# Foam Filled Trailer Tires Question for Tire Guys



## bwendel07 (Sep 30, 2007)

I have been given a set of foam filled trailer tires that will fit my boat trailer. They are straight from a factory that does this professionally. The company is arnco they do this for heavy machinery and equipment. They are completely foam filled and will never go flat. This sounds like a great thing but I am wondering from some tire guys what downsides would there be. This sounds too good to be true so i must be missing something why this is not more common. The tires and rims are the same as i would get anywhere but they are heavy, almost twice as heavy as my normal trailer tire. I cant imagine that this would make any difference because it is all rotational. But would it be bad for the hubs or anything else that I cannot think of? I am not bothered by the ride being a little stiffer for the boat, although the website says it is not different than air due to their product. Opinions?


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## Donut slayer (Jan 16, 2009)

I cant see a downside. Maybe ride quality would suffer, but since its on a trailer it wouldnt matter. I think dave howell tires will foam fill tires too. I've heard of them for lawn tractors and such.


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## DawnsKayBug (Jul 24, 2013)

The equipment that it is filled for is low speed. Balance wouldnt be that much of an issue. 60 MPH with a boat on top?? I am speculating on this and got a quote for $8000 to get my JLG tires foam filled due to slow leaks ALL THE TIME!!


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## Breeze (Mar 23, 2012)

According to their website they only use their product in industrial type equipment as the above post says. We used them where I used to work in a lot of equipment from skid steers up to off road dump trucks. I don't work at a tire shop but I wouldn't use them on the highway. Local around town maybe but highway speeds, not me. I could be wrong though.

Cycles By Breeze
Motorcycle and ATV Service
www.cyclesbybreeze.net
850-438-0401


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## wld1985 (Oct 2, 2007)

DawnsKayBug said:


> The equipment that it is filled for is low speed. Balance wouldnt be that much of an issue. 60 MPH with a boat on top?? I am speculating on this and got a quote for $8000 to get my JLG tires foam filled due to slow leaks ALL THE TIME!!


 Call Jeff at Florida Commerical Tire.. IF i remember the road there right off of hermen... Off of Palafox street, I got our bobcat tires rubber filled and he killed Dave Howells price By far.


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

It's going to be hard to tell you if you have something that will perform in a trailer tire application if we don't know, exactly, what material filler was used. 

Lots of comments about low speed and that applies to Urethane Rubber fills. There is a high speed installation of Urethane sheet which is spun into the inside of the tire and works more like a 'self-sealing' agent. One brand is Tyrelyner by Sunair. 

If your material is heavy, there is a question of how it was installed and what was the method of balancing? If it is not properly balanced, at high speed, it will cause your bearings to fail. 

You can try them on short trips and see how they perform. Make sure you have back-ups....a spare. Stop and check, periodically, for heat build-up; in the tire and also in the bearings.


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

Questions may be "Is this a normal trailer tire..." "how long will it last with normal use..." "will the tire tread wear differently if a normal trailer tire vs the same tire filled with air..." And "is it economically justified to buy a foam filled tire when your normal maximum expected tire life is about 5 years (depending on use and maitenance)?"
I would like to see you use them for a few years and then let us know what you think of the quality, durability, and effect it has on the tires, trailer, trailer suspension & wheel assemblies, and the cargo / boat. Does it make any noticable difference in the way the trailer tows? Etc, Etc....
Food for thought?


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Air filled tires have worked for a hundred years now, and with my baby on the trailer I do not want to "try some new fad" only to have the tire shred at highway speeds, no thanks I will stick with my air.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

I'll be the first to admit I know squat about the spun flat free type but I DO know that solid foam filled will develop a flat spot when parked too long. TH-DUMP...TH-DUMP...TH-DUMP!!!

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