Chains Put chains on - right rear tire flat

pjwbx2230 · Dec 3, 2006

Put chains on preparing for winter. In doing so let a little air out of the tires to get a little play for chains. Immediately aired tires up prior to taking tractor down off of jack. Did some work and parked tractor in shed, only to go out and find right rear tire flat when I went out to get tractor to help a neighbor muck out his horse barn for winter. Took wheel off, took chain off, and cannot find any nails or any damage to side walls. Any ideas as to what may have happened? Used similar technique to put chain on left tire and no problems.

RFB · Dec 3, 2006

If you did not fully deflate the tire, you probably did not break the bead, so that's safe. Any possibility of a sidewall puncture from a sharp chain protrusion?

CurlyDave · Dec 3, 2006

You should be able to find the leak by re-inflating the tire to a very modest pressure, say 5 psi, and spraying a soap solution on it. Try 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid to 10 parts water.

I would not go to any higher pressure until I had established that the bead was still seated.

Tig · Dec 4, 2006

Since it was the first thing you touched, don't forget to check the valve stem. It may be dirty or stuck, intermittantly leaking. Inflate the tire, put a gob of spit over the end of the valve with your finger. Poke it a bit and see if you can get it to blow bubbles by it's self.

simonmeridew · Dec 4, 2006

I would doubt there's anything wrong with the tire itself. What usually happens is that a piece of dirt or other particle got stuck under the valve stem seat and it deflated slowly. many times just putting air back in will cause the dirt to be blown off the valve seat and the valve will then seal completely. If you had some chloride solution in the tube for ballast, this is very corrosive to steel, not as bad on brass, and there might have been some part of the valve stem that was steel not brass, like the spring or other part. If this failed, the old valve is no good, so just get a new valve stem and your problem's solved. They screw in and out easily. Your tire dealer will probably give you a valve stem for nothing if you're a regular customer.
simonmeridew