Airless-Tires.org

Air Free - Undisputed King of the Internet

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

This picture of a wheelchair tire was taken by me in 1999 using a really terrible digital camera and I took the picture holding the tire in one hand and the camera in the other. The picture was taken in my back yard just a couple of months after I got in the airless tire market by starting a website. After I took the picture, I painstakingly cropped out the back ground and uploaded the picture and named the tire "the Shasta Wheelchair Tire". And to this day, we sell maybe one or two a month. Not exactly a big seller because it is an OEM type product. The shape of the tire is actually good for ease of movement and this tire is found on less expensive wheelchairs.

What makes this so interesting is that so many people use the Air Free website images and illustrations to sell product and all these "pirated" images are done so with out our permission. If the webmasters of these websites would at least acknowledge where they got the pictures then the website visitors wouldn't be confused.

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Normally manufacturers take their own pictures and allow distributors to use the images to sell. Air Free took its' own pictures and supposed manufacturers in the US and Asia use Air Free images, confusing people because the manufacturer to distributor informational chain is broken. Air Free took its' own pictures of almost everything it sells using its' own camera and studio. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers who sell airless tires are using Air Free images and illustrations to further their own profit motives and the Air Free brand is diluted. Manufacturers are supposed to have their own pictures to share with distributors like Air Free, not the other way around. If a company like Air Free wants to take its own pictures and or use manufacturer supplied ones, then a company like Air Free is entitled to use either. The manufacturers of Airless Tires however, are not allowed to use the images off of a distributors website unless there is an agreement, and certainly not if no acknowledgment is made as to where the images or illustrations came from.

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For example: it should be clear to a website visitor that images on a retailers website may either be supplied by a manufacturer or by the retailer. Simply going to the manufacturers website will assure the website visitor that either the supplied images are being used or if the retailer wanted to, supply their own. This way the customer knows that the retailer if they took their own pictures has possession or knowledge of the product and if the retailer has manufacturer supplied images, then the assurance is that the retailer has the manufactures permission

There are a lot of Air Free images on a lot of websites. For that we should be congratulated. It is not often that a small company like Air Free with practically no resources has what the leaders in the industry do not have, and that is pictures of their own product.

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To the Asian companies that use our images, "Hey we'd love to do business, but can't you take your own pictures?". And what makes this so bizarrely comical, is that some of the offending websites are "watermarking" our images as if to claim ownership of them. To the American companies that use our images, "Hey we'd love to do business, but can't you take your own pictures and quit confusing people?".

Until manufacturers and "rouge" websites take their own pictures or use manufacturer supplied ones, Air Free Tires will continue to make the assertion that because we get copied so frequently and so blatantly, "Air Free is the Undisputed King of the Internet"

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What Is An Airless Tire?

 

Airless Tires Are Made Of Urethane

Airless tires today can be either bicycle, wheelchair, wheelbarrow or many other tires that are made from what is called a "Spin Cast" process. This method allows the tires to be balanced and the spinning compresses the urethane making it denser the faster it spins. Tires made this way are used for low speed and low weight situations. Airless tires are usually fitted to a rim by "snapping" into place or being "sandwiched" by hub halves.

Tires made from injection molding are called "solid tires" and are used on Forklifts or skate wheels and everything in between so they will be discussed in another article.

Airless tires are made by a number of manufacturers throughout out the world. All spin cast urethane tires have a degree of bounce to them with some manufacturers tires being more springy than others. While there is air trapped in the urethane, the material used plays a larger role in how the tire will behave under the load of a rider.

Today's' airless tires are safe when properly installed and will give years of reliable service in almost all situations. The best ones have "cords" inside them that keep the tires on the rims.

What Is A Semi-Pneumatic Tire?

Hard Rubber Tire with a Hole

Semi-Pneumatic tires refer to a class of tires made of molded denser rubber and rubber products with a hollow core. Not terrible as lawn mower deck tires, but are rarely seen anymore. Airless tires compete and are lighter, foam filled tires compete and are better. They sell under the name Carlisle Reliant and aren't any cheaper or more expensive than its' competitors. Resistant to cuts and very tough, they don't have much give. Seen occasionally on Ebay, they sell for around $75 each and more. Sounds like a lot, but they do work on landscape equipment and they continue to sell a few every year in that market.

What Is A Foam Filled Tire?

There Are Two Kinds of Foam Fill

First, there is a fill called "Foam Fill". It has been around for a long time. Technically called "Tire Fill", it resembles liquid bowling ball material and is very heavy. It doesn't foam but It does come in several densities and is great for earth moving equipment, mining trucks, agricultural equipment and others.

Another fill called "Foam Fill" can also refer to another type of tire fill product that actually does foam when mixed. But this foam will have weight limitations and can only be used in small Bobcats, lawnmowers and situations where the weight is less than 1000lbs.

But...... Foam Fill, Tire Fill, Chunking, or whatever it is called has weight limits.

If the need is to exceed the load capacity written on the tire, then use Tire Fill, (liquid bowling ball), if the need is only to flat-proof and not exceed the weight limit, the use the Foam Fill.

Air Free has an article about this. Synair, Carpenter, Arnco, all have liquid bowling ball tire fills in several different levels of jiggle. Simply poke a hole in the tire, insert tube and pump liquid in. About 24 hours later, the fill hardens, very simple, but not cheap. There are hundreds if not thousands of places in the country that perform this.

Arnco, Amerityre, Urethane International, have Foam systems that are different. This type of foam is harder to produce and has weight limitations but what makes it so attractive is that it is much lighter, resulting in  less rotational mass and rider discomfort. Not very many places provide this type of foam.

For the most part, when people refer to Foam fill, they are almost always talking about the liquid bowling ball material.

Ask questions about foam filling and we will answer them here.

Toughest Wheelbarrow Tire Ever Contest

While there is no real contest held anywhere, each Airless Tire manufacturer will tout their wheelbarrow tires as being the toughest or the most life like. Each will offer some proof or results of some in-house test. Amerityre does have a very tough urethane, so tough you could use it for a roller coaster. Marathon has a tire with lots of spring, Greentyre sells more than anyone, yet none of them say they are any less than "Heavy Duty". With so much hype and confusion, what is the toughest wheelbarrow tire going?

It goes like this....

A Rubber Wheelbarrow Tire (4.80/4.00 - 8) works well when inflated to 25 psi. If it is a four ply tire, you can load up to 1000 lbs on it and two ply tires can only load 600 or so pounds. For one hundred years, we have been using the trusty rubber tire and every time we throw one more bag of concrete on the wheelbarrow, we wince a little, because we know we risk overloading it. No one wants a flat, but no one wants to make unnecessary trips. An airless alternative sounds great, but what are the drawbacks?

An Airless Wheelbarrow tire can hold upwards of 600 lbs and when overloaded, gets squirmy. Airless tires can cut more easily than rubber, but we all know what happens when a rubber tire filled with air rolls over a nail..... Airless wheelbarrow tires are cheaper than ever and the truth is that they vary in abilities, with Amerityres' being able to take the most weight. Nobody wants to admit it, but the airless wheelbarrow tire is a little less bouncy than a rubber tire. Being able to hop a curb is an example of why a springy tire is desirable.

However, there is a way to take the best of a rubber tire and best of airless tire technology and work them together .

The Best Toughest Wheelbarrow Tire that can take anything and keep rolling will be a four ply Rubber Tire which is then Foam Filled on a very strong hub with a 3/4" axle bore and 6" axle length. The Foam filling will make the tire seem like 25 psi and this system can take 1200 lbs. This Foam Filled Wheelbarrow Tire will be the strongest system you can buy. The four ply tire makes it really tough and the foam inside of the tire is the same foam used in Bobcat tires so you know it can take high weights. The system will weigh 18lbs but the foam fill is more bouncy than the airless tire.

This Foam Filled Rubber Tire Hub Combo will cost around $130 delivered. Air Free has one for $106 with a 5/8" hub.  http://www.airfreetires.com/shopping/p-525-480-x-400-8-wheelbarrow-rib-wheel.aspx  

There are other kinds of foam that can take more weight but not many places will be able to help. For the Gardner who needs total peace of mind, or the roofer who needs to have a reliable wheelbarrow, take a look at foam filling.

24,000 Mile Airless Tires

24,000 Miles on a Pair of Elastomer Tires

This Air Free customer got a pair of high rebound elastomer tires in 2001. Only 2,000 high rebound tires were made before Kik Technology (now closed) stopped production. Incredibly durable, with very low rolling resistance, these tires were part of a promising new look for airless technology. Now that Kik has gone out of business, only two other companies use the material now and none are in bicycle tires. Read more and see video of these amazing tires.