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PROS & CONS, FOAM FILLED TIRES

weatherby

weatherby

Member
Considering it will cost me $150.00 per tire to foam fill, I would like to hear from anybody that can give me there opinion on what they think I should do. If I don't foam fill will I be asking for problems? Or should I foam fill just the "lead" tires? "Keep in mind" this cat will not be abused or used for nothing more than pleasure. ALL your opinions & knowledge will be appreciated.
 
I don't have foam filled tires on my Snow Trac, but then again, mine is just a toy.

However I've driven tractors with foam fill and a few other vehicles with foamed tires. They ride rough but they will stay on your vehicle until you wear the tread bear and they literally fall apart. Foam does add weight so if you need to carry maximum loads on a snowcat, need maximum floatation with a snowcat, they will reduce both. They are a mess to change because the foam sticks to the rims, but on a vehicle like a tractor, skid steer, snowcat, etc it is a practical option if you have flats and want to avoid them. It literally makes your tire bullet proof.
 
B_Skurka said:
I don't have foam filled tires on my Snow Trac, but then again, mine is just a toy.

However I've driven tractors with foam fill and a few other vehicles with foamed tires. They ride rough but they will stay on your vehicle until you wear the tread bear and they literally fall apart. Foam does add weight so if you need to carry maximum loads on a snowcat, need maximum floatation with a snowcat, they will reduce both. They are a mess to change because the foam sticks to the rims, but on a vehicle like a tractor, skid steer, snowcat, etc it is a practical option if you have flats and want to avoid them. It literally makes your tire bullet proof.
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The weight issue is a good point, because they say my size tires will weigh aprox. 110 pounds each. I guess my next question would be, are snowcat tires more pron to flats than other vehicles that use pneumatic tires or not really. Then another question, is there an issue with breaking the bead "if your not careful" on these cats, or is that also something that is rare to happen, (assuming the air pressure is correct in the tires) Thanks Bob for your input.
 
If your worried about the weight just foam the front tires you can change the others if needed without breaking the track
All mine our foamed an have been on the last several cats an will be on my next one if I ever replace the one I have now
 
Last year i had two new tires installed and filled on the front of on my 1200 thiokol and was told that there was no more foam filling it was a rubber type of stuff and you are right it made the tires weigh about a 100 pounds each. But with only the front filled I see no change in ride and will not throw a track from the front tire goin flat. Larry S
 
Had the back tires on our BR100+ filled, they were done by a tire shop. Yes it is a rubber compound that makes them heavier but was well worth the money in my opinion.
 
Jo5, ShovanI, Old Yeller, Thanks for your input "very helpful":thumb: It sounds like foam filling is a excellent way to "bullet proof" your tires. I think for my expected use of my cat, filling just the front tires will be the way to go.
 
I don't think you need to even foam the front. They weren't built that way new. The military didn't see the need. The implement tires you are using are much superior to the old bias plys of 40 years ago. Run inner tubes and keep them aired up. Tire foam also comes in different densitys. I have seen several instances with the softer compound - where the tires get sloppy and the the track tire guides pinch away pieces of the tire sidewall. Right now you have easy to change, lighter weight. pressure variable tires that offer a little cushion should you hit something hard.
 
Thanks Mtncrawler, You also make good points. I was thinking the same thing about the military not filling the tires, I assume they felt that it was not necessary because of the "lack of" problems they experience, and I think that says allot. I do have tubes in all my tires.
 
Brian had the front tires foam filled on the snowtoaster and I am really glad he did. He has gotten a flat on one of the middle tires even with brand new implement tires with tubes all the way around - if it had been a front tire go flat, then that would be a thrown track and possibly even breaking it. NOT fun and not worth the risk IMO.

Karin
 
bkvail said:
Brian had the front tires foam filled on the snowtoaster and I am really glad he did. He has gotten a flat on one of the middle tires even with brand new implement tires with tubes all the way around - if it had been a front tire go flat, then that would be a thrown track and possibly even breaking it. NOT fun and not worth the risk IMO.

Karin
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Thanks Karin for the input, your personal experience is very useful :thumb:
 
Foam filled on a Snow Trac or Snow Master added a bit of weight(16, or 18 tires depending on model). The machines rode much "Harder" and were Noisy! The 'Up-Side' as pointed out by what, 10 other people?, BULLIT-PROOF If you use your machine for a 'hunting buggy' regardless of make or model, go Foam Filled. I only did the tires that tensioned or described the track path, so the Rear on most machines, or the rear and the return track carrier on machines like snow Trac with small Bogies. Stock Tensioning wheels on some Bombardier equipment WAS Solid, but rather than Foam Filled, they were solid rubber like a caster or forklift tire.
 
On our machine, the tires aren't foam filled but instead solid rubber. The ride is rough on hard surfaces such as roads etc. The upside is that we never have to worry about a flat. Now for the downside. The rims take allot more impact and sometime crack near the center. We've reinforced the rims considerably by welding four small angled peices of metal to each side of the rims and this seemed to help considerably. The only ones that fail on us now are the remaining ones that we haven't welded yet.
 
Thanks Lyndon & GroomerGuy and everybody else for your opinions & advice. Considering everything I've been told and the Pros & Cons of filling tires, I am not going to fill any of my tires. This cat (at least as long as I own it) will be used just for fun and treated very gently, so I'll see how long it will be before I get a flat or IF I get a flat, then I will look at filling my tires.
 
I filled the big tires on mine and am working on the little ones. I didn't notice any change in ride quality. Not worried about the weight so much...although they marginally increase the track psi's they don't contribute to the suspension capacity. Having a flat-free tire makes long trips less worrisome. Paid about $20 each for the large tires. BTW, the place I used said they can adjust the density of the foam to match psi. The large ones I had filled at an equivalent of 50 psi.
 
alaska120 said:
... Paid about $20 each for the large tires. BTW, the place I used said they can adjust the density of the foam to match psi. The large ones I had filled at an equivalent of 50 psi.
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Where did you get the foam filling done? Sounds like a good place!
 
Had them done in Fairbanks...a shop off of Peger across from Miller Brewing/Odom. I think it was Alyeska Tire...
 
there is a huge difference in the size of tires though........ one thing you have to watch will filled tires. make sure they do not chunk them what that is. it is were they take the old fill from previous filled tiers and they save it cut it into chunks and put it in the tires and then remount them and fill the voids with new material you would use considerably less new material but you get a really bad fill. that will run very rough and cause premature wear on your tires. we always fill into a new tube so that when it comes time to replace the tire in the future you do not have to chisel the polyurethane off the rim. just cut the tire with a sawzall and split it. we inflate to what the tire is rated for pressure. through the valve stem and have a hypodermic needle poked into the tube with the valve stem on the bottom and the needle on the top fill till all the air is purged then tap a nail into the hole. and pressurize to proper pressure and then lay them on there side so all tiny air bubbles from the reaction of two chemicals is on the side wall and not on the face of the tire. :smile:
 
I am "well" aware of adding filler (chunk) inside the tire to take up space, and if they add none to my size tire, it will cost $150 per tire. If they add chunk it would be much less per tire.
 
I have used dry nitrogen to fill the tires in colder operations and the tire pressure remains very stable. The lack of moisture stops the tire from expanding when they get warm causing overpressure conditions. They don't go flat when they cool down either. Just a low cost alternate if you will only be using your machine in ideal conditions of powder or grassy meadows in the spring / summer.
Good luck with your decision.
 
I dont know what you have for a machine, but thiokol had many tire variations, one piece steel rim & tire,2 piece rim & tire,aluminium rim & tire, aluminum rim and solid tire and Heavy duty steel with solid tire.In my opinion the heavy steel wheel with a solid tire on the front is bullet proof,I have worked at ski areas for many years and never seen one blow apart,they worked hard 7days a week 2 shifts, you can also have an aluminium rim and have a solid 85 durometer rubber tire built rite on it. We ran the solid tires on heavy steel rims on the front and aluminium wheels alpine or monorail tires filled for the rest.Just remember if you loose a front tire 20mi out due to a flat your screwed!
 
The advantage is that if you go off road like many of us do/did, not having a flat tire is a big benifit. I had them all foamed in my Imp, and figured it was well worth it!

Downside is that it does add weight, but that verses having a flat off road is pretty slim. As far as ride, when you have the tires filled, you tell them what pressure you want them at, and that will affect the ride as well. The tires still flex and with a lower pressure they flex more verses higher pressure because the foam sets up at that pressure. In my case, at sub zero temps, the ride is pretty much like a brick with or without foam when the tires are cold and hard.

Can't remember the company in Fairbanks, use to be Kelly Tire accross from Gene's Chrysler, I think they are Bridgestone now... They foamed my last bunch of tires and did a good job and the price was inline with other shops that I ran into..
 
my experiance with foam filled is not so good. The second bogie on my ST4 is the one that gives trouble. The last one I recently had foam filled tire make it to two shows this summer, and is already loose on the rim....maybe all of 10 yards total..So be carefull, not all foam fill jobs are OK for me at leaste. The other down side is if you are working with a tire that is hard to find, if the job is not done well you just ruined your prized tire, and it can never be used again.

I just recived 4 made in china 4" 6 ply tires, and will tube them and try these in the second position.

Regards, Kirk
 
I had an older snow-trac with the small bogies from front to back - what a hassle that was - I have no idea how many tires I had to replace - I wound up using steel castor wheels with solid rubber "tires" - I was so pleased with the lack of trouble that I didn't notice if there was any difference in the ride or not - what a great improvement it would be if those little bogie wheels on the snow-trac were to be replaced with larger bogies that the upper portion of the track rode on - with my old machine, every time you tried to turn on packed snow, or worse yet, sod, you drove right out of the tracks - I became an expert at getting the tracks back in place - lol - next snow cat I get ( and I'm looking for one right now if any one has any leads??? ) will have steel wheels and pressed on solid rubber tires - my main interest in having a snow cat is to groom the trails I use to run my sleddogs on - I want reliability and capability #1, wrenching to be last on the list!! - if it's comfy and pretty, so much the better, but unimportant in the long run lol
 
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