Front tires not holding air

[k0ua]

I have used this stuff, still have some, but havent needed it much lately. I don't have the thorns here like I had at the last place I lived. The Berrymans has dacron fibers in the slimy mix and it really works unless the hole is large..

Berryman - Tire Seal-R Sealant with Pump,1 gallon bottle (1301) : Amazon.com : Automotive

James K0UA

 

[joshuabardwell]

I just hope you didn't take offense at my 'leak seeking plug' comment. It was meant in jest.

None at all. No worries.

 

[JDgreen227]

Well, I took one of the suggestions from this thread and I saved myself the trouble of taking the wheel off the tractor. I just grabbed a big Rubbermaid tote that I have laying around and raised up the tractor's front end with the loader, then put the tote underneath the wheel and lowered the tractor's wheel down into it. I filled the tote with water until it covered the bead and then turned the wheel by hand until I found the leak. Sure enough, it was tiny and invisible, but I found it and patched it. Ultimately, given the location of the hole, I could have just poured water gently into the tread and it would have held enough water to find the leak. This is something that folks might consider as a first step, before they start pulling tires off the tractor or going to greater lengths. Yeah, I know the "paint soapy water onto it" trick is supposed to work, but I have often had it fail to find a leak that submersion later found. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Josh, I wish I could use that trick of lifting the front tires using the loader on my tractor to put a tub underneath but mine will only lift the front tires about 3 inches at most and there isn't any tub I can find that will fit yet still be deep enough to submerge the tire bead. I wonder if there might be a market for something like a mini kiddie pool you could drive on and then inflate with air then fill with water....would be handy for use on a vehicle so you wouldn't have to jack them up. :laughing:

 

[joshuabardwell]

Josh, I wish I could use that trick of lifting the front tires using the loader on my tractor to put a tub underneath but mine will only lift the front tires about 3 inches at most and there isn't any tub I can find that will fit yet still be deep enough to submerge the tire bead.

This may be a dumb suggestion, but I'll make it anyway. I only recently just discovered that I can lift my front end much further into the air if I take the parking brake off. Most of the time when I'm trying to raise the front end, I'm parked, so the brake is on, you see. And when the front wheels try to go up, the rear wheels need to roll forward, which they can't do if the brake is on. The loader should really have enough strength to raise the front end up further than that. Could that be your issue?

 

[k0ua]

This may be a dumb suggestion, but I'll make it anyway. I only recently just discovered that I can lift my front end much further into the air if I take the parking brake off. Most of the time when I'm trying to raise the front end, I'm parked, so the brake is on, you see. And when the front wheels try to go up, the rear wheels need to roll forward, which they can't do if the brake is on. The loader should really have enough strength to raise the front end up further than that. Could that be your issue?

Joshua, it is funny how everyone finds out that little thing by themselves.. I remember when I figured that out.. it was like...DUH!:duh:
It was a revelation for me... I am glad I am not the only one!

Also point the lip of the bucket straight down so it is closer to the "pins" and you have more lift force and more length of bucket to press down with as you will have to raise the loader arms to start with.

James K0UA

 

[JDgreen227]

This may be a dumb suggestion, but I'll make it anyway. I only recently just discovered that I can lift my front end much further into the air if I take the parking brake off. Most of the time when I'm trying to raise the front end, I'm parked, so the brake is on, you see. And when the front wheels try to go up, the rear wheels need to roll forward, which they can't do if the brake is on. The loader should really have enough strength to raise the front end up further than that. Could that be your issue?

NOT a dumb suggestion at all....thank you for sharing it with us. But I never use the parking or service brakes when I try to lift the front end using the loader....no doubt others will really appreciate your advice.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Also point the lip of the bucket straight down so it is closer to the "pins" and you have more lift force and more length of bucket to press down with as you will have to raise the loader arms to start with.

It's true, although that also causes the lip to dig in, of course, which sometimes I don't want.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Well, I got around to checking the other front tire today using the same method. Couldn't find a leak at all, neither on the tread nor on the bead. I couldn't get the valve underwater, but I globbed some spit on it and it didn't blow any bubbles. So I'm at a bit of a loss there. This tire is definitely a slower leak. In the same time the other tire got from 50 psi down to 20 or even less, this tire only goes down to about 40. Heck, maybe I should just chalk that up to normal pressure loss and go about my day. I mean, most tires lose a little pressure over time, right?

 

[JDgreen227]

Well, I got around to checking the other front tire today using the same method. Couldn't find a leak at all, neither on the tread nor on the bead. I couldn't get the valve underwater, but I globbed some spit on it and it didn't blow any bubbles. So I'm at a bit of a loss there. This tire is definitely a slower leak. In the same time the other tire got from 50 psi down to 20 or even less, this tire only goes down to about 40. Heck, maybe I should just chalk that up to normal pressure loss and go about my day. I mean, most tires lose a little pressure over time, right?

Yes they do...the OEM Michelins on my Lesabre are 8 years old and have excellent tread and the sidewalls still look good at 63,000 miles but two of them lose 6-7 psi a month and I cannot find any leakage in either doing the water test. I broke the bead down on both and replaced the valve stem and carefully inspected both beads and the rim (chrome plated) and could find nothing to cause air leakage. Wife's Saturn began losing air from one OEM tire at 45,000 miles started at about 1 psi per day and when it got to 58000 miles it was something like 10 psi per day. Replaced valve stem, inspected rim and tire bead, could not find any leakage. New tire cured the problem and I think as tires age and the rubber hardens that causes increased air leakage.

 

[Soundguy]

sinking them in the horse trough will usually show them leaks as a bit of foam onthe surface of the tire.. might even be porous rubber..e tc..

 

[94BULLITT]

This may be a dumb suggestion, but I'll make it anyway. I only recently just discovered that I can lift my front end much further into the air if I take the parking brake off. Most of the time when I'm trying to raise the front end, I'm parked, so the brake is on, you see. And when the front wheels try to go up, the rear wheels need to roll forward, which they can't do if the brake is on. The loader should really have enough strength to raise the front end up further than that. Could that be your issue?

Try lightly pressing the hydro pedal forward and it will come up real easy.

 

[Don87]

As I stated earlier............Don't discount the rims. I've seen so many rims with bad welds over the years that it ain't even funny. And like Soundguy said...sometimes tires just get 'porous'.......they will leak anywhere on the sidewalls or tread.

But if you put 50lbs of air in a tire...........and it changes after a few days or a week, (using the same tire guage) there is a problem.

EDIT: and just to add to this..............If the pressure drops, then stabilizes..........that is a rubber problem, and not the rim.

 

[jejeosborne]

Ok, time to go get tubes or fill with foam and put this stress behind you.

 

[JDgreen227]

May be a tad off topic here, but I was on Ebay Friday nite doing a search for replacement tires for my tractor, original size is 24X8.50-14 turfs, one of them has a bad sidewall and the other is fine, well a local price was something like $150 with tax for an imported tire that didn't match the OEM pair, an Ebay seller listed an exactly identical Titan R3 to what I have...$69 delivered, no tax. Just my luck....love Ebay. :thumbsup:

 

[joshuabardwell]

Ok, time to go get tubes or fill with foam and put this stress behind you.

Hmmm... but if I put tubes in, then I won't be able to use convenient plugs to patch them, right? Then again, since they're not holding air particularly well in the first place, possibly no great loss. Still, I don't relish the thought of having to re-seat the tires every time I need to patch the tube. As for foam, I vaguely recall reading that my warranty is void if I put foam in my tires, so that's out.

It's not old rubber, as the tractor itself is pretty new, even if you count sitting-on-the-lot-time. My current best guess is a slow leak that didn't show up on the under-water bubble test.

 

[94BULLITT]

If you put tubes in the thorns may poke them too. Bobcat CT225 CT230 CT235 are not supposed to have foam filled tires. If you can not see bubbles when you submerge it something like slime or fix-a-flat may do stop the leak.

 

[jejeosborne]

Why can't foam be used?

 

[94BULLITT]

I think the owners manual says it will damage the front axle.

 

[jejeosborne]

I think the owners manual says it will damage the front axle.

The extra weight they think can damage the axle? Never heard of this. I M trying to come up with what is harmful. I believe my loaded tires may stress out the axle less when doing loader work. They squat a lot less from the weight which makes steering effort less.

 

[brain55]

Why can't foam be used?

It's not that it can't, it's just that the manufacturers don't want to replace front diff parts if they don't have to. I maintained a fleet of utility tractors and construction equipment all with filled tires. In the utility tractors I never saw any increase in front end wear. On our Bobcat skid-steers all I saw was a need to keep up on checking lug nut torque. Then on our Case 570's over time we would break the weld holding the rim to the wheel center.