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Tire preference: Pneumatic vs. Solid Pneumatic?

david n

Diamond
Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Location
Pillager, MN
I'm shoppin for a different lift...............wonderin' if'n the air filled would have a bit more traction in the great outdoors rain, shine, or snow? Should feel a bit softer........ More forgiving that they should grip a bit better in the winter? The rig I have now has solid pneumatics............she gits around OK'ish during the warm months, but she sure is worthless on the ice. Years ago the place I worked had air filled and seemed to do better in the winter.....................I have a line on a nice unit with solid pneumatics but don't want what I have now for outdoor performance. Idea'rs?
 
My experience with South Dakota winters has been that one doesn't take a non-pneumatic outside in snow or ice, unless one needs extra work... :)
 
Pneumatics are the way to go IMHO, unless you are going to run exculsivly on smooth concrete. We have concrete and gravel and it is a PIA to have choose which lift to use especially if one is down for maintenace.
 
..I have a line on a nice unit with solid pneumatics but don't want what I have now for outdoor performance. Idea'rs?

Pneumatics and solid pneumatics should be interchangeable on a lift equipped with either now. Pneumatics being the cheaper to have to replace. If you like the lift and the price is right I would buy it, and you can always swap out the solids for air filled for $800-1200 down the line. A lot cheaper than buying with air filled now and wanting to switch to solid later. If it were me I would at least try to regroove the solids first to better suit your terrain.

I cant imagine any forklift doing well on ice other than a rough terrain model. Seems like no tire would make up for the lack of surface contact to weight ratio. (it snows here for about 1hr every few years, and is back to 65deg later the same day probably so I know nothing related to these ice problems)

Fwiw I have air filled on our forklift. It is a warehouse forklift, the thing still gets stuck in soft spots, and loses traction on unlevel terrain. Getting a flat sucks, but has happened to me only 2 times iirc.
 
Dave:

I'd say our experiences are different on the solid / pnue's.

My 8K Hyster with solid/pnue's does great out in the snowbank!
And my fronts are almost smooth by now too!
Mine has a clutch, so maybe that might have some bearings on the difference?

It had pnue's on the back when I got it, and those have finally gotten changed to solids.

I have to say, what Foster said above is a good way to look at it.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Dave:

I'd say our experiences are different on the solid / pnue's.

My 8K Hyster with solid/pnue's does great out in the snowbank!
And my fronts are almost smooth by now too!
Mine has a clutch, so maybe that might have some bearings on the difference?

The construction of the lift means as much as the tires. Some have the steering axle set forward to allow tight turning without angling the wheels excessively, the counterweight hanging out over the back takes weight off the drive tires. A lift with the steering axle at the very back will put more weight on the drive tires and make it better on softer surfaces. I've had both with pneumatics, the difference was extreme. One would get stuck on level packed gravel, the other runs in anything except soft mud.
 








 
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