Tires Handling heavy tires - relatively heavy.

[Reg]

Any tips/tricks for handling ~1,000 lb loaded tires and rims ?
At about 400 lbs empty mine were about as much as I could bully around bare handed, now that they weigh about as much as a horse I feel a need to treat their mass with appropriate respect. I have an el cheapo engine crane and was thinking of trying to use/adapt that. I think it will take more than a short length of chain or a fabric sling.

The reason I want/need to get the wheels off is to put turfs on.
I could do one side at a time and use the FEL to move each wheel around once it is off and the turf wheel is on.

 

[Havoctec]

It sounds like you will be doing this often. If so, I would recomend building some sort of a dolly system that you can set the tires on, unbolt them from the tractor and wheel them away. You could make one and then take the wheel off with the loader but it seems to make more sense ot have one for each tire.

Maybe others will have a better idea.

 

[MrJimi]

Forks !

 

[DraftHorse]

Get an inexpensive pallet truck. Northern tool has them around $169.00

Northern Industrial Pallet Truck — 4400-Lb. Capacity, Model# 2604S097 | Pallet Trucks | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[Reg]

Thanks all,
I don't know how often I would want to do this, but once in the Spring and again for Winter sounds like the minimum of twice a year.

I was browsing the Northern pallet trucks last night, but,,,,,,,
What I am most concerned about is the possibility of a tire toppling while I am, for example, reaching through the center hole trying to turn the axle to line the studs up. Lifting it from ABOVE it's c of g seems like a good idea and right now I'm thinking some sort of a "tongue" could be fab'd that would fit through the rim gap near the top, the other end being attached onto/into the engine crane's arm.
I could probably get a 1/2 inch thick steel bar in there, maybe 6 or 8 inches wide would be strong enough. I havn't measured anything yet, I might be able to use something thicker. For safety a hole in the tip of the tongue so a bolt or hitch pin could be put in to stop the wheel from slipping off when I back the engine crane away to make space to get in and attach the turf wheel.

Juss thunkin' out loud (-:

 

[bigshovel]

We moved to our new home last August, which with the added acreage rapidly prompted the need for a TRACTOR!!! The lawn looks like a golf course and according to my wife will stay that way. So my machine came with R4's and I also bought a set of turfs. As it turns out I have a 14" I beam handily located in the garage centered perfect in the middle. I bought a beam trolley and a 1350lbs. overhead hoist and mounted it to the beam. I take a chain off of the hoist, short piece, a choker to that and the loaded tire and tension. After wheel is off of tractor I run a chain through the center and up to chain on hoist, then lower it on to 4 x 4's it can't tip due to hoist tension. I repeat process but lift second rear up and slide beam trolley over to where I set the first.

Good luck,

Brad

 

[ScottAR]

After ponderating for a few minutes...

Modify the engine crane so that it has a wheel on the end, like a small trailer tire
and pick the tire up with it. Then you can spin the tire to line up the lugs. This only works if your wheels are dished out. I borrowed this idea from Westendorf's website. They have somthing similar that mounts on a loader.

My other idea is to use a commerical big truck tire jack. Probably have to modify the rollers the tire sets on as the tread is way rougher than a truck tire.

Another tractor with forks would be handy but cost prohibitive

 

[JoeL4330]

These, or somethin' like 'em?

Dual Wheel Dolly WD1500

Dual Wheel Dolly 1500lb. Capacity SUN1501

Of course, truck duals have a much better CG ...but this may give you some ideas

 

[john_bud]

Geez, you guys missed the easy one!

Buy a second tractor with FEL !

Or buy / build a tire truck and do it on cement. Design with wide base to minimize tipping.

jb

 

[Egon]

A picker would be the ideal choice. The overhead beam sounds good too.

There ain't no easy way out for this job. It will take some proper equipment.

 

[tlbuser]

Geez, you guys missed the easy one!
jb

Nope, even easier, but may be more painful to the wallet. Call the local heavy truck tire shop, they'll be happy to come out and swap them around.

 

[john_bud]

Nope, even easier, but may be more painful to the wallet. Call the local heavy truck tire shop, they'll be happy to come out and swap them around.

Na, you missed my subtle point. Your way all you get is the tires safely changed. My way, you get that AND a second tractor!

jb

 

[Reg]

As it turned out the engine crane worked pretty well.
When "offered up" it looked as if the crane's legs would be too close together and too high. As the tractor's rear was jacked up it became apparent that the crane legs would fit around the tire when the tire was an inch or two off the ground. I used a 1 inch strap wrapped around the rim twice and pulled tight on the crane hook. The lifting was done with the floor jack, then the strain was taken with the engine crane while the lug bolts and nuts were removed. A little judicious jiggling with the two jacks and the wheel was off and part hanging, part resting on the crane legs. I only had to move it back a couple of feet to get in with the turf wheel.
Then I fiddled and futzed around trying to move a ~900 lb tire/rim with liquid ballast off the engine crane and onto the pallet forks, basically not fun and not practical alone. Maybe with a helper using guide ropes to pull it around, but not alone.
I finally figured that the hook end of a cargo strap would fit in the drilled holes of the rim, so I tied that to the pallet frame and used that.
The other side went a bit quicker, learning curve, but I was dumb enough to stack both ~900 or so wheels on a pallet and try to move it. My loader is spec'd at 2540 lbs at the pivot point, but I don't know how much the pallet forks weigh or how far out the wheels' center of gravity is from the pivots, more than 2 ft. on a 17.5Lx24 wheel and tire. So, back to the cargo strap hook to take one off, move the other one on the forks, then put the other one back on top.

Doing it the other way around for winter, Bahh ! but at least I will have done it once -albeit the easier way.

 

[Maine_Polack]

I use an engine crane. Having help is really good, but last week I mounted my loaded R-1,s myself. I have found that rolling the tire to the wheel, before using the crane, (using the crane only to lift tire), worked best for me. After lifting the tire I put trans. in N, and turned wheel to line things up.

Use extreme care when rolling tires. Keep in mind that I am old and weak. At approx 1000 lbs., I roll the tire very slow to maintain control, and make sure that I have room to escape. Should that tire start to fall sideways, there is no way for me to stop it. The best action one can take is to RLH.

Do a search. I did load some pictures when I first started doing this.

 

[Reg]

My plan for putting the loaded R4s back on;

Set up the engine crane on the concrete walkway.
Lift one with the FEL and carry it to the engine crane.
Figure if I brought the right or left one and whether the engine crane needs to be on the other side of where I will back the tractor to.
Lower the wheel to the engine crane, secure it to that before letting go of it with the FEL.
Turn the tractor around, back it up, change the wheel.

Repeat for the other side.

I intend to NOT try rolling these supersize donuts.
I'll struggle with turning the axle and whatever else to get things to line up, but rolling these things is OUT (for me).

 

[CurlyDave]

My way, you get that AND a second tractor!

With a second tractor there is no need to change tires at all. Just put one set on each tractor.

 

[Maine_Polack]

My way, you get that AND a second tractor!

With a second tractor there is no need to change tires at all. Just put one set on each tractor.

I like it!

 

[Rara Avis]

If you aren't going to have the Tire Company do the work...

Front-End Loaders by Westendorf: loader for tractor, shade canopy, wagons, manure & landscaping equipment.

First Click on Bucket Options
Then scroll down and click on Dual Tire Changer

 

[Reg]

If you aren't going to have the Tire Company do the work...

Front-End Loaders by Westendorf: loader for tractor, shade canopy, wagons, manure & landscaping equipment.

First Click on Bucket Options
Then scroll down and click on Dual Tire Changer

Thanks,
Interesting, sorta;
a) It has a 600 lb load limit.
b) Doesn't seem to have any sort of retainer, i.e. nothing to prevent the tire and rim coming off it while fiddling the last fractional inch.
c) Still requires another tractor (pluses and minuses to THAT) or something like an engine crane to hold it.

The Engine crane that I used has a 1/2 ton rating at it's max boom extension, so although I am within 5 or 10% of that - at least I am WITHIN it.

I might try building just the extending arm part of this with the rubber wheel, to use as an accessory to the engine crane.
I would add some sort of a retainer though, even if only a 1 inch strap that would go around the tire and back to the cross bar.