#%~# Bradford Pear thorns

[69 SS]

Good guy helps those in need,coworker tractor dead 4 years ,needs pasture bush hogged ,clean pasture except full of @&$! Bradford Pear trees 4-10 ft tall ,bushhog pasture last Saturday ,today both front tires flat. Tires full of thorns. What should I do to fix tires ,take to tire shop and get raped on repair,fill with green slime and hope for best or what other options do you guys have. Really don't know what choice to make so I will get good answer from here. Thanks in advance and good luck on all your projects.

 

[jeff9366]

Consider adding special puncture resistant tubes and tire liners/guards.

I have wrestled with tires at home. I prefer having a tire shop do tire work. Tire shops have the right tools.

Have you R1 or R4 tires? Filled with air or filled with liquid?

LINK: tractor tire inner liners - Google Search

 

[Redlands Okie]

Sounds like jeff9366 has a plan. If the shop misses one thorn sticking out just a little or when the parts of a thorn finish coming thru you have another flat. The liners would perhaps help on this.
Having the tiers filled solid with urethane or foam would be a option also. Bit more pricey but at least its the front tires.

 

[Pepsiboy]

Good guy helps those in need,coworker tractor dead 4 years ,needs pasture bush hogged ,clean pasture except full of @&$! Bradford Pear trees 4-10 ft tall ,bushhog pasture last Saturday ,today both front tires flat. Tires full of thorns. What should I do to fix tires ,take to tire shop and get raped on repair,fill with green slime and hope for best or what other options do you guys have. Really don't know what choice to make so I will get good answer from here. Thanks in advance and good luck on all your projects.

69 SS,

Are you SURE that the thorns are coming from the Bradford Pear trees?? Are they REALLY Bradford Pear trees?? I ask, because we have 4 Bradford Pear trees and NONE of them have any thorns. They flower first thing in the Spring, then get the leaves going. They are called pear trees because of their SHAPE, they do not produce any fruit. Ornamental only.

Dave

 

[teg]

...They are called pear trees because of their SHAPE, they do not produce any fruit. Ornamental only.

Dave

"...people have been noticing the ornamental pears we thought could not spread are. And, they are doing so quite prolifically....."

You can read more about it but they are wild Bradford Pear. Mowing them does nothing more than make them sprout from the roots even more. Chemical treatment is needed.

As for tires, Slime doesn't work for long term... for now, it will plug the leaks but you'll have to air up your tires now and then... you can put tubes in but most likely they will be punctured in a short time if you don't remove all of the thorns.

 

[Egon]

Foam fill the front tire's.

 

[69 SS]

Sorry,R4 tires, filled with air,glad it wasn't rears they were filled with liquid whatever dealer put in them.put 45 psi in yesterday,today left front 30 psi,right front 35 psi washed tires ran water over them didn't see any bubbles,nothing around valve stems,no good deed goes unpunished,will call around and see who does the foam thing. I love my wife but she just said "well why don't you just buy new tires",only 124 hrs on the ones I have now. Thanks for all who responded. Does anyone remember when all the lawn and garden centers were selling Bradford Pear trees,now the state of SC declares them a nuisance non native invasive species and to eradicate them because they grow faster than anything else and shade out other trees

 

[scdeerslayer]

Our bradford pear trees produce fruit. Especially the second generation ones, one of them actually produces fruit over an inch in diameter. While I wouldn't call them thorns they do have sharp points where new branches are growing. Nothing like the thorns on honey locust though. We don't have issues with them spreading though, the second generation ones were intentionally grown.

 

[whis]

ask your tire dealer for some sealer, they have some better than the green slime, you / they will never get all the thorns out. we had the same thing happen, put sealer in them and they are still running after about 5 years. as for the bradford pear tree's they are the result of birds eating the seeds then wild bradford trees start coming up. only wild bradford's have thorns

 

[Cataclysm]

Just put sealant in them and watch the air pressure. They will seal up and be fine. We have those big thorn tree's around here (acadia?) and have had to run sealant in tractor tires for years. Just part of doing business.

 

[mcfarmall]

In Michigan and I'm sure other places we have a wicked tree known as a Thornapple. These bad boys have tough woody thorns up to 4" long and the whole tree is covered with them like a stinkin' cactus. A buddy of mine lost his balance while we were grouse hunting a thornapple grove and tipped onto a trunk with his shoulder and got stabbed with a (fortunately) short thorn about an inch long which broke off and we had to dig it out. One good thing about thornapples is the thorns aren't barbed, just spikey and pointy like Jesus' crown.

 

[RandyT]

What you call thornapple sounds like what we call honey locust. Multiple point thorns up to a foot long.

 

[69 SS]

just checked rears NO AIR PRESSURE IN BOTH REAR TIRES !? $&@:/-;""#%^*~<>€£¥~\{}#%^* All 4 of my 122 hrs tractor have flats. What should I do? Besides take out a bank loan or use credit card. ,trip to a tire place for sure Stupid A$$h&@!"If it was raining gold bricks I would get hit in the head with a lump of coal. No good deed goes unpunished . anybody got any suggestions?

 

[jeff9366]

Consider adding special puncture resistant tubes and tire liners/guards.

I have wrestled with tires at home. I prefer having a tire shop do tire work. Tire shops have the right tools.

LINK: tractor tire inner liners - Google Search

No change.

Liners and puncture resistant tubes is your cheap option.

Foaming is your more expensive option.

Gibberish does not add a thing.

 

[JimRB]

While not helpful to your situation, I try to cut down these vicious trees when I see them. Fire is also involved when possible. I guess I should have glyphosophate on hand according to some articles. There are some heavier duty stop leak you can get. See second link. http://phinizycenter.org/callery-pear-and-bradford-pear/

Note that the one tractor I drove that had foam filled retired aircraft tires was like riding in a low rider car. Tires are your suspension in a tractor. The foam filled in combination with the 20 ply aircraft tires were not supple. I would rather do the sealants. Gensco Tire. Home of the no flat aircraft tire.

 

[JRobyn]

I have heard (no personal experience) that Gemplers tire sealant REALLY works. But get out your wallet!

GEMPLER’S Commercial-Grade Ultraseal™ Tire Sealant | GEMPLER'S

 

[lt190b]

AmerSeal tire sealant, I have had this in a newholland tc35 , and have it now in a farmall 40,skidsteer, cub cadet lawn tractor, and in 1 of my trailer tires I couldn't find a slow leak in. Both tractors were/are used to mow developed and undeveloped property. The undeveloped property has some locust trees on it and there were several old farm buildings demolished and debris removed.. UGLY mowing. AmerSeal works, don't skimp. put in plenty.AmerSeal Tire Sealant – The World’s Greatest Tire Sealant.

 

[mcfarmall]

What you call thornapple sounds like what we call honey locust. Multiple point thorns up to a foot long.

We have honey locust up here as well but the thornapples trunks, branches and everything are covered in long wicked thorns. They also bear small fruit about the size of a little grape that the grouse feed on. Honey locust in Michigan have normal bark on the the trunk for the most part and no fruit.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

All grafted pear varieties are grafted to wild pear root stock. Wild pears have those wicked thorns and they do bear small hard pears. I had a pear tree the previous owners let go. It had 15 suckers up from the roots bearing the thorns, the pear tree itself was a nice Bartlett bearing real nice apples and no thorns. Some of the suckers were 4" in diameter and some were growing 3' out from the trunk. After cutting off the suckers they promptly sprouted back up. Took several applications of geo-phosphate to the stumps to get them to die. Reminds me of those da**ed black hawthorn trees b ut they are worse, the roots never seem to die.

Ron

 

[69 SS]

Thanks to all who replied. Decided against the foam after discovering the rears were flat.same for the rest of the sealants. The Gemplers inner liners didn't appear to come in my size but they weren't open to talk to, they were probably my choice if they had my size. I did find a local tire service that will put liners and tubes in,they couldn't give me a price as they didn't have the liners or tubes in stock and will be Monday before they can contact the supplier. Bit the bullet and told them to go ahead and order them. Will take tractor to them next week and they take credit card. Said they would remove as many thorns as possible but unlike a nail,screw,or other metal object they couldn't pull the thorns as the will break off . Hope for the best,it's not a problem if you can throw cash at it. Looked up new tire prices,Sticker Shock!!!, not an option. Will post as the drama unfolds. Never would have thought that those thorns would have done that to those tires. Good luck to all on your projects.