Hmmm…tubes? Or new tires?

[Modrob]

Opinions please.
Previous owner put turf tread tires on our 425 (23 x 10.50-12)…hardly any tread wear but cracking in sidewalls, and a couple have slow leaks.
Last time I bought a new tube for a lawn tractor (good brand I thought) it came apart real easily…new tires are quite expensive…
Thoughts?

 

[ponytug]

Photos?

After a bad childhood experience with tubes (16 flats in six weeks), they aren't my favorite solution.

Since the sidewalls are both cracking and leaking, I think that you are on borrowed time. Having said that, if the goal is another bit of time, maybe. While slime certainly has its uses, and you could slime the tires, but then you will have to deal with that mess when you replace tires in the not so distant future. I also suspect that there is a reasonable risk that if you break the bead to install a tube, that process may significantly damage the tire.

It isn't my money, but if it were me, I would bite the bullet and buy new tires, but shop around. I see wildly differing prices locally and on-line. (Almost nobody locally stocks tires for my 1445, so it is all special order anyways.)

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

IMO, the tires and tubes today don't last like they once did, but whatever they cost today, they'll be more expensive to buy later. If it were me, I'd shop around for new tires.

 

[ponytug]

IMO, the tires and tubes today don't last like they once did, but whatever they cost today, they'll be more expensive to buy later. If it were me, I'd shop around for new tires.

Great point.

@Modrob if you do go down the tube route, my $0.02 is don't cheap out on the tubes. Buy a good brand, and consider polyurethane if they are available in the tractor tire size for your PT.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Modrob]

Photos?

After a bad childhood experience with tubes (16 flats in six weeks), they aren't my favorite solution.

Since the sidewalls are both cracking and leaking, I think that you are on borrowed time. Having said that, if the goal is another bit of time, maybe. While slime certainly has its uses, and you could slime the tires, but then you will have to deal with that mess when you replace tires in the not so distant future. I also suspect that there is a reasonable risk that if you break the bead to install a tube, that process may significantly damage the tire.

It isn't my money, but if it were me, I would bite the bullet and buy new tires, but shop around. I see wildly differing prices locally and on-line. (Almost nobody locally stocks tires for my 1445, so it is all special order anyways.)

All the best,

Peter

All good points…yes that mess inside a tire—we had a lawn tractor that had a decent leak, so I experimented with the foam trick, since I’d had some success with that on a dual-tired wheelbarrow. This time, it wasn’t so pretty. So still dealing with a half-flat many times, I ordered some new ones. Went to install a couple days ago, and DAMN! I cussed myself over and over…ended up having to use a recip saw and cut away a lot of tire to get rim away, and then clean that mess up…
And THEN, my little Harbor Freight tire changer—I’m not so sure about it…maybe a 5 out of 10…what a job it was! I can laugh about it now…LOL

 

[Modrob]

On a side note—I had seen a video on how to get more life out of sidewall cracks (mind you this is NOT for highway use) so I gave it a try. Transmission fluid. Brushed liberally on the sidewalls. Seems like it helped some, but…I think it only helps for one or two applications…just my opinion on a “hmmmm, why not try it?” LOL

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I see they're about $55-$60 so about $120/pair. Just yesterday I put new back tires on a Cub zero turn. Original tires on it tread was still good, one I had plugged, other I put inner tube in. Went to mow, one tire flat and soapy water small bubbles in sidewall. I had two new ones I had ordered.
Glad I put new ones on.

 

[jyoutz]

Photos?

After a bad childhood experience with tubes (16 flats in six weeks), they aren't my favorite solution.

Since the sidewalls are both cracking and leaking, I think that you are on borrowed time. Having said that, if the goal is another bit of time, maybe. While slime certainly has its uses, and you could slime the tires, but then you will have to deal with that mess when you replace tires in the not so distant future. I also suspect that there is a reasonable risk that if you break the bead to install a tube, that process may significantly damage the tire.

It isn't my money, but if it were me, I would bite the bullet and buy new tires, but shop around. I see wildly differing prices locally and on-line. (Almost nobody locally stocks tires for my 1445, so it is all special order anyways.)

All the best,

Peter

I would shop tires at businesses that do large truck and equipment tires, not an equipment dealer.

 

[zzvyb6]

I bought tubes for my 1435 tires (your size) on Amazon and they were the more expensive ones, but they are twice as thick as the first go-around.
Two suggestions come to mind:
Inspect the wheels for weld flash that may puncture the tube because the wheel was originally designated as tubeless use.
Be careful loading the tube into the tire. Some wheels may have a hole for the tubeless valve that's too small for a tube. You'll have to drill it larger
diameter.

 

[Modrob]

I really hate being “cheap”…honestly. But it’s gotten worse as I’ve aged. I try my best to wring out every possible inch of life in anything we have (frustrating many times and lots of muttered 4-letter words LOL) and the wife just says “throw it away and we’ll get a new one…” I can’t let go that easily. Plus, most times it’s a learning experience, and I thrive off of knowing the ins and outs of how things work.
But…since marrying the wife 4 years ago and moving to her spread, I’ve taken on three times as much stuff as I had before! And three times as much the duties of keeping everything up and running. It’s pretty exhilarating most of the time, but more and more I’m becoming overwhelmed with so many projects/fixes in various states…and…I’m not so sure I’ll come out of this prostate cancer past without anything else popping up. For some reason I’m feeling I need to get as much done as I can. Odd I know…
So in this case, the smart thing would go ahead and order tires. But tubes seem to be an easier and quicker method to get more time, and allow me to move over to other stuff…