Let’s face it, nobody likes getting their tires changed.
You spend a bunch of time just waiting around, not to mention the cost of having them replaced.
But just imagine splashing $10,000 per new tire.
For those who work in construction and use foam-filled tires, that’s exactly what happens.
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Now, you’d be forgiven for not knowing what foam-filled tires are.
Foam-filled tires are basically the exact same thing as air tires, they just have a heavy-duty compound called urethane in them that gets injected through a hose.
And you have to let it sit for three to four days, which is called the curing process.
Once the liquid urethane has hardened and manufacturers are sure that the tire is absent of any air, they’re ready to go.
So, what’s the point of having your tires filled with dense foam instead of air?
If you’re a construction company, working on a site covered in loose nails and debris, foam-filled tires that can’t go flat are exactly what you need.
Plus, companies usually use foam-filled tires if they don’t want any downtime, like they’d experience if they were running air-filled tires and machinery being out of action.
Besides being impervious to punctures, foam-filled tires provide construction trucks with a softer ride because of the consistent PSI in each tire.
Foam-filled tires can also act like a ballast, so if you’re lifting really heavy things – like heavy rocks – it can stop you from tilting forward.
Don’t get confused, though; these tires are not made for your full-size pickup or off-road SUV.
The speed of passenger vehicles would make the foam melt, and the weight of the tires alone could send you veering off the road and destroy your suspension.
Typically, foam-filled tires are used for low-speed vehicles like construction units, such as a skid steer or a loader.
Still, it’s hard not to envy the idea of tires that can’t go flat, that’s why construction companies use them.
Usually, they’re two to three times more per tire than their air-filled counterpart, with a smaller tire costing up to $1,000 per tire.
Then for higher-end tires, like the ones used on machinery in quarries, you’re looking at upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 per tire.
They’re certainly not cheap, but the benefits of using foam-filled tires by far outweigh the drawbacks.
If you want to know more about foam-filled tires, like how they’re replaced – check out the video below!
