I have a 29hp 4 wheel drive tractor for our 20 acres and front tires are always flat

[paulsharvey]

What type of tire? R4s are thicker and more robust. Maybe that's why most compact tractors come with them by default these days.

He could go to something like an 8 ply which would offer some flat protection, but not like a solid or foamed tire. Really, $500 for two to get filled is pretty good.

 

[kirkawilson]

Maybe tweels will solve your problem.

 

[paulsharvey]

View attachment 862944
Maybe tweels will solve your problem.

So, I found some 7.5x16 (maybe 16.5s) that are airless, ment foe skid steers. Probably not a direct rolling circumference replacement for 7x16 ags.

 

[Texasmark]

You might try Slime in them. It seals small holes.

I have had problems with Slime after years of installation. I do better with the pink Berryman's product for that function. Sold the same places as slime with a few exceptions...TSC is the only place I have seen Slime for sale.

 

[Texasmark]

View attachment 862944
Maybe tweels will solve your problem.

I bought a set of these suckers and they will kill your back.....like riding on stone wheels. It looks like that they were designed to give on impact....well your mower needs to weigh 5x or so of commercially available machines for that to "might" happen. Well my 61" 36 HP commercial mower with an upgrade (comfort) seat didn't fit the bill. Very dis-satisfatied "puker" of my money!

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I'd say they come with R4's because most of the small ones are 'hobby' tractors. I know with Kubota at least, you can specify what type of tire you want but the default is R4 which not something I'd want. I've had R4's on previous tractors and the traction, especially on damp dirt is marginal at best.

I have a small Christmas tree farm and punched a lot of holes in the turf tires of my previous tractor. I opted for R4s on the new tractor and have had 3 years without a flat.

 

[ljgordon]

Proble we have is too many of them nasty black locust thorned trees on our property and i get a flat everytime i mow etc...Is it good to foamfill the front tires? $500 for front tires only.Any downside to foam fill?If they last 5 years it will save me money and labor. 7 16G.1W is on front tires.Suggestions please

I attended a Michelin tire seminar. Speaker said that when all else fails to find the leak put on metal valve stem covers that have seals inside. They will hold up to about 120 pounds of pressure. It cured one of the tires on my motorhome that leaked constantly even though I had replaced the core. Auto parts store for about $10.00

 

[NUTTERDW]

Proble we have is too many of them nasty black locust thorned trees on our property and i get a flat everytime i mow etc...Is it good to foamfill the front tires? $500 for front tires only.Any downside to foam fill?If they last 5 years it will save me money and labor. 7 16G.1W is on front tires.Suggestions please

I watched a video a few years ago on a material called Tire Jec. I tries it in my front tires on my 485 Case IH tractor and it works geatl. Have not had a problem with my front tires since. I ran over a bottle along the highway a few years ago and it punched the tire. sound like a 22 shot and the sealer shot out for a few seconds and then stopped. I finished my mowing and when I got home I checked the pressure in the tire and it had lost 5 pounds. I ran that tire at least another year before I put news ones on. I buy the tire jet by the gallon and always pay in any new tireskeep it in my front tires. I run fluid in my rear tire so it will not work. It says on the jug that it is only good in tubeless tires but I use it in tube type and it works great.

 

[Fastowl]

Our dilemma here is mesquite thorns on the ranch. We have a number of wheeled vehicles on the ranch so I have had the opportunity to try many approaches to the problem over the year. Interstingly enough we have never had an issue with flat tires on our tractors (Ag Tires) other then having a mesquite stump once punching a 2" hole in a rear tire (old tires; had to replace the tires). Anyway, on all of the rest of offroad stuff (Kubota side by side; 3 ATV's-Polaris/Kawasaki) and a Bobcat we have had numerous oportunities to try out solutions. Meanwhile we do nothing special for leaks in the tractor tires (which we haven't had any other than the one I described). Perhaps it has to do with the areas we use the tractors in on the ranch vs. the other vehicles.

We got the Bobcat S-650 new in 2011 and had the tires foam filled by the dealer before it was delivered. Harsh ride but never an issue with flats. Replaced the wornout tires at about 1000 hours (we also are on very rocky soil) and currently have about 600 hours on the new set. Running with Bobcat Extreme Duty tires foam filled. Interestingly enough a few months ago I was at the Bobcat dealer and noticed all of the new wheels sitting in their yard with new tires on them. Service manager told me that it was cheaper to replace the whole tire and wheel when foam filled rather than trying to scrape off the old foam upon tire replacement. As a sidebar, I also talked to them about replacing my S-650 with a tracked equivalent; he said they still sell many more wheeled versions in this area compared to elsewhere in the country due to the rocky soil. The tracked versions seem to get their tracks torn up or torn off rapidly while working in the limestone hills. I will stick with the foam filled tires for now.

Regarding ATV's and side by sides. Of course they run low pressure tires. We have been running with Slime for years. Mixed results. Most of the thorn holes plug off with the Slime but it still takes the ocasional plug to repair a larger hole. Some of my tires have 15-20 plugs in them before they are replaced due to age and wear. Last year I got the bright idea to replace the Slime with the Flatout kevlar stuff. Of course you can't mix it with Slime so it involves dismounting the tire from the rim, washing out the rim and tire and remounting the tire and adding the 'stuff'. I spent 1-2 hours trying to get the first tire off the rim (unsuccessfully) and went to our small town's repair shop that had better equipment. The owner said he would do all of the tire dismounting, cleanout, remount and add the kevlar stuff for $15/wheel (I brought the wheels in 4 at a time already taken off the vehicles). Hard to pass on that deal.

So we have been running the Flatout stuff now about a year in 16 wheels. Results are mixed. The Flatout stuff doesn't appear to stay liquid in the tire like the slime; instead it seems to coat the tire (and rim) with a gooey mess. So depending on the size of the hole you may or may not get it sealed off. Bottom line for us is that we are still manually plugging some holes, other holes are sealing (similar to the experince we had with Slime). I'm not convinced that the Flatout type material is that much better than slime or equivalent and certainly is costlier. If I had to do it over I would have probably stuck with Slime. But YMMV.

One other thing to be aware of. One time I had to replace a tire on the UTV due to sidewall damage. Had to replace the rim. Took it to the local shop. Got it back and then had a slow leak for a long time.Went back to the shop. Turns out when they mounted the new tire they did not clean off the fiber from the Slime off the rim and I was leaking from a failed seal along the rim. CLEAN the rim where the bead sits!

Finally someone mentioned that valve stems and cores can be an issue. I second that thought. Over the years we have our share of the same problem. Cheap to replace and they do go bad over time. Consider steel stems instead of rubber in the future.

 

[showcattle]

TireJect - Fix & Prevent Flat Tires

Stop wasting time with FLAT TIRES. Use TIREJECT OFF-ROAD to permanently repair an existing flat tire or pre-install to proactively prevent flat tires. Use TIREJECT AUTOMOTIVE to seals bead leaks, slow leaks & punctures.

www.tireject.com

I've seen videos on this on YouTube. Onelonelyfarmer swears by it.

 

[Lena]

Proble we have is too many of them nasty black locust thorned trees on our property and i get a flat everytime i mow etc...Is it good to foamfill the front tires? $500 for front tires only.Any downside to foam fill?If they last 5 years it will save me money and labor. 7 16G.1W is on front tires.Suggestions please

I retired from highway dept. They foam filled their front tires. only thing is, If you have to remove the tire for any reason. You have to cut the tire off the rim or buy a new rim.

 

[LouNY]

Foam filled tires will also have less traction as well as the terrible ride. Gemplers makes some tire stop leaks that seem to hold up quite well and Meyers tire has a product called Phantom tire sealant that I am trying in a tire that has liked to leak down slowly for a couple of years and it seems to be working well.

 

[rbintn]

I was dealing with 2" thorns from bradford pear variants causing frequent flats. Decided against foam and tried Tire Gard inserts. Used with a tube these have worked great for me. One flat caused by the tube being pinched by the insert but none from thorns.

Home | Tire Gard of Northwest Ohio stops flat tires in their tracks

Tire Gard is a simple, yet effective, solution to flat tires issues, including puncture by objects. Eliminate costly down-time and reduce flat tire repairs.

tiregard.net

 

[aircommuter]

If you work off pavement so the tread lasts then foam is a great option. I have a JLG 34’ lift with all foam tires, they are called outrigger tires because this lift doesn’t have or need outriggers. I have had it for 20 years and it was a Hertz rental before I bought it. No tire issues ever. Ride isn’t a concern since speed isn’t either. It’s not a daily driver. I can’t believe anyone is concerned about how a tractor rides.

 

[SpringHollow]

The UltraSeal products are great. Gempler's sell it. It might be rebranded MultiSeal. Used to get flats all of the time. I have not added air to any of my treated tires in I believe 5 years.

Ultraseal

Ultraseal by Gemplers helps to keep your equipment in check. Prevent flat tires with Ultraseal by instantly sealing punctures up to 1/2".

gemplers.com

 

[SPYDERLK]

TireJect - Fix & Prevent Flat Tires

Stop wasting time with FLAT TIRES. Use TIREJECT OFF-ROAD to permanently repair an existing flat tire or pre-install to proactively prevent flat tires. Use TIREJECT AUTOMOTIVE to seals bead leaks, slow leaks & punctures.

www.tireject.com

I've seen videos on this on YouTube. Onelonelyfarmer swears by it.

Good stuff for what its good for. I havent found out what its not good for yet. Great and lasting for bead and side wall leaks and small tread punctures. Im not sure about larger punctures, but most thorn punctures dont take a chunk out of the tire. A larger hole with the puncturing object left in would probably seal well too.

 

[paulsharvey]

If you work off pavement so the tread lasts then foam is a great option. I have a JLG 34’ lift with all foam tires, they are called outrigger tires because this lift doesn’t have or need outriggers. I have had it for 20 years and it was a Hertz rental before I bought it. No tire issues ever. Ride isn’t a concern since speed isn’t either. It’s not a daily driver. I can’t believe anyone is concerned about how a tractor rides.

As someone who has had a JLG reachfork upto it's max speed of 18 mph, the ride is not pleasant with foam or air or solids, and you can't tell the difference.

 

[Omega Woods]

View attachment 862944
Maybe tweels will solve your problem.

Get a ZTR to mow with, put on tweels, problem solved.

 

[IDLVR]

Proble we have is too many of them nasty black locust thorned trees on our property and i get a flat everytime i mow etc...Is it good to foamfill the front tires? $500 for front tires only.Any downside to foam fill?If they last 5 years it will save me money and labor. 7 16G.1W is on front tires.Suggestions please

20 years ago bought 90 acres that had 9 2-5 acre plots in expired CRP loaded with cedars and thorny locusts. I got several flats in my tractor and UTV the first year. Only 1-2 over the past 19 years. I have found that Gemplers Ultraseal extreme grade tire sealant works the best. It seals up to 1/2” holes and preserves the tire. Recommend investing in their fill pump that allows you to fill the tire without removing all the air- cleaner, faster especially in large tractor tires.

 

[Powderdreams]

View attachment 862944
Maybe tweels will solve your problem.

If you are considering using tweels, be aware they do not hold up well with heavy load. I mow (Kubota ZD1511) pasture paddocks behind the cows and looked into tweels to smooth the ride. My mower is too heavy and will cause the tweel to split/blowout.