Sucks to operate from a paved airport, even often switching to mounted 8:50 when the fat stuff wasn't required. 7 years, and got the quarter-sized tread patches showing through. Herculiner last few years didn't save them. I flipped them side to side but never tried putting the valve stem on the inside.

Any market for worn ABW? Ultralight guys or hobby vulcanizers?

Airstreak 26" R1 (1700 gross)

Time to post em for sale for $800 in marketplace.

Karmutzen wrote: I flipped them side to side but never tried putting the valve stem on the inside.

Tough lesson here. The bushwheels need to be periodically rotated on the wheels. Not simply moved to the opposite side.

Regular bushwheels that have cords showing can sell for $500-1000 depending on age on other condition factors; weather checking, etc. If any cords are worn though then the tires are garbage. I'd assume Airstreaks would be worth something less since they are cheaper new. Tires that have some kind of recoating treatment that is worn out would be worth less since that old coating would need to be dealt with.

It sounds like the bed liner gave you a few extra years so I'd say it worked. Re-coat and flip the the tires on the wheels and you should be good to go for another year or so.

Here is another method that makes more sense to me than bed liner. I used the same product but a little different technique. Too early to tell on my tires but everything is good so far.

One would think there would be a good non airplane use for them. Maybe on some sort of utility trailer pulled behind a tractor or 4 wheeler or something like that.

Kurt

G44 wrote:One would think there would be a good non airplane use for them. Maybe on some sort of utility trailer pulled behind a tractor or 4 wheeler or something like that.

Kurt

Kurt- I think I saw you at the same Alaska Airmen's show where somebody had them as the mains on a baby stroller? Seemed like 31's, IIRC.
Cheers,
-DP

denalipilot wrote:[
Kurt- I think I saw you at the same Alaska Airmen's show where somebody had them as the mains on a baby stroller? Seemed like 31's, IIRC.
Cheers,
-DP

They were 35's man!

G44 wrote:One would think there would be a good non airplane use for them. Maybe on some sort of utility trailer pulled behind a tractor or 4 wheeler or something like that.

Kurt

Funny images taken from a Supercub.org post for ABW reuse. I'm sure the wife would love the flower pot idea out in the front yard.

1700 gross per tire I am assuming

@Whee

Interesting video, I wonder how long this will last? Obviously a good number of 18 wheelers use retreaded tires.

I think Trent overthought that just a bit..... a qt. can of Herculiner and a cheap 2" brush that I throw away when done is all I have used for years now. I average between 75 and 125 hrs. between recoats, they only cost me around 40 bucks, and take an hour. I also religiously rotate them once a gear, not just swapping side to side but correctly rotating them, easy to do as I change out to smaller tires when on the skis anyway. I've never had the Herc not adhere, it just slowly wears away, which is the idea after all.

How does one “correctly” rotate them?

courierguy wrote:I think Trent overthought that just a bit..... a qt. can of Herculiner and a cheap 2" brush that I throw away when done is all I have used for years now. I average between 75 and 125 hrs. between recoats, they only cost me around 40 bucks, and take an hour. I also religiously rotate them once a gear, not just swapping side to side but correctly rotating them, easy to do as I change out to smaller tires when on the skis anyway. I've never had the Herc not adhere, it just slowly wears away, which is the idea after all.

lefoy84 wrote:How does one “correctly” rotate them?

Look at the first picture in the first post. See how the wear is on just one side of the tire? Now ask yourself what you’d need to do to get the tire to wear on the opposite side.

You have to remove them from the wheels, remount opposite. A PITA, unless like me, you're putting 600s on prior to the seasonal wheel ski install.

Utah-Jay wrote:@Whee

Interesting video, I wonder how long this will last? Obviously a good number of 18 wheelers use retreaded tires.

Trent got the idea from a friend of mine who got the idea from another guy. My friend has been doing this to his Bushwheels for 10 years at least. Totally depending on how much pavement your tires see, one coat (with 1 pound per tire) can last a couple of years then you just clean and re-coat. What I like about this product is it is designed for re-coating rubber so this is not an off-label use. It’s typically used on conveyor belts but the concept is the same. Once coated and you’ve made a couple landings the tires look original. Keep up with the coatings and the tires will last till the sidewall rot kills them.

"Sucks to operate from a paved airport"

Indeed, and when I had my driveway, which doubles as my staging area and turnaround for the Airstreak equipped RANS, recently blacktopped, I already had a sheet of salvage 1/4" aluminum sheeting handy. Heavy enough to not blow away, and I paid scrap prices for it, deck plate, with the patterned side down, smooth side up. Positioned so that when I taxi up from my hangar, loaded, (the plane, not me) and fully fueled, and do my usual lock one wheel up pivot, I'm not grinding my bedliner off. I also go to great lengths to not land asphalt, even when at a paved airport with no alternate grass runway, I can almost always find some gravel even if I have to dodge some runway lights.

I’ve seen sikaflex applied to the problem spots, then sanded down work well.

Thanks whee, studied Trent's video and did the same. Got a few landings on them now and all good.

Karmutzen wrote:Thanks whee, studied Trent's video and did the same. Got a few landings on them now and all good.

F1FCFFBD-481A-479A-9B2B-10F1C7B59A1D.jpeg

Share your parts list for the build?

Parts list:
Devcon FL20 primer, 4oz, enough for two tires. $40.
Devcon Flexane 80 15800, 1 lb (500g) per tire. I would have done 2 but I wanted to proof it before I buy another 2 lbs. Each kit has the two parts you mix together, a mixing stick, and a mixing container. About $100/lb.
Built the rotisserie using a 12v 10rpm reversible motor. $40 on Amazon. Some square tubing and some old bed frame angle iron, used a spare axle through a rod held to the frame with a couple of pillow blocks ($12 each).
Bought some 60 grit discs for my angle grinder to "prep" the tire and clean most of the remaining Herculiner off. $10. We'll see how it goes, so far so good.

What else? Took advice from this thread and reversed the tires on the wheel so that the valve stem is on the inside.

Somebody asked about gross weight, 1650, Airstreaks are good to 1700.