Skidder tire Flat?

groundguy · January 01, 2010, 04:22:50 PM

Hi, happy new year all.

I have a Timberjack 550,,, i think it is a 1980. I am strictly a hobby logger (barely that!) but I love equipment, and hope to be pushing out a load or 2 over the next few months.

The right rear tire "bead" has pulled and inch or so away from the rim for maybe 30% of the rim.

It dosen't look flat, and it seemed to take air OK with a cheap Canadian Tire air pump.

Do these tires have tubes, what would cause the bead to pull away like this?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Groundguy

Magicman · January 01, 2010, 05:06:13 PM

I know nothing about skidder tires, but I can say Welcome to FF. There are plenty of folks on here that can help you, but I suspect that they are rubbing their bellies right now.....

.....

Jamie_C · January 01, 2010, 05:24:52 PM

Depending on the tire size some forestry tires are quite prone to "bead breakage" due to the tremendous stress they endure. If the bead is just starting to "pull away" from the rim it might be ok for awhile but to be safe i recommend swapping it for one off the front axle where it won't have the stress load on the bead.

If by some chance you happen to have the monstrous 66/43/26 tires on the skidder (i highly doubt it) be prepared for a major bill. We just finshed going through 3 of the darn things on the TJ 610 forwarder in the last 2 months.

groundguy · January 01, 2010, 05:34:54 PM

OK, thanks for the info Jamie C. Obviously a shop truck would be called out to the machine to do that, the machine is only 15 mins out from a major tire shop, so that shouldn't be too bad.

The tires look pretty std. for a skidder, not the high flotation super wide ones you mentioned.

I'll make a call to the tire shop and see what they can do. Thanks and Happy New Year

Ground guy

motohed · January 01, 2010, 05:39:22 PM

I would add air , and check the pressure then check it again in a couple of hours (not in use of course) and see if the pressure is the same . If it is , I would put enough air in to expand the bead . If it isn't , I would remove the tire and either have the tube or tire patched . If the tube is really bad , replace it , in any case I would not continue to run it that way as skidder tires are very expensive compared to a tube.

groundguy · January 01, 2010, 05:44:13 PM

That makes sense to me, I was thinking the small cheap air pump might not have the ability to air it up,,, have to track down a compressor or something. Seems like a logical sequence, I can imagine what a new tire costs. Thanks a lot Motohed!

Groundguy

240b · January 01, 2010, 08:36:35 PM

I would not mess w/ it my self. Get the local tire guy to check it out. it will cost but a flat in the woods is no fun--- and a local kid got his head taken off by a exploding skidder tire which wasn't seating on the wheel-- not a diy project imo. cheers

bushmechanic · January 02, 2010, 05:56:15 AM

If it's an 1980 it has tube type rims and probally 24.5-32 tires.I have seen that happen many times on skidders and there were times the tire pushed back on the rim when using it,although I wouldn't recomend using it like that because sticks can seat in behind the tire and rim(dangerous).If your not used to these tires you should call a tire shop.If I were you I would invest in a good tire gauge,eliminates the guess work.I think there should be a air pressure chart inside the canopy on the roof,if not your local tire shop can tell you the proper pressure.

Ron Scott · January 02, 2010, 09:52:16 AM

Yes, get it taken care of by the tire service shop.

stonebroke · January 02, 2010, 11:16:40 AM

Just be aware you might need a new tire and they are not cheap.

Stonebroke

John Woodworth · January 02, 2010, 12:57:11 PM

Check to see that dirt,chunks of broken wood or even pieces of stone are not caught in the rim, they will work theri way into the tube and puncture it, if thats the case dig it out with a screwdriver and reinflate.