Tubes Sealing a leaking tube inside of a tire

[WilliamTO-35]

I put new rear tires with tubes on my Ferguson TO-35 about 6 years ago. The tires are 12.4-28 , and have very little wear on the lugs. However, yesterday I noticed some of the RV antifreeze ( Propylene Glycol) I had filled them with leaking out of one of the many small and narrow " surface cracks" on the sidewall. Obviously, the inner tube has a leak in it ( they invariably leak, eventually) . I don't use the tractor much , and I really hate to have to replace the tire and tube so soon. I've used " Slime" sealant in smaller tires with success, but even if I pump out all of the antifreeze ballast , a leak sealer might not work because of the antifreeze coating inside of the tube. I've heard of people using things like oatmeal to seal cooling system leaks in engines. Is there anything I can try that will go through the valve stem that might seal the inner tube , and then allow me to refill the tube with the ballast liquid ? I can't hurt anything, since the alternative is a new tire and tube.
Thanks !

 

[Scook222]

If the surface cracks are deep enough to pinch the tube, the tube will have to be patched and a boot put in the tire. I would personally want to know how bad the tire is leaking before I tried to fix it. Check the pressure in the tire for a few days and see if it drops. If you had someone mount and fill the tires for you, it could be dish soap or antifreeze that was trapped between the tire, rim, and rim and the tires have just now cracked enough to let it out. Do you have to have to tires loaded? It would probably be really expensive to fill the tire with slime or a similar type sealer but that should give you some ballast. Depending on how much antifreeze and which type it was put in the tires, it might not be enough residue to affect the slime.

 

[goeduck]

As a side point, if you have dogs or cats, they are attracted to antifreeze and even small amounts of it can be fatal. In your case they could lick it off the tires.

 

[fried1765]

As a side point, if you have dogs or cats, they are attracted to antifreeze and even small amounts of it can be fatal. In your case they could lick it off the tires.

SIMPLY NOT TRUE!
The OP states that he used "RV antifreeze", which is propylene glycol.
RV antifreeze is NOT TOXIC to animals or humans!
Propylene glycol is actually used in some foods and medications.

ETHYLENE glycol (automotive anti-freeze) is VERY toxic!
Animals are attracted to ETHYLENE glycol because of it's sweet taste.
Please do not equate these two types of anti-freeze.

 

[goeduck]

SIMPLY NOT TRUE!
The OP states that he used "RV antifreeze", which is propylene glycol.
RV antifreeze is NOT TOXIC to animals or humans!
Propylene glycol is actually used in some foods and medications.

ETHYLENE glycol (automotive anti-freeze) is VERY toxic!
Animals are attracted to ETHYLENE glycol because of it's sweet taste.
Please do not equate these two types of anti-freeze.

I guess I stand partially corrected. Good to know but I still would not want my dogs licking the tires. :thumbdown:

This links says propylene glycol is LESS poisonous,
Propylene Glycol | Pet Poison Helpline

 

[Texasmark]

You can take the tire to a tire shop and they can put a "boot patch" over the crack in the tire and hot patch the tube and you can be on your way. Maybe 50 bucks. They have tanks and pumps and pump your fluid out, effect the repair, and pump it back in.

Upon purchasing the 3910 I had a slow leak in a 13.6x28 and found it to be in a sidewall, mid way between the tread and rim....a thorn puncture. I rolled the tire till the hole was above the liquid level and using a lot of glue and sopping the tube/tire thoroughly before inserting the tubeless type plug it has held so far....going on a year now. The only reason it held I think, is over time, tubes vulcanize to a degree to the inside of the tire (TT in this case) so it was liken to patching a tubeless tire with a tubeless patch.

 

[fried1765]

I guess I stand partially corrected. Good to know but I still would not want my dogs licking the tires. :thumbdown:

This links says propylene glycol is LESS poisonous,
Propylene Glycol | Pet Poison Helpline

If you had an RV, and used RV antifreeze in your drinking water system, (as most do) would you never again use the on board RV water to brush your teeth ?

 

[Ford850]

The problem with using RV antifreeze in tires is that there are 2 types and most of us will buy the cheapest available. That’s usually ethanol based RV antifreeze. Ethanol can damage rubber.

 

[fried1765]

The problem with using RV antifreeze in tires is that there are 2 types and most of us will buy the cheapest available. That’s usually ethanol based RV antifreeze. Ethanol can damage rubber.

"Ethanol can damage rubber"
Why do we use ethylene glycol in our automobile cooling systems with rubber hoses?

 

[zzvyb6]

"Ethanol can damage rubber"
Why do we use ethylene glycol in our automobile cooling systems with rubber hoses?

Because the 'rubber' radiator hoses are not 'rubber'. May I point out that older Stihl power products (and many other brands) have "rubber' o-rings and hoses and they fail because of the ethanol in gasoline people use these days. New, replacement seals are not "rubber".

 

[goeduck]

If you had an RV, and used RV antifreeze in your drinking water system, (as most do) would you never again use the on board RV water to brush your teeth ?

Heck no. Got no teeth. :talktothehand:

Seriously, not without a whole lot of flushing.

 

[Fallon]

If you had an RV, and used RV antifreeze in your drinking water system, (as most do) would you never again use the on board RV water to brush your teeth ?

No. But that's because Propylene glycol the least disgusting thing about a RVs water system. That water sits for long periods & is often filled from questionable sources. I'll use the water out of ours for most stuff except drinking & cooking.

 

[CincyFlyer]

"Ethanol can damage rubber"
Why do we use ethylene glycol in our automobile cooling systems with rubber hoses?

Ethanol is not ethylene glycol.

 

[WilliamTO-35]

There used to be a local tire dealer who sold and serviced tractor tires . They would send a man out with a well equipped truck, and he would install and fill a tractor tire for $25 more than the cost of the tire ( if you bought it from them). Times have changed, however, and around here nobody will come out to do the work. Times have changed too for me personally, and my back problems prevent me from fooling around with tractor rear tires. I may try a product called Multi Seal Hydro 1500, a tire sealant that will mix with any liquid ballast in the tire, if you add at least 10% of the total ballast as sealant. It comes in a 5 gallon pail, and it's not cheap . But all considered, 5 gallons would be enough for both of my rear tires , should the other side also start leaking. I would think that a puncture in a tube would be easy to seal, but this company points out that sometimes tubes will develop a long tear, and are difficult to seal. At this point, I'd be satisfied to just call a tractor tire dealer, and ask him to come out and install a new tire and tube, but there's nobody around here to do that any more ( Delaware). Too many family farms have turned into housing developments. I also noticed that the tire with the most sidewall cracks faces toward the sun , and was only partially covered by a tarp, so that's my fault.