Flats

[fenceman]

Flats are like bills to me. Always got one to deal with. We've been using these plug patches for large punctures that won't hold a regular plug. I've even used them along with a tube for sidewall punctures.
Btw. I know that's not how it goes. :cboy

 

[Bigfoot]

An eye opening thing for all of us, is to count the total number of tires that you have in service. I deal with a flat of some kind on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis. It'll blow your mind how many tires you are supporting.

 

[John SD]

I hate flats. Don't deal with them myself anymore if I can help it. I try to keep better rubber under stuff than i used to.

One of the most aggravating lately was a front tire on my new zero turn mower. New in May and had only 88 hours on it. Technically not a flat beause it never leaked air out. Tire swelled up and basically turned into one big bulge on the rim to where it wouldn't even turn.

Got a new tire and tube at Runnings. Tire was made in Indonesia, tube was made in China. Got the local co-op guys to put it on, and some good green American Slime put in it for good measure ;-)

 

[Nesikep]

We've probably got 100 tires around the place...

2 duallys and 3 other road vehicles and tandem trailer = 28 right there
5 tractors = 20
pipe wagons, balers, trailers, stacker, rake, swather, plow, disk, cultivator, 2 manure spreaders = 24
wheelbarrows, riding lawnmowers, dollys, carts = 16
Carrot digger has about 8
3 motorcycles, ATV trailer = 8

= 104.. and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.. That's not counting the spares and winter sets of tires

 

[dun]

My wife squawks an time I buy anythign with tires.

 

[Bigfoot]

Some things, it's just hard to justify a 14 ply trailer tire on it. As bad as I hate a flat, I'd rather put a a used truck tire on my tongue wagons, than pay big money for a new tire. Of course, I ain't pulling my tobacco wagons accross the country either though.

 

[dieselbeef]

oil changes are the next worst thing..not AS inconvenient..but still..i got 9. the car is about every 6 wks...got at least 44 tires

 

[fenceman]

I count 78 on the ground not counting spares. Mesquite, prickly pear, honeycomb rock and cedar sticks(the worst actually) its constant. I constantly buy and stock pile used tires. Getting rid of the old ones is a problem as well. Burning them is frowned upon nowadays :oops:

 

[Nesikep]

The worst is the tires on the stuff you don't use much that rot. I just put 14 ply trailer tires on my road trailer... for around the farm, I have plenty of 235/85/16's from my truck for the 16" stuff, and have converted a lot of the odd-ball sizes to take the 235/85/15's from an SUV that I also have a decent supply of.. that goes a long way in keeping the costs down. I've also gotten pretty good at changing tires.. even the bigger tractor tires I can get done myself, though sometimes I wonder if the cussing is worth the money saved!

 

[jedstivers]

I have 86 just on the combine operation and that doesn't count pickups.
On the whole farm it's over 1,000. No way to count them all. Might even be over 2,000.

 

[pricefarm]

I counted 70 tires around here but might have miss a few. The ones I hate most are the ones on my gravity wagons. Only use them one week out of the year while picking corn but seems like they all are flat when I start and keep going flat while I pick. I did break down last year a bought a new set of 16" wheels and a good set of used truck tires for my best wagon. All the other ones have 15" wheels and finding good 15" truck tires are hard to find around here.

 

[Bigfoot]

I've just been having the tire guy come to the farm for the last couple of years. He's usually cheap enough on his tires, to more than pay for his service call.

It's funny the things you remember. I never change a tire, that I don't think of a paticular incident when I was a teenager. I was at a buddies house, and he had scored a pretty decent used tire for his old truck. We were breaking it down by hand of course. He wanted to drive another vehicle up on the tire to break the bead loose from the rim. I kept saying it was a bad idea, because the only vehicle around was his grandfathers prized '55 Chevy truck. He went ahead with plan A, and the tire flipped up, and demolished the back fender. I bugged out before the old man came home. I have often wondered how severe the butt chewin was for that little fiasco.

Edited to say it was a '49 not '55

 

[backhoeboogie]

An eye opening thing for all of us, is to count the total number of tires that you have in service. I deal with a flat of some kind on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis. It'll blow your mind how many tires you are supporting.

I'm down to 58 highway tires between the trucks and trailers. I'll cut 1/3 of that in the next year likely.

 

[fenceman]

Here's why I usually do my own tires. Had tires put on 2 trucks by local tire guy last week. You think a tire guy would tighten the lugnuts.
We got the truck home last night. Along with the trailer and 15000 pounds of pipe. I'll spend today putting in New studs. Then I'm going to send them a bill.
Any body think there's a chance they'll pay :devil2:

 

[cattle60]

Not without a fight. They didn't have anything to do with your problem.