Tires Foam filled tires...should I?

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi everyone,

My guess is that Monday I will either buy or wait. The tractor is a Kubota B2410.

And I guess I could defer the decision on tire ballast until later, but I would rather decide now.

The dealer says that the guy that foam fills tires for them fills them so that they are on the soft side and very similar to an air-filled tire as far as ride. Also says that the foam-filled tires are heavier than liquid filled tires.

I like the idea of not having to deal with a punctured liquid-filled tire in the future.

Searching the archives, within my limited ability to do so, produced a lot of posts mentioning foam filled tires, but not a specific thread on the subject.

So...I ask:

Are foam tires as good as liquid filled tires as far as usability and functionality?

Any big disadvantages to foam filling?

Should I choose foam over the common liquids?

Really appreciate the advice. Great help!

Bill Macher in Pgh, PA...well close by anyway...

 

[John_Mc]

Biggest disadvantage I've heard for foam is the high cost. I've also heard some people complain of a harsh ride, but this was years ago, and perhaps your guy has a product that remains softer (though I would think this also means lighter??) If ride makes a big difference to you, ask if they have a tractor with foam filled on the lot you can try out.

John Mc

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If you can cost justify foam because of usage, such as in thorn or other puncture possibilitys, go with foam. The only disadvantage I can see to foam is that you can't transferr it from one tire to another as you can with liquids.
I've seen it used on a loader working in a recycle center filled with broken bottles, and the foam worked great.

 

[EdKing]

Hello Bill,

<font color=blue>Are foam tires as good as liquid filled tires as far as usability and functionality?</font color=blue>

Functionally, they should be the same, other than possibly a rougher ride.

<font color=blue>Any big disadvantages to foam filling?</font color=blue>

Higher initial cost, as well as possible higher cost to replace tire later down the road. I imagine it is harder to replace a tire that has been foam filled.

Off topic here, but I noticed one of your hobbies is homebrewing. Do you get your supplies from South Hills Brewing ? Me and my brother enjoy home brewing, but do to work on my house haven't got to brew in quite a while.

Good luck with your new tractor,

 

[ELMO67]

I agree with everyone else, when I purchased my 3010, the subject of extra ballast came up. The dealer gave me the options of liquid, foam or a ballast box. I had planned on leaving the rear blade on all the time, so a box was unneccesary, foam was WAY too expensive, although if you have an area where punctures are a concern it is the best method, so I chose to wait and see what I really needed after some usage. What I will go with is a combo. of water/antifreeze in the tires, and wheel weights made from cast iron barbells so that I can vary my ballast based on need.

 

[chrisjbell]

I haven't had foam, but as soon as my current tires need replacing I'm filling them (don't want to fill half-worn tires since I can't re-use the foam). I started with unfilled tires and then learned the magic of filling them. If you are on hills, fill your tires with something.

But foam has to be the way to go. It is not any fun at all to get a puncture with a liquid filled tire - I'm remembering the little intermittant showering I got after I poked a wire through one of the rears. My suggestion would be to have the dealer do it now (because combined with the initial cost of the tractor, the foam will seem inexpensive /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif).

I can't help you much with ride quality (because I don't know), except to say that tractors, in general, are not especially well known for their smooth, luxurious rides.

...Chris

 

[GSS]

The Burgh!

More Pittsburgh people. I love it! Welcome...

Who is doing the tire filling? I haven't looked around much, but I am not aware of anyone in the area.

Who are you buying the tractor from?

- Gerald

 

[Darren]

I had the tires on my Kubota filled with high density foam for the weight and puncture resistance. There's no give to the tires but I haven't noticed that the ride is harsh.

If you're mowing turf, foam may not be for you if you have an agressive tire. My experience is that the tires even if they dont peal the turf, they will still leave an imprint. Puncture resistance is the other plus. I ran over scrap metal and don't sweat it. And yes it is expensive.

 

[Kodiak]

I have both an observation and a question. With liquid filled tires, they are not filled all the way. Allowing you the option of varying your air pressure to increase the tires footprint for more flotation. Do foam filled tires give you this option? Or are you always stuck with the same size and shape of the footprint your tire leaves?

 

[Darren]

A bigger footprint will give you more traction. Once a tires is foam filled, at least with high the density stuff, there's no give. I'm running ags so I haven't seen a loss of traction. What I do see is the tires dig in because of the smaller footprint and the heavier weight.

That isn't a problem for me. It might be a problem for a 2wd in some cases where the larger footprint might make a difference. With 4wd, I never gotten the tractor stuck.