No one is ever excited to get a flat tire on their skid steer—it’s time-consuming, expensive, and almost always occurs at the worst possible moment. Getting a flat in the winter is especially annoying, because as terrible as it is to fix one in the middle of the morning’s chores, it’s far worse when you have to bust out the breaker bar in the biting cold. Of course, equipping your skid steer with a solid tire can make this difficult task a thing of the past.
Reduced downtime and puncture-proof performance have always been the hallmarks of solid tires, as well as their ability to excel in harsh conditions. Although it’s easy to recognize these characteristics at the tire dealer (inside where it's warm) when shopping for new skid steer tires, it’s not until you’re fighting with a flat in freezing weather that you appreciate the advantages offered by solid tires.
One of the main criticisms of solid tires is their higher upfront cost; however, consider how insignificant that will seem when battling a blowout in arctic temperatures. The higher initial price of solid tires is even more negligible when you take into account that solids last three to four times longer than pneumatic tires. In fact, when you consider their long lifespan, reduction in downtime, and little to no labor or installation charges, solids are often the more economical option in the long run.
Helping make the switch to solids even more appealing is that many of our classic Galaxy skid steer treads are now available as solids—meaning you can get the traction and performance you’ve come to rely on from our Beefy Baby and Hulk tires (to name a few) without worrying about dealing with a puncture in sub-zero temperatures. Many of these treads are also available with apertures which help increase comfort and reduce the harsh ride often associated with solid tires—another pleasant benefit that goes along with no flats or frozen fingers.