Can a tubeless tire be made "tubed?"

[LMan1967]

Story - I got a flat on my ZTR mower tire, and ordered a tube for it b/c I thought it had one (all of my older mower tires had tubes).....upon breaking the bead, I find it does not. :confused2: I cannot find the puncture (so far). I had tried tire-slime earlier but it did not work.


So, before I take the tube back to the store...can I put this tube in the tire and still use it, if it fits? Any reason not to do this?


Thanks :cool2:

 

[woodlandfarms]

I do it to my tractor but YMMV. I run smaller tires than a normal large tractor though. I have some nasty gashes in my tires but I still put a tube in.

 

[jeff9366]

So, before I take the tube back to the store...can I put this tube in the tire and still use it, if it fits? Any reason not to do this?

YES. NO.

 

[Iowan]

put it in, it will work.

 

[RalphVa]

I've put tubes in my tubeless wheelbarrow tire and in my two front tractor tires.

All you have to do is to cut out the part where you air it up (valve stem), to allow the tube part to be inserted there. Look at the tube. The part the air goes in will generally have an angle to it. Lay the tube where it angles up to insert it into the hole.

Take one side of the tire bead loose and off the rim and insert the tube thusly. Remove the valve from the valve stem of the tube (need a little tool at bike shops or Walmart for bikes for this). Put bead back on carefully with bike tools or blunt/large screwdrivers, careful not to catch the tube. Inflate tube. Let air go out mostly and then reinsert valve into valve stem. This method will help prevent catching the tube behind the bead and pinching and cutting it vs. just blowing it up.

Tube may not align itself well, and the valve stem may not stick out properly. This is okay. Just makes checking and inflating a little more difficult. Think they've quit making the hole in the rim the right angle for tubes.

Ralph

 

[Gary Fowler]

Short answer is a tubeless tire can be used with a tube but not the other way around. Nothing wrong with putting a tube in a tubeless tire.
Aside from that, have you checked the valve stem and rim/tire bead seats closely for leaks. If you cant find a leak in the tire anywhere else that may be your problem. I had a slow leak in one of the front tires on my tractor and it was causes by some debris that had gotten in around the bead seat on the rim. Another time on a Gator tire kept leaking and it was a loose fitting stem that only leaked when a bit of pressure was put on it to the side. Amazingly, I could spin it easily in the hole but no air would come out till I put a little side pressure on it, no more than would likely happen from centrifugal motion of the tire when travelling.
Another thing to try is putting in about a quart of Slime tire sealant. This worked on an old lawnmower tire I had that kept leaking down without any visual leak apparent.

 

[s219]

I've put tubes in my tubeless wheelbarrow tire and in my two front tractor tires.

All you have to do is to cut out the part where you air it up (valve stem), to allow the tube part to be inserted there. Look at the tube. The part the air goes in will generally have an angle to it. Lay the tube where it angles up to insert it into the hole.

Take one side of the tire bead loose and off the rim and insert the tube thusly. Remove the valve from the valve stem of the tube (need a little tool at bike shops or Walmart for bikes for this). Put bead back on carefully with bike tools or blunt/large screwdrivers, careful not to catch the tube. Inflate tube. Let air go out mostly and then reinsert valve into valve stem. This method will help prevent catching the tube behind the bead and pinching and cutting it vs. just blowing it up.

Tube may not align itself well, and the valve stem may not stick out properly. This is okay. Just makes checking and inflating a little more difficult. Think they've quit making the hole in the rim the right angle for tubes.

Ralph

I could not have said it any better other than to note cornstarch can sometimes help slip a tube in and improve internal alignment. On smaller tires, I like working my way around the tire, squeezing in both beads to help make sure the tube is not pinched before the initial inflation.

Since switching to a CO2 cartridge as the emergency pump on my bike, I only get one shot to inflate a tire. So I check for pinches, inflate about halfway and double-check, also making sure the tub is even and bead OK, then let the rest of the cartridge rip.

 

[LMan1967]

Thanks, guys...I'll give it a go :thumbsup:

 

[tcartwri]

Mysterious leaks can often be cracks in the rim where they are welded to the hoop.

 

[MossRoad]

I've tubed two of my tires after persistent slow leaks. Also, I run at reduced tire pressure for better traction and that causes the tires to pop off the rim. The tubes stopped that. Now, this is on small, garden tractor size tires. Don't know about larger tires on larger tractors. Good luck.