|
SW MN | You might try contacting D&S Tire out of West Point, NE. I know they used to make custom recaps for Brent track system idler wheels, so maybe they also make something the correct size for early Challengers.
The reason why normal truck tires don't last is because the side profile has too much curvature and the guideblocks end up rubbing through the sidewalls in short time. The factory tires had a bunch of extra rubber added to the outside "corners" to contact the guideblocks at their base, rather than allowing them to dig higher up into the tire sidewalls.
Regarding replacing the tires with a steel wheel of some sort, this is not a good idea, as the tires deform to provide a good portion of the total system recoil amount. When Cat changed to the steel idlers (with rubber bonded on the OD) they had to add quite a bit of stroke to the tension cylinders, along with widening the saddle in the frame where the axle pivots. They also strengthened the bar axle in the process. In other words, you really need some type of tires on the older units. | |
|
Caterpillar 65 tires
