|
Southeast | I have had both types of tires on 15' batwings doing ditch bank mowing. I have pulled all three, (segmented, non-foam filled aircraft, filled aircraft) behind a truck at highway speeds. If the mower is maintained, and things are aligned any of them can handle 30-40 mph fine.
Segmented tires will ride very rough because they are solid. They do not like gravel roads at all and will wear faster.
True aircraft tires that are foam filled are near indestructible but the tread wears quicker because there is zero flex in the tire and ride about as rough as segmented tires. Since they are a conventional tire, they do not last as long as a segmented tire. When it is time to replace a tire, you have to change the whole tire/wheel assembly because they are bonded together by the poly foam. In a nutshell, they are a one-shot deal. If a sidewall gets badly damaged, game over. Ask me how I know.
I have seen firsthand that some of the tires being sold as foam filled aircraft tires are not true aircraft tires and are Not a heavy ply. The just look like aircraft tires. My assumption is the tread life would be even shorter. Many places sell both used and new aircraft tires, so all this is buyer beware.
True aircraft tires that are Not foam filled are the best 'ride' of all three and I do think this is a bit easier on the mower pins and pivots. Even at 22-ply, it is possible to get a flat, but it has to be something pretty major. Regular service and checks are prudent. I run this in mine: https://www.tireject.com/products/tire-sealant-atv-tire-protection-k...
I have never had to plug a tire on the side of the road and this stuff is great about self-sealing. I have only had to repair one tire and used a plug/patch. It lasted the life of the tire. As long as you do normal pre-use checks you should have no problems.
If you are doing really, really rough stuff, I would go with segmented tires. | |
|
Foam filled tires on batwing??????
