tires to for Rangers were only foam filling the rear tires now due to so many issues with front end when foam filling those tires. They keep an extra set of rear tires/rims to switch back and forth to use regular tires and then foam fill in West Texas.

Easy fix, buy used aircraft tires.

Never used foam, but have had the gel added. Also had used aircraft tires on a 22' tandem disc and a 16' chisel plow. They are like 100ply I don't recall.

its only money


very nice tires though. our batwings have an option for aircraft tires

Slime has fixed all of our front tire woes.

Grandfather had foam filled fronts on his old ford 6500 I think, never a bit of trouble out of them.

A lot will take and cut up old tires to insert inside a tire then foam fill. Uses less foam and does not weight quite a much. Airplane tires are heavy also, just not as heavy as foam filled tires. I used them on front tires on tractors for shredding in South Texas and on equipment.

Oh yeah, I'm a slime believer. It's in everything I have that moves slow, except me.

Yes sir, ordered mine from somewhere around Houston, there is a large aircraft (used parts) place there, iirc they where around $150 each in the 90's.

If you drink a tablespoon of Slime in each cup of coffee every morning you will move faster or is that have a faster movement

http://genscotire.com/agriculture.html 2 locations in Tx and 2 out of state.

STX, that sure sounds familiar???? The fellas that bailed my hay drove down and made pick up for a bunch of us, he put them on his Vermeer baler and loved them on that too.
I remember I had to do some "fitt'n" for the chisel, iirc I had to also buy different rims for it.

Never had another full flat with those tires though.

The tire is on the ground and the weight of the tire is on the ground, so it does not matter what the tire weighs, it's on the ground. The axle is attached to the tire and it rest on the tire so it does not matter what the tire weighs, the axle is still resting on the tire. The extra amount of energy to move the tire is insignificant since it's rolling. My foam filled tires are too heavy for me to pick up, but they roll real easy getting them to the tractor to install them.

The reason the axle failed on the tractor is either from a lack of maintenance, or it was stressed from abuse.

I just bought a 77 hp tractor, and will be using it to clear some very heavy brush in east Texas, with many many locust bushes that have thorns over 3 inches. The day I bought my tractor, the previous owner was changing a flat on the front tire, so I knew they'd never last in my locust forest. So I wrestled with this decision for a while, whether to get the foam filled or aircraft tires. I ended up getting aircraft tires from Gensco. I went directly to their place in Houston and talked with them and saw what I was buying. I bought 26-ply used aircraft tires for $200 each, including rims. They come with Gensco's industrial slime on the inside already. They have new 26 ply tires for $40 more, but I looked at them and it didn't appear like I was getting that much more tire for $40. They sell some aircraft tires with fewer ply, so if you get them, be sure to get the 26 ply.

I've only used it about 6 hours or so, but in that I drove over all kinds of crap and heavy brush. So far, so good. I think they'll last. The only minor issue so far is that the tires are almost slicks, so they don't turn quickly......They don't get a lot of traction and if you turn too sharp in a pile of heavy brush they just skid and the tractor keeps going forward. But it's a lot better than changing flats all the time.

From what I've heard about the foam filled, I'd still vote for the aircraft tires. You can wrestle them on and off the tractor, where the foam filled are supposed to be hard on the rims and the tractor, since they tend to not give when you run over something. Air-filled tires have some give, and the ride is not as rough.

The foam tires have as much, if not more give then a tire filled with air. You don't notice any difference once you have them on the tractor.

I can't speak for aircraft tires, but my full sized backhoe had 20 ply tires on the front and they where great for quite awhile, then over time, they started to get flats. Slime helped, but not for very long. Then I went to tubes because once you slime a tire, you can no longer patch it. Tubes didn't work out very well either, so after foaming the front tires of my tractor, I foamed the front tires of my backhoe. Not one flat or day of not being able to work because or a tire issue in five years.

We borrowed an old David Brown Selectomatic 880 to shred on our place before we bought our own tactor, it had regular vehicle tires on the front that were... WELL AGED. That rubber was HARD probably break the blade of a knife trying to stab one. Used it for 2 years shreeding regrowth mesquite etc. out of senderos, no slime no foam and no flats.

I'm thinking if you drink slime with your coffee you won't move at all...it plugs leaks and holes not makes them slicker so to speak...