DIY foam filled tires?

[coalsmok]

Has anyone on here done their own foam filled tires?  Hay tedders tires are driving us nuts this year.  New tires and tubes, then patches and more tubes.   These are small diameter narrow tires that really take a beating (4.5-6?). We chase these tires all hay season, flats are very common and always at an inconvenient time.  Not that there is a convenient time during hay season for a breakdown, unless it's after the last bale is in.
Wanting to try foam filling one set of these, but pretty sure great stuff from the box stores is going to hold up. Or find a 12" flat free solid tire with a 1" bearing in it.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Never filled them myself  but I had tire dealer fill front tires on my little Gravely tractor when I had it. No more punctures and added extra weight on front where I really needed it. I keep slime on all my ATV and trailer tires. I'd think it would work well for you. Good luck.

[yukon cornelius]

I attempted the great stuff in a tire once. It never expanded. I believe it needed the exposure to air to expand. I never tried it again after the mess I made. From what I heard they bake them after filling. If you have good luck please share how you did it

[bucknwfl]

I had the tires filled on my little plastic yard wagon I pull behind my four wheeler   It was one of the best things I ever did. When the cheapskate tires wear out I will still have rubber wheels.   When I got them back they had placed a nail in each tire. I assumed to make sure all the air escaped and to show they were filled. 

Thanks

Buck

[coxy]

never foamed a tire but i run a pink slime made by Texas refinery( think that's the name )put half a gal in each skid steer tire they even have tubes in them and have not had a flat in 2years don't know what the stuff is made out of but it works the stuff smells like cotton candy

[coalsmok]

We have tried the slime/self healing stuff in the tubes. Sometimes it helps and other times it doesn't seem to. One time even had a tube that the slime had hardened in the valve stem.
Last night I tried one as a tubeless instead of using a tube as the patch didn't hold long enough for me to get in the house. It was still holding air this morning so hopefully it holds up long enough to get this last field of first cutting up today. 

[Kbeitz]

You put that stuff in a tire around here and no one will change your tire for you.... ever...

[coxy]

the pink stuff is way different than the green

[low_48]

Some mountain bike riders use a tire liner, and slime in the tube. I don't know if they make a liners for anything but bicycle tires but maybe worth looking at.

[Don P]

The foam fill for tires is not "great stuff" it is way denser but I don't know what it is.

[Stoneyacrefarm]

Coalsmok,
I have had my Tetter tires filled at my local GCR Tire. Almost 2 years ago now.
No more flats.
It bounces a little more than it did before but seems to be worth it.
Cost almost as much as the new tires. 
But like you said.
No more flat tires when you need it the most.

[Ox]

Bear with me with an open mind while I tell you my tale:  I had an older powered wheelbarrow with snowblower type tires on it (tubeless) that wouldn't hold air.  The tires were cracked multiple spots from time and sun damage.  I looked up homemade slime and found a strange but cheap remedy.  A 5 gallon bucket, old antifreeze, a paint mixer you run with a drill, and toilet paper.  Just add toilet paper until you have a rather thick slurry.  Then use a large cattle type syringe with the needle off and make sure it fits inside or over the valve stem snugly and pump it through the valve stem with the core taken out and at the 12 o'clock position (take pressure off tire by jacking up machine) and you're in business.  I think you fill it up until it's about halfway up the tire or so.  This all takes a while but is worth it in the end.  I had to add a little air to them for a day or two but that was it.  These tires have been up and not leaking anymore for about 5 years.  I didn't believe it at first but tried it because no money and lots of time.  I wouldn't believe it if it didn't happen to me.

[thechknhwk]

Tire balls, kinda expensive, but they use them for ATV racing, and you could put them in yourself.  Or what if you took the tire off the wheel and filled it with foam then trim off the excess after it's done expanding then remount it.  I would use the door and window foam, it's lower expansion, higher density closed cell foam as oppsed to the "crack filler" stuff.

[sandhills]

I know of guys that use golf balls to balance semi tires, what are tire balls?

[Crusarius]

I use airsoft pellets to balance my 35x12.50 R15's on my rock crawling jeep.

[sandhills]

Happy birthday Crusarious  8)

[Crusarius]

Thanx.

[thechknhwk]

I know of guys that use golf balls to balance semi tires, what are tire balls?

https://www.tireballs.com/

[Ox]

How did we go from flat tires on a tedder to balancing tires on rigs?  The original problem was flat tires, not balancing.  :D

[coalsmok]

Stonyacre that's where we are with it now. Dads said he was going to look into it since the hay is up and we don't need them now.  Before we ruin two more new tires by running them flat unnoticed for a trip or two around the field.  Those small narrow tire sure don't last long when the go flat.
Hay equipment seems to be the worst stuff to break.  Everyone fixes it enough to get the hay in them seems to forget it till the next hay cutting time.  We are trying to improve on that here these days. With only two of use to get it in we don't have the manpower to have something broke and still get it in between rains.

[VictorH]

So part of my business is spray foam.  I had a couple wheel barrow tires that would not stay up so I decided to try filling them with closed cell foam.  I used a 3# foam which is pretty dense for spray foam.  After a couple trips heavily loaded the foam compacted inside the tire leaving them half flat and uneven rolling.  A can foam is much less dense and will not work at all.  I have tried to get BASF and NCFI to formulate a memory foam (think nerf balls) that can be processed with typical spray foam equipment.  Neither have been willing.  I'm certain it can be done but I suspect they are worried about liability when some idiot tries to put it in a high speed tire.

[Stoneyacrefarm]

Coalsmok,
I feel your pain.
Just finished one of my fields this weekend.
I got 75 round bales wrapped and stacked.
Did it all myself.
I've been pretty good about staying on top of the maintenance.
Since filling the tires on the Tetter. That's one  less  thing to worry about.
Well worth the money to do it.
All the tires on my hay equipment are new now.
Hopefully won't have any issues for a little while at least.

[coxy]

 :D :D :D well I have a wood splitter tire that keeps going flat so I thought I would try foam filling the tire  I took the valve core out and started filling it the can got empty so I pulled the nasal out of the valve stem and never thought of the air that I was pushing in from the can I got covered in foam errr  trying to think of how the pros do it I drilled 4 3/8 holes in the tire to let the air come out and when the foam started out I put a bolt in there to keep the foam in so far its working  live and learn I guess  :D :D 

[drobertson]

A few years ago while at the Paul Bunyan show I stopped by a booth where a fellow was selling this stuff you put in your tires.  I cannot remember the name of it, but it was whitish in color, came in various size containers depending on the wheel size. In  The demonstration he showed me when the tire becomes punctured the stuff comes out a little then seals the hole.. It looked like it worked, but without an actual test run I can't say that it would or wouldn't .
I did a search and I think I found the stuff, Made by STS,  Its a tire sealant, not 100% sure its the same I saw, but it could work for you,