Constantly flat front tire.

[Farmwithjunk]

FWJ...I had used a 6 foot long 2x6 lying on a tire to break a stubborn bead. I drive my PU truck slowly up the plank to pop the bead loose. Pretty redneck...

We use the Bead Cheata to break down tire/rims while they're still mounted on the tractor. Makes for less work.

As far as "redneck" goes, us rednecks git'r'done one way or another, but we git'r'done!

 

[Soundguy]

neat looking tool. i also like those tire changer tools that help you get the rubber on the rim.. I see them on sale at the chinese store now and then and keep trying to convince myself i need one.. but then..I only do a tire now and then, and when that comes up I just go get the irons out and then don't think about it for another year..

soundguy

If you want to do your own tire repairs and you simply DETEST beating on a tire to break a stuck bead, get yourself one of these.

5500 Bead-Cheata [Shoup Manufacturing Company]

I bought one a few years back and you couldn't wrestle it away from me for love nor money! Makes a difficult task SO EASY!

 

[Soundguy]

FWJ...I had used a 6 foot long 2x6 lying on a tire to break a stubborn bead. I drive my PU truck slowly up the plank to pop the bead loose. Pretty redneck...

Hey.. whatever works... I've used a fel to press down on a tire bead before.. sure beats standing there whacking on the thing with a 10# tire sledge for 10 minutes trying to get a stubborn one to unseat..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. with tubes.. not a real problem with the bead.. though if the rims are bent.. the tires may not seat till you drive it.

vegi based soap helps the bead seat during re-assembly.

yep.. with a few tire tools.. the averae person can do their own tires, if they want to..

As for replacements.. i generally let rubber run till it blows off the rim. it's to expensive to change out rubber still holding air.. the front fat 10-16 tri ribs onmy NH 7610s look like racing slicks! and have holes inthe casing my thumb could poke thru...I put thick farm patches on the inside and a boot and a new tube and have been runninghtem 2 seasons since those repairs now.. expect to get at leat aother one I hope.. .. the fronts on my 5000 aren't that much better. .. no holes.. but decent amount of checking and some trivial cuts in the tread areas..

soundguy

Great tip. Its the kind of thing you smack yourself in the head and wonder why you didn't think of it yourself after flopping around fighting with a tire.

So far, breaking the bead has not been too much of a problem on these fronts. I haven't had a flat on the rears yet. And, like I say, my neighbor down the road has all the bigger tools for working on the rears.

Probably my biggest problem with the fronts was getting the bead to seat back up. Ratchet straps, sometimes 2 at a time, are often necessary. I'm assuming that won't be a problem now that I've got tubes. Anyway, great advice all around guys.

I figured the tire man must have checked the inside of the tires and pulled out any thorns or nails or whatever. Don't know if he patched inside. The first thing I'll do if I start getting popped tubes is add a boot. I think with the right tools I can do all this myself from now on.......well, I was doing it myself before too, now I should be able to do it correctly anyway.

I looked at the tires real close today. Even though they've got a good bit of tread left on them, they are really beat up. Lots of slices. Lots of little chunks missing and even some cracking. They've been abused and have always been outdoors and from what I've read, they're considered light duty/ low price. When its time for new fronts I'll probably get something a good bit heavier duty.

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

George,

Yes, it looks like a bolt head in the valve stem hole. Since this is the first time that I've done this, and my only experience with it, I can't say what it would take to remove the tire and put on a new one. Since my tires are for commercial use and have a ten ply rating, I would have thought that would work. But taking out trees in the woods is just more then they can handle. I never take it out on the pavement, so wear on the tread should be minimal. I don't foresee replacing the tires, but if it happens, I'll foam them again.

As for the ride, all I can say is that I haven't noticed a difference. I keep them at 35psi, so the ride with an empty bucket seems the same. One thing that I haven't done yet, but I'm curious about, is what it will be like with a heavy load in the bucket. At 4,000 pounds of lift on my loader, I can put allot of weight on my front tires. I've seen them flatten out pretty good under a big load, like a stump. I'm hoping that with the foam, it won't affect the shape of the tire.

As for being able to patch a tire with Slime, that may be true, but getting a repair shop to do it for you is another matter. I've been to several shops and have been told the same thing, you can't patch a tire that has had slime in it. The only way to fix a flat after you have put Slime in it is to put a tube into the tire. Of course, when the Tube gets a flat, you can patch the tube if it's repairable. I've been about 50/50 on getting tubes patched. Sometimes I can, other times I have to buy a new tube.

Eddie

I have foam in the front tires of my 870 with loader

The only way to replace a foam filled tire is to use a sawsall to cut it off---then throw it in the trash.

A foam filled tire will not change shape under load.

You will find the tractor ride is "harder"

How do you maintian a foam filled tire at 35PSI that is impossible...

 

[Duffster]

The only way to replace a foam filled tire is to use a sawsall to cut it off---then throw it in the trash.

Unless you recap it.

 

[teststrips]

I'm not sure what "bead sealer" is, but I've sucessfully used regular ol silicone caulck on sevearl tires on 4-wheelers and front tractor tires. Just clean everything up good - put a bead down with your caulck gun and re-seat the tire pretty well (temporary HIGH pressure in the tire to get it to squeeze up against the rim good), then let pressure down to 3 to 5psi and let everything dry overnight. Then put the propper amount of air in, and put it back on the tractor.

This method also worked well for me on a whellbarrow tire that kept loosing pressure and collapsing

The silicone is a bit of a pain to get off if you ever change the tire, but it can certainly be done with a few minutes of work.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

neat looking tool. i also like those tire changer tools that help you get the rubber on the rim.. I see them on sale at the chinese store now and then and keep trying to convince myself i need one.. but then..I only do a tire now and then, and when that comes up I just go get the irons out and then don't think about it for another year..

soundguy

The bead cheata has another use besides breaking down a beaded tire. They're just as usefull when re-mounting the tire. Where you previously described using vice grips to hold the tire inward, the bead cheata does the same task. The biggest advantage is it holds the bead far enough in towards the middle of the rim so as to put the bead directly in the center of the drop center portion of the rim. Then you simply take your tire irons and walk the lubed tire back on the rim.

I've done field repairs with mine where I've broke the bead on a 20.8X38 tire, dismounted the tire, changed tubes, re-mounted the tire and re-inflated in less than 20 minutes, all by my lonesome. Sure beats pounding on one for hours with a tire sledge..........

 

[powerstroke444e]

Foam will pay for it's self if it keeps me from running one extra day per year figure $175 per flat for the rear tire plus 1 day down in getting a tire fixed if it is fixable, $30 in fuel getting it fixed plus paying crew to pick there nose while the tractor is not working.

Plus the saftey margin in that the tire don't ever need aired up.

$1500 for foam per machine seems cheap to me.

 

[Soundguy]

sweet... I gotta put one of those on my christmas list.

soundguy

The bead cheata has another use besides breaking down a beaded tire. They're just as usefull when re-mounting the tire. Where you previously described using vice grips to hold the tire inward, the bead cheata does the same task. The biggest advantage is it holds the bead far enough in towards the middle of the rim so as to put the bead directly in the center of the drop center portion of the rim. Then you simply take your tire irons and walk the lubed tire back on the rim.

I've done field repairs with mine where I've broke the bead on a 20.8X38 tire, dismounted the tire, changed tubes, re-mounted the tire and re-inflated in less than 20 minutes, all by my lonesome. Sure beats pounding on one for hours with a tire sledge..........

 

[EddieWalker]

Foam will pay for it's self if it keeps me from running one extra day per year figure $175 per flat for the rear tire plus 1 day down in getting a tire fixed if it is fixable, $30 in fuel getting it fixed plus paying crew to pick there nose while the tractor is not working.

Plus the saftey margin in that the tire don't ever need aired up.

$1500 for foam per machine seems cheap to me.

It's this line of thinking that convinced me to foam my front tires. It's just a matter of time until I do them on my CUT.

Eddie

 

[woodchuckie]

I've not had any punctures on my tires but have had plenty of trouble keeping air in the fronts. Low air is one reason but the most occurring cause has been loosing a valve stem because of the close contact I have working in the woods clearing and maintaining trails and driving in ruts deep enough to damage, pull out, or push in the valve stem. I've seen some models that had stem protection but mine had none. So I recently put some on after the last episode with my tire. Hoping they will work. I haven't used it much since I added the protection.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have foam in the front tires of my 870 with loader

The only way to replace a foam filled tire is to use a sawsall to cut it off---then throw it in the trash.

Unless you recap it.

Can you recap a tire while on the rim? I thot they used heat and pressure and would have to have access to both sides of the carcass.
larry

 

[taborekle]

The cheapest easiest is to put some tire sealer in it. If that don't work go to the next step.

I doubt that tire sealer would work, as typically it will wallow in the lowest point of the tire (the tread). As the bead is at about the highest part of the tire, I don't think that tire sealer will work.

I would tube it.

 

[J_J]

I simply don't know why some of you guys don't think the tire sealer will not work, and lies in puddles at the bottom of the tire. If you put the correct amount in, it should cover the complete inside of the tire, I have broken down tires, and the slime/snot compound covered the complete tire. If there is any extra slime in the tire, it will roll around and run/drip down, and fill the bead area, etc. On a 26 X 12 X 12, I use about 32 oz's. On a large tractor tire, you would probably use about two gal of slime. It has worked for me over the years. I used to do a lot of plugging, but now use mostly slime or an equivalent.

 

[Duffster]

Can you recap a tire while on the rim? I thot they used heat and pressure and would have to have access to both sides of the carcass.
larry

I haven't had any done yet but I'm looking at buying a set of rims with wornout foam filled tires on them from my tire guy. He said they can recap them. I have used recaps for a while and these rims and tires seem like a good deal so I thought I would give it a try. I think he said it would be about $15 a tire more since it was still on the rim.

 

[cowboy357]

I doubt that tire sealer would work, as typically it will wallow in the lowest point of the tire (the tread). As the bead is at about the highest part of the tire, I don't think that tire sealer will work.

I would tube it.

It might seem that way, but as J J stated it DOES work , its actually better for bead leaks then punctures . Bob

 

[jimmysisson]

I have had numerous flats with locust thorns, or something similar, not sure. Tubes get punctured by the thorns, tire flat next morning. When I hog my widow neighbor's, I sometimes get 30-40 per tire, front and rear. I work the thorns out with an ice pick - only thing that will get in next to them. They're usually flush with the rubber surface, so no pliers will work. Main trouble is inside the tire, where just the tit of the thorn sticks in, often just enough to wreck a tube. You run your palm around the inside surface, and wait to get scratched.
It almost seems like tubeless tires with slime would be less troubled by thorns. I've used slime in the tubes before and it does work. You just have to run the tire long enough to get it fully distributed. Then again as JJ said I might have not used enough. At times I've jacked the front end and just rolled the tire a dozen times to distribute the slime.
Now I have tubes in my R1 fronts, with slime, and they hold OK. I might try tubeless next round though, adding slime for insurance.
Jim

 

[EddieWalker]

While I agree that Slime and similar products do work, they have limitations and I think that's where the problems start. As mentioned by others, it's not effective on valve stem issues. It dosn't do anything for dirt and debri build up along the beed, and it only works on fairly small puncture holes. While I've spend allot of money on Slime and other brands, I've also had repeated flat tires on the fronts of both of my tractors. The rear tires are Slimed, and doing fine, but they don't take the beating that the front tires do.

In fact, my zero turn mower has solid tires from the factory. I can't say for sure why they did this, but can guess it's because there was a problem with flat tires and commercial mowers were losing time fixing them instead of making money mowing lawns.

Slime will work until it's unable to deal with the damage. If you have a place that's nicely taken care of and you are more in the maintenance mode, then I think Slime is an excellent choice. If you are doing allot of work clearing the land, then Slime is only marginal in keeping air in the tires.

For me, the real question came down to how much time is lost dealing with flat tires when I could be accomplishing something that is important to me. Slime didn't do what I had hoped it would, so I took it to the extreme and foamed the tires. No more flats... EVER !!!!

Eddie

 

[Soundguy]

I've got a lawnmower rear tire i may slime or fix-a-flat.. something to coat the insides...

It's a real bugger... it will leak down flat in 2 weaks.. or be low in 1 week. I've pulled it off and sumbmerged in water multiple times.. no bubbles! have replaced the valve stem.. and there is no rust on the rim. bead is smooth as is valve stem hole I've used the black rubber-liquid bead sealer even... tire still goes flat. at this point I'm thinking it's just real porous rubber..

soundguy