rear tire flat--advice needed

HCJ · Apr 12, 2009

I have a rear tire flat on my Kubota M 6800 and it is loaded. My dealer loads the tires with antifreeze not CaCl. I am trying to decide if I should have my dealer come out and pick up wheel and repair it (I have no idea what he would charge, he's closed today) Or I can remove the wheel, slide it onto a trailer (yeah, I know it will be unbelievably heavy) and take it to a local tire shop where they will fix it for free (he owes me a favor) But he can not load the tire, so I will have to do that myself. Or third option, trailer the tractor 20 miles to my dealer. If I load the tire I will need to buy the stem/hose adapter from tractor supply. Any advice or tips??? I am leaning towards doing it myself (with several friends to help roll the tire) How much antifreeze and what type should I use. Only gets in teens occasionally here. And yes, I know there are opinions on the use of antifreeze, but since that's what's in the other wheel, that is what I plan to use. I do not have a loader or any way to lift it, but I have moved a rear tire in my truck before (before liquid loading) and had no trouble sliding it off and rolling it in place. What does a dealer usually charge to pick up a wheel, fix it and reinstall it?

Hooked_on_HP · Apr 12, 2009

If the tire is tubeless plug it on the tractor.
Bill

Thumper & Buttercup · Apr 12, 2009

On our larger tractors like our 1066 we have a tire company come out to the farm, they will jack up the tractor and pump out the fluid and take the tire half off the rim.

They then fix the tire or install a new tube and then put it back on the rim and pump in the air/fluid. I went to wheel weights a few years ago and none of our tractors have fluid in them. Hope this helps.

HCJ · Apr 12, 2009

This tire is not tubeless. I will call tomorrow to check on a price for on-site repair, but I fear it's going to be pretty steep. If I take it off, load it, and drive it to the tire repair center, it will be free. It's not going to be easy, but it will save some $.

texasjohn · Apr 12, 2009

if you, like me, are a do-it-yourselfer, then this is your chance to go get all those things you need for a job such as this... chains, winches, ramps to trailer, hydraulic jacks, a BIG dolly so when the tire flops on its side you can load it on the dolly (heavy duty caster wheels) and still move the thing.

spend for these items now, I tell myself, and you have them for every next project that comes along... amazing how often this turns out to be good advice, for me, at least. And, over time, I sweat less and less as my collection of auxilary supplies and tools increases.

cost this time around will likely be same, perhaps slightly more than having someone else fix the tire.... but you are set for next time.

I took off a tire (let all liquid out BEFORE taking it off axle) and loaded it onto a trailer to take it to get it fixed. It was HEAVY and all I could do to load it onto the trailer... don't think it is possible to load it fully filled with liquid... weight of liquid in my current Kubota tire is about 500 lbs ...and then there is the weight of tire and rim itself.

Net...hydraulics, levers, ramps, pulleys, gears, winches, wheels are there to help with a project like this...but you gotta start with the right stuff or it won't work.... think it thru given your situation and you will figure out a way

example... can you position tractor and trailer such that tire kinda falls onto the trailer in such a way that a winch will complete the job??? just a thought.

CurlyDave · Apr 13, 2009

To me, several people rolling a loaded tire is an accident waiting to happen.

Drain it into a container before you take it off. At least no one gets killed that way.

AKfish · Apr 13, 2009

I really believe that this is one of those occasions when it "really pays to pay someone else"!

My rear tires hold 55 gallons of fluid "each"! That's about 500lbs of liquid anti-freeze. I'm guessing that your 62hp Kubota has got even bigger tires than 17.5L x 24's.

The time and hassle and danger to yourself (or anybody helping) can't be worth the $250 (guesstimate) you'd have to pay a tire guy to come out and fix it.

Best of luck.

AKfish

HCJ · Apr 13, 2009

Happy ending!! I drained the fluid out of the tire, jacked it up and placed jack stands under the tractor. Two of us rolled it off and with the help of a 4-wheeler, slid it up on a landscape trailer. Had a tire repair shop replace the tube and they loaded it into my pickup. Litterally rolled it off the back of the truck and let it fall. Then we rolled it back to the tractor. The hardest part was aligning the lugs. It would be nice to have some sort of rollers to place it on so it could be rotated easily. Finally we got it in place. Now I just need to load it with fluid. Nice thing is it was free.

Thumper & Buttercup · Apr 14, 2009

Glad you got it done safe, a couple of the old farmers have made small electric pumps for pumping out the fluids, he said you've got to put some oil on it right away when your done.

flusher · Apr 14, 2009

HCJ said:
Happy ending!! I drained the fluid out of the tire, jacked it up and placed jack stands under the tractor. Two of us rolled it off and with the help of a 4-wheeler, slid it up on a landscape trailer. Had a tire repair shop replace the tube and they loaded it into my pickup. Litterally rolled it off the back of the truck and let it fall. Then we rolled it back to the tractor. The hardest part was aligning the lugs. It would be nice to have some sort of rollers to place it on so it could be rotated easily. Finally we got it in place. Now I just need to load it with fluid. Nice thing is it was free.

Glad it worked out for you.

A few weeks ago I had to remove the 11.2-28 rears on the 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF tractor that I'm restoring. It had both wheel weights and were water filled (don't need antifreeze around here). Used the engine hoist to remove the weights.

I drained about 11 gal out of each tire. I suspect there's a gallon or two still in the tire

Then had to cut the heads off the six thoroughly rusted 5/8x4" fine thread bolts holding the rim onto the center part of the wheel.

Even with the outer rim only, those tires were a real handful to move across the shop. They're leaning on the rear tire of the 1964 MF-135 diesel which has 16" dia rims on the rear.

What size are the rears on your Bota? TractorData has them at 7.50-16. That doesn't sound right for a 70 hp (engine) tractor.