Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-01 145276
Two years ago I bought my New Holland skid steer loader with Titan 2000HD tires. The tires came from the factory with a special sealant in the inside that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O. It's about an inch thick. When something punctures it, it seals itself. The replacement tires list at $460 each plus shipping. I'm on my fourth set of tires (at $1000 each time for non-self-sealing) and I'm tired of patching, plugging, installing tubes and using liquid sealants like Slime and Berryman.
Foam filling isn't an option--too costly, can't remove the rim easily, and adds nearly 900 lbs.
Anyone know if/where I can buy this liquid and do it myself? Or maybe there is another type substance that I can smear inside the tire that has self-healing properties.
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota Pics |
2007-09-01 145277
Earthwrks,
The U.S. Army is now using a product that will seal bullet holes in tires up to .30 caliber in size. The manufacturer of this product claims that their tire sealant will seal and plug a hole up to 1/2" in diameter.
The product goes by the name of "Ultraseal", and it comes in several different formulations. I believe you'll need the "EHD" version......"Extreme Heavy Duty".
Ultraseal comes in 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums. A special pump can be purchased to help measure out the proper amount for your tires.
Please visit the following web site.
....
Link: Ultraseal Tire Sealant
 
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-02 145285
I checked it out and it falls into the category of liguid sealants which I can't use. My rims do not have a safety bead on them which helps keep the tire on the rim which reduces air leaks.
Skid steers get banged around a lot. What frequently happens is I spin around and the tire hits a root, rock, or something and causes a momentary flexing of the sidewall and bead effectively pushing the tire off the rim resulting in a "burp". This burp is sufficent to instantly drop the pressure to about 1/2 or 1/3 the required PSI to keep it seated. Granted "sidewall burping is only half the battle and no sealant will help.
But in the case of a punture, the liquid has to force enough liguid out the hole to plug it that it too reduces tire pressure to the point it comes off the rim--sometimes but not all. Using Tire Slime I've had cases where it forced out a half gallon before it sealed (It was on a trailer and I had to keep putting air in it) ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee Pics |
2007-09-02 145286
I use TRC tire seal in both ATV's and tractor tires. Had very good luck with it. Cost about $100 per 6 gallon pail. I purchased mine at my local Coop.
You will also need a pump with application hose and fitting with dosage chart which TRC seals for about $90.
I looked at the Ultra Seal but it was much more expensive due to shipping. The folks at both Ultra Seal and TRC were very helpful.
....
Link: TRC Tire Seal
 
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-07 145473
Well, no surprise here---I tried to get info from tire mfg's about what that compound was that they use in the tires I bought. No replies.
So I found it on my own. It's a polyurethane gel. A chemical mfg. in Minnesota is sending me free samples to mix myself (about 5 gallons worth) Cost to buy it is about $175. The stuff is sticky gel that uses 160 dgree heat to cure it for about 3-8 minutes. Looks like I can mis it and place it the tires myself. We'll see!
If it works, that will be a saving about $1,000 over the cost of new tires with it in it. ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2007-09-07 145474
Jeff, here's the dumb question of the day.
If it needs to be 'cured' does it set up firm or stay liquid after the setup?
I ask because you cannot fill a tire to 100% so if it sets up firm then how do you avoid a severely off-balance tire?
BTW, I seem to remember from the one machine we had the tires foamed on it only added about 500 pounds, 65 for each of the fronts and 185 per rear tire.
Best of luck. ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-07 145475
The plan is (and Titan tire is already doing it) is to spin the tire at X-RPM without the rim while using a heat gun to heat the inner tire surface to 160 degrees. As the tire spins, the mixed 2-part liquid will be poured inside to a depth of about an inch or so. Centrifugal force will spread it out evenly and slightly up both inner sidewalls about an inch or so. The tire, with heat still applied, will continue to spin for about 3-8 minutes depending on the desired stickiness. Longer the heat cycle, the stickier the product. It will be in the state of Jell-O when it cools and will remain sticky and semi-solid. The stickiness is required to self-heal itself against punctures. I've run over re-rod with other OEM tires with no problems.
I talked about fully-filling tires with their microcellular foam product but they said the pump and metering system would be expensive, and a lot of trial and error would need to occur to perfect it. I'm not set up for that.
Murf have you seen an inflatable, bladder-type bead "keeper" that hugs the rim? After the tire is mounted, the bladder gets inflated pushing the tire beads against the rim so that the tire can't "burp" if hit from the side? That's how a lot of my tire issues happen. Just a little air loss leads to total loss when the tire burps, especially when using steel tracks over the tires. ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina Pics |
2007-09-07 145477
EW, granted I am from the slow south but how does that help keep the side walls on the rims when you hit a side load when turning? Seems it improves the tread area and as you said an inch or two of the sidewall. But, I just asking..kt
....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-07 145481
Kenny, they're two different issues. The polyurethane sealant inside the tire goes up the inside of the sidewall a bit for added sidewall puncture protection.
The bead lock system really can be used on the tires with or without sealant. Skid steer rims do not have a safety bead lock like a car or truck tire that more or less keeps the beads of the tire on the rim---you know how you can soemtimes drive for a long way on a flat car tire without coming off the rim? Skidsteers aren't that way.
If you were strong enough, you could go up to a fully-inflated skid steer tire and whack the sidewall causing it momentarily come off the rim, which burps a lot of air. Even slightly bending the rim at the bead will allow air to escape. At around 30 PSI the tire will come off the rim (full is 65 PSI). The bladder effectively spreads the beads apart toward the rim for added resistance to pushing in or leaks.
Now that I think of it, this bladder system may have been used on Hummers or some other military use. Hmmm... ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina Pics |
2007-09-07 145483
EW, just trying to understand your reply to Joel why a certain option was not workable due to the rims and side shock. Does not seem the product you are going with solves that any better. Now to make you happy. I am gone from emails for a few days again. Watch those circles my friend. Hey, are you who did all the crop circles?? kt ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-07 145490
The liquid products suggested don't seal well enough in the event of a puncture to the tread itself. The sidewall issue and the beads not sealing can happen with or without having a sidewall issue. Clear as mud, fellr'? ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-10 145607
Kenny here's the link to what is called an internal bead lock to keep internal prssure against the beads and the rim. ....
Link: Internal bead lock system
 
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina Pics |
2007-09-11 145623
EW, yep. Clear as Gulf Coast Mud. ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan Pics |
2007-09-16 145792
Got a sample quart of the polyurethane. Seems like this is the ticket. ....
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Need tire sealant that looks and feels like sticky Jell-O
Woodie
Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 109 Michigan lower |
2007-09-19 145897
Here's another source for sealants and tire tools etc.
http://www.gemplers.com/tiressupplies/flatprevention/tiresealants ....
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