Polyurethane BS Tires - Different qualities?

[Allan Speers]

I need new tires for my BS, which came with polyurethane stock.

I did a bunch of research last night on whether there is any difference between various brands, and colors. The general consensus was that they are all the same, but I couldn't find a single post or article that actually verifies this, it's just people guessing without actually knowing.

Here is the tiny bit that I DO know:

Some tires are thicker than others. When I bought my 14" Delta X5 years ago, it came with orange tires. Being anal retentive, I decided to buy a set of spares, in case I ever needed them in a hurry. I purchased a set of orange tires from Hartville tool. To my surprise, they were significantly thicker than the ones that came with the saw. (I removed one from the Delta, to be sure it wasn't just stretched thin.)

Of course, I have no idea if thicker is better, or worse.

2: My 21" Grizzly appears so far to be a very well made machine. I have no complaints. - But the tires seems awful. They are black in color, and very soft to the touch, easy to stick your fingernail into. Additionally, these tires are like a magnet for sawdust. (All urethane tires attract dust more than rubber tires, but these are much worse than the orange ones on my Delta.) Not surprisingly, Grizzly sells replacements for about $30 a set, (21") so they must surely be of an inferior material.

No problem, the important stuff like bearings, pulleys, etc all look top quality. This is NOT a dig at Grizzly. - But it does show that not all urethane is created equal.

3: The Ebay seller that offers "Blue Max" tires claims that they make their own urethane, in New Jersey, and that it repels dust better than the orange stuff. I have also read elsewhere that typically, orange urethane comes from China. (I can't confirm this.) So, it is POSSIBLE, that there are differing formulas, but who do you believe?


The best urethane tires should be:

1: long lasting, of course

2: The ideal thickness, whatever that is

3: As resistant to picking up sawdust as possible.
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So, does anyone actually know if these differences exist, and which formulation is best?

[Jim German]

Are the current tires picking up so much saw dust that it effects the blade tracking? If not, why worry about it?

The tire has to be thick enough, and soft enough to accommodate the set of the blade teeth.


Not surprisingly, Grizzly sells replacements for about $30 a set, (21") so they must surely be of an inferior material.
Your logic here is faulty, lots of factors come into play on the price of something, and that may, or may not mean that the quality is inferior. Even if they were inferior quality material, the fact that they are OEM, and therefore should be an exact fit may make them work better than a higher priced aftermarket tire. Lastly, $30 seems pretty reasonable for a 21" tire. Carter's are only $35.

Color is no indication of source, or quality. Anyone, Chinese, or American can color their tires any color they feel like. Now of course it is possible that all the orange/blue/purple ones are coming from the same source factory, but I wouldn't put money on it.

[Allan Speers]

^ $30 a PAIR. (Actually, $23 / pair, I just re-checked.) vs $85 - $100 for aftermarket tires.

Even Grizzly sells more expensive orange tires as a upgrade for all their saws. Why so desperate to defend on this issue? Grizzly saves money in certain areas. The owner can easily upgrade. It's not a big deal.

And color does matter, because it tells you that it's a different formula. Sure, the manufacturer could change the color, but they don't, so it helps us differentiate where they are from.

Still hoping someone might have some actual, verifiable data on this. All I have is what that NJ manufacturer claims, which has to be taken for what it is.

[Matt Day]

So you physically have this saw finally?

I'm happy with my tires from sulphur grove. Nice folks to deal with and quick shipping. I don't care about a little bit of dust as stated above.

[Allan Speers]

Yep. It's sitting in my garage-shop. Dang, that sucker is bigger than I expected ! I'll be installing a DriftMaster fence (even though the stock fence is excellent) and custom infeed-oufeed tables, so I can use it for ripping long stock.

- And I must say, other than the crummy tires, I'm really impressed with the build quality. - Even the guides.
Someday, I'd like to get the Grizzly 701. I think that will give MiniMax MM20 a run for the money. (literally.)

[Phil Thien]

So you physically have this saw finally?

I'm happy with my tires from sulphur grove. Nice folks to deal with and quick shipping. I don't care about a little bit of dust as stated above.

Yep, and he has different thicknesses of urethane _AND_ compensates for the loss in tire width due to stretching around the wheel.

I've been very happy w/ my Sulphur Grove tires.

[Allan Speers]

Coolness.

I'll check out Sulphur Grove. I also think that NJ supplier sounds pretty good.

Thanks, guys.

[Phil Thien]

Coolness.

I'll check out Sulphur Grove. I also think that NJ supplier sounds pretty good.

Thanks, guys.

I'm not dismissing the NJ guys, certainly look into that angle, too. Let us know what you learn.

[Garth Almgren]

I got a pair of those Blue Max tires off eBay last year. No complaints so far!

[Allan Speers]

Good to know, Garth. How are they as far as attracting sawdust goes?


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One major plus for me, with the Blue Max: They can make any custom size you need, and at no extra charge. I've been having a very hard time finding tires to fit my 20-7/8" wheels.

[Garth Almgren]

Good to know, Garth. How are they as far as attracting sawdust goes?
I haven't noticed any problem with them attracting sawdust, so I'll say they do fine. :)

[Larry Frank]

I put a set of blue ones from Carter for my Jet and not had a problem.

When the old rubber ones went, I though the whole place was coming apart and scared the .....out of me.

[Matt Day]

Allan, I think you're worring about a problem that doesn't really exist. If need be, just add a stiff bristled brush to the wheel, which is the standard solution afaik.

[Allan Speers]

Allan, I think you're worring about a problem that doesn't really exist. If need be, just add a stiff bristled brush to the wheel, which is the standard solution afaik.


My saw has TWO stiff bristle brushes on one of the wheels. I ran it at the sellers house I cut a little wood, and the wheels instantly got coated, like they were covered in glue. The NJ manufacturer of the "Blue Max" tires claims (I have no idea if true) that they tried many different formulas, and picked on that is extremely resistant to this. It seems reasonable to assume this is true.

One thing is for CERTAIN: There are many, many formulations all technically called "urethane."

FWIW, I just ordered a pair of those, since they offer the semi-custom size I need, so I'll report on their performance later.

[John C Bush]

I have the yellow tires on my Griz 21 and a fine layer of dust does find its way to tires but it doesn't affect tracking. I wax the tires and scrape them occasionally and all seems to work well for me. Prior to trying the wax technique I had resawn a lot of old pine barn beams and the pitch and dust built up before I realized it. I replaced the five y.o. tires and have had no problems since. Seems to me the problem with the saw is the DC below the table/above the lower guides. There is a 4" dust port at that level but there is no enclosure around the blade. Resawing a 12" plank produces a lot of dust. I haven't done it yet but plan to figure a way to enclose the open space to constrict air flow. I'm thinking of using flexible vinyl(old back window from my '67 'Stang) and making a shroud to help control air flow. Any suggestions??

[Allan Speers]

You can wax tires?

I had no idea. Then again, I guess tension and wheel alignment are what keep the blade on.

What kind of wax do you use, john? Same as for wood finishing - Renaissance or similar?

[John C Bush]

Johnson's paste wax, same stuff I wax CI surfaces.