Flat free wheel barrow tire- disadvantages?

[vavet]

Is there any disadvantage to using a flat free tire for a wheel barrow?

I don’t use my wheel barrow often, so it seems the tire is always flat when I need it.

 

[plinker]

They dont last forever, the one I had was about 8-10 years old. It just kind of dry rotted towards the end. The rubber tube tire "floated" a bit better on really soft ground and sand, that is the only area where I ran into an issue with the flat free.

 

[Tduby]

According to my dad they don’t roll right at least that’s what he has said the 3 times he used my wheel barrow and tells me how it would matter if I hauled mink feed as a kid like him. But other than putting up with him I love my flat free wheel it’s been 16 years and still rolling fine.

 

[58Yeoman]

I put a flat-free on my wheelbarrow a couple years ago, and never have to worry about filling up the tire. I have three hose carts for garden hoses, and the most used one got solid tires on it shortly after buying it. When I went shopping for a 2 wheel hand cart, it had to have solid tires or I wouldn't buy it. I also put solid tires on one of my carts that I pull behind the garden tractor. Everything sold today with pneumatic tires, will all go flat. Just crappy tires.

I bought a 2 wheel yard cart at an estate sale that had flat tires. I bought Green Slime tubes and put them in the still good tires. I went to use it this year,and both tires were flat. Shoulda known.

 

[oldwino]

Flat free eliminates one excuse to avoid what you don’t want to do and keep doing what you prefer

 

[seanb02]

Have around 80-90 wheelbarrows on the farm, and they have all been converted to flat free tires. Same with the hand trucks. No downside that I have seen other than the cost difference up front. But the time spent on a single flat wheelbarrow tire offsets the cost of the flat free almost immediately.

 

[redwrench60]

When heavily loaded and moving over rough terrain they act a little different. A tree root or step up onto a driveway or sidewalk can dead stop you unexpectedly instead of noodle-bouncing right over like an air filled tire but flat free is still absolutely worth it. Always ready for a long day of work or a quick run to the wood pile before you run out of daylight.

 

[Indexmill]

Advantage? They don't go flat.

 

[dutchgray]

They have more rolling resistance, I cant put 1/4 ton of bags of cement in one and push it along a concrete yard like I used to do with pneumatic tyres, they are also usually very square in shape so don't handle the same, but you get used to it.
If the pneumatic tyres were not absolute junk nowadays we would still use them, but we have had them last less than a week before splitting.
They last longer than the barrows do I find, but construction is pretty hard on barrows.

 

[HenryAZ]

Big disadvantage if you are using it over rough ground. We got a new Jackson with the flat free tire. The wife quickly hit a high spot with it fully loaded, and it stopped dead right into her belly, making a nice bruise. Within a few days, I had replaced the flat free with Jackson's equivalent traditional pneumatic tire. It handles the rough ground with ease. If you are using the flat frees on smooth surfaces only (or mostly), they are fine, a bit more rolling resistance but preferable to having to air it up from time to time. Flat frees on smooth gravel is difficult as well, as a loaded one will dig in.

 

[driftpin]

I'll agree w/what others have said, I have several wheelbarrows, some w/solid tires, some w/pneumatics. The rolling resistance is > on the solid tire. They handle a bit-differently, to me it feels-like the the solid tire squirms when the wheelbarrow is heavily-loaded, and you try to turn, or you lean the wheelbarrow, which is pretty-much the same-thing. I like the no-maintenance aspect of solid tires.

Encountering height obstacles, the pneumatic tire does for me make it easier to cross the height difference.

I've had my first solid tire for maybe 6 years now, it still works fine, and I see no sign of structural failure.

I have a two-wheel wheelbarrow, which you have to learn how-to drive, but it's more-stable to me, I find it a bit awkward because a tricycle wheelbarrow is easier for me to operate and maneuver, but not as-stable as 4 wheels.

 

[DFB]

Ya flat free is heavy though, we replaced all the little pull wagons at the greenhouse with that type of tire they all feel like there is a load on them even when they are empty now.


Putting a good name brand innertube in a crummy tire does go a long way, only problem is it usually cost as much as brand new cheap tire and wheel

 

[Davefr]

Putting a good name brand innertube in a crummy tire does go a long way, only problem is it usually cost as much as brand new cheap tire and wheel

Same here but I use two inner tubes for one tire. Take one inner tube and slice it around the sidewall circumference, discard the inner portion and then place the second inner tube inside it. This gives it triple protection from punctures.

 

[Ign]

The internet doesn't disappoint - as usual key facts are simply overlooked.

All flat free tires are not created equal

Quality has shifted over the years.

Some are rounded while others are squared off - I prefer the latter generally.

I have a green one I got from Northern - pretty sure they were still Northern Hydraulics back then. It has been fantastic. And, of course, it is NLA

I have some more rounded ones I got from Surplus Center and they're "ok."

I tend to not regularly load wheelbarrows crazy-heavy -- my lower back ***** and I don't want to work that hard. The Kubota has a bucket

If I were a professional landscaper I'd run QUALITY pneumatic (read: ya can't get it at HD) and just check pressures each morning.

Try AM Leonard.

 

[Ign]

Ya flat free is heavy though, we replaced all the little pull wagons at the greenhouse with that type of tire they all feel like there is a load on them even when they are empty now.


Putting a good name brand innertube in a crummy tire does go a long way, only problem is it usually cost as much as brand new cheap tire and wheel

There used to be a U-Pull-It around Fort Collins that had a fleet of carts for customers to use. They had filled all the tires with some sort of foam and I'm here to tell ya - it worked VERY well. Never could get an answer on exactly what they had used.

 

[TriumphFan]

To me it always feels like it is a little soft and could use more air. I prefer a pneumatic tire but will use this until it wears out.

 

[connorm]

I hate flat frees. I'd rather use tubed tires and have to fill em up than deal with them. They don't roll at all loaded and are bad in soft ground as previously said.

However I use wheelbarrows almost every day, and have hardlined air always on in my shop and air tanks on my trucks. I assume for a homeowner a flat free might be useable if you have a small barrow and don't cary a lot. But wood, full loads of loam, and rocks will not roll well on anything other than a driveway.

 

[Wamsutta]

I like the little bounce I get from an aired tire when the wheelbarrow is empty. I think mine says to air up the tire to 30psi.

 

[Ign]

This is my best one, purchased circa '04 from Northern Hydraulics. Note the "Made in USA"

The website on the tire is flatfreeusa.com which now takes you to Marathon Industries, which I'm fairly sure is all MIC

 

[Ign]

This is my square-shouldered & lugged Marathon, it's ok but a bit narrower than the old US-made flat free.

Despite the aging plastic bucket this is on my no-nonsense, fully welded, 100% steel, zero-bolt-points-to-pivot-out-of-square completely custom steel frame.

If I can't haul it in this, I should be using the tractor anyway

But as stated earlier in the thread, the cost of a flat-free for most homeowners outweighs the hassle of airing up EVERY DAMN TIME you go to use it.

I use wheelbarrows all winter long for firewood and haven't inflated a 'barrow tire in well over a decade. LOVE IT

 

[driftpin]

I lucked-out at Habitat for Humanity yesterday, I got this 'performance' low-profile flat-free wheel/tire (10" wheel, 14" tire height) for $2.00. It appears to be inflated-well, and not in-need of any maintenance. I can't find the schrader valve though!

Like a Snap-on socket without size stampings, or a double-struck US Mint coin, I expect that I'll be supplementing my Social Security payments when I unload this 'rare, collectible, and unusual' wheel-tire.

 

[John in OH]

I have two wheelbarrows and both originally had pneumatic tires ... which were ALWAYS flat or low. Not really a problem to add air, but if a tire got too low and I wasn't paying attention and the bead separated from the wheel, it became a major PITA to get the tire to reseat enough to start taking air.

Finally installed a tube in one tire and replaced the other with a solid flat-free. Both have been doing great ever since. Probably like the tire/tube combo better, but flat-free is ALWAYS ready to go!

 

[MoonRise]

As said more than once, the flat-free tires don't (usually) roll quite as well or easily as an air filled tire.

But they don't go flat.

 

[Bretny]

If you dont want a flat free tire you could always put a better quality tube in it. I had a few year old jackson wheelbarrow i did this to. The old tube was half as thick as the new firestone tube i put in it. No flats since.

 

[ckeene]

Me mom and a girl I was talking to was walking around my moms land. Well the girl says " hey... That wheel barrow only has one wheel!" ...me and my mom just left it at that.

 

[MrSurly]

My wheel barrow is not used often (thank goodness) and of course with the pneumatic, whenever I DID need to use it, it was always flat. I dutifully aired it up but then after a couple of years the MIC tire split due to it's **** quality.
I replaced it with the flat free from HF so of course, it's also low quality.
The three disadvantages I have found: It's noticeably heavy; it is noticeable harder to roll; If you leave it parked for a couple of weeks with any load on it it will flat-spot like you wouldn't believe and only after a couple of DAYS of heavy use will it become round again. It will ALSO flat spot while NOT loaded! it becomes necessary to always park it leaned up and off the tire.
IF there were a better quality alternative I would likely buy one.

 

[redmondjp]

If you dont want a flat free tire you could always put a better quality tube in it. I had a few year old jackson wheelbarrow i did this to. The old tube was half as thick as the new firestone tube i put in it. No flats since.

I have done this a few times. However, one caution: I typically see a lot of welding splatter inside the steel wheel halves which originally came with tubeless tires. Some of this is very sharp and could easily cause a hole in an inner tube.

So I've spent more of my life than I want to admit filing/grinding welding slag/splatter off of the insides of these wheels so it wouldn't damage my newly-installed inner tube. I suppose you could just wrap the inner part of the wheel with duct tape several times which would accomplish the same thing.

 

[Bretny]

Bringing this one back up..

What is everyone's preferred brand of flat free wheel barrow tire?

Got a road find rubbermaid tub and bought steel handles for it, next I need either a new tube or flat free tire. This is going to be kept outside its whole life at a location I really dont have easy acess to air.

 

[sajohnson]

Repeating Bretny's question -- any thoughts on the best flat-free tire?

I know some flat spot, some are so poorly made they actually roll off the rim, load ratings vary -- as does bearing quality.

 

[sajohnson]

Have around 80-90 wheelbarrows on the farm, and they have all been converted to flat free tires. Same with the hand trucks. No downside that I have seen other than the cost difference up front. But the time spent on a single flat wheelbarrow tire offsets the cost of the flat free almost immediately.

Just curious -- why so many wheelbarrows?

Also, any thoughts on the best flat-free tire?

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

I changed our garden/transport cart to flat-free many years ago, and yes, they don’t roll as well as pneumatic tires. This is especially noticeable under ”heavier” loads and gets old very fast. But they are holding up, and surprise, don’t go flat.

The cart is ”chinesium“ and so are the flat-free tires. Didn’t want to spent more on tires than the cart costed originally.

For my new wheelbarrow, I decided against flat-free for the above mentioned reason. That said, the manufacturer offers a flat-free tire for it, I just had no chance of seeing/testing that in person. That tire alone is about what I paid for the 4 ”chinesium” ones for the cart. Since we’re talking professional/ high-quality wheelbarrows from that manufacturer, I guess they rely on a higher quality flat-free tire and my gut feeling is one of this wheels would (hopefully) run significantly better. But I have no experience.

I think it says a lot that essentially no dealer stocks the flat-free variant, yet you see the wheelbarrows with pneumatic tires on every site …

I’d go pneumatic, unless you can verify that the flat-free runs as nice under load as you would like it to.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[OccupantRJ]

I tried a Slime brand flat free on my wheelbarrow and it didn’t last a good farting spell Before material failure. I went back to a pneumatic tire. My BIL is a brick contractor and he has tried them and does not like them. He says they are more difficult to handle and push on rough ground.

 

[SRSemenza]

Have around 80-90 wheelbarrows on the farm, and they have all been converted to flat free tires. Same with the hand trucks. No downside that I have seen other than the cost difference up front. But the time spent on a single flat wheelbarrow tire offsets the cost of the flat free almost immediately.

Just curious .......... 80 - 90 wheelbarrows?

Seth

 

[Old tool guy]

Just curious .......... 80 - 90 wheelbarrows?

Seth

That was posted in 2019 …

 

[seanb02]

Just curious -- why so many wheelbarrows?

Also, any thoughts on the best flat-free tire?

Just curious .......... 80 - 90 wheelbarrows?

Seth

That was posted in 2019 …

Probably more like 120 ish now. “Shopping carts” for pumpkin patch customers.

 

[RTM]

Probably more like 120 ish now. “Shopping carts” for pumpkin patch customers.

Living in a pumpkin patch town, I can believe that number. As the September days fades into October, the clients back up the 4.5 miles of highway to get to our farms & patches. No one of ours probably have that many, but 2 or three combined might.

 

[sajohnson]

Probably more like 120 ish now. “Shopping carts” for pumpkin patch customers.

Mystery solved, thank you!

 

[LopezBart]

I got really tired of grabbing the M18 inflator and walking to where ever the wheelbarrow had be left... so I replaced the leaky tire & tube w/ a Marathon flat free tire. It perhaps doesn't roll as nicely as a freshly inflated pneumatic tire... but it rolls far better than pneumatic one w/o any air.

 

[sajohnson]

I tried a Slime brand flat free on my wheelbarrow and it didn’t last a good farting spell Before material failure. I went back to a pneumatic tire. My BIL is a brick contractor and he has tried them and does not like them. He says they are more difficult to handle and push on rough ground.

That seems to be a common complaint -- that heavier loads and/or rough ground are more difficult with flat-free tires.

I researched them a couple years ago for our hand truck. It's nothing fancy but it has held up for ~40 years so I wanted to keep it and just replace the pneumatic tires. Then I remembered that Magliner has a good reputation. I bought a pair of their flat-free tires from HD and have been very happy with them. They are very good quality -- high density, no flat-spotting, heavy-duty bearings. I'd buy one for the wheelbarrow, but Magliner does not make 16" diameter tires.

Of course, flat-free tires are a compromise. They can be thought of as a pneumatic tire that is permanently inflated to a fixed psi. Many seem to be the equivalent of 15-20 psi -- good for lighter loads on rough ground and uneven surfaces, but more difficult to roll with heavier loads -- and a greater chance of flat-spotting.

The Magliner tires on my hand truck seem more like pneumatic tires inflated to 30 psi+. They have some give -- they won't get hung up on a pebble on asphalt -- and they can handle very heavy loads. Still, there are situations where a pneumatic tire would be easier.

If pneumatic tires did not go flat, they would be the clear choice. The pressure can be adjusted for the terrain and the load.

That said, grabbing a hand truck or wheelbarrow just to find the tire is flat gets old. Best case, you can air it up and it stays inflated long enough. Otherwise, you're looking at trying to patch it or buying a new tire (or wheel/tire combo). These days, it's very difficult to find a decent quality tire and wheel with good bearings. So chances are the new tire will go flat relatively soon...

 

[drmarkr]

Have around 80-90 wheelbarrows on the farm, and they have all been converted to flat free tires. Same with the hand trucks. No downside that I have seen other than the cost difference up front. But the time spent on a single flat wheelbarrow tire offsets the cost of the flat free almost immediately.

This post kind of solves this question! Lol.

All of ours are flat-free as well, but not the number you have. The only downside, if you could even call it that, is there slightly harder to push due to a little bit higher rolling resistance.