# Speaking of tires....



## Ohiowoodguy (Jan 16, 2009)

I was quoted $1100 each for 18.4 26 Firestone forestry tires for a JD 440B (toy skidder), plus $1400 each to load them with the foam stuff that makes them "solid rubber".  Is this too high? I was in too much shock to ask if they were the Kevlars or not. $10K for 4 tires:jawdrop:


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## Rookie1 (Jan 16, 2009)

I just paid 400 for 4 Goodyear Wranglers for my Suburban and I was in shock I cant believe you need to pay that much for big tires.


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## redprospector (Jan 16, 2009)

$1100.00 is about right for the tires. I don't know about foam filling prices.
I've got the rear tires on my 440-b filled with water and antifreeze. It's a lot cheaper, and adds enough weight.

Andy


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## sILlogger (Jan 16, 2009)

no surprise on the price....18.4's are cheap....price a set of 30.5's....10-12,000 for the tires alone.


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## sawinredneck (Jan 16, 2009)

I was told foam is at $1.50 a pound last week. I have two 18x8.50-8's(not even in the same class I know) that I was told 46#'s at $70 a tire.
It pays GREATLY to call around as well! I was qouted $46-$94 a tire, $52 was the average. I could get them off the net for $32.50 shipped to my door? A buddy told me to call a "hole in the wall" place, yep, $34 ea..
I hope that helps a little?


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## mattmc2003 (Jan 16, 2009)

I've never tried this, but i've heard......................... throw a couple or three rolls of toliet paper in your tire with a good bit of your water/antifreeze mix. They will come all to pieces and plug up most small holes or at least slow them up. Just an idea. Sounds like it might work.


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## skid row (Jan 16, 2009)

Ohiowoodguy said:


> I was quoted $1100 each for 18.4 26 Firestone forestry tires for a JD 440B (toy skidder), plus $1400 each to load them with the foam stuff that makes them "solid rubber".  Is this too high? I was in too much shock to ask if they were the Kevlars or not. $10K for 4 tires:jawdrop:



Yep that foam tire filling is expensive. I was quoted $110 per 24x12 AG tire for tractor. NAPA sells a valve stem filling kit for about $10 and I can fill the tires up with windshield washer fluid for alot less.


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## redprospector (Jan 16, 2009)

mattmc2003 said:


> I've never tried this, but i've heard......................... throw a couple or three rolls of toliet paper in your tire with a good bit of your water/antifreeze mix. They will come all to pieces and plug up most small holes or at least slow them up. Just an idea. Sounds like it might work.



I've heard of that, but I couldn't figure out how to get a roll of TP inside the tube on my 18.4 x 26.  

Andy


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## STLfirewood (Jan 17, 2009)

It cost me a grand to do my skid steer tires. But a skidder tire? My god that thing would be heavy. I would think that would make those things break axles with all the abuse plus the weight of the foam. But then again I know nothing about skidders.


Scott


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## Tzed250 (Jan 17, 2009)

We have a Cat 992B at work to pick up the miners with...somebody said it would cost $100,000 to put tires on it...I dunno...


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## Ohiowoodguy (Jan 17, 2009)

I was told the foam would add 941 lbs per tire. LOWWWWWW center of gravity is a good thing on them hills. We've got a 'hole-in-the-wall' place here where everyone "in the know" gets their truck and auto tires, but don't think they handle the big stuff. I know the GIANT truck and loader tires are many thousand$$$ each, but I thought these would be around $600 each


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## sILlogger (Jan 17, 2009)

Tzed250 said:


> We have a Cat 992B at work to pick up the miners with...somebody said it would cost $100,000 to put tires on it...I dunno...



where the heck do you work? gotta be a big coal mine. i had always where around $9000/tire for those things...but i might be wrong. those things are awesome!!

I must say that the most impressive thing that ive ever been around was a D11


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## joesawer (Jan 17, 2009)

The solid foam filled tires on a skidder would be a very bad thing. The ability to distort and conform would be very limited, resulting in much less traction. The ride is also much worse with foam filled tires. If you feel the need for more tire weight/lower center of gravity, go with a liquid fill. 
A plastic nozzle off a quart gear oil bottle will thread onto a garden hose and can be trimmed to fit over the valve stem tight enough to get a lot of water into a tire. Just rotate the valve stem striaght up and take the core out. Make sure you add enough anti-freeze. 
With water filled tires, be carful with you drive train, it will be under a lot more stess.


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## redprospector (Jan 17, 2009)

joesawer said:


> The solid foam filled tires on a skidder would be a very bad thing. The ability to distort and conform would be very limited, resulting in much less traction. The ride is also much worse with foam filled tires. If you feel the need for more tire weight/lower center of gravity, go with a liquid fill.
> A plastic nozzle off a quart gear oil bottle will thread onto a garden hose and can be trimmed to fit over the valve stem tight enough to get a lot of water into a tire. Just rotate the valve stem striaght up and take the core out. Make sure you add enough anti-freeze.
> With water filled tires, be carful with you drive train, it will be under a lot more stess.



It does add a lot of stress to the drive train, but those 440's are pretty tippy on steep ground. If the job I'm on dosen't have a lot of 40% or steeper ground to skid, I'll run without. 
It takes 25 gallons of antifreeze in an 18.4 x 26 tire to give you a 50/50 mix, if you fill the tire all the way up.

Andy


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## treejunkie13 (Jan 18, 2009)

yeah the prices seem to be the norm. The common thing here is to fill the tires with calcium, stick to the ground like glue, but man O man heavy, I ran a TJ 240 that was filled all around and it would pull a good jag up some pretty steep hills but man you could leave it in gear and walk around the thing, that weight slowed it down ALOT, always had to take off in 1st gear from a stand still even with no hitch behind it.

U need to search for a dealer that sells blems, they are perfectly fine with slight flaws like the lettering or something, and can be had for 1/2 to 3/4 the price of reg tires.


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## kuhndog (Jan 19, 2009)

*tire fill*

My Kubota I filled tubes with with drained antifreeze.Talk to garages they gave it away,test for temp use, added 28 gal to each wheel (2 gal fresh new for safety) One day invested (it's slow filling through a valve stem to a tube) but it was cheap,works and won't rust the rim till you find a leak.


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