Flat tire question

[tractorshopper]

Have a flat front R4 on my new BX. Went to shop last night and it was deflated. Must be some kind of slow leak. Filled it back up and listened for any noise, but no hissing.

I have inspected the tire as good as I can without removing the wheel and cannot find a puncture or anything obvious that would require a plug. What to do?

Do I slime it? Do I take it off and back to dealer to see what they recommend?

What are your suggestions and experiences?

 

[pohorsky]

Have you tried spraying with soapy water?

 

[tractorshopper]

No, but I will this afternoon. Will have to remove it first to make sure I can do all of it. Didn't have time last night. Need to put loader back on it.

 

[paulharvey]

Have a flat front R4 on my new BX. Went to shop last night and it was deflated. Must be some kind of slow leak. Filled it back up and listened for any noise, but no hissing.

I have inspected the tire as good as I can without removing the wheel and cannot find a puncture or anything obvious that would require a plug. What to do?

Do I slime it? Do I take it off and back to dealer to see what they recommend?

What are your suggestions and experiences?

Air it up and see what happens. Might be valve stem, might be dirt/trash in the bead, might be small hole you don't see. Air it up, dunk in soapy water

 

[pohorsky]

No, but I will this afternoon. Will have to remove it first to make sure I can do all of it. Didn't have time last night. Need to put loader back on it.

Can't you just spray the front third, check for bubbles, turn the tire 1/3 rotation and repeat until you've done the entire tire?

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

For some reason, slow leaks seem to be a common problem with BX tires. I've got a slow leak on my BX2660's left front. Unless you have a small puncture somewhere, the only solution is probably either (1) tube it; (2) slime it; or (3) foam it. Each solution has it's pros and cons. Tubing it is probably best, but some people prefer to just slime it.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

I slimed the fronts on my BX1500 this past fall, so far no more leaks.

 

[Shutesbury]

If you run them on the firm side, above listed pressure, they seem to have less leaks. I was repeatedly finding dirt, stones, and bits of wood in the bead area, from heavy FEL loads and turning in debris.
Adding air after cleaning up the beads and reseating made them much more reliable. The ride is a little rougher, but hey... it's a tractor! Buying a spare set of front rims, switching to the new non-Kubota
tires, and saving the older ones as 'out on a job' spares, acted like carrying an umbrella on a cloudy day... I haven't needed to swap to a spare in the past year.

 

[ultrarunner]

I use slime in the front and foam in the back... so far so good.

 

[tractorshopper]

Paul Harvey is probably most correct.

I couldn't find any puncture, couldn't see bubbling, but over the course of 3-5 days it goes from 20 lbs to almost sitting on rim.

Was going to slime it, called my dealer to see what he recommended. He said the fronts on the BX's have issues from time to time with valve stems. He offered to have me bring to him and him take to tire shop for replacement of valve stem on his dime, but I told him I'd just take it to a shop myself when I have some time. Don't need to bother him with something simple.