Keep old tires when getting new ones?

[Mr_C]

I bought a bobcat 825 last fall. I haven't had a whole lot of time to use it yet. It has very bald tires on it right now, but for what I have been using it for (work around the farm) it has been nice because it doesn't tear up the grass much. Unfortuantly I may have some emergency work to do with it (flooding issues) and I plan on building a clay dike with it this spring/summer. I know that I will be working a lot more in the mud and muck at that point of time. The slicks aren't so cool for that. I am sure new tires will make a world of difference in the sloppy stuff. I am concerned that I will regret having them durring the 90% of the time that I don't have any traction issues. My thought is that maybe I should buy a new set of rims with my new set of tires and then be able to swap rims/tires depending on what my current project is. What do you guys think, am I over estimating the value of my slicks? Should I spend the extra $500 and get rims with the new tires or is it just a waste of time. I don't have a lot of experience here, so I am operating on theory, and would really appretiate some advice from the experience of the group. FWIW, it runs on 12.5x16 tires. thanks, Mr_C

 

[Tazza]

It depends on how wet your clay is. If its wet, no matter what tyres you put on, you will slip and slide everywhere. I had brand new tyres on my 743 when i was working at home in shale/clay. It was raining for a few months. I tried driving up a hill with a load on the bucket, i had all four wheel spinning and was not moving (other than sideways). If you need traction in the mud, why not consider over tyre tracks? It may be a better option.
Good luck

 

[TriHonu]

It depends on how wet your clay is. If its wet, no matter what tyres you put on, you will slip and slide everywhere. I had brand new tyres on my 743 when i was working at home in shale/clay. It was raining for a few months. I tried driving up a hill with a load on the bucket, i had all four wheel spinning and was not moving (other than sideways). If you need traction in the mud, why not consider over tyre tracks? It may be a better option.
Good luck

I have a 763 and have two sets of tires. One new set of 10" and one set of 12" very used (almost slicks).
I bought the 12" set in their worn-out state. I use them on lawns and on pavement. They do a lot less damage to lawns and on pavement they will turn much smoother don't jump around near as much. (It's even smoother if you can spread a little dirt on the pavement where you need to turn sharply.) The best part is once the bars are worn off, the tires wear very slowly and will last a long time.
I heard about using bald tires from my brother who worked as a mechanic for an old excavating contractor. The guy had numerous sets of bald tires and my brother would get the schedule to tell him how many skids he wanted bald tires on vs how many he wanted "good" tires on. He did a lot of tire changes but it kept everyone happy.
It doesn't take much time to change them. Put a floor jack under the rear, give it a few pumps and roll the bucket to lift the fronts off the ground. Grab the impact and go!

 

[Mr_C]

I have a 763 and have two sets of tires. One new set of 10" and one set of 12" very used (almost slicks).
I bought the 12" set in their worn-out state. I use them on lawns and on pavement. They do a lot less damage to lawns and on pavement they will turn much smoother don't jump around near as much. (It's even smoother if you can spread a little dirt on the pavement where you need to turn sharply.) The best part is once the bars are worn off, the tires wear very slowly and will last a long time.
I heard about using bald tires from my brother who worked as a mechanic for an old excavating contractor. The guy had numerous sets of bald tires and my brother would get the schedule to tell him how many skids he wanted bald tires on vs how many he wanted "good" tires on. He did a lot of tire changes but it kept everyone happy.
It doesn't take much time to change them. Put a floor jack under the rear, give it a few pumps and roll the bucket to lift the fronts off the ground. Grab the impact and go!

Thanks for the responces guys. Tazza- I am hoping that I won't be dealing with clay that is too wet, so I should be able to get around. I did look at tracks for my skidsteer, but it was pretty spendy... maybe someday. TriHonu- Thats really what I was hoping to hear. The slicks (which are in good shape otherwise and hold air well) are worth keeping because they will not tear up my yard as much doing regular farm chores. Then when I am doing projects that require a little more traction, I can always switch to the better tires. Now I know its worth the investment of a new set of rims this spring.

 

[TriHonu]

Thanks for the responces guys. Tazza- I am hoping that I won't be dealing with clay that is too wet, so I should be able to get around. I did look at tracks for my skidsteer, but it was pretty spendy... maybe someday. TriHonu- Thats really what I was hoping to hear. The slicks (which are in good shape otherwise and hold air well) are worth keeping because they will not tear up my yard as much doing regular farm chores. Then when I am doing projects that require a little more traction, I can always switch to the better tires. Now I know its worth the investment of a new set of rims this spring.

Check with the dealers in your area, Craigs List and the like. I got my tires and wheels from a Cat Service Tech, $100 for the set of 4.
The Cat dealer he worked for scraps the wheels from machines they service through a service agreement. They take a new set of wheels to a job site to replace a worn-out set. The dealer has to pay an employee to dismount the bad tires so they can sell or scrap the rims and tires. They told their Techs that it is not cost effective and allow the Techs to take them if they want them. I found the guy on Craigs List and he had multiple sets for sale.
The other source is sets of tires that have been foam filled. I have been told they can not be removed from the rims with out cutting them off. The guys that get them foam filled know they will replace both the rims and tires when they are through using them. Ask around, you may be able to get a set for free.

 

[Mr_C]

Check with the dealers in your area, Craigs List and the like. I got my tires and wheels from a Cat Service Tech, $100 for the set of 4.
The Cat dealer he worked for scraps the wheels from machines they service through a service agreement. They take a new set of wheels to a job site to replace a worn-out set. The dealer has to pay an employee to dismount the bad tires so they can sell or scrap the rims and tires. They told their Techs that it is not cost effective and allow the Techs to take them if they want them. I found the guy on Craigs List and he had multiple sets for sale.
The other source is sets of tires that have been foam filled. I have been told they can not be removed from the rims with out cutting them off. The guys that get them foam filled know they will replace both the rims and tires when they are through using them. Ask around, you may be able to get a set for free.

I've been watching craigslist and local adds for the past 6 months and haven't found anything that would fit (haven't been many options). I am starting to get impatient. On the positive side, I have found a set of used forks, 8ft snow bucket and a scarifier all at good prices (I bought my bobcat off craigslist also). I handn't thought of local dealers having used rims, I will definately check that out. I really like the idea of getting a set of foam filled tires for the slicks. My one concern with having my worn tires is it would be easier to poke a hole in them, getting a set of worn out filled tires would solve that problem.

 

[Fishfiles]

I've been watching craigslist and local adds for the past 6 months and haven't found anything that would fit (haven't been many options). I am starting to get impatient. On the positive side, I have found a set of used forks, 8ft snow bucket and a scarifier all at good prices (I bought my bobcat off craigslist also). I handn't thought of local dealers having used rims, I will definately check that out. I really like the idea of getting a set of foam filled tires for the slicks. My one concern with having my worn tires is it would be easier to poke a hole in them, getting a set of worn out filled tires would solve that problem.

I know a guy who just auctioned off a 873 Bobcat that had 12 " tracks on it , he pullled the tracks and wants $1,500 for them , I looked at them and they look like Lowrigs or Groussers the style with the rubber replacable pads , looks to me that if the rubbers were unscrewed the rails under underneath were like brand new , a few were cracked but he said he had a lot of spare pads , said they cost him $4,000 when he bought them , the 873 had a long wheel base and by removing or adding a pads you could could make them fit anything , there are in New Orleans , La ,

 

[m610]

I know a guy who just auctioned off a 873 Bobcat that had 12 " tracks on it , he pullled the tracks and wants $1,500 for them , I looked at them and they look like Lowrigs or Groussers the style with the rubber replacable pads , looks to me that if the rubbers were unscrewed the rails under underneath were like brand new , a few were cracked but he said he had a lot of spare pads , said they cost him $4,000 when he bought them , the 873 had a long wheel base and by removing or adding a pads you could could make them fit anything , there are in New Orleans , La ,

I thought I was the only one who kept a set or worn tires for use. The convincing moment was when I saw someone running a 743 with bald turf tires. Although the operator didn't seem to care how he turned the grass was not getting torn out. Those were the 16 inch wide rims so when I was offered a set of them for free with rust I took them. After installing worn out ditch digger tires I was able to take my bobcat everywhere without leaving ruts and on tough lawns without digging in turns. Definately save the bald tires and get new rims for the new tires, unless you can get another set of tires as bald as yours but wider. You simply do not need traction with a skid steer on level ground unless you are pushing or pulling. Newer tires make a difference in dirt or slopes.