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1404 Imp Tires and wheels

rodre

Member

andyv916

Member
I replaced all of my tires at les schawb and bought one new wheel from spryte improvement . The one wheel i replaced was wobbling bad , be sure to spin them on the axle bolt to see if there spinning true .
 

201spryte

New member
Specialty Tires of America makes the Dyna Trac line of tires like Alpine Guide sells.
http://www.alpineguidetire.com/4-80-400-8-15-diameter-tire/

STA site: https://www.stausaonline.com/tires/dyna-trac/

Can be found elsewhere cheaper:
https://www.otrusa.com/product/4-80-8nhs-6pr-sta-dyna-trac-dt-i-tt/

My two IMPS have a mix of different cheap tires on them now but the ones that looked like they have stood up the best are the Dyna Tracs. There is both a 4 and 6 ply version so be careful when looking that you have the exact right part number. I was really tempted with the Fallline racing slicks but have not seen one in person. In the end I bought a big box of the Dyna Tracs. Summer project ahead will be putting all new tires on the IMPS.

Oh- I wound up buying all my tires from Alpine Guide. I called them and asked why the price was so ...um... stupid? They agreed to sell them to me cheaper. When possible I like to try and support the people that support the industry- assuming I don't go bankrupt at the same time!
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I was pneumatic 6 ply trailer tires for my first few years of ownership. Ice chunks tearing off valve stems cured *some* of my ignorance motivated me to add the weight of filled tires, a local tire retailer POMPS tire filled them and had experience servicing ski hills and other snow grooming entities.

I have one pneumatic left on the machine, I look at it each year and think, huh tough guy.....
 

rodre

Member
Thanks, this is all great info. How was the width on the Dyna tracs? Does anyone know who makes the Fallline slicks? For the pneumatic people: do you use inner tubes?
 

BearGap

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
My 1450 has 4.80x8 tires with tubes. The urethane filling in mine adds about 30 lbs per tire. Peterson Equipment had mine and probably added 6 new tires and wheels. One remaining tire had the tread peeling off so I went to a truck tire dealer in Tacoma....the only place I could find around here.to fill it. I bought my tire and tube from Snowcat Pat @ SpryteImprovement. He's awesome.
 

rodre

Member
Looks like Fall Line increased the price to $67 for the Imp tires. What I want to know is who makes them. I need to replace all my tires and they won't give me a bit of a break if I buy 10 of them. I am still thinking about buying them to see if they are any good and post here my findings. Too bad Goodyear doesn't make these anymore because 4 of mine are originals and still look strong. Still no luck finding the wheels with the grease fittings. I was told by an old wheel repair guy that they are wheelbarrow wheels but I am not sure wheelbarrow wheels would take the weight or the pounding these things do.
 

HankScorpio

Member
I keep finding my self very tempted to try something like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Martin-...l-Hub-3-4-in-Ball-Bearing-408RBPU31/205721684

but I go pretty deep into some remote areas and worry I will be walking out.

Those are garbage and not suited for your application. Buy quality tires or you will regret it. Tires are an extremely important part of your machine, this is not the place to cheap out. Do it right, buy once, cry once.

Oh yeah, F**k Fail Line! Those guys are A-Holes!
 

rodre

Member
I ordered one of the fall line heavy duty slicks so I can check it out before ordering 9 more. I should get it in about a week and will post some pics. They couldn't tell me how many ply the side wall is and that's what I really want to know.
 

turbinator62

Active member
Site Supporter
SUPER Site Supporter
My 1402 has Carlisle sport trail 4.80 X 8. I think they are 4 ply or more. Nikson put them on new in 2012. I had one with a very slow leak so I put a self sealing tube in it but that is the only problem I have had. All my tires are pneumatic with tubes but we operate on roads not the boonies. No problems with them. Mine still has the original "hub in rim" wheels with tapered roller bearings.
 

rodre

Member
My 1402 has Carlisle sport trail 4.80 X 8. I think they are 4 ply or more. Nikson put them on new in 2012. I had one with a very slow leak so I put a self sealing tube in it but that is the only problem I have had. All my tires are pneumatic with tubes but we operate on roads not the boonies. No problems with them. Mine still has the original "hub in rim" wheels with tapered roller bearings.

The Carlisle tires I had on mine I think were 6 ply on the tread and 4 on the sidewall. I went through 2 of them on 2 trips. First one I was lucky enough to have mounted on the spare. The second trip I blew a Chinese one that was on there when I bought it so I replaced that with some other 6 ply brand (6 ply tread 4ply sidewall - don't recall the name) that I had mounted on the spare. Then further down the trail the Carlisle I put on the first trip got it's sidewall tore out, I think from the springs walking side to side, so I had to pull the wheel and let it sit inside the cab with a small propane heater running for an hour to become plyable to get the rubber off the rim and put another Carlisle tire I had with me on the rim, which was a real PITA in -25C and only 2 hands. The Carlisle I put on tore the sidewall again at some point during the last 15 minutes of my trip (looked at all the tires during a nature break) and the other one I don't remember the name of also lost integrity in the sidewall and became "pregnant". This is why I am adiment about trying to get tires with 6 ply on the sidewall. The other thing I noticed were that all 4 front tires are originals and all 4 rear tires have been replaced, which is leading me to believe that there is either some problem in the rear of the cat or the cargo area is being overloaded. I was also on a trail that was used by sledders and total washboard so lots of bucking.
 

turbinator62

Active member
Site Supporter
SUPER Site Supporter
If you are tearing out the sdewalls with the springs I don't think it matters what kind of tires you use they will get ruined. Nikson ran mine in some pretty remote places through crazy deep snow with these tires without a problem. But we have never had to operate in temps below single digits. I would try to figure out why the the springs are moving around. I would get some new U bolts that are a tight fit around the springs.I pretty much have to pound mine on. You could try putting clips on the ones you have. 3/4 X 1/8 flat bar would do the trick. You just have to rivet it to the ends of the top leaf.
 

turbinator62

Active member
Site Supporter
SUPER Site Supporter
Looking at my springs and wheels I don't see how the spring could rotate enough to contact the side wall. It looks like it would hit the rim first unless your upper spring is shorter. Mine are 12".
The bottom plates are also important. If the holes are wider than the springs the u bolts won't restrain them.
 

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Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know about imp tires, but have you checked to see: 1, how true the wheel axles are running? 2, Bearing slop? I had both issues on my Trac.

On the tires, MN Outdoors can get the big Snow Trac plain tread (read smooth) tires from Goodyear. And I can't find them listed on any of the goodyear sites. Perhaps the small ones are hidden there as well?
 

Snowcat Pat

Active member
"I'm joking of course"
 

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MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter

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rodre

Member
I have all the wheels off my imp and the rubber off the wheels but if memory serves I think the top spring could touch the sidewall. Has anyone used the solid tire above? I wonder how wide it is and if you can get them in slicks? I am guessing the solid tire would be a rougher ride.

I received the Fall Line slick, it is about a 1/2 inch narrower than the original Goodyear tire and seems a hair taller. You also need inner tubes with them but I can't find inner tubes that take 105 PSI like the tire needs. Probably have to buy them from Fall Line too. The side wall seems about the same as the original Goodyear tire. The tire that had the toughest sidewall was the PrimeX SpeedLine one, it was a real PITA to get on/off the wheel but it is also the one that lost it's sidewall integrity and became "pregnant". Maybe the one I has was defective but the effort it takes to get it on/off the wheel makes me not want to find out, despite having a new one on hand.

I am not sure what to do for tires, I expected the Falline tore to be more substantial.
 

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MtnMann

New member
Be aware that Carlisle has different models of 6 ply 4.80x8 tires. One of them (I can't remember which name) has too large an overall diameter and it hits the square tube that the springs mount on. It doesn't work on Imps. Check the O.D. specs before purchasing a set ;)
Also, there are different densities of foam fill. Typical farm applications use a softer foam for a smoother ride but that soft foam when used on snowcats is what causes sidewall flex, wear, and destruction. The tire is not the culprit in that case.
 

Thebartman

Active member
Here's a "don't buy these" tip.
I recently replaced 6 tires and tubes on my Imp. I thought I was being special and bought inner tubes with curved metal valve stems. Don't do it. They hit ice buildup on the leaf springs and undercarriage, ripping them off. Two flat tires minutes apart were the result. Stick to the short rubber valve stems. Just my $.02.
 

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rodre

Member
So I finally broke down and decided to just buy the Fall Line heavy duty slicks, despite the price having increased again to $69/tire. When I requested a quote they said they don't recommend the heavy duty slick for use on a cat...I wish I knew that 2 years ago...

Has anyone actually used or even seen the Fallline Slicks on a 1400 Series IMP? Do any of the pros here on the site have any thoughts about using them? I had decided to buy these because the inflation rating was 90PSI and at some point I had come to the conclusion that harder was better for flat resistance.

Failing the Fallline slicks, @MNoutdoors are you still able to get the Goodyear slicks? What is the PSI rating on them? Thanks.
 
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