need tire advice

[J-Ri]

I'm working on an invention, and need small (about 12") tires capable of carrying about 2,000 Lbs each. I also need the tires to have good traction on all surfaces. Lawn tractor/golf cart tires are perfect, except for the weight. For the prototype, I need to keep the cost low, so I'm thinking about filling the tractor tires with expanda-foam. I know it dries very hard, but will it support that kind of weight? If anyone knows of an existing tire that would meet my needs, that would be great too.

Thanks

[72chevelleOhio]

Why not forklift tires?
Does speed need to be considered as well?

[J-Ri]

I had considered that, but I couldn't find any that had any real tread on them. I had also considered using a router to cut my own tread pattern, but I'm not really sure how that would turn out.

Speed is not a consideration.

[Pornogratherapy]

The foam will eat away at the inside of the tire and eventually cause it to blow. Although, I'm not sure if you're going to be using the tires for an extended period of time... but it's just a reminder. You can get go-cart tires at junkyards... rims and all for pretty cheap. Depending on how your junkyards are. What exactly do you need tires of that size and capability for?

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Pornogratherapy

The foam will eat away at the inside of the tire and eventually cause it to blow.

This is a rhetorical question:
If the tire is full of hardened foam, will it really "blow?"

I doubt that expanding foam will be able to support 2000 lbs. Does the can say how much pressure it will exert in psi? You'll have such a small contact patch with that small of a tire it may be difficult to find a pneumatic tire to support it.

Let's see, if we assume such a small tire has a 4 inch by 4 inch contact patch, that's 16 square inches. To support 2000 lbs, the tire would need to be rated for at least 333 psi if I did the math correctly.... I'm pretty sure expanding foam will not exert that much pressure. If the garden tractor tire is 10 inches wide and the contact patch is about 4 inches long, that would be 40 square inches so you're still talking 50 psi to support a 2000 lb load. That's getting closer, but I don't know what a garden tractor tire is rated for.

-Rod

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by shorod

I doubt that expanding foam will be able to support 2000 lbs. Does the can say how much pressure it will exert in psi? You'll have such a small contact patch with that small of a tire it may be difficult to find a pneumatic tire to support it.

I didn't even look at any foam yet, but the pressure it exerts expanding doesn't matter, as I'm not filling the tire from flat while it's under the load. I've seen where people filled in basement windows with it and the glass was still intact, so I'd assume very little pressure. At the same time, I ran over a chunk of it in my truck and it didn't crush at all. I was asking some friends, and one of them suggested filling them with concrete... they don't really need to conform to any irregular surfaces and they'll be turning so slow that weight and balance don't matter.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone.

[Scrapper]

why not get good ones from cooper tires or mich?

[Pornogratherapy]

Originally Posted by shorod

This is a rhetorical question:
If the tire is full of hardened foam, will it really "blow?"

-Rod

Rhetorical or not, yes the tire can still actually "blow." Smartass.

[shorod]

I've been called worse.

-Rod

[Scrapper]

you should be called worse are you ever going to drop this like i said earlier.your on my not list.

[shorod]

Drop what like you said when? Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about.

-Rod

[MagicRat]

An observation on this thread:

Shorod is one of our most knowlegeable and helpful participants.

If any participant disagree with his advice, fine. But there is no reason to call him any kind of derogatory name, especially on your third post.

Not only is it uncalled for, but violates the forum guidelines to which you agreed when you signed up here.

So..... lets all keep discussions around here on a civil basis and on the topic at hand.

[Scrapper]

i know but he started it and wouldn't drop it..even private messages.so look back and see what he called me.

[Pornogratherapy]

He was talking about me. I was joking. No need to get so hostile. My posts have been valid ones... even if I've only had three.

[Scrapper]

sorry kept it up and i eply that i think were done with this thread...